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#41
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The situation isn't nearly so gloomy!
Mark James Boyd wrote: From what I can gather, the low-power transponders are 400mA and encoder 200mA at about 12 volts. My Becker and ACK encoder ~ 410 ma with no replies, and less than 500 ma even in southern California airspace. A 5 hour flight is 2.5 amphour, leaving lots of juice for the other instruments on the typical 7 ah battery. The microfilm superthin solar panels about 1 foot square (12" by 12") advertise 600mA at about 12 volts. Sadly, the solar panels in my experience don't put out rated power on typical days, with less than ideal sun angles (maybe really only putting out 25%). Put two on! But even one, with your assumption, means the battery has to supply 1.7 ah to the battery, leaving ~ 5 ah in the battery for other purposes. With two supplying 300 ma, the net transponder usage is only 1 ah! Also, I suspect transponders underrate their power consumption, and if flown in high jet traffic areas (where they get pinged by ATC and the jets), probably consume quite a bit more. Not true for the Becker. Ask a Microair owner about it's consumption. So really one might be looking at 8 square feet of solar array just for a transponder! Maybe a little hard to implement on a glider without using the wing surfaces, and the caveats that entails... The Strobl panels used by the German manufacturers are very efficient (http://www.strobl-solar.de/ - use the Google translation tools) and can supply enough with less than 2 square feet. The disadvantage is the cost, so most people would probably opt for another, or bigger, battery. Well, it was a nice thought... It _is_ a nice thought! People are doing it - it works! -- ----- change "netto" to "net" to email me directly Eric Greenwell Washington State USA |
#42
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TCAS installed on all transport category aircraft can "read" mode "c" or "s"
and determine if a climb or descent is needed to avoid the other aircraft. The glider does not need to have TCAS installed, only a transponder, in order for the other aircafts TCAS system alert for an avoidance manuever. "Robert Ehrlich" wrote in message ... Marc Ramsey wrote: ... It did not examine whether airborne collision avoidance systems would continue to provide warnings when confronted by such situations. ... The only such system I have heard about is TCAS. As far as I know this system is not available on gliders, only on big airplanes carrying passengers or military ones. It should emit hints to the pilot for avoiding the collision based on altitude information, assuming that the other aircraft is going to fly at a constant altitude, or to follow the hint of its own TCAS, and neither is true for a glider. |
#43
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On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 14:57:28 -0800, Eric Greenwell
wrote: Mike Borgelt wrote: go to www.arinc.com and search for TCAS. You will find a very useful paper describing the characteristics of the TCAS system. After describing how wonderful it all is note the sudden disclaimer at the end. Could you be more specific, like a title? I get 32 hits and the few I checked don't seem to be it. Eric, The file you want is tcas.pdf It is about 500k. If you can't find it I'll send it to you. Mike Borgelt |
#44
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Mike Borgelt wrote:
On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 14:57:28 -0800, Eric Greenwell wrote: Mike Borgelt wrote: go to www.arinc.com and search for TCAS. You will find a very useful paper describing the characteristics of the TCAS system. After describing how wonderful it all is note the sudden disclaimer at the end. Could you be more specific, like a title? I get 32 hits and the few I checked don't seem to be it. Eric, The file you want is tcas.pdf It is about 500k. If you can't find it I'll send it to you. Please send it - I can't find it. Thanks. -- ----- change "netto" to "net" to email me directly Eric Greenwell Washington State USA |
#45
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A number of times I have switched on my transponder
and called for a clearance but ATC have not been able to see me. I can see my transponder being interogated, I have good battery power, everything seems to be working but ATC still can't see me. This has happened to a number of pilots I know. So next time you set and forget... don't assume your transponder is actually working. If you don't call for a clearance you have no idea whether you are transmitting or not. At 17:00 23 January 2004, Bob Kuykendall wrote: Earlier, Ben Flewett wrote: ...Once you agree to put transponders in gliders you are obliged to use them and they are a pain in the ass... If that's on the basis of your personal experience, I'd be inclined to check if maybe you mounted the antenna the wrong way up. Where I fly, there are airliners. We have a letter of agreement that allows us one squawk code. No talking to Center; it's just set and forget. And, yes, there are officially rules about always using the transponder if it is available. Uh huh. Right. Bob K. |
#46
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Kirk,
We use transponders in a very different way in NZ. I consider them a pain in the ass but many NZ pilots would disagree. This is a very big generalisation but... the pilots that don't mind using transponders are more focused on flying rather than soaring... if you know what I mean. However, as I mentioned in an earlier posting... If you don't call for a clearance there is a chance your transponder is not transmitting correctly despite what it may be telling you. If I am flying in the same airspace as commercial jets I want to know for sure that ATC can see me. For me the single biggest risk to our sport is the possiblity of a commercial airliner being brought down by a glider. If this happens gliding will loose - it will not matter who is at fault. Ben. At 15:30 23 January 2004, Kirk Stant wrote: Ben Flewett wrote in message news:... There are lots of excellent reasons for not requiring gliders to carry transponders but this study seems flimsy. In NZ we often have groups of gliders flying together whilst using transponders - no problem. As I see it (and this is for the Western US, and may not apply in NZ or the UK, etc) there are really only two reasons for not carrying a transponder: No place to put it in the glider (I've been trying to figure out where to install one in my LS6 (small panel), it will take a complete redo of the panel to squeeze it in; and cost - as soon as I win the lottery (or get REALLY scared by an airliner) I will probably get one. The main reasons for not requiring gliders to carry transponders a - if airspace is managed well they are not required in most areas. The real problem is that the groups that draw the lines on the maps give the commercial airlines more airspace than is required. For example, Auckland (NZ) airport has more airspace around it than Heathrow. If you fly away from airliners, or airways, then the midair risk is obviously low. I fly right next to