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• Flight Recorder Comparison

EW Avionics
EW has been making electronic barographs and flight recorders in the U.K. since the early 1990s. 

microRecorder
The microRecorder promises to be a very popular product due to its low cost, small size, and the portability made possible by its built-in battery.  It is perfect for use in a soaring club or for recorder flights for submission to the OLC (Online Contest), or for use in a soaring contest.

New - Engine Noise Level recording now included free of charge in all units.  If you bought an EW microRecorder from me that does not have the ENL enabled, just send me an e-mail with the serial number and I'll send you a free enable code that you can enter in to the EW-USER.TXT file.

microRecorder with built-in SD Memory Card Reader
This is a very cool version of the microRecorder - perfect for use at gliderports that don't have a PC handy.  The microRecorder can read pilot, glider, setup and task data from the SD card at power-up and can also write one or all flight logs to the SD card at power-down.  That makes it possible to save the "EWUSER.TXT" configuration file onto an SD card at home and use it in a club owned or rental microRecorder at the airport.  The EWUSER.TXT file includes setup data such as recording interval and task declaration data such as pilot name, glider ID, and task waypoints.

I imagine that this option will be popular in 2 scenarios. 

• In a club environment it will be possible for club members to bring their personal SD card to the airport for use with the club's microRecorder. They can come to the airport with their pilot, glider and task data already on the SD card and they can go home with their day's flight log on their SD card - all without the use of a PC. 
• Contest pilots will like the ability to download their most recent flight log to the SD card without the need for a PC.  They can then hand the contest scorer the SD card rather than their precious flight recorder. 

I expect the first shipment of these units to arrive in mid May, 2007.  The estimated USA price is $975 (glider) and $1080 (motorglider) (depending on exchange rates and shipping costs). 

Suction Cup Mounts for use with the microRecorder

• Suction Cup Mount for GPS Antenna
  
  This mount can be used to mount the GPS antenna to the glider canopy.  The mount and suction cups may or may not be strong enough to hold the logger and antenna.
  Note: Mounting the microRecorder in direct sunlight in a closed cockpit on a hot day may cause the unit to overheat and shut-down.
• RAM-B-SCMK-RAP-B-201-RAM-B-202
  
  This suction cup assembly could be used to mount the microRecorder and GPS antenna to the glider canopy.  It is much more robust and reliable than the option shown above, but it is much larger.  Velcro would be used to mount the RAM-B-202 base to the bottom of the microRecorder and to mount the antenna to the top of the microRecorder.
  Note: Mounting the microRecorder in direct sunlight in a closed cockpit on a hot day may cause the unit to overheat and shut-down.

Tips
The EW microRecorder is not very clear on the format for coordinates in task declarations.  Below is an example declaration that was created by SeeYou Mobile:

Description: Declaration
Take Off LatLong: 0000000N00000000E TAKE OFF
Start LatLon: 4428531N09300979W Stanton MN
TP LatLon: 4419481N09318650W Faribault
TP LatLon: 4405767N09309170W 100kmTP-SYN-FBL
TP LatLon: 0000000N00000000E TURN POINT
TP LatLon: 0000000N00000000E TURN POINT
TP LatLon: 0000000N00000000E TURN POINT
TP LatLon: 0000000N00000000E TURN POINT
TP LatLon: 0000000N00000000E TURN POINT
TP LatLon: 0000000N00000000E TURN POINT
TP LatLon: 0000000N00000000E TURN POINT
TP LatLon: 0000000N00000000E TURN POINT
Finish LatLon: 4428531N09300979W Stanton MN
Land LatLon: 0000000N00000000E LAND

The coordinates are in DDMMmmm format for latitude and DDDMMmmm format for longitude. Where DD or DDD = Degrees, MM=Minutes, mmm = decimal minutes. For example, the Start LatLon: is 44 degrees, 28.531 minutes N, 093 degrees, 00.979 minutes W.

