ADS-B-ready Mode S transponder released by Avidyne

Posted by John McHaleNEW ORLEANS, La., 25 July 2011. Avidyne officials announced the AXP340 Mode S transponder with Extended Squitter for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Out mandate for the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA'S) Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) initiative. The new device will be a slide-in replacement for the company's KT76A and KT78A Mode A/C transponders..The new Avidyne device transmits ADS-B Out information through extended squitter (ES) to ADS-B-equipped ground stations and other ADS-B In-equipped aircraft.The AXP340 is a panel-mounted Class 1, 240 watt, Level 2 1090MHz datalink transponder that meets all the requirements for Mode S elementary surveillance for instrument flight rules (IFR) and visual flight rules (VFR) flight. The AXP340 will upgrade existing Mode A/C equipment to Mode S, while adding additional functionality such as a direct-entry numeric keypad, pressure altitude and GPS latitude/longitude readout, flight ID entry, a stop watch timer, one-touch VFR code entry, flight timer, and altitude alerter. For ADS-B functionality additional wiring is required.The AXP340 works with Avidyne's ADS-B In-capable TAS600A Series Traffic Advisory Systems. The device encodes and transmits the required ADS-B Out information, including GPS-derived position, along with ground track, ground speed, and altitude, in a series of extra pulses on the Mode S data stream. The TAS600A enables the display of ADS-B and non-ADS-B traffic simultaneously. For more information on ADS-B, visit www.ads-bee.com. Company officials say they expect the AXP340 Mode S Transponder to be available in early 2012, with a list price of $5,995, including connector kit and mounting tray. The antenna is sold separately for installations that need a replacement antenna. The TAS600A Series active-surveillance Traffic Advisory Systems with ADS-B In should also be available early next year New and existing TAS600 Series operators can lock in a not-to-exceed upgrade price of $2,000 for their ADS-B In upgrade by registering at: http://www.avidyne.com/landing/tas600-adsb.asp.