Fly Safely with Portable Talking RADAR AGL Altimeter

[Shiroyuki]

For someone who flies IFR a lot, what's the point of LIDAR? Isn't it going to shout non sense number at you all time? And isn't the the whole purpose of having a radar altimeter? to prevent cfit in imc?

[laytonl]

Should this be in the vendor forum?  The OP started with an ad.  Lee

[HolyMicro]

On 11/23/2024 at 9:42 AM, toto said:

Since a lot of people on here have familiarity with the LHS product, it really would be good to reinforce the comparative benefits of the SkyVoice system over the LHS.  When I first saw the SkyVoice, it seemed a lot like the LHS with a more limited track record, but this announcement of a portable unit is definitely interesting and is kind of a "try before you buy" option for someone who's on the fence about a full install.

Anyway, my advice to both the HolyMicro folks and the Microkit folks is to point out the reasons why someone would want your product instead of the other product.  And plan to do that over and over again

The most successful products on MS seem to be the ones with reps who are engaged on the boards and keep showing up to help answer questions when these threads get going.

Features	LHS	SkyVoice Alert 500	SkyVoice Glassy Guide 400
Technology	LiDAR for Land	LiDAR for Land	RADAR for Land and Water (Seaplanes)
Range	200 ft	590 ft	450 ft
Advanced Smoothing Techniques	Not sure about this	Sophisticated smoothing algorithms to Filter out noise and interference resulting in a more stable and accurate altitude reading	Sophisticated smoothing algorithms to Filter out noise and interference resulting in a more stable and accurate altitude reading
First Gear Warning	200 ft (200 feet is too close to the ground and you have less than 25 seconds to land. This is too little time and too close to the ground to put the gear down and land. You have to go around)	560 ft (560 ft, you have more than 1 minute, enough time to put the gear down and make the landing)	Gear Reminders at 400 ft, 300 ft, 200 ft, 100 ft
Package Includes	Device only	Installation kit included (save 3-4 hrs of technician's time)	Installation kit included (save 3-4 hrs of technician's time)
Audio Options	Wired Audio only	Wired or Bluetooth. With Bluetooth you can receive high quality digital audio - save time on installation and don't have to mess with audio wiring or bring unwanted noise.	Wired or Bluetooth. With Bluetooth you can receive high quality digital audio - save time on installation and don't have to mess with audio wiring or bring unwanted noise.
Takeoff Announcements	No Takeoff Announcements	10 ft – 500 ft	50 ft – 400 ft
Landing Announcements	200 ft – 1 ft	500 ft – 1 ft	400 ft – 1 ft
Reminders along with AGL height Announcements	Not sure about this	5 (Check Gear, Checklist, LC GUMPS, Flaps, Speed, Clearance, Prop and Pump)	4 (Check Gear, Checklist, LC GUMPS, Flaps, Speed, Prop, Clearance and Pump)
GPS/MSL based height calls and reminders	Not sure about this	18000 ft – 500 ft, Reminders like IFR Altimeter, Check Oxygen, Clearance and Prop	18000 ft – 500 ft, Reminders like IFR Altimeter, Check Oxygen, Clearance and Prop
Display Options	No display option	Normal display option and heads up display option.	Normal display option and heads up display option.
Run Time Reminders	No Run Time Reminders	Check Tank and Check Fuel	Check Tank and Check Fuel
Top of Descent Announcement	No	Yes ( Announces when the aircraft is at a set distance from the destination, based on user settings )	Yes ( Announces when the aircraft is at a set distance from the destination, based on user settings )
On-Board Speaker	No on-board speaker	On-board speaker - helps to troubleshoot audio wiring issues quickly. Save time on installation.	On-board speaker - helps to troubleshoot audio wiring issues quickly. Save time on installation.
Quick Install Option	No	30 Minute Installation Kit (There will be no wired connection to your Aircraft. Using this kit, you can install and test fly with SkyVoice Alert 500 in less than 30-minutes )	Quick Install/Portable unit is available. (All the hardware inside is the same as the regular certified Glassy Guide. The portable unit allows you to install it temporarily in any location you want.  You can connect by Bluetooth. Once you are satisfied you can open the portable unit and remove the radar and the processor to do your permanent install.

