Avionics News April 2015 - 47

The Lynx shown with transponder portion minimized and traﬃc page on
the left with NEXRAD weather data and moving map on the right.

The company's new offerings combine some mature
technologies from the surveillance and situational
awareness columns, making for a surprisingly strong
first entrant in what ultimately could be a new product
category. L-3 calls them "next-generation transponders."
As implemented in the company's flagship NGT-9000,
the next-generation transponder combines full compliance
with the Federal Aviation Administration's 2020 ADS-B Out
equipment requirement, the free traffic and weather services
presently provided via ADS-B In, and a color moving map.
A smartphone-like touchscreen manages things. Oh, and
the NGT-9000 does all this in a form factor with which
we're all familiar: It's sized to fit in the same opening as a
BendixKing KT-76A.
The NGT-9000 is the only panel-mounted member
of L-3's Lynx family. The others include the remotemounted NGT-1000, an ADS-B Out-only unit, and
the NGT-2000 that adds ADS-B In traffic and weather
information Wi-Fi'd out to iPad apps. The NGT-2500
and-9000 models can interface to MFDs via ARINC 429
and RS-232 protocols.The NGT-9000R, combines all the
NGT-9000's features except the touchscreen, and it is
designed for remote mounting.
The NGT-1000 through -2500 models
implement ADS-B's 978 universal access
transceiver Out communication standards,
and thus are designed for aircraft
operating below 18,000 feet. All three
can be coupled to a compatible Mode C
or S transponder so the data sent to air
traffic control is the same. But L-3 also
offers an optional control panel, the CP2500, to synchronize ADS-B data with a
noncompatible transponder.
Continued on following page

Bottom up?
For this article, Avionics News had the
opportunity to demonstrate the NGT-9000's
features on a simulator, plus use the real thing
in an airplane's instrument panel. Unfortunately,
poor weather prevented us from putting the unit
through its paces while airborne, but we came away
impressed with the new product nonetheless.
For one, its display is bright and crisp; it's
comparable to what is available on the latest
smartphones. It deﬁnitely should be bright enough
to be readable in direct sunlight. Also, the screen's
touch sensitivity is purposely dialed down, requiring
a bit more eﬀort in swiping or keyboarding than a
current-technology smartphone or tablet. This is
to help prevent inadvertently selecting the wrong
option in turbulence.
For another, a wide range of conﬁguration
options means pilots will be able to set up the unit
however they like. Want traﬃc on the left side, to
free up room for the Nexrad data on the right? No
problem. Want traﬃc zoomed in on one screen to
two miles and the other to 40? It can do that, too,
all while displaying the current transponder code.
And if ATC wants the pilot to use some other code,
or to squawk ident, doing so is only a swipe of the
screen, back to the dedicated transponder screen
to perform the task.
What's the only real downside we've been able
to identify to the panel-mounted NGT-9000 from
a pilot's perspective? Pilots will want their avionics
shop to move their new transponder from where
it traditionally sits - at the bottom of an avionics
stack, for example - to near the top. The screen is
that attractive, and pilots will want it in a location
better suited to active use and viewing. q
avionics news

april

2015

Avionics News April 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News April 2015