Just got my SkyRadar unit. I can't wait to go try it in the airplane (where my iFly resides 100% of the time).
However, right out of the box the GPS puck antenna appears to have a magnet imbedded in it (!!!). Not compatible for placing anywhere an aircraft instrument panel. Peeling the label off the bottom of the antenna doesn't expose the magnet (unlike other gps antennas I've seen with magnets under the label). There are 5 small Phillips screws holding the puck together.
I have meanwhile emailed Radenna asking how to proceed to remove the magnet. I don't want this thing anywhere near my panel until the magnet is gone. Puck antenna warranty be damned.
Curious how an aviation specific device is shipped with a magnetic base mount antenna. Not any airplanes I know of built with large ferrous structure, especially anywhere near the instrument panel. It must be an automotive gps antenna.
So new SkyRadar owner beware. I will report back after hopefully getting an answer from Radenna.
UPDATE:
I elected to tackle the magnet issue directly. No sense in waiting for Radenna.
I removed the bottom rubber cover from the antenna (under the product label) to expose the magnet. If you are careful you can remove the whole rubber cover without damaging the product label. Here is what's under the rubber cover:
The magnet didn't want to budge and it was obvious that it was glued into the recess. Small screwdriver or pocketknife got no joy. I didn't want to have to do something extreme like drill and tap a hole into it just to get it out. So I decided to use an electric hair dryer to warm up the glue. I wasn't sure if there were any sensitive electronics or components hot glued inside the unit that the heat would affect. Probably not since this antenna, by design, should stand up to direct sunlight and dashboard heat. However, curiosity got the best of me plus I wondered if there were an mechanical attachment on the inside of the antenna. So out went the 5 phillips head screws and both halves of the antenna were pulled apart. I removed the GPS antenna module by releasing the small modular plug. Here is a view of the parts blown-apart:
I now heated the antenna housing half with the magnet from the inside and out with the hair dryer. It took a few tries and both the pocket knife and flat screwdriver but at a certain point it just popped out when the glue softened to the right point. Here is a view of the magnet freed from the recess:
Then it was merely a matter of re-assembling the parts and sticking the rubber back cover on over the hole and now the antenna is magnet-less and ready to deploy on my glareshield.
If I had known what I know now at the beginning of this project I probably would have just extracted the magnet out of the recess without taking the two halves apart. Hair Dryer and prying would not probably damage the balance of the unit.