the Phoenix Class B and share airspace with a lot of traffic. I'm still in Class E, so a transponder isn't required and I'm not talking to ATC, but still it would be nice to be 'seen' by any TCAS-equipped planes in the vicinity, especially when cruising (i.e. invisible) at high altitude (cloudbase above 18000' is not uncommon out here). - as a glider pilot I don?t want to spend my day listening to commercial pilots talking to ATC all day. I prefer to have the radio tuned to a gliding frequency or off. Same here, and since I'm VFR in Class E airspace, the only time I talk to ATC is when I think it may help - like during the week near a busy military base. Then I let them know where I am, and the controllers have always been very receptive - vectoring the fighters around me if necessary. Having a transponder would make it easier for ATC to track me, and many fighters could see me as well with their systems. It doesn't mean I would have to talk to them more. Is it different in NZ? (aside from no fighters - a shame about your A-4s and MB-339s!) - most (but not all) controllers don?t understand how gliders operate. The glider pilot is often required to provide training to controllers whilst trying to fly their glider. I don?t like having to do this? ?no, I am a glider which means I have no engine and thus I cannot maintain 3000ft?. Again, just having a transponder doesn't mean you have to talk to ATC if VFR, it means ATC will see you and know you are VFR (squawking 1200) and let other traffic know you are there. If you do decide to talk to ATC, it's that much easier for them to locate you. And the ATC controller is not controlling you, so it isn't your concern if he doesn't understand gliders - it's his, since his responsibility it to protect the airplanes that he is 'controlling'; those on IFR flightplans in his airspace. Trust me, he will appreciate any 'training' you can give him! (thinks - invite local ATC for a glider ride - many of them are pilots anyway and would jump at the chance!). - most glider pilots (including me) are not commercial pilots and are not practiced at talking to ATC. Controllers are used to speaking to commercial pilots and often become frustrated with amateur glider pilots. The also become frustrated with the unpredictable flight path of gliders. C'mon, if stinkpot student Cezzna pilots can do it, even glider guiders can learn to speak ATC! Try it, if you step on your johnson you can always give your buddy's identification and turn off the radio! And at the speeds we go, to ATC we aren't unpredictable, we are parked! Once you agree to put transponders in gliders you are obliged to use them and they are a pain in the ass. If you only give commercial operators the airspace they need there should be plenty left over for gliders. How are they a pain in the ass? Put in the extra battery, turn it on when you takeoff, turn it off when you land, take out and charge the extra battery. Again, this may only apply to the US, but having a transponder doesn't mean you have to talk to ATC. It means that when you do want ATC to know where you are, they will see you, and that some airplanes (those equipped with TCAS or similar systems) will have a much better chance of seeing and avoiding you. If you fly (location or altitude) where there is little commercial, business, or military traffic, a transponder will probably not help much, since most small planes don't have a TCAS-like capability. Just like most safety issues, the is a cost and risk tradeoff. Some day (unfortunately, probably due to a bad glider-airliner midair), transponders will probably be mandated, probably within certain altitudes (say, above 10,000ft within 50 miles of Class B and C, for example, with no exceptions). When that happens, we will have to solve the problem. Cheers, Kirk |
#47
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Ben Flewett wrote:
A number of times I have switched on my transponder and called for a clearance but ATC have not been able to see me. I can see my transponder being interogated, I have good battery power, everything seems to be working but ATC still can't see me. This has happened to a number of pilots I know. Checking ocasionally is a good idea. In the US, you don't have to ask for a clearance to determine this, but just contact the local tower or approach guys and ask if they can see you. Actually getting the system checked as required every 24 months is also a good idea. -- ----- change "netto" to "net" to email me directly Eric Greenwell Washington State USA |
#48
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Ben Flewett wrote:
A number of times I have switched on my transponder and called for a clearance but ATC have not been able to see me. I can see my transponder being interogated, I have good battery power, everything seems to be working but ATC still can't see me. This has happened to a number of pilots I know. If you don't call for a clearance you have no idea whether you are transmitting or not. Man, if I had a nickel for every time ATC said they didn't have me but the airliner 10 miles out had me plain as day, I'd have some nickels! Too low, in line with another transponder, receiver too far away, etc. If I let an ATC guy convince me to swap out a $1000+ part, I'd get his avionics repair certificate number first... ;( |
#49
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Ben Flewett wrote:
A number of times I have switched on my transponder and called for a clearance but ATC have not been able to see me. I can see my transponder being interogated, I have good battery power, everything seems to be working but ATC still can't see me. This has happened to a number of pilots I know. Their have been similar cases to this in our club. It turns out that ATC at Cape Town International had set their radar to filter out anything moving slower than 40kt (ground speed). This I believe to filter out stationery aircraft on the ground taxiing etc. Gliders in wave simply disappeared off the radar screens, which did not help anybody ... Ian |
#50
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Ian Forbes wrote:
Ben Flewett wrote: A number of times I have switched on my transponder and called for a clearance but ATC have not been able to see me. I can see my transponder being interogated, I have good battery power, everything seems to be working but ATC still can't see me. This has happened to a number of pilots I know. Their have been similar cases to this in our club. It turns out that ATC at Cape Town International had set their radar to filter out anything moving slower than 40kt (ground speed). This I believe to filter out stationery aircraft on the ground taxiing etc. Gliders in wave simply disappeared off the radar screens, which did not help anybody ... Did the gliders have Mode C? Is the radar for Cape Town just for the airport, or is it intended to cover a much larger area? In our area airport radar and the higher altitude radars are separate, so even if the airport radar folks blanked slow moving traffic, Center radar would see it. -- ----- change "netto" to "net" to email me directly Eric Greenwell Washington State USA |
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