powerflarm not receiving

[Tony[_5_]]

I'm in Moriarty flying a Sparrowhawk and am having trouble with me portable. It seems yo be transmitting fine but the only time I've received Farm targets is when I'm on the grid. It is receiving transponder and ADSB traffic just fine.

You may recall that I recently replaced as broken antenna. However I'm pretty sure that farm targets were showing up when a friend borrowed my portable at Region 10 South.

Any suggestions?

[Ramy]

I suggest to check your antenna and installation, maybe try a different antenna or contact your dealer.
While I am now totally satisfied with the performance of all the functions of my Powerflarm, I am aware of few units which either don't receive at all or don't transmit well. Interestingly though, they will do well one but not the other. I am aware of few portables not receiving well and one brick not transmitting well.

Ramy

[Morgan[_2_]]

I've had this same issue. First on my Portable and now it is even happening on a loaner unit. The transmit path on the device seems to work better than the receive path. I did improve the receive by hooking up an external antenna to the B antenna port. It's still not as good as the Brick, but 2nm range is acceptable for collision avoidance. Without the second antenna I was only seeing about 1 mile range on Saturday and Sunday. Monday I flew with an external antenna and was getting 2 miles more consistently and that was just with the panel antenna tossed up on the left side of the glare shield.

On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 7:56:37 AM UTC-7, Tony wrote:
> I'm in Moriarty flying a Sparrowhawk and am having trouble with me portable. It seems yo be transmitting fine but the only time I've received Farm targets is when I'm on the grid. It is receiving transponder and ADSB traffic just fine.
>
>
>
> You may recall that I recently replaced as broken antenna. However I'm pretty sure that farm targets were showing up when a friend borrowed my portable at Region 10 South.
>
>
>
> Any suggestions?

[Tony[_5_]]

On Wednesday, September 4, 2013 10:01:05 AM UTC-6, Morgan wrote:
> I've had this same issue. First on my Portable and now it is even happening on a loaner unit. The transmit path on the device seems to work better than the receive path. I did improve the receive by hooking up an external antenna to the B antenna port. It's still not as good as the Brick, but 2nm range is acceptable for collision avoidance. Without the second antenna I was only seeing about 1 mile range on Saturday and Sunday. Monday I flew with an external antenna and was getting 2 miles more consistently and that was just with the panel antenna tossed up on the left side of the glare shield.
>
>
>
> On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 7:56:37 AM UTC-7, Tony wrote:
>
> > I'm in Moriarty flying a Sparrowhawk and am having trouble with me portable. It seems yo be transmitting fine but the only time I've received Farm targets is when I'm on the grid. It is receiving transponder and ADSB traffic just fine.
>
> >
>
> >
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> >
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> > You may recall that I recently replaced as broken antenna. However I'm pretty sure that farm targets were showing up when a friend borrowed my portable at Region 10 South.
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> > Any suggestions?

My issue is not poor reception, its complete lack of reception. I was/am only able to receive targets at incredibly close range, like on the grid. Only once when I was thermalling with another FLARM equipped ship in close quarters did I just briefly pick him up.

Everyone else is seeing me fine so the transmit side of the antenna is working fine. I had the B FLARM antenna hooked up too.

[JJ Sinclair[_2_]]

On Wednesday, September 4, 2013 9:19:20 PM UTC-7, Tony wrote:
> On Wednesday, September 4, 2013 10:01:05 AM UTC-6, Morgan wrote:
>
> > I've had this same issue. First on my Portable and now it is even happening on a loaner unit. The transmit path on the device seems to work better than the receive path. I did improve the receive by hooking up an external antenna to the B antenna port. It's still not as good as the Brick, but 2nm range is acceptable for collision avoidance. Without the second antenna I was only seeing about 1 mile range on Saturday and Sunday. Monday I flew with an external antenna and was getting 2 miles more consistently and that was just with the panel antenna tossed up on the left side of the glare shield.
>
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> > On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 7:56:37 AM UTC-7, Tony wrote:
>
> >
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> > > I'm in Moriarty flying a Sparrowhawk and am having trouble with me portable. It seems yo be transmitting fine but the only time I've received Farm targets is when I'm on the grid. It is receiving transponder and ADSB traffic just fine.
>
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> > > You may recall that I recently replaced as broken antenna. However I'm pretty sure that farm targets were showing up when a friend borrowed my portable at Region 10 South.
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> > > Any suggestions?
>
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>
> My issue is not poor reception, its complete lack of reception. I was/am only able to receive targets at incredibly close range, like on the grid. Only once when I was thermalling with another FLARM equipped ship in close quarters did I just briefly pick him up.
>
>
>
> Everyone else is seeing me fine so the transmit side of the antenna is working fine. I had the B FLARM antenna hooked up too.

