Two pilots are dead. The FAA issued an emergency order. And the conversation about situational awareness in and around airports just changed.

On March 23, an Air Canada CRJ-900 on landing rollout at LaGuardia collided with an airport fire truck on the runway. Both pilots were killed. The NTSB is now pushing for vehicle transponder mandates at major airports. Four days earlier, the FAA issued a GENOT — an emergency notice — ending see-and-avoid procedures for helicopters at towered airports, effective immediately.

Two incidents in a week. Both point at the same systemic gap: knowing what’s sharing your airspace (and your runway) isn’t always possible with eyes alone.

What Changed and Why It Matters

The FAA GENOT (issued March 19) is significant. “See and avoid” has been the backbone of VFR operations for decades. Telling helicopter operators that see-and-avoid is no longer acceptable at busy towered airports is a signal that the FAA recognizes a fundamental limitation: at high-traffic airports, visual separation alone isn’t enough.

The NTSB’s vehicle transponder push is the ground-level parallel. Runway incursions have been a persistent problem — LaGuardia just made it impossible to look away. If ground vehicles were broadcasting ADS-B or transponder signals, pilots on approach could see them on their moving map. Traffic that’s visible on a display is traffic you can avoid.

This isn’t theoretical. ADS-B In — the receive side of ADS-B — was designed for exactly this: showing you traffic that ATC sees, directly in your cockpit.

The Difference Between ADS-B Out and ADS-B In

Most GA pilots know the 2020 ADS-B Out mandate. You need it to fly in Class B and C airspace. It broadcasts your position so ATC and other aircraft can see you.

ADS-B In is the other half. It receives that data and displays it on your EFB — ForeFlight®, WingX, Garmin Pilot, FlyQ. You see traffic on a moving map. You see weather. You see the picture that ATC is looking at.

The mandate only covered Out. In was left optional. Most pilots flying GA aircraft still don’t have it.

After LaGuardia, after the GENOT, the argument for “optional” gets harder to make.

What ADS-B In Actually Shows You

On approach to a busy airport with ADS-B In running:

• Aircraft in the pattern and on final — with tail numbers and altitude
• Traffic on the ground broadcasting ADS-B Out (including, eventually, equipped vehicles if the NTSB mandate passes)
• Other aircraft on TCAS in the area
• FIS-B weather: NEXRAD radar, METARs, TAFs, PIREPs, TFRs

It’s not a replacement for radio calls and visual scans. It’s an additional layer. The kind of layer that shows you something is on the runway before you’re close enough to see it through the windscreen.

The Affordable Path

Commercial ADS-B In solutions exist. They’re generally sealed boxes that cost $500–900 and can’t be repaired when they fail.

Stratux is the open-source alternative. Dual-band receiver (978 MHz UAT + 1090 MHz ES), WAAS GPS, AHRS for synthetic vision backup — assembled and tested, ready to mount on your glareshield. It works with ForeFlight®, WingX, Garmin Pilot, FlyQ, and most other major EFBs via Wi-Fi.

It’s repairable. If a component fails, you replace that component. Not the whole unit.

The pre-built unit with internal GPS is $439.99 — roughly half the cost of sealed alternatives, and it does the same job.

What the ALERT Act and These Incidents Have in Common

The ALERT Act — currently before Congress — would push for broader ADS-B In requirements for GA aircraft. The DCA collision in January sparked the bill. LaGuardia added urgency. The FAA GENOT shows regulators aren’t waiting for legislation to act.

The pattern: incidents → regulatory pressure → mandates. Pilots who already have ADS-B In are ahead of that curve. Pilots who don’t are flying with an information gap that the FAA is increasingly deciding to close by rule.

Getting ahead of a mandate means you choose your timing. Waiting for the mandate means you’re scrambling with everyone else.

One Thing That Doesn’t Change

None of this replaces radio discipline, proper scan technique, or knowing your airport diagram. LaGuardia was a controlled airport with experienced crew and ATC. Electronics help; they don’t substitute for airmanship.

But the pilot who has a traffic picture has more to work with than the pilot who doesn’t. At a busy towered airport, in a high-workload phase of flight, more information — delivered clearly on a display you’re already looking at — is a genuine safety margin.

The FAA just said see-and-avoid isn’t enough at busy airports. That’s worth taking seriously.

Get ADS-B In Before the Mandate Does It for You

Stratux gives you dual-band ADS-B In — UAT (978 MHz) and 1090ES — plus WAAS GPS and weather, in a package that works with the EFB you already use. No subscriptions. No vendor lock-in. Repairable when something fails.

See the Stratux ADS-B Receiver with Internal GPS — $439.99

Stratux with Garmin Pilot: Full Setup Guide (Replaces $700 GDL 39)

Stratux works with Garmin Pilot. Traffic, weather, and GPS — all the data a GDL 39 provides — streamed to Garmin Pilot over WiFi at a fraction of the cost. This guide walks through the complete setup so you’re flying with full situational awareness on your first flight.

What Stratux Gives Garmin Pilot

• ADS-B traffic: All equipped aircraft on 978 MHz (UAT) and 1090 MHz ES
• FIS-B weather: NEXRAD radar, METARs, TAFs, AIRMETs, SIGMETs, TFRs, PIREPs
• GPS position: Higher-accuracy position data from Stratux’s onboard u-blox GPS
• AHRS (if equipped): Pitch, roll, yaw for synthetic vision

A Garmin GDL 39 provides the same dataset. A GDL 39 retails for $599–$799 depending on variant. A Crew Dog Electronics Stratux unit covers both use cases for significantly less.

Step 1: Boot Stratux and Connect WiFi

Power on Stratux. Wait a full 90 seconds — the SDR radios and GPS need time to initialize. On your iPad: Settings → WiFi → connect to the Stratux network.

Default credentials:

• SSID: stratux
• Password: stratux1090

Verify by opening 192.168.10.1 in Safari. You should see the Stratux dashboard — GPS satellite count, SDR status, connected devices. If this loads, you’re connected correctly.

Step 2: Connect Garmin Pilot to Stratux

Open Garmin Pilot. Navigate to Settings → Connected Devices. Garmin Pilot will scan for compatible devices — Stratux should appear within 30 seconds. Tap to connect.

You’ll see status indicators for GPS, Traffic, Weather, and AHRS. All should show green when Stratux is transmitting normally.

If Stratux doesn’t appear: confirm iPad is still on Stratux WiFi, enable Local Network access for Garmin Pilot in iOS Settings → Privacy → Local Network, and force-quit/reopen the app.

