Support: SkyEcho

– To manage expectations, the Sky Echo is working as designed. As a standalone ADS-B
transceiver it does not see non ADS-B transponders (Modes A/C/S).

Transponders normally need interrogation (from TCAS/TAS or ground radar) or multilateration (MLAT) networks to show position. ADS-B transponders instead broadcast their GPS position, while devices like SkyEcho act as ADS-B transceivers that send and receive only ADS-B traffic. SkyEcho cannot detect Mode S-only aircraft unless TIS-B is broadcast, though its 978 MHz UAT receiver can display TIS-B/FIS-B data where available. It can also receive FLARM, but decryption requires a paid EFB license.

FR24 and PlaneFinder often label SE2 tracks as Mode S even when receiving ADS-B, which can wrongly suggest ADS-B Out is not working. In reality, failures are extremely rare—issues are usually due to poor placement in the cockpit, especially in metal aircraft like PA28s, where the best spot is near the passenger door. To confirm ADS-B is transmitting, PlaneFinder generally shows source data more clearly, or a colleague on the ground with SkyEcho/SkyDemon can verify reception. As long as GPS is present, ADS-B Out almost always works reliably.

This is not a common problem, though it can occur. It is most likely caused by incorrect setup of the EFB (most commonly Sky Demon). Sky Demon’s preferences for Third Party Devices must be set for SkyEcho and the relative altitude bracket for traffic display needs to be at least 2,000’,though 5,000’ is more useful. In order to ground test for traffic reception, connect to the SkyEcho and start Sky Demon. Before selecting ‘Fly’ the Sky Demon traffic bracket should be set to 35,000’ to ensure it will display any passing airline traffic (by law, all airliners must transmit ADS-B). If this test shows no traffic at different times of day then the SkyEcho needs to be changed.

– It is a legal requirement that an Electronic Conspicuity transmitter correctly identifies the
aircraft you are flying. In a club environment if this was not done there could be multiple instances
of the same callsign flying, which is not only confusing, but potentially dangerous as the SkyEcho
will filter out the same callsign/Hex code that is being used and there is a risk of collision
with another, incorrectly identified, aircraft owing to lack of any warning.

Whilst it is a relatively simple task to change the SkyEcho setup for aircraft ID, this would require the
user to have a note of all the possible callsign/Hex Code combinations of the aircraft in which you
might use te SkyEcho. If the user has Sky Demon, you have created a useful Aircraft Library
function in which the user can pre-load the details of all the aircraft that you might fly (their club
fleet for example). It is important that the user enters both aircraft callsign AND Hex Code of each
aircraft into the Sky Demon library – Hex code appears some way down the list of parameters to set
and this is often overlooked. If ‘Filter ADS-B’ has been selected in the SkyEcho setup page
and have not loaded Hex Codes in Sky Demon’s library, then ‘Ghosting’ can occur.
Sky demon undertakes a useful cross check of the aircraft selected to fly in Sky Demon with the
aircraft data loaded in the SkyEcho. It will offer a warning if you do not match and a quick way to
select the correct aircraft for the sortie.

Most SE2 charging issues come from trying to charge in the aircraft, where short flights and underpowered 12V adapters can’t replace the energy used, eventually exhausting the battery. SE2 requires a QC3-compliant USB-A charger with at least 18W output (2.5–3A recommended); standard 1A phone chargers or computer USB ports are insufficient. While the device has a USB-C socket, it is not USB-PD compliant, so USB-C PD chargers will not work—use the supplied USB-A to USB-C cable instead. Users should charge at home with a suitable mains charger, ideally overnight once per month or when the battery LED turns yellow. If charging still fails, the cable may be faulty and should be swapped.

Some SE2 units shipped from the US to the UK occasionally during shipping GPS ephemeris data can become corrupt, requiring a reset, causing them to stay in “Search The Sky” mode with a red GPS LED. The fix is to reset the unit (hold the power button ~20s until LEDs flash white, then restart), then place it outdoors—not indoors or by a window—for up to two hours to rebuild ephemeris data until the GPS LED turns green. Once updated, future fixes should take 1–2 minutes. If a unit later loses GPS fix in flight, try cycling the power or performing a reset; if the LED stays red, the unit must be exchanged. If the GPS doesn’t acquire then please submit a support ticket.

Some SkyDemon users experience Wi-Fi dropouts between their tablet and SkyEcho, which can interrupt navigation near controlled airspace. This may be caused by local RF interference (e.g., microwave masts) or by the way cellular-capable devices prioritize internet connections over the SkyEcho link. On iOS (and sometimes Android), the device can switch network interfaces mid-flight, breaking the UDP connection. The main fix is to enable Airplane Mode, then re-enable Wi-Fi (and Bluetooth if needed), which prevents the OS from preferring cellular networks. If problems persist, it may be due to RF interference—try relocating the SkyEcho in the cockpit or note whether dropouts happen in the same geographic areas. Another option is to manually set Wi-Fi channels (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11) instead of auto. Exchanges rarely solve the issue since it’s usually environmental, not the unit.

This issue affected about 200 UK units fitted with a chip during the COVID period that works normally but has a timing fault during firmware updates, causing them to time out. The fix is a simple 20-minute firmware flash using specialist tools, which can only be done by uAvionix UK support. Please submit a support ticket at uavionix.com/support.

Foreflight often shows SkyEcho GPS accuracy as ±30–90m, while other devices like Sentry or mobile phones may display ±5m. This is not a fault with SkyEcho—it stems from the way Foreflight interprets and rounds NACp values, showing a pessimistic “worst-case” accuracy rather than the actual figure. In practice, SkyEcho normally performs far better (close to the TSO’d 30m standard or better), which can be confirmed via the SkyEcho Stats page (192.168.4.1/stats) or by using another EFB such as SkyDemon, which demonstrates highly accurate runway alerts.

– This can be caused by the SkyEcho receiver detecting the ADS-B transmission from its own
transmitter, or from an ADS-B transponder transmitting in the aircraft. Unless the ownship ICAO
Hex code is filtered out the SkyEcho will display its own (or an on-board ADS-B transponder’s)
ADS-B Output, which will manifest co-altitude at close range in the six o’clock of the user’s aircraft.
The simple solution is to make sure the aircraft’s allocated hex code is correctly set in SkyEcho
Settings and to select ‘Filter ADS-B’. If the user also has a FLARM transmitter on-board then
FLARM Ghosting can similarly occur. The solution here is to enter the allocated FLARM ID in Hex
format and select ‘Filter FLARM’.

This can be achieved from the SkyEcho setup page by connecting to page 192.168.4.1 and
then SkyEcho Setup. In the functions grid, deselect the tick in the 1090 ES Transmit Enable box.
Alternatively, if the user has Sky Demon – while connected to the SkyEcho in ‘Fly’ mode you can
select the menu dropdown option (Sky Demon Logo) to ‘Configure SkyEcho’. Here you will be
presented with options to transmit or not transmit ADS-B, or to select the second receiver between
the Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) frequency of 978 MHz and the Eurpean FLARM frequency
of 868.4 MHz. Having made the required selections, select Save and the SkyEcho will transmit or
not transmit as desired.

To test for LED issues have user go to wifi page where there is an LED test button. Select it and all
3 LEDs should cycle Blue, Green, Red. Have them note a particular LED and colour that does not
come up.