From the moment you learn to fly you are advised to be aware of traffic in your
vicinity. By visually scanning the area you can assess most traffic threats, but what about
when you are busy looking at your charts, approach plates, flight manual, instruments,
programming your GPS or just sight-seeing?
The
Over 95% of all mid-air incidents occurred in VFR conditions. In most cases, there was
no ATC traffic advisory to either aircraft involved due to the nature of VFR flight. Had
either aircraft been alerted of the presence of nearby traffic, the pilot would have been
attentively looking out for it. Most incidents reported occurred in the General Aviation
segment. Typical scenarios include: flight training in congested areas, traffic at busy
uncontrolled fields, and popular scenic routes. It is for these reasons that the need for
continuous traffic awareness is most important now, before it is too late.
The ATD-200 is a passive receiver capable of detecting transponder replies from nearby
aircraft and displaying their proximity in a segmented graphic LED display. It also
provides distinctive voice alerts in relation to traffic proximity. The system consists of
a receiver/indicator unit, antenna, power and audio cables. The ATD-200 is housed in a
small aluminum box (2.75" x 0.75" x 5.0") for easy location in the
cockpit. Its compact size allows it to be easily carried in your flight bag or your shirt pocket.
The ATD-200 has a detection range of 5 NM for light aircraft and up to 7 NM for air transport aircraft flying within 1500 feet of vertical
separation. Traffic range is displayed on a five segment yellow LED bar display. When traffic
is 4 to 5 nautical miles away, one LED segment is lighted. As the traffic closes in, successive segments are
lighted up to 0.5 NM. When closer than 0.5 NM, the bar is fully lighted. Even
when installed out of the pilot's direct view, the bar display provides an accurate
indication of the proximity without the need to interpret numbers. The more yellow you see,
the closer the threat is. If the intruder is Mode S or TCAS II (airlines) equipped, the
blue LED indicator is lighted.
Onboard transponder replies are inhibited from being displayed on the
RANGE display without the need for connections to it. However, onboard transponder replies
are indicated by the green SUPR LED. In TEST mode, the ATD-200 verifies unit and
transponder operation. This is all annunciated by voice messages.
At a traffic range of 3 NM, the ATD-200 female voice annunciates
"TRAFFIC". At 1 NM or closer it annunciates "TRAFFIC NEARBY". This will give you an indication of the intruder's proximity without the need to look at the display. The VOICE ALERT may also be set to alert for traffic at NEAR range only (1NM or closer). In addition, it can be set to MUTE for high-density traffic environment.
Due to its compact size the ATD-200 can be located
anywhere in the cockpit. Velcro and mounting brackets are provided for locations on top
or bottom of the instrument panel and in the panel. The unit comes with a detachable
antenna, cigarette lighter power cord and headphone cable for Plug n' Fly set-up.
The ATD-200 can also be connected to an external antenna and speaker if desired. For more
information on the ATD-200 Plug N' Fly setup and other features, click here. For order information,
click on this link. To view product testimonials and endorsements, click here.