Step 3: Verify Data in Garmin Pilot

Traffic

ADS-B traffic targets appear as aircraft symbols with relative altitude labels. Coverage: approximately 30nm and ±3,500ft altitude differential. Refresh rate is roughly once per second for nearby targets.

Weather

Enable NEXRAD in Garmin Pilot’s weather layer. ADS-B NEXRAD updates every 5 minutes — this is ground station uplink, not streaming radar. Coverage is excellent across the continental US; expect gaps in remote areas.

GPS

With Stratux connected, Garmin Pilot prefers the Stratux GPS over the iPad’s built-in GPS. The Stratux u-blox module is generally more accurate and faster to acquire cold starts.

Step 4: Enable Synthetic Vision (AHRS Units)

If your Stratux has an AHRS module: Maps → Layer Settings → Synthetic Vision. The map renders terrain in 3D perspective that tilts with your aircraft’s actual bank angle. This is what GDL 39 3D buyers pay the premium for.

Garmin Pilot Tips

Screen lock issue

Garmin Pilot occasionally drops Stratux connection when the iPad screen locks. Set Auto-Lock to Never during flight: Settings → Display & Brightness → Auto-Lock → Never.

Traffic alert thresholds

Adjust alert thresholds in Settings to match your flying — tighter for pattern work, wider for cruise. Defaults are conservative.

Device priority

If you fly with multiple connected devices, set Stratux as primary for GPS and weather in Garmin Pilot’s device priority settings to avoid conflicts.

Compatibility Notes

Garmin Pilot and Stratux have worked reliably since firmware 1.4. On firmware 1.6+, the GDL 39 emulation protocol is more complete, improving AHRS data transmission. Keep your Stratux firmware current — updates are available through the web interface at 192.168.10.1.

Bottom Line

Five minutes of setup gives you everything a GDL 39 delivers in Garmin Pilot. Traffic, weather, GPS, and synthetic vision from open-source hardware at a fraction of the commercial price. If you need a unit, browse the Crew Dog Electronics Stratux receiver — units ship ready to pair, no assembly required.

How to Get Synthetic Vision in ForeFlight® Free with Stratux AHRS

ForeFlight® synthetic vision shows a 3D terrain view on your attitude indicator — mountains, valleys, and obstacles rendered in real time based on your GPS position. It normally requires a Garmin GDL 39 3D or similar AHRS-capable hardware costing $700+. With a Stratux unit that includes an AHRS module, you get the same ForeFlight® synthetic vision for free. Here’s how to set it up.

What is AHRS and Why ForeFlight® Needs It

AHRS stands for Attitude and Heading Reference System. It’s an IMU (inertial measurement unit) — accelerometers and gyroscopes — that measures pitch, roll, and yaw in real time. ForeFlight® uses this attitude data to animate the synthetic vision display with accurate aircraft orientation.

Without AHRS, ForeFlight®’s synthetic vision shows terrain based on GPS position but the aircraft stays level. With AHRS, the whole picture tilts and pitches with your actual bank and pitch angle. In marginal VFR or night flying over terrain, this is a meaningful upgrade.

Important: Stratux AHRS is supplemental situational awareness only — not certified, not a primary flight instrument. ForeFlight® and Stratux both label it as such.

What You Need

• Stratux unit with AHRS module (MPU-9250 or similar IMU chip)
• ForeFlight® app (any tier that includes synthetic vision)
• iPad or iPhone connected to Stratux WiFi

Not all Stratux builds include AHRS. Verify by opening the Stratux web interface at 192.168.10.1 — it will show pitch and roll values if the IMU is active. The Crew Dog Electronics Stratux units include AHRS pre-installed and calibrated.

Step 1: Connect to Stratux WiFi

Power on Stratux, wait 90 seconds for full boot. On your iPad: Settings → WiFi → connect to “stratux” (password: stratux1090 unless changed). Verify by navigating to 192.168.10.1 in Safari — you should see the Stratux dashboard with live pitch and roll values.

Step 2: ForeFlight® Detects Stratux Automatically

Open ForeFlight®. Go to More → Devices. ForeFlight® scans and should detect Stratux within 30 seconds. When connected, you’ll see status indicators for GPS, Traffic, Weather, and AHRS — all should show active.

If Stratux doesn’t appear: confirm you’re still on Stratux WiFi (iPads switch back to remembered networks), force-quit and reopen ForeFlight®, and verify your Stratux firmware is 1.6+.

Step 3: Enable Synthetic Vision

In ForeFlight®’s Map view, tap the layers control and enable Synthetic Vision. Switch to the Attitude view (primary instruments page). With AHRS active, the terrain will render behind the ADI and move with your actual pitch and roll.

Calibrating AHRS for Accurate Results

Place the Stratux consistently — ideally flat on the glareshield or in a fixed position in your flight bag. Let it sit powered for 2–3 minutes before flight. Don’t move it after initialization or you’ll introduce attitude drift.

Stratux AHRS does not use GPS correction (unlike the GDL 39 3D). Attitude drift will occur over long flights. For VFR situational awareness in normal maneuvering it’s accurate enough. Plan accordingly for IMC use.

Troubleshooting

ForeFlight® shows GPS but not AHRS

Firmware too old. Update Stratux firmware — the web interface at 192.168.10.1 shows current version and supports updates.

AHRS values are wrong at startup

Hard-reset the Stratux, boot on a flat surface, don’t touch it for 3 minutes. The gyro initializes from rest.

Attitude drifts during long flights

Normal — consumer-grade IMU limitation without GPS correction. Use synthetic vision as supplemental information, not primary reference.

Bottom Line

Stratux AHRS + ForeFlight® synthetic vision is one of the best value upgrades in GA. You’re getting functionality that commercial vendors charge $500–700 for, from open-source hardware. Setup takes 5 minutes. If you need an AHRS-capable unit, check the Stratux ADS-B receiver with AHRS.

How to Update Stratux Firmware: Step-by-Step Guide

Updating Stratux firmware keeps your unit current with bug fixes, new features, and protocol improvements that affect how well it works with apps like ForeFlight® and Garmin Pilot. The process is straightforward — you can do it entirely through the Stratux web interface without any command-line knowledge. Here’s how.

When to Update

Check for firmware updates:

• Before a long cross-country or trip where reliability matters
• When you notice a specific bug that might be addressed in a newer release
• After the community reports a significant update (check the Stratux GitHub releases page)
• About once every 6 months if nothing specific is driving an update

Don’t update firmware the night before a critical flight. Test it first — confirm everything still works before you depend on it. New firmware is generally stable, but confirming before you need it is good practice.

Method 1: Web Interface Update (Recommended)

This is the easiest method and works for most users.

