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FreeFlight RANGR FDL-978-XVR remote Xpdr

LeeMajors

Well Known Member
So I’m trying to figure out if I can do something to hold me over for a complete panel re-do.

I’m putting in a RNGR 978 XVR ADS-B system and it has the TC678 controller along with the FWF25 WiFi adapter so I can get it on my iPad. It currently has a G400W and two digital KX170B replacement radios.

The plan is to put either a 480 in or a 540 (or both) along with a GTX33 remote transponder. The GTX33 requires a controller being a remote mounted box, and either the 480 or 540 can do that, I think via a 429 connection to the 33 (still hunting an installation manual for the XPDR).

It will be next year during the annual (or maybe even the year after) before I can take the plane down long enough to do the rest of the avionics (which includes the radio change) and I was thinking *MAYBE* I could use the TC678 controller to control both the remote transponder AND the 978.

The way the wiring talks about the system is that *IF* you have a remote transponder and it loses comm with the controlling system for that transponder, the TC678 control panel takes over the function of the controller.

I’m wondering if anyone has set up the system like this, with one control head (the TC678) controlling both a GTX33 remote transponder AND the 978 box so that I don’t have to re-wire and re-program the whole thing when we do the rest of the avionics.

Thanks!
 
I have the FreeFlight Rngr in my 172 and not sure on the wiring set up, but wanted to pass along to make sure that you have the latest software update. When I bought the plane it didn't and about every 5th flight would glitch out with the adsb location info going haywire...I got a couple of unfriendly emails from the FAA. My unit was from 2014, and I think anything shipping after '16 has the new software.

I emailed FreeFlight and they sent me the update and instructions. I had to fab a connector and it took about 30 minutes of laptop time to update- since then about 100 hours of flight and zero problems- it's a cool little unit.

Customer service at FreeFlight was outstanding- they even emailed me a couple times to check-in to make sure it was performing well. You can send it to them for the update for like $300, but it was a pretty simple procedure.

Good luck!
 
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