Bret Koebbe of Sporty’s Pilot Shop introduced me to a cool new ADS-B weather uplink product, the Stratus.
US built by Appareo Systems, it's a completely portable, wire-free, subscription-free weather solution that works in conjunction only (so far) with the Foreflight ap for the iPad. The Stratus provides ADS-B-based weather, Nexrad, Metars, TAS, Airmets, Sigmets, TFRS, "the whole nine yards of everything that’s included with ADS-B" as Bret describes it, all wirelessly transmitted to your in-cockpit iPad.
It uses the iPad's WiFi connection, and can be broadcast to more than one iPad in the cockpit. Just open Foreflight, link it to the Stratus box, and you've got all your weather info with you.
The ADS-B weather coverage will be coast to coast-complete sometime in 2013.
It's a simple device: eight-hour battery, wire free, built-in ADS-B antenna buiilt into the box, and also includes WAAS GPS with 1-2 meter accuracy.
And it's all American-made; "It's manufactured in North Dakota," says Bret. "Designed and developed by pilots for pilots, something we all wanted: ADS-B without a lot of work or wires."
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