Step 1: Connect to Stratux WiFi

Power on Stratux, wait 90 seconds, and connect your iPad or computer to the Stratux WiFi network (default: stratux / stratux1090). Stratux needs internet access for this method — see Step 2.

Step 2: Give Stratux Internet Access

The update requires Stratux to download the new firmware image. This means the Raspberry Pi needs internet access. Two options:

• Ethernet: If your Pi has an ethernet port (Pi 3B does), connect it to your home router with an ethernet cable. The Pi will use ethernet for internet while still broadcasting WiFi for you to access the web interface.
• WiFi bridge: Some Stratux builds support connecting the Pi’s WiFi to your home network as a client while also hosting the Stratux WiFi. This is more complex to configure — ethernet is easier.

Step 3: Access the Stratux Web Interface

Open a browser and navigate to 192.168.10.1. You’ll see the Stratux status dashboard. Look for the current firmware version displayed at the top of the page (something like “v1.6r2” or similar).

Step 4: Navigate to Update Settings

Click Settings in the navigation menu. Scroll to the “Software Update” section. You’ll see your current version and a button to check for updates. Click Check for Updates.

Step 5: Install the Update

If a newer version is available, you’ll see a prompt with the version number and release notes. Click Update to start the download and installation. The process takes 5–15 minutes depending on your internet speed and the size of the update.

Do not power off Stratux during the update. A power interruption mid-update can corrupt the microSD card and require a full reflash. Keep it plugged in and wait.

Step 6: Reboot and Verify

After the update completes, Stratux will prompt you to reboot or will reboot automatically. Wait 90 seconds for the fresh boot. Reconnect to Stratux WiFi, open 192.168.10.1, and confirm the version number has changed to the new release.

Method 2: Fresh Image Flash (Full Reinstall)

Use this method when:

• Web interface update fails or gets stuck
• Your microSD card appears corrupted (boot loops, software not starting)
• You want a completely clean install
• Upgrading to a major version that requires a fresh image

What You Need

• Computer (Mac, Windows, or Linux)
• microSD card reader
• New or reformatted microSD card (8GB minimum; 16GB or 32GB recommended; use Samsung or SanDisk)
• Balena Etcher (free, at etcher.balena.io) or Raspberry Pi Imager

Step 1: Download the Stratux Image

Go to the Stratux GitHub releases page. Download the latest .img.zip or .img.gz file for your Pi model. Note: some Pi models (Zero 2W, Pi 4) may use different image variants — check the release notes.

Step 2: Flash the Image

Open Balena Etcher. Select the downloaded image file, select your microSD card as the target, and click Flash. This takes 5–10 minutes and verifies the write when done.

Double-check your target drive. Etcher writes to whatever you select — make sure it’s the microSD card, not your laptop’s drive.

Step 3: Configure Before First Boot

Before inserting the freshly-flashed card into the Pi, you can pre-configure some settings by editing files on the microSD’s boot partition (which your computer can read):

• WiFi credentials: edit stratux.conf if needed
• System configuration: most settings are configurable through the web interface after first boot

Step 4: Insert Card and Boot

Insert the microSD card into the Pi, power on, wait 90 seconds, connect to the Stratux WiFi, and verify at 192.168.10.1. On first boot after a fresh flash, some settings reset to defaults — reconfigure through the web interface as needed.

After Any Update: Verify These Settings

After an update (either method), check these settings haven’t reverted to defaults:

• WiFi SSID and password (if you changed from defaults)
• SDR gain settings
• GPS configuration
• AHRS calibration (may need to re-run after a fresh flash)

What’s in a Typical Stratux Update

Stratux firmware updates often include:

• GDL 90 protocol improvements (better compatibility with EFB apps)
• GPS driver updates (faster lock, better accuracy)
• AHRS improvements (reduced drift, better calibration)
• Bug fixes reported by the community
• New hardware support (newer Pi models, SDR chips)

Check the GitHub release notes for specifics on each version.

Troubleshooting Update Issues

Update stuck at a percentage

Wait 20 minutes before concluding it’s stuck — large downloads on slow connections take time. If genuinely stuck, power cycle (carefully) and fall back to Method 2 (fresh flash).

WiFi not coming back after update

The update may have reset WiFi configuration. Try default credentials (stratux / stratux1090). If those don’t work, fresh flash the card.

Stratux won’t boot after update

MicroSD card corruption — either the card was marginal before the update, or power was interrupted. Fresh flash to a new, quality microSD card.

For hardware-specific issues with Crew Dog Electronics Stratux units, contact us directly.

You power it on. A light blinks. Then another. Then… nothing connects. Sound familiar?

The Stratux LED indicators are not decoration — they’re a real-time status readout baked into every unit. Once you know what each one means, you can diagnose most issues before you ever open a browser tab or touch a settings page. This guide walks you through the full LED layout, a healthy boot sequence, and the most common problem states pilots run into.

The LED Layout — What Each Light Represents

Depending on which version of the Stratux you have, you’ll see either four or five LEDs along the side or top of the case. Each one maps to a specific subsystem:

• GPS — Satellite lock status via the VK-162 WAAS-enabled receiver
• UAT (978 MHz) — The CC1310 radio listening for traffic and weather on the UAT frequency (used widely in the US)
• 1090ES — The RTL-SDR radio listening for Mode S/ADS-B Out transponder squawks from commercial and GA traffic
• WiFi — Whether the Stratux hotspot is up and handing out IP addresses
• System / Heartbeat — Overall health of the underlying Raspberry Pi OS (some builds show this as a slow pulse)

The lights aren’t labeled on the case itself — that’s a common point of confusion. The order above matches the standard Stratux LED sequence from top to bottom (or left to right, depending on case orientation). Once you’ve seen a normal boot a few times, the pattern becomes second nature.

Normal Boot Sequence — What a Healthy Startup Looks Like

A clean Stratux boot takes roughly 60–90 seconds from the moment you apply power. Here’s what you should see, step by step:

1. All LEDs briefly illuminate — This is the power-on self-test. Lasts about a second. All lights coming on together is a good sign; it means the Pi is alive and the software is loading.
2. Lights go dark, then begin sequencing — The OS is booting. You’ll see individual LEDs flicker as each subsystem initializes. This is normal. Don’t panic if things look chaotic for the first 30 seconds.
3. WiFi LED goes solid — The Stratux hotspot is up. At this point you can connect your iPad or tablet to the “Stratux” network and open ForeFlight® (or your EFB of choice).
4. UAT and 1090ES LEDs go solid — Both radios are listening. The CC1310 and RTL-SDR are running and scanning their respective frequencies.
5. GPS LED blinks, then goes solid — The VK-162 is searching for satellites. Outdoors with a clear sky view, expect a solid lock within 60–90 seconds. Indoors or in a hangar, this can take longer — or not happen at all.

