Help Funke transponder ttr800a connection

[Mike Woodbridge]

Please can you help me? When connecting the PAW to the Funke transponder it calls for the PAW to be set up with a 4800 baud rate. In the drop down menus in the PAW, the settings say GPS, Funke transponder and many more. Do I set this to GPS or Funke transponder? Secondly how do you know which port is which in the PAW unit as there are four  USB ports.

Your help is appreciated.

[Ian Melville]

Hi Mike,
Yes, set it to Funke Transponder.

The USB Ports on the PAW Classic and Rosetta are numbered.....

Ethernet    Port 1    Port 3
Ethernet    Port 2    Port 4

Note that Funke transponders may need firmware updates to function correctly 

[exfirepro]

Hi Mike,

As per Ian's reply above - it's critical to configure the correct USB Port - They are numbered as per Ian's reply, whether it's a Classic PAW or a Rosetta. Although the USB to RS232 Serial adapter cable can in theory be fitted in any of the USB Ports, if it's a Rosetta with the standard GPS and 1090 dongle fit, the optimal place to fit the USB to RS232 Serial adapter cable is in the bottom-left hand port, when looking at the end of the Rosetta with the 'pop-off cover' removed and the Ethernet Port on the left-hand side.

This is 'Port 2', and allows the cable to come straight out through the pre-formed cut-outs in the end of the case, though they will need to be opened out carefully using a small round file. If the slot in the lower half of the case is opened out carefully this will allow the plastic strain relief on the cable to sit neatly over the lower edge of the case, preventing any possibility of the cable being pulled out of its port once the case is closed. The slot in the removable cover needs to be opened out a bit more to allow the cover to be slid back into place over the cable relief.

The relevant USB Port should then be set to 'Transponder Funke' with the recommended 4800 Baud data speed setting. The rest of the ports should all be left at the default 'Auto' and '4800 Baud' settings.

Don't forget to 'fix' the selection by clicking 'Save' at the bottom of the screen.

As Ian has said, there is unfortunately no guarantee that your transponder will transmit the correct Mode S-ES data. There is lots of info re Funke Transponder issues on this Forum - click on the 'Home' button at the top of this screen, then type Funke in the Search box at the Top Right and click 'Search'. (If you don't select the Home Screen first, the search will only be carried out on part of the data).

Please feel free to come back to us if you are still having problems after reading the previous posts.

Best Regards

Peter

[Mike Woodbridge]

Thank you both for your replies. I will set it up as described and see if I get the desired effect.

Should I get a red LED flashing in the cable when it is communicating correctly?

Thanks Mike.

[exfirepro]

Hi Mike,

That’s correct - flashing Red indicates data being transferred to the transponder. You then need to check with another PilotAware at least a few metres away from yours to make sure yours is transmitting the correct SIL / SDA ‘Zero’ Mode-S/ES. That’s where the ‘fun’ starts as in the past, Funke haven’t got a great record in that respect, though things are getting better - as long as you have the ‘correct’ Funke hardware and firmware.

Let us know how you get on.

Best Regards

Peter

[mariko]

Dos anyone have a raccomended USB to RS232 cable to use with a Funke TRT800H, available on Amazon?

[Mike Woodbridge]

Thanks again for your help. I have a flashing red light.  Is it meant to be a steady flash? About one flash a second? Is it not meant to be flashing like an Ethernet data cable?

Regards

Mike.

[Ian Melville]

Dos anyone have a raccomended USB to RS232 cable to use with a Funke TRT800H, available on Amazon?

The cable you want is USB-RS232-WE-1800-BT_0.0. I can only find one seller on Amazon and they are double the usual price! There are similar sounding cables all over the internet, but have heard that they are not always what you expect.
I would recommend buying for one of the reputable name like RS, Farnell etc. The cheaper cable may work, but I cannot guarantee they will.

UK
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/serial-converters-extenders/6877828

or in Italy
https://www.digikey.it/en/products/detail/ftdi-future-technology-devices-international-ltd/USB-RS232-WE-1800-BT-0-0/2402469
or
https://it.rs-online.com/web/p/convertitori-ed-extender-seriali/6877828/?sra=pmpn

Ciao
Ian

[exfirepro]

Hi Mariko,

I concur with Ian, there are a lot of ‘fakes’ out there claiming to be genuine FTDI cables - and not necessarily any cheaper than the real thing, especially with the present chip shortages pushing up prices everywhere. Best to buy from one of the recommended suppliers.

The ‘1800’ by the way refers to the cable length (1800mm). If that isn’t long enough, FTDI also do an ftdi usb‑rs232‑we‑5000‑bt_0.0 as well, available from the same suppliers. Either cable can of course be cut shorter where required.

Best Regards

Peter

[Mike Woodbridge]

I have a flashing red light.  Is it meant to be a steady flash? About one flash a second? Is it not meant to be flashing like an Ethernet data cable?

Regards

[mariko]

Thanks a lot!

[exfirepro]

I have a flashing red light.  Is it meant to be a steady flash? About one flash a second? Is it not meant to be flashing like an Ethernet data cable?

Regards

Sorry Mike - I seem to have missed your earlier post on Sunday - probably because I was out testing all day.

I honestly can't remember how often the Red LED flashes, however I'm pretty sure it will sync with how often PAW sends position data to the transponder, which IIRC is about once a second, so that flash rate would be about right.

Lee should be able to confirm...

In any case, the flashing red LED only confirms that PAW is sending data to the transponder - not that the transponder is using it to transmit the full dataset - including aircraft heading - which was the issue in the past - even after the earlier Funke units had received hardware and firmware updates.

If you haven't yet done so, please read this thread from earlier this year for background...

http://forum.pilotaware.com/index.php/topic,2086.msg21979.html#msg21979

As you will see towards the end of that thread, Lee developed a 'fix' which was tested by Brian Montilla and appears to work with Funke units running their most recent hardware and firmware updates. Unfortunately due to ongoing development, the 'fix' hasn't yet been released as a PAW Public Software Update. If you are experiencing your aircraft definitely transmitting Mode-S/ES, but always displaying as 'North Up' on other tracking systems (including PilotAware), I'm sure Lee would be happy to supply you with a copy of the Beta software. You will however need to carry out the prescribed tests to see what if anything your aircraft is actually transmitting (or give us the aircraft Reg/ICAO Hex details and we can check our database for you).

Best Regards

Peter

[grahambaker]

Track not heading.

[Mike Woodbridge]

Hi Peter, our unit went back to Funke last year so I assume it has the lates available updates. It was purchased in 2017. I will try it in the next flight. I would be happy to try the software fix. How would I get this?

Thanks again.

Mike.

[exfirepro]

Hi Mike,

I will ask Lee to PM you re getting hold of the relevant Beta Software.

Regards

Peter