I had the same problem until I got the new 'T' antenna. I put the original blade antenna near the front of the canopy and ran the T lead down the side of the canopy back to the rear and half up the canopy. Started working properly.
JJ

[[email protected]]

On Thursday, September 5, 2013 5:43:42 AM UTC-7, JJ Sinclair wrote:
> On Wednesday, September 4, 2013 9:19:20 PM UTC-7, Tony wrote:
>
> > On Wednesday, September 4, 2013 10:01:05 AM UTC-6, Morgan wrote:
>
> >
>
> > > I've had this same issue. First on my Portable and now it is even happening on a loaner unit. The transmit path on the device seems to work better than the receive path. I did improve the receive by hooking up an external antenna to the B antenna port. It's still not as good as the Brick, but 2nm range is acceptable for collision avoidance. Without the second antenna I was only seeing about 1 mile range on Saturday and Sunday. Monday I flew with an external antenna and was getting 2 miles more consistently and that was just with the panel antenna tossed up on the left side of the glare shield.
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> > > On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 7:56:37 AM UTC-7, Tony wrote:
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> > > > I'm in Moriarty flying a Sparrowhawk and am having trouble with me portable. It seems yo be transmitting fine but the only time I've received Farm targets is when I'm on the grid. It is receiving transponder and ADSB traffic just fine.
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> > > > You may recall that I recently replaced as broken antenna. However I'm pretty sure that farm targets were showing up when a friend borrowed my portable at Region 10 South.
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> > > > Any suggestions?
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> > My issue is not poor reception, its complete lack of reception. I was/am only able to receive targets at incredibly close range, like on the grid. Only once when I was thermalling with another FLARM equipped ship in close quarters did I just briefly pick him up.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Everyone else is seeing me fine so the transmit side of the antenna is working fine. I had the B FLARM antenna hooked up too.
>
>
>
> I had the same problem until I got the new 'T' antenna. I put the original blade antenna near the front of the canopy and ran the T lead down the side of the canopy back to the rear and half up the canopy. Started working properly.
>
> JJ

My reception has gone from 6 miles last season to less than one mile this season with the same antenna placement. Other pilots with Flarm can see me at 6 miles. The only thing that changed was connecting the Flarm outputs to my flight computers, in addition to the dedicated Flarm display.

I've tried the Craggy dipole antenna, adding a "B" antenna and relocating one antenna to a totally clear temporary mounting location high under the canopy. Next steps are to start turning off flight computers to check for interference and swapping the core black box with another owner to see if it improves reception.

JJ - what's the "new" T antenna? I have the original PF dipole (which is T-shaped, but not new I don't believe) and the Craggy bottom mounting dipole. Is there a new antenna design?

9B

[JJ Sinclair[_2_]]

On Thursday, September 5, 2013 6:10:03 AM UTC-7, wrote:
> On Thursday, September 5, 2013 5:43:42 AM UTC-7, JJ Sinclair wrote:
>
> > On Wednesday, September 4, 2013 9:19:20 PM UTC-7, Tony wrote:
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> >
>
> > > On Wednesday, September 4, 2013 10:01:05 AM UTC-6, Morgan wrote:
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> > >
> The T antenna is the dipole, new to me I guess as my early portable didn't have it. Rex told me to get the antennas as far apart as I could and that worked.
JJ
> >
>
> > > > I've had this same issue. First on my Portable and now it is even happening on a loaner unit. The transmit path on the device seems to work better than the receive path. I did improve the receive by hooking up an external antenna to the B antenna port. It's still not as good as the Brick, but 2nm range is acceptable for collision avoidance. Without the second antenna I was only seeing about 1 mile range on Saturday and Sunday. Monday I flew with an external antenna and was getting 2 miles more consistently and that was just with the panel antenna tossed up on the left side of the glare shield.
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> > > > On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 7:56:37 AM UTC-7, Tony wrote:
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> > > > > I'm in Moriarty flying a Sparrowhawk and am having trouble with me portable. It seems yo be transmitting fine but the only time I've received Farm targets is when I'm on the grid. It is receiving transponder and ADSB traffic just fine.
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> > > > > You may recall that I recently replaced as broken antenna. However I'm pretty sure that farm targets were showing up when a friend borrowed my portable at Region 10 South.
>
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> > > > > Any suggestions?
>
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> > >
>
> >
>
> > > My issue is not poor reception, its complete lack of reception. I was/am only able to receive targets at incredibly close range, like on the grid. Only once when I was thermalling with another FLARM equipped ship in close quarters did I just briefly pick him up.
>
> >
>
> > >
>
> >
>
> > >
>
> >
>
> > >
>
> >
>
> > > Everyone else is seeing me fine so the transmit side of the antenna is working fine. I had the B FLARM antenna hooked up too.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > I had the same problem until I got the new 'T' antenna. I put the original blade antenna near the front of the canopy and ran the T lead down the side of the canopy back to the rear and half up the canopy. Started working properly.
>
> >
>
> > JJ
>
>
>
> My reception has gone from 6 miles last season to less than one mile this season with the same antenna placement. Other pilots with Flarm can see me at 6 miles. The only thing that changed was connecting the Flarm outputs to my flight computers, in addition to the dedicated Flarm display.
>
>
>
> I've tried the Craggy dipole antenna, adding a "B" antenna and relocating one antenna to a totally clear temporary mounting location high under the canopy. Next steps are to start turning off flight computers to check for interference and swapping the core black box with another owner to see if it improves reception.
>
>
>
> JJ - what's the "new" T antenna? I have the original PF dipole (which is T-shaped, but not new I don't believe) and the Craggy bottom mounting dipole. Is there a new antenna design?
>
>
>
> 9B