[Pinecone]

1 hour ago, HolyMicro said:

Features	LHS	SkyVoice Alert 500	My Thoughts
Technology	LiDAR for Land	LiDAR for Land	You have something good for seaplanes
Range	200 ft	590 ft	Don't care
Advanced Smoothing Techniques	Not sure about this	Sophisticated smoothing algorithms to Filter out noise and interference resulting in a more stable and accurate altitude reading	My LHS does fine without issues.
First Gear Warning	200 ft (200 feet is too close to the ground and you have less than 25 seconds to land. This is too little time and too close to the ground to put the gear down and land. You have to go around)	560 ft (560 ft, you have more than 1 minute, enough time to put the gear down and make the landing)	Don't care.  If I miss putting down the gear, and also miss the call out, I am having issues. 200 feet is plenty of time to put the gear down.  Less than 5 seconds to put the switch down.  About 5 seconds for the gear to come down.
Package Includes	Device only	Installation kit included (save 3-4 hrs of technician's time)	Mine only took 3 - 4 hours to install.
Audio Options	Wired Audio only	Wired or Bluetooth. With Bluetooth you can receive high quality digital audio - save time on installation and don't have to mess with audio wiring or bring unwanted noise.	Don't care.  LHS only takes running one cable.
Takeoff Announcements	No Takeoff Announcements	10 ft – 500 ft	Don't want them
Landing Announcements	200 ft – 1 ft	500 ft – 1 ft	200 is fine for me.
Reminders along with AGL height Announcements	Not sure about this	5 (Check Gear, Checklist, LC GUMPS, Flaps, Speed, Clearance, Prop and Pump)	Don't want them.
GPS/MSL based height calls and reminders	Not sure about this	18000 ft – 500 ft, Reminders like IFR Altimeter, Check Oxygen, Clearance and Prop	I have other things to remind me.
Display Options	No display option	Normal display option and heads up display option.	I don't want something more to look at during a critical phase of flight.
Run Time Reminders	No Run Time Reminders	Check Tank and Check Fuel	Don't need them.
Top of Descent Announcement	No	Yes ( Announces when the aircraft is at a set distance from the destination, based on user settings )	GPS does this.
On-Board Speaker	No on-board speaker	On-board speaker - helps to troubleshoot audio wiring issues quickly. Save time on installation.	Don't need it.
Quick Install Option	No	30 Minute Installation Kit (There will be no wired connection to your Aircraft. Using this kit, you can install and test fly with SkyVoice Alert 500 in less than 30-minutes )	This is neat, but mine just installed fine and worked.

My thoughts added to your chart.

More things does not necessarily make a product better.  

[MikeOH]

@Pinecone

That's just a spiteful post couched in false 'objectivity'.

I like that there's an option out there.  Maybe I should post the table annotated with "I like that feature/benefit" inserted everywhere.

If you're upset that it's an ad, then just post that like @laytonl suggested.  Of course, it wouldn't be the first time 'ad content' is posted in other than vendor forum without complaint.  LHS and PSE come instantly to mind.

For the record I have NO connection to, nor know anyone at, any of these companies.

[TaildraggerPilot]

I’m waiting on the Garmin GHA-15 certification myself……..

[toto]

5 hours ago, MikeOH said:

Of course, it wouldn't be the first time 'ad content' is posted in other than vendor forum without complaint.  LHS and PSE come instantly to mind.

I think that @Microkit worked out a sponsorship deal with Craig that allowed them to post in the general section. I assumed after @HolyMicro became a sponsor that they had worked out something similar. 

[Joshua Blackh4t]

I'm very much in the market for a landing height system. I even considered making my own.

While I agree that competition is good, so far, Holy Micro has hardly said anything that makes me like their product. The lidar option for seaplanes seems good though.

