Some news on TIS-B services.

It appears that the FAA will be modifying TIS-B to make it available to anyone with an ADS-B receiver, regardless of ADS-B Out carriage. This means that you should be able to see rebroadcast of all transponder-equipped (as well as "opposite-band" ADS-B Out) aircraft within range of SSR with resolution as good as a few hundred feet simply by acquiring one of the relatively inexpensive ($100-150) ADS-B receivers. It may be available as early as this summer. It appears that this will enable a "God's eye view" of all transponder-equipped gliders (and other aircraft) in a broad flying area so long as there is SSR coverage. It remains to be confirmed whether or not PowerFLARM ADS-B In can decode TIS-B traffic. My understanding is that nothing special was included in the PowerFLARM design to accommodate TIS-B, but I am unsure whether TIS-B traffic resembles ADS-B direct transmissions closely enough to be decoded by PowerFLARM anyway. Either way there ought to be a glider-relevant solution available this year.

http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/A...anges-to-TIS-B

Additionally, it seems that the FAA will now rebroadcast ALL traffic regardless of ADS-B Out performance and configuration. Previously, some aircraft would not be rebroadcast if their ADS-B Out did not meet certain performance criteria and, as a result, would effectively be invisible so far as TIS-B services were concerned.

Things are moving pretty quickly. Surprising.

9B