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Info on the GPS light

grenwis

Member
I went out today and flew once around the pattern with the output of my GPS III handheld as the source of GPS data rather than the dedicated Byonics GPS. I learned a little something in the process and thought I would pass it along.

My GPS III output line is now split to three destinations. I simply split the line and also connected it to pin 2 on the tracker. When I powered on the tracker with the GPS off, the GPS light on the tracker stayed off. When I turned on the handheld and the GPS NEMA stream was alive but the position was not yet determined, the GPS light on the tracker blinked. When the GPS had position, the light on the tracker stayed on.

I've still been using the J-pole antenna within the cockpit area and am finding, now that I have moved home airports to one closer the mountains west of Denver, that I am missing about half of the data points. I just don't get the periodic data points in straight flight and high frequency data points in a turn that Sam Buchanan showed so well in his recent post. I am about ready to jump to the 8W unit, but I think first I'll move the antenna to the wingtip as Pete Howell describes and see how the 300 mW unit can do. Alot of my flying is over the edges of the Colorado mountains so I can expect long distance receptions to get data points. It's nice to know that the 8W option is out there, but maybe the whip is the right answer.

Sam, What is your antenna? I can't find that info in your old posts. Tnx.

Rick Grenwis
 
I went out today and flew once around the pattern with the output of my GPS III handheld as the source of GPS data rather than the dedicated Byonics GPS. I learned a little something in the process and thought I would pass it along.

My GPS III output line is now split to three destinations. I simply split the line and also connected it to pin 2 on the tracker. When I powered on the tracker with the GPS off, the GPS light on the tracker stayed off. When I turned on the handheld and the GPS NEMA stream was alive but the position was not yet determined, the GPS light on the tracker blinked. When the GPS had position, the light on the tracker stayed on.

Yep, that's the way it works. :)

Glad your three-way data split is working nicely.

Sam, What is your antenna? I can't find that info in your old posts. Tnx.
Rick Grenwis

Rick, information on my homemade whip is here:

http://thervjournal.com/tracker.htm
 
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