PaulvS
Well Known Member
Soon I will be installing ADS-B out equipment (Dynon transponder and GPS source) in my RV-6A and need to run a ground test after installation. The nearest avionics shop with a ramp test unit is 250 miles away so I've been looking for a way to run the functional test locally at my farm hangar.
I'm planning to use a Software Defined Radio receiver (SDR) similar to those used to feed flightradar24, flightaware etc to receive and decode the ADS-B signals from the transponder.
So far I've purchased and installed the USB receiver and antenna (cost under $30 USD) and can receive and display local air traffic ADS-B data using the open source ADS-B decoder "dump1090". This decoder can display most of the required data for the test but there is also additional system performance info required e.g. SIL, NAC. I'm using Excel to decode that info from the raw data.
Screen shots attached. If there is interest then I'll post an update once the transponder is installed and ground tests have been run to prove that this process will work.
I'm planning to use a Software Defined Radio receiver (SDR) similar to those used to feed flightradar24, flightaware etc to receive and decode the ADS-B signals from the transponder.
So far I've purchased and installed the USB receiver and antenna (cost under $30 USD) and can receive and display local air traffic ADS-B data using the open source ADS-B decoder "dump1090". This decoder can display most of the required data for the test but there is also additional system performance info required e.g. SIL, NAC. I'm using Excel to decode that info from the raw data.
Screen shots attached. If there is interest then I'll post an update once the transponder is installed and ground tests have been run to prove that this process will work.