Wed Sep 15, 2021 10:37 pm
#1870722
However I would urge caution not to rely solely on the audio.
I would certainly second BB's comment and that comes from someone who believes the audio side of EC is essential.
SkyDemon is fantastic and certainly aids in getting the peepers looking in the right place but one of the limitations was highlighted quite clearly to me on a flight with a fairly decent crosswind. Of course, the system can only work with the information it has and knows. It knows our groundspeed and track. It can take a pretty good stab at the heading but that relies on the latest wind that has been downloaded from the Internet. SkyDemon doesn't use a magnetometer to detect heading, so it can only calculate it using the other data it has and that wind can be wrong for the obvious reasons.
The trouble is, we are pointing at our heading but SkyDemon can only issue its audio, with certainty, based on our track. So the clock code can certainly have 'issues'. Take the other day for instance: I was flying along with a track of around 080 but heading approximately 050. Martha (from SkyDemon) kindly informed me of traffic in my 1 o'clock. Fantastic and thank you, it got me looking harder. However, when I saw the target it was nearer my 2.30 - 3 o'clock 'cos of the way I was pointing. On the map it was at 1 o'clock from my track line.
This is NOT a criticism in any way, shape or form. The kit does a fantastic job given the the data it has to use and I would not be without the audio warnings. It HAS to base its warnings on track because that is the only definite info it has. But the example above highlights the limitations in having to do this and proves the audio is fallible and, as BB says, we shouldn't use it solely.