So I've been looking at these portable ADS-b boxen and I'm just not sure how much it would help. Everything around here is super cubs and flying low, so if it works by reporting what the FAA sees as radar contacts, I would suspect it would miss a lot of stuff.

I'm going to be flying to Valdez this summer and possibly all over south east, so if it really does show all of the bogies, then probably worth it.

Anyone using ads-b in small bush aeroplanes in Alaska? How is it working for you?

schu

I have the GDL39 3d. It is ADSB in as long as I am in range of the ground stations. Which for 99 percent of what I am doing, I am not. If I go up the Kenai penninsula, I am in range and I can see targets and weather on my Ipad, however, I don't really believe it to be better than my eyeballs, in fact I think I spend more time looking at the screen rather than out the window. I am opting not to go for the ADSB in/out because I believe a satellite based system will come fairly soon an it will actually be useful to me.

Eyeballs and an LED landing light that is actually turned on all the time and used is primary, ADSB and TCAS is a good supplement but eyeballs are primary.

Now that being said, having used various traffic aids (ADSB and TCAS) I can say, they can be a great help in finding targets. Im a proponent of using ALL available resources. If in an area where you will not see all targets ADSB is still a great aid in seeing some targets, yes, 100 percent worth it, just don't rely on it, ya still have to look outside.

Take a look at the coverage maps that the FAA provides. Understand that by “coverage” they suggest you should be able to get ADSB In when you are at or above 6000 msl. More importantly, you can see where the Ground Based Transmitters (GBTs) are located, and based on line of sight, decide how good coverage may be. That is for weather and traffic info from ATC.

You will get some traffic direct from Aircraft, vs via ATC.

But these are all line of sight devices. So, as Headout noted, in mountainous terrain or if you’re low, Service will be limited.

That said, just departing Lake Hood to the north, traffic might pay for the unit.

As others have said, there is a serious inclination to stare at that little screen, not out the window. Strong discipline can overcome that. The school I taught at had ADSB in all our planes. I frequently found both of us staring at the MFD, trying to read altitudes on targets, etc.

MTV

I fly a Husky with ADS-B but mostly outside the range of GBTs and mostly below 4,500 feet. I can usually see the heavies flying overhead at 30,000 feet, but nothing down at my altitude. It might be helpful in the high traffic areas around Anchorage, but serves only as a curiosity to me when an occasional small plane hits my screen in the backcountry. I tend to fixate on finding that one small plane even though it may be miles away and at a different altitude going in a "no factor" direction.

When you are out of range of a ground station, if you have ADS-b in, you will see aircraft within your receiver’s range that have ADS-b out. If everyone who flew into Valdez had ADS-b out, I would feel better knowing that I have that extra information when using see and avoid techniques. If everyone who flew into Valdez had both in and out, I do believe there would be less confusion when sequencing for the traffic pattern. As a user of in and out technology for several years, I am convinced that I can locate a target more quickly when I know approximately where to start looking in the first place. It’s the same reason that when you are using flight following and the controller issues an alert, “traffic at your 2 o’clock, 1 mile, converging, same altitude” that you can spot it more quickly than if you didn’t receive the alert. If our see and avoid approach in isolation were consistently robust, flight following wouldn’t be of any utility; in fact, it would be a nuisance because every time a controller would call out traffic, you would say, “traffic in sight, no factor”. But I don’t always say that. Many times I say, subvocally, “wow, didn’t see that guy”.

akschu wrote:
Anyone using ads-b in small bush aeroplanes in Alaska? How is it working for you?

schu

To answer your question, it works great in the remote areas when others have it as well. It is useless if no one has it. There is a brotherhood among ADS-b users in the backcountry. When someone pops up on your screen, sometimes we do a little chat on the radio in passing acknowledging each other’s presence and membership in the ADS-b club much like motorcycle riders giving each other the secret handshake across the dividing lane with a subtle extension of the arm.

Nizina wrote:I fly a Husky with ADS-B but mostly outside the range of GBTs and mostly below 4,500 feet. I can usually see the heavies flying overhead at 30,000 feet, but nothing down at my altitude. It might be helpful in the high traffic areas around Anchorage, but serves only as a curiosity to me when an occasional small plane hits my screen in the backcountry. I tend to fixate on finding that one small plane even though it may be miles away and at a different altitude going in a "no factor" direction.

This is kinda what I was thinking. When around anchorage I figured I would see anything that radar sees, which would help, but once I got outside of Anchorage/Valley service would only really work at altitude.

I agree that if everybody had in/out then we could see each other, but I've also heard that the FAA is tracking every movement of your aircraft when doing ads-b out, so that combined with the cost may prevent widespread adoption up here.

I guess I just don't want to fling a bunch of money at ads-b in when I'm only going to see 10% of it, as G44 points out, might make sense to get a flasher and an LED landing light.

Anyone run those cheap DIY stratux boxes? Any good?

Any suggestions on a pulsing LED landing light?

