SkyTrax FAQ's

Followup on the MLB100 GPS interference issue... I added an external GPS antenna to the Aera so I could 'sniff' for interference around the panel. There is a circle of 12 inch radius around the MLB100 where the GPS signal goes to zero and a slightly larger circle where the signal is degraded. Pulling the MLB100 breaker stops the GPS blanking effect.

I'm wondering if there is a GPS chip on board the MLB100 and by chance does the Avidyne software turn on that GPS? The case seems to have two BNC connectors and one appears to be capped... I wonder if there's a signal coming from that capped port?

While things are as they are, my wire free panel will unfortunately have at least one visible wire, to the deck top remote antenna to keep that thing working.

Any word on timing for the 200?

I am thrilled to report that I met Petersk at the Sun 'n Fun airshow in Florida.  He said they replaced his MLB100 with another unit and the problem vanished.  So there is no inherent design flaw with the product, there was simply some defect in his specific unit.

I see what you're saying, but I don't know if your theory has much in the way of legs to stand on.  For one thing, the MLB units are manufactured in a completely different facility than the IFD units. And the fault in Petersk's unit could have been damage unduced in shipping due to harsh handling.  We will never know.

In any case, I can't say that two points of data are a trend.

My IFD and my MLB arrived in flawless condition.

Must have been an impostor.  :(

Kentucky Captain wrote: I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the 10.2 update like everyone else.  When I did my panel install, the MLB100, now the SkyTrax100 was not certified, so I had the wiring run for when it did become available.  The rest of the panel consisted of: IFD540 AXP340 Aspen EFD1000 Pro STec System 30 Autopilot PSE PMA450 Audio panel Garmin GNC255A Nav/Com JPI EDM900 engine monitor Unfortunately we found out the the initial wiring diagram for the MLB100 was incorrect.  Avidyne did pay to rewire it while I was having 10.1.2 installed. Now that 10.2 is out, I am trying to schedule installation for it and the SkyTrax100. My questions now with 10.2 in mind are: Will all of the data from the SkyTrax100 be displayed on the IFD? Can I get that same data on my Aspen PFD?  Once my flight plan or approach is loaded in the IFD, I rarely look at the IFD.  Course guidance and a map underlay are available on the Aspen. Will there be aural traffic alerts derived from the SkyTrax100 on the IFD?  If so, do I need any additional wiring from any of the equipment to the audio panel?  Initially I was missing a connection from the IFD to the audio panel for the 500 foot call out.  Works now. Thanks,

Not definitive.  The below is my experience.

Edited by ddgates - 13 Mar 2017 at 6:41pm

The plus, though, is that with an MLB you will see traffic and wx on the IFD; the value I see in this though is being able to look ahead at METARS for whevever you are going.

Edited by ddgates - 13 Mar 2017 at 7:16pm

Here we go again.  I delivered the plane to the shop to have the SkyTrax100 and 10.2 update installed.  In a previous post I told how we had the airplane pre-wired for the SkyTrax100 only to find out that the diagram supplied by Avidyne was wrong.  Avidyne actually paid to have it rewired.

The shop that I'm using just underwent a hostile takeover by another FBO and the avionics techs quit and went somewhere else.  When the new tech attempted to install the SkyTrax100, he found that the job that Avidyne had paid to have redone, didn't finish the job.  None of the wires in the back where the tray goes on the equipment rack were labeled.  There was no mounting tray there at all, just coiled up wires.  In the front behind the panel, only about half of the pin-outs were properly installed so that almost the entire panel had to come out to find the wires and terminate them.

I was told by the original installer that my old DME antenna was the same type as for the ADS-B and would be usable, but now I find out that not only do they have to replace the antenna, but also the antenna cable.

I could not test any of this out before now because I just now am having the SkyTrax installed.  I have no recourse as far as I know because the FBO changed hands and the techs that actually did the work moved on to other jobs.  I have made note of where they went so that they will never touch my airplane again.

Avidyne and I both paid good money to have the job done correctly and now I have to pay for it again.  Not happy at all. 

My only good thing about this is that I can tell people about what happened and make sure that people have my opinion and experiences about them.  I am in a position in my area where a lot of people communicate with me to get my opinion on IFR equipment and the people to do the work.  I put a lot of effort into learning all I could about what I wanted in a panel and I don't mind sharing.  I spent a lot of time reading specs, talking to technicians, talking to other pilots, watching YouTube videos, and even using the simulators.  As far as Avidyne was concerned, I spent a lot of time comparing the IFD540 to the GTN750, and in the end, for me, I felt that it was more user friendly, had better support, and came in at a lower price point.  I couldn't be happier with my selection in equipment.  Not so much with techs.

Avidyne, if you are listening, if a certain avionics shop calls you to become an authorized dealer for you and they happen to be at a southern Indiana airport, do yourself and us a favor and just say no.  That's where the people that screwed me over went to.  Besides, you already have one dealer on the field already.

Beyond the purchase of the SkyTrax100, what are the appx. labor hours to install, and are there any other costs like an installation kit? I have an IFD540 and APX340 already.

Thanks.

flybikeski wrote: It also needs an external antennae similar or same as a transponder antennae, but you can also reuse an old DME antennae which is what I did.  Another reason to get it to fit up front.

In my case they said the old DME antenna would work for the Skytrax100 but when they pulled it off, the numbers didn't match what the manual said would work.  Another $85 for a short little stubby antenna.

If you still have one of the old ELTs, now would be a great time to replace it with one of the new 406mhz ones.   The install was minimal since they already had everything apart and had to run cables to the IFD for other things already.

Specifics to the errors will help. A call to Tech support will probably be most productive.

It is up to foreflight to use the ADSB data.

* Orest

Did avidyne shelf the MLX 200 idea ???

Put in a request ticket to FF, they are pretty responsive generally. Apparently the data is there, they just have to make use it.

* Orest

Edited by oskrypuch - 19 Oct 2019 at 10:11pm

I have had both (original Skytrax with AXP340 and now the NGT9000) and greatly prefer the NGT9000 for all of the reasons mentioned, including the dual-band in.  A few potential issues to be aware of:

Edited by AZ Flyer - 20 Oct 2019 at 3:25pm

AZ Flyer wrote: I have had both (original Skytrax with AXP340 and now the NGT9000) and greatly prefer the NGT9000 for all of the reasons mentioned, including the dual-band in.  A few potential issues to be aware of: 1)  The NGT9000 does not function reliably as a WIFI server for the IFD series (unlike the Stratus II, for instance), so if you want ADS-B weather and traffic to show on both the IFD and Foreflight, and be able to transfer flight plans to/from the IFD, then you have to hardwire the NGT9000 to the IFD (through the RS422/RS232 ports), install 10.2.3.1 on the IFD, and use the IFD as the WIFI server.  The NGT9000 can be simultaneously wired to an Aspen to show ADS-B weather and traffic, as well.  (The connections information for the IFD and the Aspen is in the latest NGT9000 install manual.) 2)  The NGT9000 touch screen is not as easy to use as the dedicated buttons were on the AXP340 for setting transponder codes.  Not a huge deal but a reality nevertheless. 3)  Make sure that an Aspen is at the correct software level to accommodate ADS-B in (see this Aspen press release and the associated AD:  https://aspenavionics.com/news/media-alert-aspen-avionics-releases-software-update-addressing-airworthines).  4)  The NGT9000 will not show traffic, weather, or metars on its display unless its software has been updated to deal with the GPS date rollover issue. Stan