Was it tracked on MLAT? In that case ADS-B out is not implemented.
Somebody was telling me today that on the GNS430/Trig combination ADSB is not activated unless there is a waypoint in the Go To. No idea if he was right.
I am pretty sure it is MLAT :
If there really is no GPS then it must be Mode S with MLAT. But you cannot have ADS-B OUT without a GPS.
Curiously I have just looked up my plane on FR24 and while all flights reliably show (above say 2000ft in “flat” England) I cannot see “MLAT” written anywhere, whereas I do recall seeing it previously. Maybe it was on the FR24 app only, which does show it (this is for an unrelated aircraft, and anyway I don’t know your callsign)
Try to look for F-BXZP. The “radar” unit does not show on past tracks (I didn’t subscribe to FR24).
I don’t give them money either (although I think I did pay for the FR24 android app; that shows much more than the website, but only while the aircraft is airborne) but your very short track does look like MLAT, not ADS-B.
However it is fairly likely that the part of France you were flying in is not exactly packed with human population and especially FR24 participants. So much of N France is fields and thousands more fields as far as the eye can see, and while my FR24 tracks are solid, I always fly there IFR, FL100 or above.
I recently added PowerFlarm to my PilotAware and since then, my flights “should” be trackable via Flarm – I say should, because unfortunately I have yet to find the optimum position for the anntena, am still testing this – at least Flarm has a tool which allows me to test the positioning and range of my setup. Once I have it optimised, hopefully Flight Radar will see my flights more frequently.
Having said that, I find that PlaneFinder has possibly better coverage of receivers, or somehow gets more precise data. For example if I look on the iPhone App of (e.g.) PlaneFinder, then I can call up my flights and under the Flight History, I see them in their entirety; the same is true of the desktop version (Planefinder.net) because even though some of the trip is missing if I hit feedback, the whole track – and a pretty accurate representation too – is displayed. A good example is my recent flight to Duxford / Cambridge. As I was coasting out over Rotterdam, the track stops and even though it doesn’t reappear until I descend on approach to Cambridge, the track is accurate depicted on the history of the flight is very accurate so perhaps you might have better luck spotting yourself on PlaneFinder.net?
My aircraft was appearing intermittently on FR24 with a Mode S Transponder.
Once a new transponder went in, as part of an avionics upgrade which included ADS-B out, the aircraft now appears on FR24 all the time without any gaps. Even on a longish flight down to Cannes the aircraft will be on FR24 all the time.
For Mode-S only transponders, FR24 will only pick them up using multilateration (MLAT), hence that it only shows at some altitude so that 4 or more receives can see the aircraft. Unfortunately, MLAT is only supplied by FR24’s own receivers. I run a Raspberry Pi receiver at home, feeding FR24, and unfortunately I do not add to the MLAT coverage since it’s not their own HW. I do add to the ADS-B coverage though, and I get a business accounts as a thanks.
https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/how-we-track-flights-with-mlat/
Peter_Mundy wrote:
eter_Mundy 14-May-18 17:49 #42
Somebody was telling me today that on the GNS430/Trig combination ADSB is not activated unless there is a waypoint in the Go To. No idea if he was right.
Yes that is correct. A flight plan or direct has to be active.
