Any cost effective transponders ?

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Member for

18 years 4 months

Posts: 2,810

With the approaching need for Uk aircraft to all have transponders what is the most cost effective one available. I am hoping that portable ones will be available.

Original post

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,606

Do you mean Mode-S?

Member for

18 years 4 months

Posts: 2,810

yes

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,606

Seen a few being advertised on the GA mags. Uncertified it seems. Didn't the Minister or CAA state recently GA would be excluded from mandatory Mode-S fitment?

Member for

18 years 4 months

Posts: 2,810

I sure hope this is the case, with the approach of yearly CofA ,rising fuel and insurance costs operating a simple single engine older aircraft is getting more expensive.Its not surprising that sales of recent design lightweights are up,but when you are addicted to vintage aircraft its no substitute.

Member for

18 years 1 month

Posts: 96

Supposedly this will be the answer to your prayers.

My inclination is to wait as long as possible, as they are likely to come down to the price of current transponders once the sales volumes are up.

With most of Europe mandating them sooner or later, the market should soon be swelling.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 16,832

Supposedly this will be the answer to your prayers.

Any idea of the likely price?

Moggy

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 16,832

Nothing stated on their website:

Which was the reason I asked the question ;)

Moggy

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,606

You can bet certification will take years if they go down that route
Then the paperwork fees will equal about 50% of the unit's price
Add another another 50% for labour.
So say a £1000 unit will instantly become £2000.

However

Is portable radio equipment exempt from certification? The Kinetics unit might be like use of portable GPS... Does it say anywhere you need a fitted and certified transponder for SSR use?

Member for

18 years 1 month

Posts: 96

Part of the remit was to produce it to a price such that glider pilots, balloonatics etc, would come on board - about £500 for the LPST if I recall.

They do seem a bit cagy about quoting a price as, I guess, it'll depend a bit on the sales volumes they can expect.

As the RIA depends on it being affordable, it's a sort of chicken and egg situation.

Member for

20 years 3 months

Posts: 2,764

The problem is when they start bulding them cheap. There is a cheap radio on the market. I had one. It was totally unsuitable for its job. Apparently they are fine in gliders but I know a lot of people who have junked them from GA and microlight aeroplanes. It cost over £600 and I might as well have burned the cash for all the good it did.

The same company make a mode C transponder. Wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

Bet they introduce a mode S too.

Still won't touch it.

Here's hoping common sense prevails.

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 9

According to some theoretical research carried out by the PFA the hand held unit concept is flawed for several reasons.

1 The detectable range is likely to be very low.
2 The occupants of the aircraft are likely to be exposed to above the EU health and safety levels of radiation.
3 the unit as specified will not meet international standards so would only be of use in the UK.
4 The unit does not yet exist in a completed form and no firm costs are available.

The French have issued exemptions to almost all its GA fleet, and the CAA have announced a second consultation and are in negotiation with the various GA groups on a compromise after less than 1% of the people who responded to the last consultation were in favour. I would strongly recommend that you wait, or buy a second hand mode a/c, which can be obtained for <£200 if you have to have something.

Rod1

PS some people have got the microair to work.....

Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 653

According to some theoretical research carried out by the PFA the hand held unit concept is flawed for several reasons.

1 The detectable range is likely to be very low.
2 The occupants of the aircraft are likely to be exposed to above the EU health and safety levels of radiation.
3 the unit as specified will not meet international standards so would only be of use in the UK.
4 The unit does not yet exist in a completed form and no firm costs are available.

Preferable to being dead though. Fewer radio calls along the lines of "Pop up traffic, 12 O'clock, 1 mile, no height information, probable glider" etc...

Member for

20 years 3 months

Posts: 2,764

PS some people have got the microair to work.....


Yeah, I met one. But just the one.