Stratus Mount

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ultraturtle
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Stratus Mount

Post by ultraturtle »

A couple useful features of the Stratus 3 include the purported ability to power on when ship power is sensed through the USB charging cable, and off after a period of inactivity. These features, along with the ability to connect to remote antennas mean that I can move the bulky thing to keep it from obstructing our fantastic view, an advantage that Diamond aircraft pretty much hold unchallenged in the marketplace.

First, find a good spot. On the DA62, there are a couple of screws holding a trim panel just above the canopy breaker tool mount at the middle row right passenger seat position:
Breaker Tool.jpg
Measure the distance between the trim screws, the distance between the Stratus bracket mount holes, then cut, drill, sand, and bend a bracket to your heart's content. I used 0.031" stainless steel shim stock to keep the bracket thin enough to not change the original trim screws' grip:
Stratus Bracket.jpg
GPS and ADSB antennas mount securely to the window side of your window shade with two-side foam tape on the shade border. Put some felt pads on them to protect the plexiglass:
Antennas.jpg
Mount the bracket, snap in the Stratus box, connect the antennas and USB cable, and off you go:
Stratus 3 Mounted.jpg
USB Plug In.jpg
Overview 2.jpg
It's about as unobtrusive as you can get. Even the middle row passengers can barely see the antennas in the shade border. Reception is superb.

I should probably mention that the advertised ability of the Status 3 to power up when ships power is sensed does not work. Not a big deal, since I can reach it to turn it on. Hopefully the Aparreo guys will provide a fix at some point. Till then, not much point upgrading from the 2S.
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Rich
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Re: Stratus Mount

Post by Rich »

ultraturtle wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 10:36 pm I should probably mention that the advertised ability of the Status 3 to power up when ships power is sensed does not work. Not a big deal, since I can reach it to turn it on. Hopefully the Aparreo guys will provide a fix at some point. Till then, not much point upgrading from the 2S.
It works perfectly in my Stratus 3. But it's an option you must set - a menu item on FF. If yours doesn't work the unit is defective.
2002 DA40-180: MT, PowerFlow, 530W/430W, KAP140, ext. baggage, 1090 ES out, 2646 MTOW, 40gal., Surefly, Flightstream 210, Orion 600 LED, XeVision, Aspen E5
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ultraturtle
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Re: Stratus Mount

Post by ultraturtle »

Rich wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 10:44 pm It works perfectly in my Stratus 3. But it's an option you must set - a menu item on FF. If yours doesn't work the unit is defective.
I set the menu item in FF. What I have not done is check to make sure USB power turns off with the master or avionics switch. I imagine that if power is continuously applied, once it shuts down due to inactivity, it never gets the signal to power back up.

Can anyone with factory installed USB charging ports chime in?
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Rich
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Re: Stratus Mount

Post by Rich »

ultraturtle wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 10:55 pm
Rich wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 10:44 pm It works perfectly in my Stratus 3. But it's an option you must set - a menu item on FF. If yours doesn't work the unit is defective.
I set the menu item in FF. What I have not done is check to make sure USB power turns off with the master or avionics switch. I imagine that if power is continuously applied, once it shuts down due to inactivity, it never gets the signal to power back up.

Can anyone with factory installed USB charging ports chime in?
Ah. My USB was mounted after the fact, powered from the avionics bus with its own breaker. You can check the Stratus after you shut down and see if it shows it's still getting power. It's right at the top of the Stratus menu in FF.
2002 DA40-180: MT, PowerFlow, 530W/430W, KAP140, ext. baggage, 1090 ES out, 2646 MTOW, 40gal., Surefly, Flightstream 210, Orion 600 LED, XeVision, Aspen E5
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Re: Stratus Mount

Post by CFIDave »

Nice mount, but I'm going to celebrate the day I no longer need to use my Stratus box in my DA62 -- once Diamond/Transport Canada finally approve the GTX345R with ADS-B IN, and I can finally use the FlightStream 510 card I've owned for 2.5 years!
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Former DA40XLS, DA42-VI, and DA62 owner
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