At the end of a healthy boot, you should have three or four solid LEDs and a stable WiFi network. That’s your green light to connect your EFB and start receiving traffic.

Common Problem States

GPS LED Is Red or Not Lit — No Satellite Lock

This is the most common “something’s wrong” call we hear — and nine times out of ten, nothing is wrong. The VK-162 needs a clear view of the sky. If you’re sitting in a metal hangar, inside your house, or even under a wing, you may not get a lock. Take the unit outside, set it on the glareshield or dash, and give it 60–90 seconds.

First-time lock after a long power-off can take a few minutes as the receiver rebuilds its almanac. Subsequent boots in the same location are usually much faster. If you’ve been outdoors with clear sky view for more than five minutes and still have no GPS, check your USB cable — a marginal connection to the GPS receiver is a real failure mode.

WiFi LED Is Dark — Hotspot Didn’t Start

No WiFi LED means your iPad has nothing to connect to. A few things can cause this:

• Power issue — The Stratux requires a minimum 2-amp power source. A 1-amp USB charger (the kind that comes with phones) causes instability and is a common culprit for partial boots. The WiFi subsystem often fails to initialize when the Pi is undervoltaged. Use a 2A or better USB supply.
• SD card corruption — Rare, but if the unit was powered off mid-write, the filesystem can get into a bad state. A reflash of the Stratux image fixes this.
• Hotspot config issue — If you’ve previously customized the WiFi settings via the Stratux web interface and something got misconfigured, a factory reset is the fastest path back to normal.

All Lights Solid, But No Traffic in ForeFlight®

This one surprises new users, but it’s completely normal. The Stratux is passive — it only displays traffic that’s actively broadcasting ADS-B Out. If you’re on the ground at a quiet airport with no nearby transponder-equipped aircraft, the traffic display will be empty. That’s not a malfunction. That’s the system working exactly as designed.

FIS-B weather, on the other hand, streams continuously from ground stations. If you’re not seeing weather either, check that you’re within range of a UAT ground station and that ForeFlight® is connected to the Stratux (look for the GPS/ADS-B indicator in the app’s status bar).

No Lights at All — The Unit Stays Dark

Dead unit on plug-in almost always means one thing: power. Check your USB cable first — not all USB cables carry full current, especially the thin charging-only cables that don’t have data wires. Then check your power source. A 1-amp charger may not even trigger a boot attempt on some builds. Swap to a known-good 2A supply and a quality cable before assuming the unit itself is the problem.

If you’ve confirmed good power and the unit is still dark, check the SD card — make sure it’s seated fully. A card that’s slightly dislodged won’t boot.

Quick-Fix Checklist: Power, Patience, Position

Before you go down a troubleshooting rabbit hole, run through these three:

1. Power — Are you using a 2-amp (or better) USB supply? Is the cable a data-capable cable, not a charge-only cable?
2. Patience — Did you give the unit 90 full seconds to complete its boot? GPS lock takes time, especially on first use.
3. Position — Is the GPS antenna (the VK-162 dongle) in a location with a clear view of the sky? Metal roofs, dashboards, and seat cushions block satellite signal.

These three cover the majority of “my Stratux isn’t working” calls. If you’ve checked all three and something’s still off, it’s time to dig deeper.

When to Go Deeper

If the checklist above doesn’t resolve the issue, our full troubleshooting guide covers SD card reflashing, hotspot configuration reset, USB power measurement, and SDR diagnostics. Check it here on the blog, or reach out — the Stratux community is active and someone’s almost certainly seen your exact issue before.

Get Your Stratux

If you’re still shopping and want a unit that gives you clear status feedback, reliable WAAS GPS, dual-band ADS-B reception, and a community that’s been flying with it for years — we’ve got you covered.

Get your Stratux ADS-B Receiver →

Have a weird LED behavior we didn’t cover? Drop it in the comments — we read everything.

Congress Is Moving on ADS-B In. The Deadline Is 2031. Here’s What It Means for You.

If you haven’t been following the legislative back-and-forth on ADS-B In, now’s a good time to catch up. The ALERT Act just cleared two House committees, a Senate vote is in play this week, and the target date for ADS-B In compliance is December 31, 2031.

For general aviation pilots, this is not a panic moment. But it is a “heads up” moment.

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What Is the ALERT Act?

The ALERT Act is the House’s response to the January 2025 midair collision near Reagan National Airport, in which an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided, killing 67 people. The NTSB had recommended widespread ADS-B In adoption since 2008. That accident put the recommendation back in the spotlight with political urgency behind it.

The ALERT Act differs from the Senate’s ROTOR Act (which passed unanimously in December 2025) in one key way: rather than immediately mandating a specific ADS-B In standard for all aircraft, it directs the FAA to determine which collision avoidance technologies meet the requirement and sets a deadline for compliance by December 31, 2031.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Armed Services Committee both advanced the bill. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell have raised concerns about whether the ALERT Act’s ADS-B In requirement is strong enough, but the legislative machinery is moving regardless. Some form of ADS-B In mandate is coming.

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What Gets Mandated?

Under both the ALERT Act and the underlying ROTOR Act intent, the requirement is this: all aircraft that are already required to broadcast their position via ADS-B Out must also be equipped to receive ADS-B In by 2031.

ADS-B Out has been federally required since 2020. It’s the technology that broadcasts your aircraft’s position to air traffic control and other nearby aircraft. ADS-B In is the complementary receiver side: it lets you see traffic, weather, and other ADS-B data in the cockpit, typically through an EFB like ForeFlight®.

If you’re flying an aircraft with a panel-mounted ADS-B Out transponder and operating in Class B, C, or E airspace above 10,000 feet MSL, this mandate applies to you.

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How Much Does Compliance Cost?

This is the question Congress keeps asking, and the answer depends on how you approach it.

Panel-mounted ADS-B In solutions for certified aircraft can run $1,500 to $5,000 installed. Airline retrofits have run tens of thousands per airframe. That’s the cost that generates headlines and legislative pushback.

The other option: portable ADS-B In receivers. These connect to your iPad or tablet via Wi-Fi, display traffic and FIS-B weather in your EFB, and require no panel work. The NTSB Chair testified before Congress that this approach costs around $400. Portable receivers have been explicitly acknowledged as a valid compliance path in the legislative discussion.

Stratux is an ADS-B In receiver. It receives both UAT (978 MHz) and 1090-ES traffic simultaneously, delivers FIS-B weather (NEXRAD, METARs, TAFs, PIREPs, TFRs, winds aloft), and connects wirelessly to ForeFlight®, FlyQ, Avare, and most other EFBs. Coverage works in the United States and Canada, where CIFIB towers provide UAT service.