Questions: in the temporarily installation, how is it attached? To the tie down point? Is that ok? Do you have a kit to do it (remember they are meant to be removed for flight)

Is there any way to wire it so the gear warning ONLY sounds if the gear isn't down? That is the only time I want to hear about it. The rest is just guaranteeing I'll turn it off.

Do you have any pictures of a permanent install on a mooney? How complex is it to permanently install?

Can I get a forward facing one to see if there are any trees on my glideslope at night? 

Is it certified to be permanently connected to power, landing indicators and audio panel? The LHS is. 

 

[Will.iam]

Not a fan of the system talking to you as you climb up. Again that is a distraction. LHS stays silent climbing up. If you start to sink then it will call out the hight which is when you need it and grabs your attention that you are not climbing like you normally should be doing. . A much better attention getting result than a system spatting out altitude calls then you have to stop and think and analyze was the number before bigger or smaller than the current one to verify that you are climbing or descending. Having a check gear that calls out higher is not a benefit but again a distraction. LHS calls out 200ft (instead of a useless check gear because my gear is already down and if it is not down then my brain will definitely hear the check gear call because i was expecting a 200ft call instead) which is exactly the hight decision on most ILS approaches so it’s a nice reminder you are at decision altitude and ready to land as your gear is down  and you know this because you did NOT hear a check gear call out, and if the landing environment is not in sight, that you have to go-around. Most non-precision approaches are in the 500ft AGL range. The last thing i need is a checkgear call out distracting me from flying through my MDA especially if my gear was already down and locked. The LHS is a safety net to catch my screw ups when im doing something non normal, not a mindless reminder device. There is a reason why the Airforce pilots nicknamed their reminder system a bitching betty. Thanks but no thanks. 

[Pinecone]

On 11/27/2024 at 4:40 PM, MikeOH said:

@Pinecone

That's just a spiteful post couched in false 'objectivity'.

I like that there's an option out there.  Maybe I should post the table annotated with "I like that feature/benefit" inserted everywhere.

If you're upset that it's an ad, then just post that like @laytonl suggested.  Of course, it wouldn't be the first time 'ad content' is posted in other than vendor forum without complaint.  LHS and PSE come instantly to mind.

For the record I have NO connection to, nor know anyone at, any of these companies.

No, I was just sharing MY take on the "features."

If you disagree, please post why for discussion.  I am willing to listen.

[HolyMicro]

On 11/29/2024 at 8:55 AM, Joshua Blackh4t said:

I'm very much in the market for a landing height system. I even considered making my own.

While I agree that competition is good, so far, Holy Micro has hardly said anything that makes me like their product. The lidar option for seaplanes seems good though.

Questions: in the temporarily installation, how is it attached? To the tie down point? Is that ok? Do you have a kit to do it (remember they are meant to be removed for flight)

Is there any way to wire it so the gear warning ONLY sounds if the gear isn't down? That is the only time I want to hear about it. The rest is just guaranteeing I'll turn it off.

Do you have any pictures of a permanent install on a mooney? How complex is it to permanently install?

Can I get a forward facing one to see if there are any trees on my glideslope at night? 

Is it certified to be permanently connected to power, landing indicators and audio panel? The LHS is. 

 

SkyVoice Alert 500 (LiDAR based device) is good for your use, It is a Take-off and Landing Height Announcer with LiDAR range of 590ft and repeated Gear warnings from 560ft until the gear is down & locked.

Both LiDAR based unit and RADAR based units are certified by FAA. Forward looking installation is NOT part of our FAA approval.
Regarding Portable device (RADAR based, meant mainly for Seaplanes), We can mount the Portable unit to inspection plate or to tie down points using an Airplane mount like this, see this Amazon link.  Additionally, you can refer to the attached  images
Permanent installation is NOT complex, you can open the Portable unit and remove the RADAR and the processor to do your permanent install. I’m also attaching a helpful video link to provide details about dimension of RADAR unit and Processor unit and how to connect it to inspection plate. Video Link

For a reference, image of the permanent installation of the SkyVoice Glassy Guide 400 and image of the portable unit connected is also attached.