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Anybody contemplating using PilotAware in Australia

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Bill Maxwell:
G'Day

First post to the forum, as I have only discovered PilotAware in recent days. As a pilot, radio amateur and keen electronics experimenter and also an EasyVFR user, I am keen to build up a unit to try but I can see an immediate obstacle for its use here in Australia. The frequency used by the ARF is not available for such purposes here, as it is part of a commercial allocation and I think part of the 3G allocation used by our largest cell phone company.

While just being able to receive ADS-B broadcasts and display them on the pad nav screen would be very useful, we would obviously have to find a different WiFi frequency and therefore a different radio unit, if we are to transmit our position into other than a transponder, if I am understanding the basic design adequately.

Anybody doing any work on this aspect?

cheers
Bill

seabeggar69:
The ARF used from WirelessThings is programmable as to what frequency is used; 315, 433.5, 868, 868.3,,903, 915 Mhz are available in the tool  makes the ARF usable in different parts of the world.

For instance, here in Canada (and the US) 868 is not available to use as unlicensed and we have to use the band between 902-928 MHz (or 433 mhz).

I do believe that Lee mentioned that as part of the web interface he would like to add the country used in and therefore set the Tx/Rx frequency on unit start up. This is also probably the easiest way to do it. You can also configure your radio using software available from the manufacture and it is stored and remembered and on start up this would be used by the ARF UNLESS software defines the parameters (as it does now).

All that to say, yes, it is useable :)

Ken
 

Bill Maxwell:
Thanks Ken. It looks a goer then, although I suspect 433MHz might have to be the choice here. I'll do some further checking into the higher band over coming days, while waiting for the ARF to come back into stock but certainly 868 MHz is out here downunder.

Bill

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