The pre-built Crew Dog Electronics Stratux starts at $439.99 with internal GPS. No subscription. No recurring fees. If a component fails, you replace the component — GPS module, antenna, battery — not the entire unit.

See the Stratux pre-built with internal GPS →

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Portable vs. Panel: Which Counts?

This is the open question the FAA rulemaking will answer. The ALERT Act directs the FAA to determine the appropriate technical standards. The ROTOR Act specified ADS-B In with a flightdeck display tied to traffic alerts.

What we know now:

• Portable ADS-B In receivers have been repeatedly cited in congressional testimony as the affordable GA compliance path.
• The FAA has not yet issued a final rule defining portable vs. panel-mounted compliance.
• NTSB recommendations focus on pilots having situational awareness of nearby traffic in the cockpit. A Stratux connected to an iPad accomplishes this.

If you’re flying today with a Stratux, you have ADS-B In. Whether that satisfies the eventual mandate depends on how the FAA writes the rule. We’ll update this post when the rulemaking is complete.

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What Should You Do Before 2031?

Practically speaking: nothing urgent. 2031 gives you five years. But here’s the honest pilot’s take.

The collision that triggered all of this happened because the helicopter crew didn’t have adequate traffic awareness. The technology to provide that awareness costs $440, ships in two days, and works with the iPad already in your flight bag. The mandate is catching up to a problem that already has a solution.

You don’t need legislation to decide that knowing where nearby traffic is has value. Thousands of pilots have been running Stratux for years in Cessnas, Cirrus aircraft, backcountry strips, ultralight trainers, and yes, paragliders — not because they were required to, but because it works.

If you’re on the fence about ADS-B In, the legislative direction is clear: it’s coming. The cost is manageable. The setup is an afternoon project.

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The Bottom Line

The ALERT Act is moving. ADS-B In will be required for most aircraft by the end of 2031. The affordable compliance path for general aviation pilots is a portable receiver paired with an iPad — the same setup Stratux has been delivering for years at around $400.

The political debate will continue. Expect conference negotiations, FAA rulemaking, and updates throughout 2026. What won’t change: the underlying technology is available now, it works, and it doesn’t require a panel tear-down.

Questions about Stratux setup? Start with our pre-built Stratux receiver or reach out through the contact page. We’re a small shop and we actually answer our support messages.

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Sources: Senate Commerce Committee statement (March 26, 2026); House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee ALERT Act markup; AeroTime Hub “US Congress advances bill to require ADS-B In by end of 2031” (October 2025); NTSB Congressional testimony (February 2026).

What Makes the Best ADS-B Receiver for ForeFlight® in 2026? Start With These Four Questions

Search “best ADS-B receiver for ForeFlight®” and you’ll get a lot of spec sheets. Sensitivity numbers, GPS accuracy, battery life claims. Good stuff to know. But before you look at any of that — and if you’re wondering how long setup actually takes, it’s about five minutes from unboxing to traffic on screen — there are four questions worth asking first. They’re the ones that separate a piece of avionics you’ll own for years from one you’ll replace.

These questions apply to any portable ADS-B receiver on the market. Honest answers will tell you more than any comparison table.

1. What Happens When It Breaks?

Portable avionics break. Antennas get bent. GPS modules fail. Connectors corrode after a summer in a hot cockpit. The question isn’t whether your ADS-B receiver will need attention someday — it’s whether you’ll be able to do anything about it when it does.

Sealed units go back to the manufacturer. You ship it, wait, and pay whatever they quote you. Or you buy a replacement. That’s not a design flaw — it’s a design choice.

Repairable units let you pop it open. Every component is accessible, replaceable, and independently sourced. If the GPS module fails, you swap in a replacement part for under $30 and you’re back in the air. If an antenna connector loosens, you retighten it. If the firmware has a bug, someone in the open-source community finds it, fixes it, and pushes the update — often within days. Features like AHRS — a valuable synthetic vision backup that costs under $30 in parts — are only possible because the platform is designed to be opened and modified.

The aviation equivalent of this distinction is the difference between an airplane you own and one you lease from the manufacturer. Ownership means you can fix it.

2. Who Controls the Software?

Most pilots don’t think about firmware until the day it matters. That day comes when a feature you rely on changes without notice, or when an update breaks compatibility with your EFB.

Closed-source firmware is a black box. You trust the manufacturer to maintain it, add features when they choose to, and support your hardware for as long as it’s commercially viable.

Open-source firmware is different. With open-source firmware, update support isn’t tied to a product lifecycle — the community maintains it as long as pilots are flying with it. The Stratux project has been maintained by pilots and engineers since 2015. New features come from people who actually fly with the device. Bugs get fixed because real pilots with real flights are finding them. The codebase is public — you can read exactly what your receiver is doing with the data it collects.

In 2026, with connected aviation systems increasingly part of the cockpit workflow, that kind of transparency isn’t abstract.

3. Does It Lock You Into One Ecosystem?

ForeFlight® is the dominant EFB today. But pilots who’ve been flying for a while remember when different apps led the market — and they know things change. The receiver you buy today should work with whatever app you want to use in three years.

The key is the data protocol. Receivers that output in GDL-90 format — the open standard for ADS-B data — work with any GDL-90-compatible EFB. That includes ForeFlight®, WingX, FlyQ, Avare, FltPlan Go, iFly, and more. You’re not married to one app, one subscription, or one company’s roadmap.

Some units use proprietary protocols that require proprietary apps. If you’re buying one of those, you’re not just buying a receiver — you’re buying into an ecosystem. Worth asking before you commit: if the app discontinued tomorrow, what would you do with the hardware?

4. What Are You Actually Paying For?

Price matters, but context matters more. Commercial ADS-B units include the cost of warranty programs, dedicated support teams, and proprietary R&D — that’s a legitimate value proposition for pilots who want a fully managed, manufacturer-backed experience.

Open-source units are priced differently because they’re structured differently. Development is community-driven. Support comes from a Discord server and thousands of pilots who’ve already solved whatever problem you’re having. That’s a different value equation — not better or worse for every pilot, but worth understanding before you choose.

For current Stratux pricing in any configuration, see our product page — we keep it updated as builds and stock change.

The Receiver That Answers “Yes” to All Four

We’re biased here, and we’ll say so. But the reason we started Crew Dog Electronics was specifically because we believe these four questions matter — and we think the open-source ADS-B community built the right answers to all of them.

The Stratux is repairable down to the component level. The firmware is fully open source and actively maintained. It outputs GDL-90 and works with every major EFB on iOS and Android. And it’s priced for what it actually is: excellent hardware without the ecosystem overhead.

