uAvionix FlightStation Dual Band Networkable ADS-B Receiver User Guide
- June 12, 2024
- uAvionix
Table of Contents
uAvionix FlightStation Dual Band Networkable ADS-B Receiver
Product Information
The FlightStation is a product manufactured by uAvionix. It is a device designed for aviation purposes and is preconfigured for out-of-the-box plug and play behavior. The FlightStation is compatible with the uAvionix FlightLine system, which provides graphical traffic viewing and an API for data access. It meets the performance specifications of DO-260B, DO-282B, and DO-229C. The FlightStation also has overlapping coverage that enables the uAvionix TruSky ADSB spoofing detection. Product Usage Instructions
Follow the steps below to install and connect the
FlightStation:
Installation:
- Mount the FlightStation using the supplied installation bracket and hose clamps.
- Seat and tighten the hose clamp mount into the FlightStation and secure with provided screws using a screwdriver.
Connection:
Connect the FlightStation to the M12 connector using Cat5e or better ethernet cable. It is recommended to use shielded Cat5e cable to protect against EMI interference depending on your installation location.
Note: Prior to operating the device, make sure to read and understand all operational procedures mentioned in the user manual. uAvionix is not liable for damages arising from the misuse of this product.
Warranty Information:
The uAvionix FlightStation products come with a limited warranty. The warranty period is one year from the date of purchase. During this period, uAvionix will repair or replace any product that fails under normal use. The warranty does not cover cosmetic damage, consumable parts, damage caused by accidents, abuse, misuse, water, fire or flood, unauthorized servicing, or modified/altered products. Transportation costs for warranty repairs are the responsibility of the customer.
In no event shall uAvionix be liable for any incidental, special, indirect, or consequential damages resulting from the use or inability to use the product or from defects in the product. Some states may not allow the exclusion of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations may not apply to you.
For warranty repair service, please contact uAvionix directly.
© 2023 uAvionix Corporation. All rights reserved.
uAvionix Corporation
300 Pine Needle Lane
Bigfork, MT 59911
http://www.uavionix.com
http://www.uavionix.com/support
Except as expressly provided herein, no part of this guide may be reproduced,
transmitted, disseminated, downloaded or stored in any storage medium, for any
purpose without the express written permission of uAvionix. uAvionix grants
permissions to download a single copy of this guide onto an electronic storage
medium to be viewed for personal use, provided that the complete text of this
copyright notice is retained. Unauthorized commercial distribution of this
manual or any revision hereto is strictly prohibited.
uAvionix® is a registered trademark of uAvionix Corporation, and may not be
used without express permission of uAvionix.
Revision History
| Revision | Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| A | 8/10/2023 | Initial release |
Warnings / Disclaimers
All device operational procedures must be understood prior to operation.
uAvionix is not liable for damages arising from the use or misuse of this
product.
Limited Warranty
uAvionix FlightStation products are warranted to be free from defects in
material and workmanship for one year from purchase. For the duration of the
warranty period, uAvionix, at its sole option, will repair or replace any
product which fails under normal use. Such repairs or replacement will be made
at no charge to the customer for parts or labor, provided that the customer
shall be responsible for any transportation cost.
This warranty does not apply to cosmetic damage, consumable parts, damage
caused by accident, abuse, misuse, water, fire or flood, damage caused by
unauthorized servicing, or product that has been modified or altered.
IN NO EVENT, SHALL UAVIONIX BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, WHETHER RESULTING FROM THE USE, MISUSE OR INABILITY TO
USE THE PRODUCT OR FROM DEFECTS IN THE PRODUCT. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE
EXCLUSION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY
NOT APPLY TO YOU.
Warranty Service
Warranty repair service shall be provided directly by uAvionix.
Introduction
FlightStation is a dual band (978MHz and 1090MHz), networkable ADS-B receiver with a Power-Over-Ethernet (POE) interface enclosed in an IP67 rated protective enclosure. FlightStation provides ground surface or low-altitude ADS-B surveillance within line of sight of the antenna, with range dependent upon the output power of the transmitting ADS-B transceiver. FlightStation is robust enough to be permanently mounted outdoors in harsh environmental conditions, and small enough to be used as a mobile asset for roaming operations. Installation is simple with included pole-mount bracket, and a single POE cable which provides both power and data communications. Configuration is accomplished via a simple web interface. An integrated GPS provides location and precision timestamping for messaging.