[[email protected]]

The guys at Invermere BC were having similar trouble with their portables after the latest update. A visitor with the Core unit was able to see all the portable equipped gliders but the portable equipped gliders couldn't detect each other even when they were sharing the same thermals. They didn't have any such problem previously and have been in contact with the manufacturers looking for a solution and I believe they're going to be shipping them back for work in a batch shipment soon.

[Tony[_5_]]

I was afraid of that... good news is I think I will be at Williams Soaring. tomorrow.

[[email protected]]

Hi,

everybody with Portables with bad to non-existant RX performance, please:
- Make sure your antenna(s) is/are tightly connected and in once piece.
- If the above is positive, please request an RMA number from Rex @ Williams.

--Gerhard

[Andy[_1_]]

On Monday, September 23, 2013 5:42:13 AM UTC-7, wrote:
> Hi, everybody with Portables with bad to non-existant RX performance, please: - Make sure your antenna(s) is/are tightly connected and in once piece. - If the above is positive, please request an RMA number from Rex @ Williams. --Gerhard

Gerhard,

Is the receive performance issue associated with the mandatory addition of the SAW filter?

If not, what is the cause so owners can try to avoid it?

thanks,

Andy

[Robert Fidler[_2_]]

On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 10:56:37 AM UTC-4,

I was allowed to use a portable at a recent funfly. System is worthless in my opinion, no returns on other flarms farther than a few hundred feet. I told the owner to send it back for repair or the trash bin.

Bob Fidler
F1

[[email protected]]

On Wednesday, September 25, 2013 6:36:45 AM UTC-5, Robert Fidler wrote:
> On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 10:56:37 AM UTC-4,
>
>
>
> I was allowed to use a portable at a recent funfly. System is worthless in my opinion, no returns on other flarms farther than a few hundred feet. I told the owner to send it back for repair or the trash bin.
>
>
>
> Bob Fidler
>
> F1

Bob, your comments seem harsh. Did you use the Flarm Range Tool to evaluate the range of this portable? Did you mount it as recommended? Did others see your portable? So many variables and you wipe it all off the table with the 'worthless' label. If you were talking about a person I would call this character assassination.
Herb, J7

[K]

On Wednesday, September 25, 2013 5:36:45 AM UTC-6, Robert Fidler wrote:

> I was allowed to use a portable at a recent funfly. System is worthless in my opinion, no returns on other flarms farther than a few hundred feet. I told the owner to send it back for repair or the trash bin.
>
>
> Bob Fidler

Sounds like operator error to me.

[Andy[_1_]]

On Wednesday, September 25, 2013 6:24:51 AM UTC-7, K wrote:
>Sounds like operator error to me.

Why would you assume that when the manufacturer has posted in this thread that there is a known issue with reception and recommended that units with this problem should be returned for repair.

I'm still waiting to hear what caused the degradation in reception and if there will be a full recall.

Andy

[Andy[_1_]]

On Friday, September 6, 2013 5:05:36 AM UTC-7, Tony wrote:
> I was afraid of that... good news is I think I will be at Williams Soaring. tomorrow.

Tony,

Was your portable fixed and, if so, what was the problem?

thanks

Andy

[Tony[_5_]]

I still need to get an RMA or whatever and send it in.