Assembled Stratux Dual Band ADS-B & Weather Receiver with AHRS WAAS GPS & Power Pack V4.1

This thing is a very affordable alternative to the Stratus2. ADS-B reception is great. The external GPS is necessary to get WAAS accuracy but the friendly people from Everlast Concepts include that with this unit and have it already pre-installed. If you already have a bluetooth GPS receiver it will work fine alongside this unit and you can choose which GPS signal Foreflight uses. The AHRS is smooth and works fine with my FF basic plus subscription. (not "synthetic vision" but basic attitude indication). The packaging is very nice and you can tell some thought went into the accessories. The only thing I can say is that you have to break down the battery, strap, suction cups and main unit to get it back into the case. A bigger carry case would be nice so you can leave it assembled, saving some time when exiting your rental plane and gathering up all your gizmo's, wires, camera's etc. The same goes for the "shut down procedure" which is done via the browser on your tablet. An shut-down button on the device itself would be very helpful, even though just pulling the battery power cord out is not really going to hurt it all the time. The chance that it corrupts the microSD card is pretty low. All in all, a very solid product.May 6, 2019 Update: After six month I noticed a problem with the third party battery pack that ships with this product. I contacted Everlast Concepts and the excellent customer service response was instantaneous. Grant got back to me within 10 minutes. We exchanged some emails and Everlast refunded the cost of the battery pack. I decided to buy a slightly larger capacity one for a few bucks more and everything is working great again. This proves the commitment of the Everlast team to stand behind this product.Other thoughts: The nice thing about buying a ADS-B receiver like this vs the Stratus or the Sentry is that you can repair it if something breaks. The individual components are not expensive and it's easy to replace let's say the motherboard, or the radio's or the GPS module, or in my case the battery pack. Also the software keeps getting updated and improved so this thing only get's better over time. Flashing the SD card is very easy to do, just follow the instructions on the web site.In terms of the form factor: It is bigger than the competitor's products, but it's really not that big of a deal. I purchased a slightly larger case:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0757C6XLF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1which allows me to keep the whole thing assembled in the case (antennas removed and stored in 'bent' position) and it fits nicely in my flight bag. It now takes me less than 20 seconds to screw on the antennas, power it up and stick it on the window of my rental plane. The suction cups b.t.w. are working surprisingly well. It's actually hard to peel it of the window most of the time.

I bought this to use as a portable unit before I purchased an aircraft. As such I opted for the external antenna version to make it more rental friendly. However, a few months later I bought a Citabria. In this application it mounts very easily to the skylight and the internal antenna would probably be accurate. The 2 meter accuracy I get with the external antenna isn't needed in VFR flight and the slightly reduced accuracy with an unobstructed internal antenna would be fine.The one issue i did have with my Stratux is the antenna connection on the original external antenna as it isn't very durable and failed after relatively few connect and disconnects. Crew Dog Electronics however gave me three options for replacement - an internal antenna, the same version of the external antenna, or an external antenna with a USB connection. The USB plugs in inside the unit so it's not removable without taking back off the unit. However, it suits my needs very well as I have no need to disconnect the antenna.When the original connector on the GPS antenna failed, it left the aircraft on my moving map locked in place, which left me navigating by pilotage, like the good old days. In that regard, if you don't know how to navigate with a sectional alone, I recommend either the internal antenna (if you can mount the unit so it has an unobstructed view of the sky) or an external antenna with a USB connection (about $17 on Amazon).https://www.amazon.com/Stratux-Vk-162-Remote-Mount-USB/dp/B01EROIUEW/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=stratux+USB+antenna&qid=1593011928&sr=8-4My Stratux came with a 6000 mAh battery with a micro USB connection that runs along the side of the battery. It works well, but I was worried about the form factor, etc, and what happens when the battery reached its end of useful recharge cycles. I've found it's not an issue as there are a number of batteries in a similar size format, and I think they'll stay around as its a convenient size for phones and small tablets.MIady makes a 10000 mAh battery that works great with the Stratux. I actually prefer the short USB to micro USB cable that comes with it to the fixed cable on the battery that came with my Stratux. They are not expensive and color options will keep you from confusing one with the other. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XFBN7HX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1Anker makes a 10000 mAh battery that works well and can be had with a case that also fits similar sized batteries from other manufacturers. The case works well to carry an extra battery as well as an extra Stratux flashed SD card and connection cables for your EFB.https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBQX0O5/?coliid=I3NXQ32XJ0RXOG&colid=27G584L473MBF&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_ithttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B073QHQ993/?coliid=IAHJB5FG322AK&colid=27G584L473MBF&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_itI use my Stratux with Flight Plan Go and it works really well. I've used the split screen map and instruments option along with the very accurate GPS in the Stratux to swing a new compass on the ground. The moving map and ability for the Stratux to display weather and radar mosaic information on the moving map on my iPad is a big help in planning routes around afternoon thunderstorms.