Cheapest ADS B you will ever find!!!

[zodiac flyer]

There is a company on Barnstormers selling used Skyguard ADS B in and out UAT, that are usable on experimental aircraft.
He claims he had 15 in Cessna 150's and when they were never type accepted for certified aircraft he pulled them out.
I bought two for $100. each, plus shipping. I contacted Don at Skyguard which is still in business and he informed me that these are the latest versions legal for experimental. I have been flying with one for 3 years and bought these to have as a backup.
I told some others about it and they said the price went up to $200, but that is still a steal as these sell for $1300.
Check the Skyguard company website, and if you are interested do a search on Barnstormers for Skyguard and you will get the contact info.
WARNING! I have no affiliation with the seller, and it is buyer beware if you decide to buy one.
I received mine by UPS today, came with a bracket which is normally a $25.00 option, the gps antenna and power cords.
This is a buy of a lifetime if you need a cheap ads b for your experimental.
I don't know if any are still available.
Good luck!
Dave N601XP

[ShawnM]

That is a great deal for ABS-B in and out. This isn't a portable unit is it? There was a member a while back who bought one thinking it was going to make him legal for 2020 in rule airspace and it's not. Experimental or not, portable ADS-B units are not legal in rule airspace for the 2020 mandate. I just want to make sure anyone thinking of buying one knows, if it's portable, it wont make you legal in rule airspace and only be good for ADS-B in.

[3Dreaming]

That is a great deal for ABS-B in and out. This isn't a portable unit is it? There was a member a while back who bought one thinking it was going to make him legal for 2020 in rule airspace and it's not. Experimental or not, portable ADS-B units are not legal in rule airspace for the 2020 mandate. I just want to make sure anyone thinking of buying one knows, if it's portable, it wont make you legal in rule airspace and only be good for ADS-B in.

I installed one in a Flight Design a couple years back. It is not a portable unit. As far as I know the unit worked like it should. At least the customer didn't complain, and they were flying in class C Airspace most of the time. The airplane was unfortunately destroyed by the tornado that went through Nashville last year. Part of the rudder was found 30 miles away.

[zodiac flyer]

No its not a portable.
It meets the specs for certified but it is not certified, thats why its only for an experimental.
When you run a FAA test its listed on the FAA site as a Skyguard vision pro.
I've had mine for about 3 years. I purchased these to have a back up in case of a problem.
Dave

[designrs]

SkyGuard makes a good product and Don is great with support. I was an early adapter of ADS-B and purchased SkyGuard portable unit for use before 2020. I never intended to use it for 2020 compliance. Loved it.

I do not currently own a plane, but still have the SkyGuard portable unit.

According to Don on December 28th 2019:
1) The FAA wants installed units and will not recognize portables after January 1st 2020.
2) This unit will transmit certain bits of information identifying itself as a portable unit to the FAA
3) It may be legal if you do NOT fly into controlled airspace. A confirmation from the FAA would be recommended.

GPS / firmware was updated by Don at SkyGuard on my unit Sept 8, 2015
Photos attached.

Anyone interested in this unit please PM me.

* Note: This is NOT the latest Experimental unit. It is an older portable unit with the model and codes as indicated the photo.

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[zodiac flyer]

all the Skyguards have been sold.
I don't believe the skyward pictured by designrs is able to comply with the current requirements, so its little more than a ADS B receiver or a paperweight.
but you can verify its status with Skyguard.

[designrs]

all the Skyguards have been sold.
I don't believe the skyward pictured by designrs is able to comply with the current requirements, so its little more than a ADS B receiver or a paperweight.
but you can verify its status with Skyguard.

It has no receiver function. It is a non-approved (non-2020 compliant) portable ADS-B out unit. It might be helpful for someone who has no ADS-B out and flies where ADS-B out is not required.

[zodiac flyer]

Unfortunately it doesn't work that way.
Your transmitter is set to an improper code, I believe its SIL1, which identifies it as a portable non copying non WASS gps.
It needs to be set to SIL3
This will be picked up by the FAA and a letter will be issued to you noting it is not compliant and further use will result isn a violation.
You cannot fly in a non ADS B environment as signals are also processed thru satellites.
Some of the early Skyguards were traded in for the approved units, later units such as mine were able to be modified by Skyguard and brought into compliance for experimental aircraft.
So if your unit is not able to be modified, and its not a ADS B receiver, I don't see it being of any use.
Try contacting Don Houtz, at Skyguard and check toys serial number.
All the later units used a BNC connector for the ADS B output versus the smaller connector on the early units.
I would hesitate to sell it to someone who may want to use it for something other than parts.

[designrs]

Your concerns are valid. The comments that I received from Don are listed a few posts above. (In my post with the photos.) This portable unit legally served me very well for years, prior to 2020, when the first ADS-B units were outrageously expensive amongst lots of confusion about regulations and LOAs.

I never purchased the unit for the FAA in 2020. I purchased it for ME in +/- 2014. The increased situational awareness of ADS-B is fantastic, and I wouldn’t fly without it... even back then.

It’s a very good thing that ADS-B Out is now mandated. I hope that everyone is also using ADS-B in.

Let’s put this to rest. This is not a unit that I am actively looking to sell. It is a unit that I just happen to have sitting around. I am a SkyGuard fan and chimed in on the thread. If someone has an interest in it for whatever reasons, knowing full well what the unit is and is not, then great.

[JimParker256]

The increased situational awareness of ADS-B is fantastic, and I wouldn’t fly without it...

I completely agree, with the caveat that there are still a lot of folks out there who are not equipped with ADS-B OUT (and may never be... for various reasons). Those folks will NOT show up on your ADS-B IN device, unless you happen to be in a really good radar coverage area, and ATC happens to pick them up as a primary target, and re-broadcasts that target to TIS-B. We still have to be every bit as conscious of visually scanning for traffic as ever!

I was an early adopter of ADS-B OUT/IN and it has made my flying a lot safer and therefore more enjoyable. At least once it prevented a near-miss situation when I was being overtaken from behind by a Debonair at more than twice my airspeed. I was flying from my home field to a local airport that has cheap fuel, cruising at 1500' AGL. He was flying on the same flight path, showing an altitude differential of "0" on the ADS-B display... When he got within a mile, I turned 90º to my left to create some separation, and to be able to observe him as he flew past me. If he saw me, he never reacted at all. Score one for ADS-B, because no matter how good my visual scan might have been, you cannot see an airplane that is overtaking from directly behind you on the same course!

[designrs]

... or glare in your face
... or a Control Tower that calls out traffic 5 seconds before it blows over you
... or flight following (provided as a courtesy and not priority) that really doesn’t provide traffic situational awareness

Or something like this...

Just a typical Summer afternoon on the Florida coast with all traffic avoiding a short-lived weather development.

I’ve flown Maryland (In the DC the SFRA), Philadelphia, New York, etc... but I have never seen the density of GA aircraft as I see in Florida.

Note my intended flight path vs. the diversion away from dense traffic. Awareness provided by ADS-B.

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