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5/17/2015 11:15 AM
 
Steven Richard
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Joined: 5/19/2014
Posts: 50
This may be a little off topic, but I am trying to understand the ADS-B tower/altitude definition and what I should see using iFly for displaying weather. I was flying around the Sacramento valley in California at about 3500' msl. It was a clear day, so no radar. But I could not see any radar in the rest of the country and I knew it was raining back east. FAA documentation indicates that I need to be receiving a medium altitude tower to get CONUS Nexrad. The pictures shown in the FAA documents indicate that a medium altitude tower starts at the surface and goes to 14,000 agl. Does anyone know what this means? Once I reach 14,000, I don't receive it anymore? I have to be above 14000 to receive it? What altitude do I need to be at to receive a medium altitude tower. iFly clearly shows the Regional Nexrad area (see attached photo). Hard to believe there is not a medium altitude tower in the Sacramento valley. I am ADS-B out capable/legal. Steve
 
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5/18/2015 11:21 AM
 
David
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Joined: 8/27/2013
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Steve,

FIS-B will only show you weather in a localized area based upon your speed as I recall. You probably will never get more than 250 nm area. It would take a lot of bandwidth to broadcast nationwide weather when you do not need it. Don't really know about towers

David

Freeflight ADS-B In/Out
 
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5/18/2015 1:16 PM
 
Walter
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Joined: 7/8/2009
Posts: 2778

The ADSB feed includes 2 nexrad radar images, the primary one is 250nm radius of the broadcasting station; this is what we show in the iFly GPS. As you travel across the country and pickup other stations, your radar coverage moves with you. The other is a CONUS radar - this image is extremely low resolution so it can be accomodated in the limited bandwidth. It's on our feature list to add this to our display, so look for this soon. We will probably only show the image while zoomed way out.

Thanks,
Walter

Walter Boyd
President, Adventure Pilot
 
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5/18/2015 7:53 PM
 
Steven Richard
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Joined: 5/19/2014
Posts: 50

I am looking forward to the CONUS information.

Some of my trips are easly 1000 miles. I like to watch the weather at my destination throughout the trip. The unfortunate problem with ADS-B is that Metars are not available for any airport more than 375 NM from the tower that you are receiving. That means I am blind (relative to ADS-B) until I am receiving a tower that is covering my destination.

Relative to CONUS, I must be receiving a medium altitude tier tower to get the radar information. According to the FAA, this means I must be above 3000' agl. That is not hard to achieve. I did not know that iFly presently does not show CONUS. I guess that is why I wasn't seeing the rain back east.

 
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