Stratux ADS-B Dual Band Receiver Aviation Weather and Traffic - Internal WAAS GPS, AHRS, Battery Pack, Suction Mount, Antennas, SDR

This seems to work pretty well, even from on the ground. The external antennas make it a little more fragile & cumbersome to store compared to some other brands of ADS-B receivers, but those antennas also seem to pick up signals that the others might miss, which is more important to me, especially if a lot of clouds are around. External antennas also give you the option to mount antennas outside the fuselage, using cables with SMA connectors for further improved performance. For a permanently installed unit, this would seem to be the best way to go. For a portable unit, it's still pretty darn good. The 4 suction cup mount works well. 2 spare cups were included. ...And the package says made in the USA by a Vet. I'm having a hard time finding something to not like.Set up was pretty easy. It came with a power cable that has a switch in it, which is a nice bonus that I was not expecting. You can access the data in the unit directly using a hard IP address in a web browser once WiFi communications have been established. You can even view GPS info & local aircraft traffic there, without using actual flight software. It typically picks up about 10 GPS satellites at once, and that's without plugging in the external GPS antenna. Despite having all that information, altitude is often off by 100 feet or a little more, but that is common on other GPS units that I have too. A G-force indicator & other screens are also available on the basic pages. Calibration of the attitude indicator required probably close to a minute or so of straight & level flight after hitting the zero button. It's probably best done on the ground. The 6-hour battery that came with it actually lasted 5 hours before the unit cut out, then I turned it on again & got another hour, which did total to 6. Perhaps a power connector just got wiggled loose after 5 hours??? The ride was a little bumpy that day.The 6-hour battery that came with it is rated at 10,000mAH, which also means 10 amp-hours. That's a pretty big & chunky battery capacity in such a small package. Most of the others I have seen out there in that physical size carry more like 1/3 of that amount of charge. Your typical little Cessna often has about a 17 Amp-Hour battery for starting the motor.This thing seems to be a lot of bang for the buck.

I fly several club and rental airplanes and wanted a portable ADS-B receiver. I decided to try Crewdog's Stratux because it was half the price - and even less than half - of many other portable units and it got great reviews. This was my first portable unit and I didn't want to spend $500 - $1200 on something I was not familiar with.All the excellent reviews are fully justified.1. The service is GREAT! Sean gets back to you within a few hours and answers all questions or concerns.2. The unit works perfectly. I tested this unit with ForeFlight and iFly GPS and it worked great. The AHRS was very stable and accurate - definitely useful as a backup in case of aircraft instrument failure. The WAAS GPS worked flawlessly and is very accurate.3. Reception of ADS-B traffic and weather is excellent.4. The unit's software is very easy to customize.5. Like any electronic equipment - this unit is constantly being improved and updating the firmware is fast, easy, and free. This unit does not require any technical knowledge and worked for me right out of the box.6. Battery life of the included, rechargeable battery is excellent. I used the Stratux on several 2-hour flights, and the battery showed about 70% remaining. It's also easy to use a spare portable battery for very long flights or if you won't be able to recharge between flights.7. Another example of the great service is an EXTENDED free trial of iFly GPS for Crewdog customersThis receiver a real bargain. Plus - it's EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE and the fantastic, no-hassle customer service makes me 100% satisfied that I bought the Crewdog receiver.

I don’t fly without it! Works great. It connects via WFI to my iPad, in seconds. For the last four years I used it with ForeFlight, just recently I switched to Garmin FLT Plan, it works great with both. Very satisfied with the quality, and it was half the price of Stratus. Thanks.

I've flown with this guy several times now and LOVE it. Not only is it fully featured, but it's reliable and so much less costly than the name brand devices out there. I paired mine to Foreflight and it works like a charm. I use the suction cups and stick it to the rear side window in our club Cherokee. Always gets good reception there with the antennas pointing skyward. I have a friend that lays hers on the dash, but it gets awfully hot there in the summer.Haven't had any problems with the Stratux at all. It's a little work to set up initially, but the instructions are really detailed and very well written, and the web site helps too. Videos are so helpful!I can't say enough how much respect I have for Crew Dog. The packaging was excellent, and the kit is very thoughtfully assembled (I bought the version that's prebuilt with only assembly of the battery-to-unit and suction cup bracket needed).As far as bulkiness, I worried about that, with those big ol' antennas and overall size. But it's not an issue at all after using it a bit. I keep the antennas in a slot in my flight bag and the unit in the main compartment with my headset. Prep for flight takes just a couple mins: screw on the antennas, plug the power cord in and stick it on the window. By the time I get get buckled in and set up my iPad, it's ready to go.I also love that this is a small start-up outfit. I don't mind buying good products from big companies, but I LOVE buying them from small competitors who still think like their own customers and love what they do more than just the profit. You go, Crew Dog!