The FlightStation comes preconfigured for out of the box plug and play behavior to automatically connect to the uAvionix FlightLine system. Flightline provides a method to graphically view traffic as will and an API to allow access to the data. The FlightStation is designed to the performance specifications of DO-260B, DO-282B, DO-229C. Overlapping FlightStation coverage will enable the uAvionix TruSky ADSB spoofing detection.
Installation
Figure 1: FlightStation-
dimensional drawing
Mechanical Mounting Recommendations
FlightStation is supplied with an installation bracket and hose clamps to
mount to poles of various sizes.
Seat and tighten the hose clamp
mount into the FlightStation and secure with provided screws using a
screwdriver. Tighten hose clamps to secure FlightStation to the mounting pole.
Connect the FlightStation with
the M12 connector using Cat5e or better ethernet cable. It is recommended to
use shielded Cat5e cable to protect against EMI interference depending on your
installation location.
Seat M12 plug into the FlightStation M12 receptacle then install and tighten
the connector as shown. M12 X Code cables can be sourced to accommodate longer
installation runs. Alternatively, a shielded, waterproof coupler can be
installed to extend a cable run to the POE switch/injector location.
Mount FlightStation as high on the pole as possible, preferably at the top
with an unobstructed 360° view of the sky.
Secure the ethernet cable to the FlightStation mounting arm or to the pole
using a zip tie in a drip loop configuration for strain relief. 
Run the X-code ethernet cable to the desired network
switch/router location. If a longer cable is required use the supplied coupler
and a shielded CAT5 or suitable cable to extend cable.
Unthread each side of the coupler and pass the RJ45 connectors through the
blue seals. Tighten the threaded portions to create a waterproof seal. The
total installation length should not exceed 100 meters. Install the surge
protection indoors near the network switch/router. Use an M5 machine screw and
nut to attach a drain wire that is connected to a remote grounding block or
structure. The surge protection enclosure has molded provisions for surface
mounting. Connect the RJ45 from the FlightStation to an available port on the
surge protector. Insert an additional shielded CAT5 or suitable cable into the
second RJ45 port of the surge protector. Connect the remaining end of the
shielded CAT5 or suitable cable from step 5 into the port marked POE on the
supplied POE injector. Connect an additional ethernet cable from your network
switch or router to the LAN port of the PoE injector. Connect the Power Cord
to the injector, and then plug the power cord into a power outlet.
Connection to the POE network
The FlightStation connects to a network via POE using an M12 X-Coded
connector.
POE Specifications:
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Standard | 802.3af (802.3at Type1) |
| Maximum power | 15.4W |
| Voltage Range | 37 – 57V |
| Maximum Current | 350mA |
| Maximum Cable Resistance | 20Ω |
| Supported Cabling | Shielded Cat 3 and Shielded Cat 5 |
| Supported Modes | Mode A (endspan), Mode B (midspan) |
| Power Management | Power Class 0 |
| Maximum Cable Length | 100 meters |
Figure 2: M12 to RJ45
wiring diagram
Caution!
Absolute maximum DC voltage +57 V. A higher DC voltage value will permanently
damage the equipment!
Configuration
POE Installation
FlightStation must be powered via POE. This can be accomplished with a POE capable switch, or with a standalone POE injector.
Connect the shielded POE cable to an active POE switch or a regular switch via
a Class 0 POE power injector as shown below. 
Figure 3: pingStation powered by POE switch
Figure 4: pingStation
powered by POE injector
At power-up an IP address will be assigned to the FlightStation by the local DHCP server. This IP address is dynamic and assigned by your local network. Determining the assigned IP address is required for configuration. The FlightStation IP address can be determined by accessing the local DHCP server and reviewing the connected devices or by using industry accepted network scanning tools.
Directions for each DHCP server, router, or network scanning tool differ. Refer to the instruction manual for these devices or tools to help determine the IP address assigned to the FlightStation. The MAC address for each FlightStation can be found on the device housing.
Optional: You may wish to configure your DHCP server to reserve an IP address for FlightStation in order to ensure its address does not change in the future. Refer to your router or DHCP server instructions for how to reserve IP addresses.
