SAFA Skysailor Magazine

17 July | August 2023 SKY SAILOR device?’ If you do not get a definitive answer, then I would say you should assume it is 868MHz. That is, Euro-spec. Why am I writing this now? At the time I wrote the original article, I was flying with an Air3-7.2, but since then have upgraded to a 7.3. When I decided to get the 7.3, the decision whether to get the 7.3+ (with FLARM tracking capability) or just the base model, was easy. The FLARM chip was for 868MHz transmission and reception, which is great for Europe, but is no use to us here in Australia. A matter of months after the release of the 7.3+, an improved version came out – the 7.3+ V2. This has a chip that handles all of the various FLARM frequencies; you select which one you want to use in the software settings. Now THAT is a device I would have bought. But it’s of limited use here in Tasmania, with only one gliding location in the centre of the state. So yeah, spend extra on a function I won’t use? No. But now, I’m going to Europe in August for a couple of weeks flying, and in the region where I’m headed there’s a pretty active gliding community. Is there a solution, I asked myself? Yes, there is. I could purchase the Air3-7.3+ V2, or another instrument equipped with Euro-spec FLARM built in. Think Naviter’s Oudie, Flymaster’s GPS M, XC Tracer or SkyBean Strato. Or I could use my Skyecho2. I can’t use it to broadcast ADS-B – that’s only allowed in