ping200X Mode S ADS-B Out transponder

The ping200X is a Mode S transponder with 1090 MHz Extended Squitter ADS-B Out from uAvionix, designed for installation in unmanned aircraft and other small aircraft. It answers secondary radar interrogations and broadcasts the position and identity of the aircraft, so the airframe becomes visible to air traffic control and to nearby traffic.

The unit carries a built-in pressure-altitude encoder, which supplies the altitude report without a separate encoder. It has no integrated GNSS receiver, so an external approved GNSS position source must feed the ADS-B message; the maker's usual pairing is a TSO-approved GPS. Transmit power is 250 W on 1090 MHz, which is the figure that determines the range at which ground and airborne receivers can pick up the signal. The supply voltage range is 11 to 33 V DC, so the unit runs directly from a 12 V or 24 V aircraft bus without a converter.

The product is approved under three TSOs: TSO-C112e for the Mode S transponder, TSO-C166b for the Extended Squitter ADS-B function and TSO-C88b for the altitude encoder. It is also designed to meet the ADS-B Out performance requirements of 14 CFR 91.227. These approvals matter to operators who need installed equipment accepted by the aviation authority rather than an experimental unit.

For integration, the antenna is an external 50-ohm antenna for the 1030 to 1090 MHz band, connected through an SMA connector. The unit is controlled through a standard transponder control head, a uAvionix control panel or the MAVLink protocol, so it can be commanded from a flight controller or a ground station. ADS-B transmission is suppressed automatically while the aircraft is on the ground.

Typical applications are certified ADS-B Out for unmanned aircraft operating in controlled or shared airspace, large drones and optionally piloted aircraft, and eVTOL prototypes that need Mode S and ADS-B Out in a small package.