DHCP Fallback
- The system will always enter DHCP client mode on power up.
- If we have a preferred IP address configured, it will be loaded as the default into the network interface.
- If we have a preferred IP address configured and the unit is on a network with a DHCP server, the DHCP address received from the DHCP server will overwrite the preferred IP address in the network interface. The network administrator can create a DHCP reservation based on the MAC address for that IP address if needed.
- If we have a static IP address configured, the DHCP requests will stop after 75 seconds. The 75 seconds was chosen because the default port configuration on some switches can take 60+ seconds for the link to come up.
FlightStation Information URL
FlightStation settings can be observed and changed by navigating via web
browser from a PC or mobile device which is on the same Local Area Network
(LAN) as the powered FlightStation. The IP address assigned by the DHCP server
serves as the base URL.
FlightStation base URL:
http://###.###.###.###/
Note “###.###.###.###” is the IP address of the device 
Figure 5: Example information screen
The health of your FlightStation can be seen by reviewing the Status Information section of this webpage. The key indicators that your health is good are as follows:
- GPS fix acquired
- Admin Connection state is Connected
- Traffic Connection state is Connected
- Num UAT/ADSB traffic numbers are non-zero
When all of these things are true, this FlightStation will be feeding the FlightLine system with ADSB traffic.
Information Items
| Information Category | Information Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Firmware Information | General information on the firmware versions |
and links for updating.
| FlightStation ID| The MAC address of the FlightStation.
| FlightStation Version| The version number of the network firmware and also
provides a link for network firmware updates.
| Radio Version| The version of the ADSB receiver firmware and also provides
a link for radio firmware updates.
| FPGA version| The version of the receiver FPGA.
| DNS server| The active DNS server IP address being used to resolve
hostnames..
Settings| | FlightLine information for managing the FlightStation and
the data delivery path.
| Admin URL| The websocket URL used by FlightLine to manage the this
FlightStation. This will use port 80- on your network
| Traffic URL| The websocket URL used to deliver the ADSB traffic to
FlightLine. This will use port 9090 on your network and needs to be open on
your firewall for ADSB traffic delivery to
FlightLine.
| Network Configuration| The link to allow you to set a preferred network
address, subnet mask, gateway, or DNS server address on fully static IP
networks. If there is a DHCP server on your network it will override this
preferred network address.
Information Category| Information Item| Description
---|---|---
| Save| A button to allow you to save modified settings to flash.
| |
Status Information| | General status, health and live statistics.
| Uptime| The amount of time the system has been up since its last power
cycle or reset.
| GPS Fix| The GPS fix type.
| Num GPS Sats| The number of satellites the GPS can currently see.
| Latitude| The actual Latitude of this FlightStation
| Longitude| The actual Longitude of this FlightStation
| GPS Altitude| The actual GNSS altitude of this FlightStation in feet
| PPS Detected| The hardware UTC 1 pulse per second(PPS)
signal is detected
| Admin Uptime| The amount of time the Admin websocket has been connected.
| Admin
Connection
| The current state of the Admin Connection.
| Traffic Uptime| The amount of time the Traffic websocket has been connected
| Traffic
Connection
| The current state of the Admin Connection.
| Num UAT Traffic| The number of ADSB broadcasting UAT aircraft being
currently tracked by this FlightStation
| Num 1090ES
Traffic
| The number of ADSB broadcasting1090 aircraft being currently tracked by this FlightStation
Note: When modifying any configuration item, press the Save button to store the changes. These fields are non-volatile and persist through power cycles.
Update
Most of the FlightStation upgrades will be performed remotely using the Admin WebSocket. However, the FlightStation supports software upgrades thru a local web-based flashing system as well. The user will launch the update webpage, select a firmware binary file and press a button to start the update process. There are two separate firmware files which can be updated through this process, the system software, and the ADS-B receiver software.
Update the FlightStation system software
Click on the “FlightStation Version” “Update” link
This will bring you to the Update page. 
Choose the UAV file and press “Start Update” 
Update ADS-B receiver software
Click on the “Radio Version” “Update” link
This will bring you to the
Update page. 
Choose the UAV file and press
“Start Update” 
Support
For support with FlightStation visit http://uavionix.com/support/
UAV-1007487-001