Menu Sign In Contact FAQ
Banner
Welcome to our forums

Best combo ADS-B receiver / EFB app for VFR in Europe and US

Here is my point :
I use SD a lot in Europe and I like it very much.
I may go fly in the US next year and I want ADS-B In there.
And while I’m there, I would like to buy an ads-b receiver that works both in the US and in Europe (with SD). In order to use it for all my flights after this trip.
No IFR flying whatsoever on the horizon.

I heard SD is usable but not ideal in the US. I would like to have the sectionals/AFD on the ipad for example.
I am convinced FF is the best app there (i used it in 2016). My understanding is that FF uses a proprietary protocol and their ads-b receivers do not work with other apps.
WingX seems a good alternative for the US, and uses the gdl90 protocol like SD.
As of receivers, Openflightbox and Dual X170 look like good options.

Any first hand experience ?

LFOU, France

My understanding is that FF uses a proprietary protocol and their ads-b receivers do not work with other apps.

In fact ForeFlight and SkyDemon both work with GDL90 compatible receivers and for your case this is what you want to buy. In addition there are some ForeFlight proprietary receivers (Stratus 1,2 but not 3) which will not work with SkyDemon so you will not want to get those. Also note that not all apps will display all information available. ForeFlight and SkyDemon will display a bit differently even when using the same receiver.

www.ing-golze.de
EDAZ

I strongly advise use of FF in the US because it displays the actual sectionals as printed, including annotations. I’d question how usable SD actually is in FAA land.

EGBW / KPRC, United Kingdom

Thank you guys.
Aveling, did you subscribe to FF or do you take a free trial every year ?
FF would allow me to file VFR FPLs, which I like if I go to remote areas.
WingX seems to show the sectionals too.

If I make it, I will run SD on the phone to compare with FF and save my flights.

Last Edited by Jujupilote at 13 Aug 12:14
LFOU, France

I think you can’t take a trial every year, but I think that FF has the nice thing where you can cancel (at least some) subscription and have them added as credit on your account (which premumably you should be able to use later on)

I’m also interested in a cheap SD-compatible ADS-B receiver. I looked at this a couple of years ago but only found the self-build Stratux and gave up. Openflightbox looks good, but recommendations would be nice.

EGHO-LFQF-KCLW, United Kingdom

Jujupilote wrote:

Aveling, did you subscribe to FF or do you take a free trial every year ?

I have subscribed to FF for a number of years, as well as SD. I use FF here for geographical route planning, weather radar, tafs and metars. It’s interface is intuitive for instant metars in Europe – just touch the airport – and the weather radar works where there is aerial 3G, like in the S of France where I’ve used it to help negotiate thunderstorms.

EGBW / KPRC, United Kingdom

ForeFlight provides a development kit for ADS-B receivers using the GDL90 interface. Stratux supports ForeFlight using the development kit. ForeFlight also supports the Appareo Stratus devices, the uAvionix Scout and Sentry, the Garmin GDL39 and GDL50, 51, and 52 devices.

KUZA, United States

The free trial version of ForeFlight does not support filing of flightplans.

KUZA, United States

No first hand experience to offer.
But be sure to choose a receiver which listen to both UAT (975MHz) and 1090MHz so that it is useful outside of the USA. So typically I would consider the Dual X170D rather than the X170.
The openflightbox appear to be a stratux commercially put together in a nice box with support.

Nympsfield, United Kingdom
83 Posts
Sign in to add your message

Back to Top