On Sunday, January 8, 2017 at 4:49:20 PM UTC-8, WaltWX wrote:
On Sunday, January 8, 2017 at 9:44:24 AM UTC-8, jfitch wrote:
On Friday, January 6, 2017 at 12:20:26 PM UTC-8, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
I have a PowerFlarm and transponder. Ninety percent of my flying is from the Southern Cal operating areas up through the Sierras and typical operating area out of Minden. So while I do pass through a few more trafficked areas, (Cajon& Banning Pass, Tahoe, Reno...etc) the majority of my flight time is with other gliders. I perfectly see transponder equipped and Flarm equipped gliders, why would I want to add the capability of ADS-B out?

If I was regularly operating in LA class B airspace I can see why I would want all the help and broadcast, but for gliders not typically operating in high traffic airspace why the extra cost, space and battery drain?

Flying in the Reno/Tahoe area, it would give Norcal Approach better information. With a transponder only, they are trying to guess what you are doing, often gliders are not moving fast enough to be able to tell on ATC radar. I know this from listening to them. The subtext of these conversations is "there's a glider there wandering around, got no idea what the hell he's doing". With ADS-B out, they would have a much better idea, though they would need to get used to thermalling behavour.

Actually, my experience with NorCal Approach was different. Last Sep 2016 while flying up from Inyokern to Reno, I stopped in a 17.5k msl climb thermal just SE of Carson City. While monitoring NorCal frequency, I inadvertently made a call to my friend Jim Staniforth, thinking I was on 123.3. To my surprise, the NorCal controller called back, identifying me as "Glider N53LK" just as if I was in flight following. He asked me to ident (Trig 22 transponder on code 1202) which I did. Trained and observant controllers already know we are gliders... and with Mode S they have our ID and N-number right on their display (at least this controller did). I was pleasantly surprised ... and pleased... to know that ATC was watching. That makes my purchase and install of the Trig Mode S transponder very worthwhile.

Walt Rogers WX

Oh they know we are gliders. Don't need Mode S (or even mode C) for that, just look for the slow moving target wandering all over the place like a drunken sailor. I fly out of Truckee so I cross the approach into Reno twice on nearly every flight. On occasion I've been close enough to the Southwestm737s to tell you which seats were empty, and who still needed drinks. The controllers have always been helpful when I talk to them. They are pretty good about steering the 737s around us. I am simply suggesting that their job would be a lot easier with more information that they typically lack on gliders.