SkyRadar – radar data field for the Fly activity
· vV0.82
About
WARNING: This app is intended only as an in-flight aid and must not be used as a primary source of information. Its barometric altimeter does not work in a pressurized cabin, so do not rely on it in a pressurized aircraft.
BETA VERSION: This app is still under development and is provided for testing. Errors, crashes or temporary data outages may occur. Feedback is very welcome – please contact me via the Connect IQ Store listing.
Battery notice: While in use, the app downloads data continuously at short intervals (default: every 5 seconds) via the paired smartphone. Battery life of the watch (and the phone) is therefore considerably shorter than in normal operation.
SkyRadar comes in two flavors: as a standalone app for interactive use (zoom, pan the map, north-up/track-up at the press of a button) and as a data field shown as a data page during the Fly activity – including vibration alerts, even while another data page is displayed. Each variant has its OWN settings page in Garmin Connect. Tip: use the data field in flight, the app for briefing and ground observation.
SkyRadar shows air traffic around your GPS position right on the watch: ADS-B, MLAT and FLARM targets with callsign, relative altitude (TCAS style), climb/descent trend and speed – plus airfields and the airspace structure (CTR, restricted areas, TMZ, RMZ, class A–D) in ICAO chart colors (switchable to FAA style).
Features (app and data field):
- Three-level traffic alert (green/yellow/red) with vibration – distance and altitude thresholds fully configurable
- Airspace alerts: warns BEFORE you enter airspace that requires a clearance (CTR, class A–D, restricted, prohibited – selectable). Yellow when your track projection crosses a boundary within 1–5 minutes, red once inside; altitude is checked too, and the affected airspace is highlighted on the map
- Distinct vibrations: traffic = short pulses, airspace = long pulses; choose what vibrates (both / traffic only / airspace only / off)
- Auto-zoom on approaching traffic (can be disabled)
- Own-ship filter: enter your registrations once (e.g. D-EABC, D-KFMG) – only the aircraft verifiably moving along with your watch is hidden; flown by someone else nearby, it still alerts as usual
- Aircraft-type symbols (piston, jet, glider, helicopter)
- Data-age indicator and diagnostic status with plain-text error messages
App only (interactive):
- 7 zoom levels (1 / 2.5 / 5 / 7.5 / 10 / 20 / 30 NM) via buttons or by tapping the range label, map pannable by touch
- North-up / track-up toggle at the press of a button
Data field:
- Full-screen data page in the Fly activity; vibration alerts work even while another data page is displayed
- Range (1–30 NM) and orientation are preset on the data field's settings page and take effect without restarting the activity
Full manual (English/German, every feature and setting explained): https://skyradar.flugschule-worms.de/guide
IMPORTANT: SkyRadar is a situational-awareness aid, NOT a collision avoidance system. Data is delayed by 5–15 seconds, coverage is incomplete (not all aircraft transmit), and airspace alerts know no NOTAM activation times. See and avoid remains mandatory at all times.
Requirements: Just a paired smartphone with an internet connection – the SkyRadar server is preconfigured, no credentials needed. Coverage automatically follows the regions of active users – worldwide. Please use fairly: the service runs on free community data sources.
Data sources / attribution: Open Glider Network (OGN), adsb.fi, adsb.lol, airplanes.live, OurAirports, openAIP (CC BY-NC 4.0). Non-commercial use only.
What's new
- New 7.5 NM zoom level (app: buttons or tap the range label; data field: "Scale" setting) – closes the gap between 5 and 10 NM
- Range label (1 / 2.5 / 5 / 7.5 / 10 / 20 / 30 NM) at the bottom of the screen replaces the scale bar – the same number as in the settings, now also shown in the data field
- Airspace alerts now also cover class A and B (e.g. Paris, Milan, London, Amsterdam) – active by default, no settings change needed
- Data field: range and orientation changes made in Garmin Connect take effect without restarting the activity
- Stability fixes for targets without distance data
- More robust ADS-B data supply with automatic source failover