On Friday, December 14, 2018 at 6:02:14 PM UTC-8, Darryl Ramm wrote:
On Friday, December 14, 2018 at 3:42:39 PM UTC-8, WaltWX wrote:
I hear that PowerMouse will include an ADS-B option and possibly ADS-R / TIS-B (for those of you not in U.S .. these are FAA ground rebroadcasts of ADS-B 1090 packets and transponder only aircraft). No word on whether the PowerFlarm will add this firmware upgrade.

Does anyone know when the PowerMouse will ADS-B becomes available? .... and whether the PowerFlarm core is considering including these features?

Walt Rogers WX

Hi Walt

The LXNav PowerMouse is based on a new generation FLARM chipset. It has an optional ADS-B In feature, built on a new FLARM 1090ES chip that supports ADS-R and hopefully TIS-B (at a protocol level they actually look pretty much the same but I want to see how well things work in reality especially with close traffic alerts).

I hope LXNav and USA dealers are smart enough to only sell the version with ADS-B In option the USA.

There was some hope that PowerFLARM (core and portable) woud add ADS-R and TIS-B support, and I've mentioned that before on r.a.s. Flarm looked at doing this but unfortunately it was not practical. The 1090ES internals of the PowerFLARM and these newer product are significantly different.

Richard from Craggy just posted in another thread on r.a.s.:"The LXNAV PowerMouse has been submitted for FCC USA certified. They are expecting certification in January." So check in with Richard or other LXNav dealer. I have one on order. :-)

ADS-R and TIS-B support really only matters for folks who have 2020 Compliant ADS-B Out or TABS... either of which will trigger the ADS-R and TIS-B ground services for their aircraft. So I hope folks who have PowerFLARM today and want this will upgrade to a PowerMouse and find a great purchaser of their existing PowerFLARM. I'm hoping folks think of supporting junior XC pilots and help those pilots get their hands on PowerFLARM units if they don't already have them.

LX Navigation also has a new FLARM Eagle product coming that uses the same FLARM and 1090ES chipset as the LXNav PowerMouse. I have not heard anything cogent about LX Navigation FCC certification plans for with this product.. And that's the hurdle these products have to get over for sale in the USA..

And I want to point out one irony. To emphasize the need to get ADS-B Out sorted out.

Owners will be able to connect up say the PowerMouse GPS via NMEA to a Trig transponder and get the transponder to transmit ADS-B out. But that is SIL=0 (Source Integrity Level), not 2020 Complaint (SIL=3) or even TABS complaint (SIL=1). A SIL=0 GPS source will let other PowerFLARM and PowerMouse users with ADS-B In options see you at long distances (I'm hearing reports of "60 mile" range from some pilots) and let GA folks with portable 1090ES In receivers see you. But you remain invisible to lots of other stuff that ignores low quality GPS source equipped ADS-B targets, including ATC not being able to see your aircraft via ADS-B (they can see you still be SSR when within SSR coverage).... in fact you need full 2020 Compliance/SIL-3 for ATC to see you via ADS-B. Which effectively makes TABS/SIL=1 a lot less interesting than it could be.

SIL=0 is s not high enough quality to make your aircraft a client of the ADS-R or TIS-B services. So even though a PowerMouse is sophisticated enough to decode and use ADS-R and TIS-B and uses it's own GPS to know where it is, you don't really want to use that GPS to power your own ADS-B Out... for that you need a Trig TN-72 or TN70 GPS source (for owners of type certified gliders who want to be fully 2020 ADS-B Out compliant).