The SkyEcho 2 is a portable Electronic Conspicuity (EC) device that allows all pilots to enjoy the benefits of increased situational awareness, with ADS-B IN receiver functionality to see other aircraft on your EFB, and ADS-B OUT functionality so these aircraft can now see you too.
Purchase one here!
CASA has approved Electronic Conspicuity (EC) devices and integrated Traffic Awareness Beacon Systems (TABS) for VFR aircraft.
How does the SkyEcho work?
The SkyEcho is both an ADS-B IN and OUT device.
The ADS-B IN receiver detects ADS-B signals from the aircraft in your vicinity (approx. 40NM) and displays this traffic on your OzRunways map, as shown in the screenshot above.
Simultaneously the ADS-B OUT transmitter sends your location out to traffic in the vicinity, so they can see you on their maps as well!
ADS-B signals are line of sight and work completely independently of the cellular network.
There is no further running cost or subscription required for operating SkyEcho.
Note: The SkyEcho does not provide FLARM functionality in Australia
More information on the SkyEcho can be found on the uAvionixs website here:
uavionix.com/products/skyecho/
How do I connect my SkyEcho to OzRunways?
Turn the SkyEcho on and go to your iPhone/iPad Settings → Wi-Fi → connect to the SkyEcho Wi-Fi network.
Ensure that Enable GDL90 is turned ON in OzRunways → Settings → Device Options.
Open OzRunways and tap the traffic icon on the map page to reveal the traffic system settings.
Use this popup to configure your ADS-B OUT settings (Callsign, ICAO Hex ID etc.)
The elements of the traffic icon give a visual indication of the status of both the OzRunways traffic system and any connected ADS-B device, see the table below for more information.
The below image demonstrates the appearance of the traffic icon under the following conditions:
- OzRunways traffic broadcasting
- SkyEcho ADS-B OUT broadcasting using callsign EFB, and squawk code 1200
What's my Flight ID/Callsign?
For VH-registered aircraft:
If you have submitted a flight notification to NAIPS, set your Flight ID to the same as the "Aircraft ID" in the notification form.
If you haven't submitted a flight notification, just drop the VH.
For example, the Flight ID for VH-EFB would become just "EFB".
For RAAus registered aircraft:
If not operating under a flight notification, RAAus aircraft should set their Flight ID to Rxxxx – where xxxx are the last 4 digits of the registration mark.
For example, an aircraft registered 24-1234 should set the Flight ID to R1234 (the R standing for “recreational”).
What’s my ICAO Address?
Also referred to as the 24-bit Mode S, 24-bit address, or Hex ID.
This is not the same as the squawk code usually programmed into the transponder, but forms part of an aircraft's certificate of registration and is normally set only once during the initial installation of fixed ADS-B OUT equipment.
CASA provides 24-bit addresses in three formats:
* Hexadecimal - six digits and/or the letters A to F; or
* Decimal - seven digits; or
* Binary - a sequence of 24 ones and zeros
SkyEcho requires you to enter the Hexadecimal version of the ID.
For VH-registered aircraft:
This is available:
* On your certificate of registration
* From OzRunways version 8.4, a fully integrated ADS-B OUT traffic popover on the Map Page is available. Your Hex ID will be automatically calculated here, just select your VH aircraft profile and callsign.
* Or by contacting the CASA Civil Aircraft Register team at aircraftregistration@casa.gov.au
For RAAus registered aircraft:
If you are an aircraft owner, you can request an ICAO address be assigned to your aircraft by CASA at aircraftregistration@casa.gov.au.
Note: As the ICAO address is unique to each aircraft, if changing between aircraft you must ensure you have entered the correct address into your SkyEcho for that flight.
For unregistered aircraft:
CASA will allocate the Electronic Conspicuity (EC) device a unique 24-bit address to enable it to be used on multiple unregistered aircraft without re-programming.
Not an aircraft owner?
The SkyEcho is a portable device. If you are not an aircraft owner and/or moving between aircraft that do not already have their own ICAO addresses assigned, upon request CASA will issue the SkyEcho device with its own ICAO address. This allows the EC device to be used on multiple aircraft without re-programming.
Please note:
* If the aircraft you are flying already has its own ADS-B Code/24-bit ICAO address, you must program that code into your SkyEcho.
* If the aircraft does not have its code, then you can use the code assigned to your EC device instead.
How to apply for an ICAO Address:
To apply for an ICAO Address, get in touch with CASA's Civil Aircraft Register team at aircraftregistration@casa.gov.au.
Please provide the following information in your correspondence:
- Your contact details
− If applicable:
o Your aircraft's registration number
o Aircraft Manufacturer
o Aircraft Model
o Aircraft Serial Number
− The details for your EC device, including:
o Make
o Model
o Serial number
Does it have traffic alerting capability?
The SkyEcho2 has FLARM functionality programmed, unfortunately, we do not hold a FLARM license and most importantly it does not operate on a frequency that we can integrate into the Australian EFB, currently only the UK and Europe.
For any further questions contact the OzRunways Team at support@OzRunways.com
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