Is it right for every pilot? No. Pilots who want a sealed, polished, manufacturer-supported experience will find that in other products on the market — and those are legitimate choices with real advantages, particularly for pilots who don’t want to think about the hardware at all.

But pilots who want to own their avionics the way they own their airplane — understanding how it works, being able to fix it, not dependent on a single manufacturer’s timeline — that’s who Stratux is built for. It’s been the answer to these four questions since 2015. We think it still is.

Note: UAT (978 MHz) coverage applies to US and Canadian airspace (CIFIB towers). International pilots — check the Stratux EU build for FLARM/OGN support.

Getting Started

If you’re ready to look at specs: our complete setup guide covers everything from unboxing to seeing traffic in ForeFlight® in under five minutes. Or browse the full product lineup.

Questions? The Discord community has been helping pilots set up and troubleshoot Stratux since before there was a Crew Dog. Come find us.

—

**Word count:** ~850 words
**Internal links:** product page (2x), setup guide (1x), Discord (1x), GitHub Stratux repo (2x)
**UTM:** utm_source=blog&utm_medium=internal&utm_campaign=b28-buyers-guide
**ForeFlight® trademark:** ✅ on first mention in H1, first body mention, and key instances throughout
**Prices:** ✅ no hardcoded prices — shop link only
**VK-162 price:** ✅ “under $30” (matches PRODUCT-TRUTH.md $19.99–29.99)
**Competitor gift test:** ✅ Section 4 rewritten — no accusations, acknowledges competitors as “legitimate choices”
**AHRS mention:** ✅ brief, “valuable synthetic vision backup” framing
**UAT geo note:** ✅ US + Canada (CIFIB) + EU build mentioned
**SEO keyword:** ✅ “best ADS-B receiver for ForeFlight®” in H1 and intro paragraph
**”since 2015″:** ✅ verified — Stratux project started Aug 4, 2015 (project-stratux.md)

**Image prompt (for generate-blog-image.sh):**
Photorealistic cockpit view, pilot hand resting near iPad mounted on yoke showing ForeFlight® traffic display, compact open-source ADS-B receiver visible on glare shield, warm golden hour light through windshield, Cessna interior, aviation theme, no text in image

**NEXT STEP:** Generate image → upload to WP → schedule as new post (Apr 1 target, or first open slot after Mar 28)

Your Stratux’s GPS Lock Problem Has a $20 Fix

If you’ve ever sat on the ramp waiting for your Stratux to find itself — watching the GPS light blink for 90 seconds while you’re trying to brief a departure — you already understand the problem. The internal GPS module works fine once it’s locked. Getting there, especially on a cold start from inside a hangar, takes longer than it should.

The external GPS puck solves this. It’s a $20 upgrade, it plugs into USB, and it locks faster because you put it where it can actually see the sky.

Why External GPS Beats Internal for Cockpit Use

The internal GPS module sits inside the Stratux case. That case is usually in a flight bag, on a shelf in your avionics stack, or mounted somewhere in the cabin where it may or may not have a clear view of the sky. Metal airframes, avionics panels, and even overhead windows reduce the signal the GPS antenna can see.

The external GPS puck lives on your dashboard, glareshield, or wherever you can give it a direct view of the sky. That’s not a subtle difference — GPS reception is almost entirely about antenna placement and sky view. A GPS sitting on a metal dash with a clear view of the overhead is always going to outperform the same GPS module buried in a box on a shelf.

There’s also a flexibility argument. With an external GPS, you can mount your Stratux unit wherever it works for the radios — and put the GPS antenna where it works for GPS. Those two optimal locations are often not the same place.

Cold Start vs. Hot Start: The Numbers That Matter

GPS receivers have two modes: cold start (no cached data, building almanac from scratch) and hot start (cached almanac, knows approximately where to look). The difference in lock time is significant:

Internal GPS in a closed case, inside a hangar

Cold start lock time: 60–90 seconds, sometimes longer. The module is hunting for satellites through whatever attenuation the case and your aircraft’s structure introduce. It gets there, but you’re waiting.

External GPS puck on the dash with clear sky view

Cold start lock time: 15–30 seconds. Same satellites, better antenna placement. The difference is geometry — the puck can hear what the buried module is struggling to find.

Hot starts (after the almanac is cached) are faster either way, but cold starts on the first flight of the day are where the external GPS really earns its $20.

The VK-162: What You’re Actually Getting

The external GPS that Crew Dog ships is the VK-162 puck. It’s a well-regarded component in the Stratux community, and for good reason:

u-blox GPS chip

u-blox is one of the dominant GPS chipmakers in the professional and aviation-adjacent market. The chip in the VK-162 is the same family used in a lot of serious embedded navigation work. It’s not a commodity no-name receiver — it has real sensitivity and reliable NMEA output.

WAAS-enabled

The VK-162 receives SBAS/WAAS corrections from geostationary satellites, which improves position accuracy. This matters if you’re using Stratux for ownship display in ForeFlight® — the position you’re feeding your EFB is more accurate with WAAS corrections enabled. Sub-3-meter accuracy is typical in good conditions.

Plug-and-play USB, no drivers required

The VK-162 shows up as a standard USB serial device. Stratux detects it automatically on boot. There’s no configuration required, no driver installation, no firmware to flash. Plug it in, reboot, done.

This is actually a meaningful point. Some GPS modules require specific driver support or show up as ambiguous USB devices that need manual assignment. The VK-162 just works, which is what you want from a component you’re going to handle in the dark during preflight.

Setup: Plug In and Verify

Getting the external GPS running takes about five minutes:

1. Power down your Stratux completely before plugging in the GPS.
2. Connect the VK-162 to one of the USB ports on your Raspberry Pi. Either port works.
3. Power on the Stratux. The software detects the GPS module automatically during boot — no configuration needed.
4. Connect to the Stratux web interface at 192.168.10.1 (join the Stratux WiFi network first) and navigate to the status page.
5. Verify GPS lock — the status page shows GPS source, satellite count, and fix status. You should see the external GPS recognized and, within a few seconds of having sky view, acquiring a fix.

If you had an internal GPS previously configured, Stratux will automatically prefer the external GPS when both are connected. You don’t need to do anything special to switch between them.

Placement Tips: Where to Put the Puck

The puck is small — roughly the size of a thick quarter — and it has a USB cable attached. You’ve got flexibility on where it lives, but the guiding principle is always clear sky view.

Dashboard / Glare Shield

The most common location. Lay it flat with the dome facing up. Keep it away from anything metallic directly above it (overhead panel switches, metal window frames). Most aircraft dashboards give excellent sky view through the windscreen.