As far as radar coverage of cub type aircraft, when I first got up here and flew to Lake Hood I chose to go flight following so I wouldn't screw up. I was at 1500 feet msl INSIDE Anchorage airspace when they lost me on radar and forgot about me (negative transponder). They hadn't handed me off to Lake Hood and before I could get a word in edge wise on the radio I was nearly over the top of Lake Hood. Obviously it all worked out okay, but did show me how stealthy a fabric plane can be at times.

Bright LED Strobes and LED landing lights are the best idea. I keep the strobes on all the time and the landing lights on when in/around the Anchorage basin.

akschu wrote:
I guess I just don't want to fling a bunch of money at ads-b in

ADS-b In is cheap.

Lots of flashing bright LED lights just goes without saying

akschu wrote:Any suggestions on a pulsing LED landing light?

LOts of more expensive options, but this is probably about the cheapest way to go.

http://www.goodiesforpilots.com/

I think there's been a thread or two here in the past about LED lights and/or flashers.

Headoutdaplane wrote:..... however, I don't really believe it to be better than my eyeballs, in fact I think I spend more time looking at the screen rather than out the window.......

mtv wrote:.....As others have said, there is a serious inclination to stare at that little screen, not out the window. Strong discipline can overcome that. The school I taught at had ADSB in all our planes. I frequently found both of us staring at the MFD, trying to read altitudes on targets, etc.

Nizina wrote:...I tend to fixate on finding that one small plane even though it may be miles away and at a different altitude going in a "no factor" direction.

What they said.
I find that even with just "flight following" radar service in the nearby Navy class C airspace,
I find myself fixating on spotting traffic called out to me (even if it sounds like it's not a factor)
to the exclusion of looking for other traffic.
And like ADS-B, I've had the Navy controller call out plenty of unimportant traffic to me ( traffic at your 12 oclock, 4 miles same direction)--
and not say a word about the guy that goes by within spitting distance of me.

I went with the Aveo’s ultra Galactica, rudder strobe and beacon strobe. Not doing ADSB out. I don’t fly into Juneau or Fairbanks. Can get under or around class C airspace in Anchorage. The only people I want tracking me are the folks who are on my spidertracks list.

ADS-B is a fine thing. It would be very cool in places where you become complacent, like cruising down the peninsula. Lots of us flew IFB, I Follow Beaches, really a good idea, nothing to run into and it tended to lead to all the available airports. Then again there is that constant scud layer, so we all tend to cluster at around the same altitude, since VFR rules don't seem to work out when your 2,000' OVC. The air-to-air mode is a fine thing then. You just don't seem to pick out the head on or faster rear closing traffic when you cruising for 400 miles from King Salmon to Cold Bay.

Now personally, I have 'out' on most of my Caravans (customers can pay for an 'in' if they want). My 206 is getting in-out, G1000 on a Cessna has limited choices dictated by Cessna's TC. I do carry a GDL-39 3D when I ferry my aircraft. It works really well and I actually have had to use the AHARS on two aircraft, since the AHARS was inop in both. The Caravan leaving India on Sunday is going out with the GDL-29 3D, since its AHARS packed up as well. Simply put your iPhone where the HSI is and run Garmin Pilot, violá instant EFIS.

There is the tendency to rely too much on our technological marvels, so like the Death Star, we really need to keep our eyes outside as much as inside. There has been a statistical surge in Controlled Flight Into Terrain. Quite a few Cirrus's have kissed the earth in that manner, one right outside of Flagstaff here. Seems the folks where staring at the video game display and not the gradually rising terrain. There was even that baseball player who didn't notice the skyscrapers in Manhattan. What is it with ball players and aircraft? Are they cursed with poor judgement or what?

FWIW the user's manual for the Garmin GDL82 says there's an anonymous feature which you can switch on and off.
Anonymous only works when squawking 1200, so radar service requires ID.
I think there's somewhere you can go online to block your flight ID from looky-loos though.

I think I'll build one of those stratux things and see what I think. They are only $200. In the mean time I did get an LED light with a flasher and I'll use that. Also, the airplane is orange, so that helps.

I'll put much higher power strobes on the bearhawk since it's not stupid expensive, and I'll probably paint it orange too. Trick is to find the right shade of orange. Might do a McLaren P1 Orange.

This doesn't look bad:

akschu wrote:Any suggestions on a pulsing LED landing light?

Aero LED is the good stuff!

Barnstormer wrote:As far as radar coverage of cub type aircraft, when I first got up here and flew to Lake Hood I chose to go flight following so I wouldn't screw up. I was at 1500 feet msl INSIDE Anchorage airspace when they lost me on radar and forgot about me (negative transponder). They hadn't handed me off to Lake Hood and before I could get a word in edge wise on the radio I was nearly over the top of Lake Hood. Obviously it all worked out okay, but did show me how stealthy a fabric plane can be at times.

Bright LED Strobes and LED landing lights are the best idea. I keep the strobes on all the time and the landing lights on when in/around the Anchorage basin.

Why do you turn your LED landing lights off? Why do you keep them only when in and around the Anchorage basin?

Keep in mind, ADSB out is so the other guy can see you! Could save your life someday.