Simple Audio Vario?

Mark Zivley

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Sep 28, 2022, 8:12:09 AM9/28/22

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Looking for a suggestion for a simple audio vario for a club two place glider.

I'd like the following:
1. The vario powers up when the master is turned on and requires no further pilot input to begin operation.
2. Prefer 80mm, but open to 57mm
3. Audio tone for up only, silent when sinking.
4. Slight preference for a mechanical needle, but not a hard requirement.
5. Available with a back seat repeater display.
6. In current production and likely to remain supported by the manufacturer.
7. Low cost is a plus.

Thanks,

Mark

Paul Remde

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Sep 28, 2022, 8:50:39 AM9/28/22

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Hi Mark,

I very highly recommend the products from LXNAV.

The S3 is the lowest cost option. It has a mechanical pointer. It fits in a 57 mm instrument hole. There isn't an 80 mm version. A 2nd seat repeater is available, but the cost is very close to the same, and you'd need to run a cable from front to back, so most customers mount a 2nd S3 in the back.
https://www.cumulus-soaring.com/store/lxnav-s3

The one I recommend is the S80-Club with an S100D. The S80-club fits in a large 80 mm instrument hole and is very bright. It doesn't have a mechanical pointer, but the all-digital screen is easy to read in flight. It has much more capability than the S3 and can have a GPS connected - to allow navigation home or to any waypoint in the database. It can also display airspace. It is also a speed-to-fly vario and can be connected to an external device like an Oudie N or iPhone or Android phone with the optional Bluetooth module. The S100D also has a PDA port - so a 2nd Bluetooth module can be used to connect to a 2nd handheld device.
https://www.cumulus-soaring.com/store/lxnav-s8-and-s80
https://www.cumulus-soaring.com/store/lxnav-s10-and-s100
https://www.cumulus-soaring.com/store/lxnav-gpsmouse

I have all the items in stock. I do my best to support my customers extremely well.

Best Regards,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.

Herbert Kilian

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Sep 28, 2022, 9:28:55 AM9/28/22

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I have a used Westerboer vario that meets all your requirements, it is their type VW 1020:
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/http://variometer.de/PDF/VW1000/VW1000_Manual_en.pdf
https://www.westerboer.de/Seiten/vw1000.html
It has a lovely tone and I believe it can be used with an added repeater (see manual). Let me know if you are interested.

Herb J7

Mark Fisher (SpeedlightSystems)

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Sep 29, 2022, 1:20:40 AM9/29/22

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Hi,

Full disclaimer, I sell these in Australia . The price you see is AUD652 which is around USD430
Check this out https://flyfenix.com.au/products/fenix-s
We only sell inside Australia, but you can also find them here.
https://www.rc-electronics.eu/gliding/

Cheers
Mark

Mike Carris

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Sep 29, 2022, 2:12:45 AM9/29/22

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https://xcvario.com/product/xc-vario-variometer-v3/

Recently purchased. Nice vario!

Stuart Venters

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Sep 29, 2022, 11:42:44 AM9/29/22

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On 9/29/22 01:12, Mike Carris wrote:
> https://xcvario.com/product/xc-vario-variometer-v3/
>
> Recently purchased. Nice vario!

Cool, it appears to be opensource

https://github.com/iltis42/XCVario

Mike Carris

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Sep 29, 2022, 12:03:37 PM9/29/22

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Yep and they are coming out with a 7" Android display soon.

waremark

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Sep 30, 2022, 8:23:45 PM9/30/22

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On Thursday, 29 September 2022 at 17:03:37 UTC+1, rs15...@gmail.com wrote:

> Yep and they are coming out with a 7" Android display soon.

How soon? The website says 'almost finished' in February 2021!

All the varios referenced here are no doubt good - but for a club trainer they are all more complex than we would prefer for our trainers. All a trainer requires is a simple needle, a digital averager, and an audio which beeps on up. Ideally, there would be no controls and nothing to adjust! I don't believe there is such a thing on the market.

Mike Carris

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Sep 30, 2022, 9:05:44 PM9/30/22

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Probably this month according to an email exchange from last month. It is a bit misleading, but the link taking one to the current design info is recent.

Although the Vario will do a bit more than you need, it can still be used as a basic vario, with tone up and no sinking tone. It is easy to ignore the rest of the info. Once after the initial set up, you turn it on, adjust the current pressure elevation with the knob and that is it. Nothing more to adjust. Also, a nice thing about a solid state vario with no stepper motor is that it draws a fraction of the current .

Regards,

Mike

Stuart Venters

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Oct 1, 2022, 9:07:16 AM10/1/22

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The description says the display brightness is 500 Nits.
Does it seem bright enough for old guys when the sun is shining on the
panel?
(All the way around a thermal?)

Quite an impressive amount of work in the GitHub code base. Definitely
worth supporting.

AS

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Oct 1, 2022, 1:05:20 PM10/1/22

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You are not supposed to keep your eyes glued to the display all the way around the thermal. That's what the audio is there for! ;-)
Uli
'AS'

Mike Carris

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Oct 1, 2022, 6:02:28 PM10/1/22

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I have had no problems seeing the excellent display while wearing progressive prescription Polaroids at any sun angle-in the bright NMex sun. The resolution of the display is easily as good as any other vario I have seen. My set up is with a dark background and the vertical vario bars (they call it airliner style). I am also a fan of the open source efforts since XCSoar 5.0.

Mike Carris