Side Window

If your windscreen view is blocked — maybe you’ve got a lot of overhead panel gear — a side window mount can work well. Suction cups or a small wedge mount keeps it in place.

Anywhere with clear overhead sky

The simple test: can you see the sky from where the puck is sitting? If yes, it’ll lock. The only locations to avoid are those with significant metal or structural obstruction directly overhead.

Cable routing

Run the USB cable in a way that keeps it out of your scan path and away from flight controls. A few small cable clips or a wrap around your yoke keeps it tidy. The cable is long enough for most panel configurations without extension.

Get the External GPS Puck

The VK-162 is in stock and ships fast. It’s the same GPS puck included in our external GPS pre-built units — proven hardware, verified compatible, no surprises.

Stratux External GPS (VK-162) — $19.99 →

Also available on Amazon: amzn.to/3KrEfq4

If slow GPS lock is the most annoying part of your preflight, this is the cheapest fix in aviation. Twenty dollars, five minutes of installation, and your cold start times drop by two-thirds. Not a bad trade.

The One Upgrade That Changes What Stratux Looks Like on Your EFB

If you’ve got a Stratux running and you’re happy with weather and traffic, there’s one more thing it can do that a lot of pilots haven’t tried: feed attitude data to your EFB and unlock synthetic vision.

The AHRS upgrade board is $39. Once it’s installed, ForeFlight® shows you a 3D terrain display with a live attitude indicator. The horizon moves with the aircraft. It’s not your primary flight instrument — but as a situational awareness tool and backup attitude reference, it’s one of the more useful things you can bolt onto a portable receiver.

What AHRS Actually Is

AHRS stands for Attitude and Heading Reference System. In practice, it’s a small board packed with sensors that measures what your aircraft is doing in space:

• Attitude — pitch and roll (is the nose up? are you in a bank?)
• Heading — magnetic or gyroscopic compass direction
• Altitude/pressure — barometric altitude used to enhance the picture

That data gets passed to your EFB over the same WiFi connection Stratux already uses for weather and traffic. Your EFB receives it as part of the GDL-90 data stream and uses it to render the synthetic vision display — the 3D terrain picture with a floating horizon line overlaid on your position.

Without AHRS, Stratux feeds position, weather, and traffic. With AHRS, it adds the attitude layer that makes synthetic vision possible.

What You Actually See in ForeFlight® With AHRS Enabled

Once the AHRS board is installed and ForeFlight® detects it, the synthetic vision display activates automatically. Here’s what changes:

The Synthetic Vision Map View

The 3D terrain map — the one that shows mountains, ridges, and surface features in perspective — becomes live. The horizon shifts in real time as your aircraft banks and pitches. Terrain that’s above your altitude turns a warning color. It’s the same principle as panel-mounted synthetic vision, rendered on your iPad.

The Attitude Indicator

ForeFlight®’s attitude indicator (accessible from the map or the dedicated attitude screen) shows a live artificial horizon driven by Stratux AHRS data. Pitch, bank, and slip are all represented. This is genuinely useful for maintaining situational awareness during turns, in IMC, or as a cross-check against your primary instruments.

Backup Attitude Reference

If your primary vacuum-driven attitude indicator fails in flight — a real-world scenario that still kills pilots every year — having a secondary attitude source on your iPad is a valuable backup. The Stratux AHRS is a $39 board, not certified avionics, but it gives you something to fly by while you sort out the situation and get to VFR conditions or the nearest airport.

How the Stratux AHRS Board Works

The AHRS board uses a combination of MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) sensors — the same category of technology used in your smartphone for accelerometer and gyroscope functions — plus a barometric pressure sensor for altitude.

A few things worth knowing about the standard Stratux AHRS build:

No magnetometer in standard builds

The standard AHRS board doesn’t include a magnetometer. Heading is computed through a combination of GPS track and gyroscopic integration rather than magnetic compass. This works well in normal maneuvering flight. In slow hover-like maneuvers or during extended taxiing, you may notice heading drift. In the cruise environment where most pilots use Stratux, this is rarely an issue.

Barometric altitude

Altitude shown through the AHRS feed is barometrically derived. This requires proper calibration when you power up — which ForeFlight® walks you through automatically.

MEMS sensors have real-world characteristics

MEMS sensors are good and getting better, but they’re not laser-ring gyros. Brief maneuvers are tracked accurately. Extended steep spirals or unusual attitude recovery may show some drift, which the sensor fusion algorithm corrects when you return to wings-level. Think of it as “very good situational awareness” — not “backup ADI to fly a missed approach.”

The Right Way to Think About Stratux AHRS

The Stratux AHRS is a valuable synthetic vision backup. That’s the most honest and accurate framing. It makes your iPad dramatically more useful in the cockpit by adding the attitude layer to weather and traffic. It’s a legitimate safety enhancement for situational awareness.

It is not a replacement for your primary flight instruments. Your vacuum AI or ADAHRS, your certified GPS, your mag compass — those are your primary references. The Stratux AHRS is the enhancement layer that makes synthetic vision work on your $39 portable receiver. The two roles are different, and both are valuable.

Treat it the way you’d treat any portable cockpit tool: great situational awareness enhancement, useful backup reference, not a replacement for certified equipment.

Compatible EFBs

The Stratux AHRS works with every major EFB that supports GDL-90 attitude data:

iOS: ForeFlight® 7.x+, WingX, FlyQ, FltPlan Go, iFly

Android: Avare, AvNav

If your EFB is on this list, it works. No special configuration beyond what you’d do for any Stratux setup.

Installation: Add Board, Reboot, Calibrate

Installing the AHRS board is about as complicated as installing RAM in a laptop — which is to say, not very:

1. Power down the Stratux unit completely.
2. Open the case and locate the GPIO header on the Raspberry Pi. The AHRS board connects here — it’s a standard header, and the board only goes on one way.
3. Seat the AHRS board on the GPIO header. Make sure it’s fully seated and square.
4. Reassemble and power on.
5. Check the Stratux web interface (192.168.10.1) to confirm AHRS is detected.
6. Open ForeFlight® and connect to Stratux as you normally would. ForeFlight® will detect the AHRS source automatically and prompt you to calibrate.
7. Run the calibration — ForeFlight® walks you through this. It takes about 30 seconds and sets the barometric reference.

Total install time: 15 minutes. No soldering, no special tools, no firmware changes. The Stratux software already knows how to talk to the AHRS board — it’s a supported component in the standard firmware.

Add AHRS to Your Stratux

The AHRS board ships ready to install. Same component used in Crew Dog’s pre-built units — no compatibility concerns, no guesswork.

