4.11.1. ADSB & AHRS devices

In the Settings Menu there are sections dealing with different kinds of external devices that AvPlan may be able to “talk to”

These are ADSB devices, Panel devices and Satellite devices.

We cannot overstate the requirement to read the instructions that came with the device and to follow them closely. It is also important to ensure that your external device has the latest software available from its manufacturer. It may be a new, out of the box item, but this does not guarantee that it has the latest software installed.

ADSB and ADSB/AHRS devices

Information presented here may be helpful for diagnosing connection issues.
There are two parts to the ADSB section depending on the type of ADSB-in device connected:

1. The first part lists the Status of a variety of ADSB devices that have been connected to AvPlan, with diagnostic data that may or may not be provided by the device as follows:

• Device name. (Note this may not be what you expect as it is the name of the ADSB receiver in the device; these are often made by an OEM).
• Device Software Version
• Device Serial number
• Device Battery level
• Traffic count- the number of ADSB targets currently being received and processed
• TAFs received- where NEXRAD weather is available over ADSB, the number of TAFs received
• METARs received- where NEXRAD weather is available over ADSB, the number of METARs received
• NEXRAD Status (the time of the most recent update)

If in the USA and available from the device, a list of ADSB (UAT) transmitter locations is presented below the diagnostic information.

2. The second part lists devices based on a Raspberry Pi processor.

• the IP address of the device
• The device startup status (connected / disconnected)
• The number of 1090-ES ADSB targets currently acquired
• The nature of the most recent data or connection error, if any.

Unless you are connecting to a device that is known to be running the Raspberry Pi system (i.e. it says so in the device instructions and tells you what IP address to type in here), then this is not the section for you! For example; the recently popular uAvionix devices do not use a Raspberry Pi processor, so they do not show up here.

Tips for connecting ADSB and ADSB/AHRS devices

• Generally speaking, Garmin devices do not communicate with non-Garmin apps. This is a deliberate choice made by Garmin; not by AvSoft.

• If we are certain that a third party device will communicate with AvPlan, then we list it on the AvPlan-EFB website. If a device isn’t listed there, then we are not certain that it will work. This is especially true of Bluetooth ADSB/AHRS devices as they require a device-specific software interface to be written. If a bluetooth ADSB/AHRS device isn’t listed as a known compatible device, it almost certainly will not work with AvPlan.
• WiFi ADSB/AHRS devices that have not been tested are more likely to work than not, as they do not require device-specific code. However, if it isn’t listed, then we have not tested it.
• There have been problems with some WiFi ADSB devices mistakenly telling devices connected to their WiFi network that they provide a connection to the internet. They do not. This has the effect of preventing internet connection on your device, even if it is connected to a cellular network. There is no workaround for this problem- it must be reported to the device manufacturer. Always make sure that you have the latest software for the device, as it will likely contain fixes for these and other issues.
• WiFi devices may require your iOS device to be configured as follows:
  • In the iPad settings app in Privacy & Security, Location Services must be ON, and AvPlan EFB must be given access.
  • In the iPad settings app under AvPlan, make sure that Local network is enabled (Green). (This was formerly in the “privacy settings” part of the iOS Settings App)
  • If that doesn’t work, you may need to make sure that you are not running any other apps that are using data from the ADSB device. AvPlan allows other apps to share a data stream from these kinds of devices, but other apps may not.
  • And even reboot your iPad.

Stratus device settings

If you are using a Startup device, open the Stratus app, tap on Stratus settings and check that your device is in GDL90 mode and not the foreflight-only mode.

Last but not least- Line of Sight!

ADSB-in devices are receiving 1030 MHz signals (and/or UAT signals in the USA) from ADSB-out transmitting aircraft. These signals are Line-Of-Sight. They don’t go round corners very well at all, and they do not penetrate metal. Hence your ADSB-In device needs to have a clear view of its surrounds. Putting it on top of your instrument panel will probably work, but may not necessarily work well for all directions: you may not see the traffic behind or below you, for example. This is why aircraft with dedicated ADSB panel systems use external antennae to get the job done

This is not a fault of your device, and it is not a fault of AvPlan. It is a limitation of radio signal propagation at these frequencies. If you suspect that you are missing out on traffic data, then please try putting the ADSB device in a different position in your aircraft, or even investigate the possibility of using an external antenna. An external antenna, if one can be used, will almost certainly yield an improvement.