Monroy ATD-300 Air Traffic Detector

From your first flying lesson, you are taught to watch for traffic. But what if you are checking the map, program the GPS or admire the scenery? Do you want to rely on VFR traffic advisories - if you can get them at all? There's an affordable and surprisingly reliable solution to the problem - and even in a portable form: The Monroy ATD-300 Air Traffic Detector watches traffic around you permanently and warns of other aircraft in the vicinity. It takes only one near-miss to justify investing in the Monroy ATD-300.

The ATD-300 offers traffic alerts in a small, lightweight box that can easily be used in rental aircraft as well. It uses an onboard cigarette lighter plug for power supply and plugs into your headset for audio alerting. Velcro mounting strips are included as well as mounting brackets for permanent installation, an antenna and all required cables. The best location for mobile use is normally atop the glare shield.

The ATD-300 can also be installed permanentlyand then be connected to an audio panel and an external antenna. You'll find further tips here. Or you can read the FAQ here.

The ATD-300 Traffic-Watch is a passive receiver capable of detecting transponder replies from nearby aircraft and displaying their range and altitude on a bright 8-character dot matrix yellow LED display. It also provides distinctive voice warnings in relation to traffic proximity. The ATD-300 has a detection range of 5 nautical miles. T

The ATD-300 provides distinctive voice warnings for traffic at different ranges. When set in the FAR mode and traffic is within 3nm and ±1,000ft of vertical separation "Traffic" will be annunciated. As the traffic gets closer to about 1nm and within ±1000ft of vertical separation the message will change to "Traffic Nearby". When set in the NEAR mode only traffic within 1nm and ±500ft of vertical separation will be annunciated by "Traffic Nearby". When set to MUTE there is no warning messages for any traffic, however traffic range and pressure altitude will still be indicated. When there is no traffic activity the ATD-300 will automatically indicate the host transponder MSL pressure altitude. A screwdriver adjustable volume control is located on the bottom side of the unit. Audio output to a speaker (8 ohms) or headphones (300 ohms) is provided on the rear of the unit.

Unlike traditional active TCAS systems the ATD-300 determines traffic's range by its signal magnitude. Although not as accurate, this method allows for a compact low cost unit with a higher reliability than traditional active TCAS transmitters.

The ATD-300 uses the onboard transmitted transponder altitude encoder data and the traffic's encoder data for relative altitude indication. Since the ATD-300 has no internal altitude sensor, there is no need for periodic calibration checks or static port connections, particularly in pressurized aircraft. Thus making the unit easily portable between pressurized and non-pressurized aircraft.

In areas of high traffic activity the display will show multiple traffics in an alternating fashion. This is most common for traffic between 4 and 5nm. Display preference is given to the closest traffic by distance and altitude. As traffic gets closer, background traffic display is reduced or eliminated.

The ATD-300 also features a built-in voltage-warning indicator that lets you know if the aircraft supply voltage is out of range. This function works in the background at all the times and is activated after engine start. If an out of range condition exists, the ATD-300 annunciates it by voice and by text.