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Part #	Description	Photo (Click on images below to view large versions)	Price (US$)	Lead-time
microRecorder	microRecorder IGC Approved Flight Recorder The microRecorder is a great IGC Approved flight recorder for use in a soaring club or for use as a portable device to be carried between multiple sailplanes, or as a simple backup system for contest pilots.  It is perfect for recording flights for submission to the OLC or any soaring contest.  It is extremely small and includes a built-in battery.  The antenna is external (not shown).  It can provide 5V power for a PDA (when the microRecorder is powered with 12V external power).  A USB connection is used for flight log downloads and task declaration editing.  The unit can be charged using the USB port or the included charger. New - Engine Noise Level recording now included free of charge in all units.  If you bought an EW microRecorder from me that does not have the ENL enabled, just send me an e-mail with the serial number and I'll send you a free enable code that you can enter in to the EW-USER.TXT file. SD Memory Card Reader Now Standard The EW microRecorder was formerly available with or without the built-in SD memory card reader.  The non-SD version is no longer available.  The good news is that the SD version now sells for the price that the non-SD version sold for. Task Declarations Now Possible Over Serial Port It is possible for soaring software to update the EW-USER.TXT file in the microRecorder that contains the task declaration data.  That means that soaring flight software such as SeeYou Mobile, pocket*StrePla, WinPilot, etc. could download the EW-USER.TXT file through the serial port, enter task declaration data into the file and transfer it back into the microRecorder.  SeeYou released this functionality in April of 2007.  Both SeeYou Mobile and ConnectMe can send task declarations to the EW microRecorder.  Example Systems Complete example systems with cables for connecting to a PDA are shown on the Flight Recorder Comparison page.  See also the Goddard EWmicroRec-Socket-DB9f-m-s and EWmicroRec-DB9f-x cables. Charging The microRecorder can be charged using the supplied USB power/data cable when the cable is plugged into a PC that is turned-on.  However, that may not be convenient when at a contest or remote location, so I highly recommend buying the optional Wall Charger.  You can select it as an option when placing your order.  The Wall Charger is not a "smart charger" - it does not reduce the current when the battery is full.  However, when connected to a 12 volt supply the microRecorder is 'intelligent' - the processor will switch off the charging when the battery is fully charged. Also, if it has a GPS fix, it will assume that it is being used as a recorder, and switch off charging at a lower voltage so that there is a reduced drain on the glider battery. Included: microRecorder GPS Flight Recorder External GPS Antenna with magnet in base and 5 foot (153 cm) long cable USB power/data cable RJ Connector with bare leads for external power and other connections, Length: 4 inches Velcro dots for attaching the GPS antenna to a mounting surface Quick-start manual Calibration sheet Features Pressure sensor to comply with FAI ratification USB file transfer, no software required Stores up to 300 hours of flight data Rechargeable battery life, up to 200 hours Can be powered from external supply NMEA output for moving maps etc. Recharges over USB or mains adaptor External antenna for maximum reception Specifications Dimensions: 4.53 x 3.35 x 0.98 in (115 x 85 x 25mm) Weight: 9.9 oz  (280 g) Power Input: 9 to 15 VDC, 100 mA (more when powering a PDA) PDA Power Output: 5 V, 2A (2A output is for a limited time only due to thermal cutoff depending on ambient conditions) GPS: 12 Channel Max. Altitude: 59,058 feet (18,000 m) Max. Velocity: 1,152 mph (515 m/s) Battery Type: NiMH, with level indicator Battery Life (Approx.): up to 200 hours (10 second update), 30 hours (1 second update) Flight Log Memory 320 hours (10 second recording interval), 128 hours (4 second recording interval), 32 hours (1 second recording interval) USB 2.0 Data Connection: Compatible with Windows XP, 2000 Mac and Linux Charging: Chargeable over USB, or with external supply of 9-15VDC with a capacity of 400mA Downloads: Frequently Asked Questions Manual IGC Approval Document	The photo below shows the optional suction cup mount for the GPS antenna The photo below shows a complete system including EW microRecorder Suction Cup Mount for GPS Antenna EWmicroRec-Socket-DB9f-0.3-0.3 Nimbus iPAQ Cradle RAM-B-SCMK-RAP-B-201-RAM-B-238 iPAQ hx2790 The photo below shows a complete system (less 12V battery and PDA Mount) including EW microRecorder Suction Cup Mount for GPS Antenna EWmicroRec-DB9f-0.3 I38C-1 iPAQ hx2790	$895	In Stock