Stratux AHRS Board — $39.99 →

Also available on Amazon: amzn.to/43FiREs

Synthetic vision is one of the bigger quality-of-life upgrades in the cockpit. The Stratux AHRS makes it work on your existing setup for $39. If you’re already running Stratux for weather and traffic, this is an easy next step.

Video Walkthrough

Watch the full installation process before you start:

Once installed, calibrate the AHRS orientation for your specific aircraft mount position:

A GPS track log is one of the most useful things your Raspberry Pi isn’t doing yet.

Trip logs for road trips. Time-correlated dash cam footage. Hiking route archives. Fleet tracking on the cheap. All of it runs on a $12 u-blox USB GPS and the software already sitting in your Linux package manager.

The VK-162 is the GPS module inside every Stratux ADS-B receiver — WAAS-capable, u-blox chipset, plug-and-play on Linux with zero driver installation. In this guide, you’ll set up gpsd to receive GPS data, then write GPX track files — the format every mapping tool on earth already speaks — using a short Python script that works on every current Pi OS version.

Twelve dollars and an afternoon. Here’s how.

What You Need

• VK-162 USB GPS dongle (~$12 at Crew Dog Electronics)
• Raspberry Pi (any model with USB — Pi 3B, 4, or Zero 2W) or any Linux machine
  • Pi Zero W users: you’ll need a USB OTG adapter — the VK-162 is USB-A
• SD card with Raspberry Pi OS (Bookworm or Bullseye) or any Debian/Ubuntu-based distro
• Internet connection for package install

What you don’t need: external antennas, special drivers, paid software, or a data connection after setup.

Step 1: Plug In and Confirm the Device

Plug the VK-162 into a USB port. Give it a second, then check:

ls /dev/ttyACM*

You should see /dev/ttyACM0 (or /dev/ttyUSB0 on some systems). That’s your GPS talking to Linux.

Confirm u-blox chipset:

lsusb | grep -i "u-blox"

Expected output: Bus 001 Device 003: ID 1546:01a8 U-Blox AG

No ttyACM0? Two common culprits: try a powered USB hub if on Pi Zero, or check whether brltty (Braille screen reader) grabbed the device — sudo systemctl disable brltty fixes it on desktop installs.

Step 2: Install gpsd

gpsd is the system daemon that reads raw NMEA sentences from your GPS and exposes clean location data to any application. Install it:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y gpsd gpsd-clients python3-gps

Configure it to use your device:

sudo nano /etc/default/gpsd

Set these values:

DEVICES="/dev/ttyACM0"
GPSD_OPTIONS="-n"
START_DAEMON="true"
USBAUTO="true"

Restart and test:

sudo systemctl restart gpsd
cgps -s

You’ll see satellite count, lat/lon, speed, and altitude updating in real time. Wait for a fix — typically under 60 seconds outdoors, longer on first cold start.

Step 3: Log GPX Tracks

GPX (GPS Exchange Format) is the universal standard for GPS track files — XML-based, opens in Google My Maps, QGIS, Strava, Garmin BaseCamp, and every major mapping tool.

Save this script as /usr/local/bin/gpx-logger.py:

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import gpsd, datetime, time, signal, sys, os

gpsd.connect()

def save_gpx(path, points):
    os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(path), exist_ok=True)
    with open(path, 'w') as f:
        f.write('\n')
        f.write('\n')
        f.write('  \n')
        for lat, lon, alt, ts in points:
            f.write(f'    \n')
            f.write(f'      {alt:.1f}\n')
            f.write(f'      {ts}\n')
            f.write('    \n')
        f.write('  \n\n')
    print(f"\nSaved {len(points)} points to {path}")

outfile = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else \
    os.path.expanduser(f"~/tracks/{datetime.date.today()}.gpx")
points = []

def stop(sig, frame):
    save_gpx(outfile, points)
    sys.exit(0)

signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, stop)
signal.signal(signal.SIGTERM, stop)

print(f"Logging to {outfile} — Ctrl-C to stop")
while True:
    p = gpsd.get_current()
    if p.mode >= 2:
        points.append((p.lat, p.lon,
                       p.alt if p.mode >= 3 else 0.0,
                       datetime.datetime.utcnow().strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ')))
    time.sleep(1)

Run it:

mkdir -p ~/tracks
python3 /usr/local/bin/gpx-logger.py ~/tracks/$(date +%Y-%m-%d).gpx

Auto-start on boot (systemd):

Create a wrapper at /usr/local/bin/gps-logger.sh:

#!/bin/bash
mkdir -p "$HOME/tracks"
exec python3 /usr/local/bin/gpx-logger.py "$HOME/tracks/$(date +%Y-%m-%d).gpx"

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/gps-logger.sh

Create /etc/systemd/system/gps-logger.service:

[Unit]
Description=GPS Track Logger
After=gpsd.service

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/gps-logger.sh
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now gps-logger

Your Pi now logs every session to a dated GPX file automatically.

Step 4: Correlate with Dash Cam Footage

If you’re recording video on a Pi, GPS logs let you match approximate location to any timestamp in the footage — useful for insurance documentation, road trip archives, or just knowing where you were.

The key: make sure your system clock is GPS-disciplined first. The S05 guide (gpsd + chrony) covers that setup. Once your clock is accurate, your video file timestamps and your GPX track timestamps will align.

Open both in Dashware (free, Windows) or DashCam Viewer (Mac/Win) to overlay GPS data on footage. These tools match files by timestamp — no extra metadata needed.

Step 5: View Your Tracks

Copy GPX files off your Pi:

scp [email protected]:~/tracks/$(date +%Y-%m-%d).gpx ~/Desktop/

• gpx.studio — browser-based, elevation profiles, shareable links
• Google My Maps — import GPX, share with anyone
• QGIS — open source GIS for serious analysis
• Garmin BaseCamp — syncs to watches and handheld GPS units

What Else Can the VK-162 Do?

Once you have it, the VK-162 has a habit of becoming indispensable:

• APRS tracking with Direwolf — full ham radio station, no TNC required → guide
• Stratum 1 NTP server — GPS-disciplined time source for your homelab → guide
• Clock source for chrony — accurate time sync without PPS → guide
• Aviation ADS-B — the same module lives inside every Stratux receiver

Wrap Up

The VK-162 is one of those components that quietly becomes load-bearing in a Pi project. You plug it in thinking “I just need GPS coordinates,” and six weeks later it’s keeping your NTP server accurate, logging every drive, and anchoring timestamps on your dash cam footage.

Twelve dollars. Plug-and-play on Linux. Works with everything gpsd supports.

Get the VK-162 at Crew Dog Electronics →