uAvionix SkyLink, User And Installation Manual

Page 1: ...UAV 1006203 001 Page 1 25 SkyLink User and Installation Manual REVISION B ...

Page 2: ... free from defects in material and workmanship for one year from purchase For the duration of the warranty period uAvionix at its sole option will repair or replace any product which fails under normal use Such repairs or replacement will be made at no charge to the customer for parts or labor provided that the customer shall be responsible for any transportation cost This warranty does not apply ...

Page 3: ...UAV 1006203 001 Page 3 25 3 Revision History Revision Date Comments A January 2022 Initial Release B April 29 2022 Updates to installation procedures and updated diagrams ...

Page 4: ... to use SkyLink airborne and ground radios before they receive FCC authorization must request one or more Experimental FCC Transmit Licenses First though one or more FAA Coordination Numbers must be requested and obtained signifying the FAA s approval to use its protected C band frequencies Once obtained each FCC transmit authorization applies to One or more center frequencies Over a specific geog...

Page 5: ... 1 Ground Radio System GRS 9 8 1 1 Mounting SkyLink GRS 9 8 1 2 Mounting SkyLink Hub 11 8 1 3 Connections 12 8 2 Airborne Radio System ARS 14 8 2 1 Mounting SkyLink ARS 14 8 2 2 Connections 14 9 Configuration 16 9 1 Ground Radio System GRS 16 9 1 1 SkyLink Hub Network Settings 16 9 1 2 GRS Settings 18 9 2 Airborne Radio System ARS 20 9 2 1 ARS Settings 20 10 Operation 21 10 1 Radio Link 21 10 2 Mi...

Page 6: ...UAV 1006203 001 Page 6 25 11 1 Hub Firmware Update 23 11 2 GRS Radio Firmware Update 24 11 3 ARS Radio Firmware Update 25 12 Support 25 ...

Page 7: ...Airborne Radio System ARS UAV 1006082 001 3 SkyLink Hub UAV 1006103 001 4 truFYX GPS UAV 1004957 001 5 Two GRS Directional Antennas UAV 1006176 001 6 Two ARS Omnidirectional Antennas UAV 1006288 001 7 GRS to Hub Wire Harness UAV 1006647 001 8 M12 X Coded Ethernet Cable UAV 1005899 001 9 ARS Wire Harness UAV 1006648 001 10 GRS Pole Mounting Kit UAV 1006267 001 11 Hub Pole Mounting Kit UAV 1006270 0...

Page 8: ...stem truFYX GPS The truFYX provides GPS signal to the airborne system Internal and external mount configurations are available Figure 1 shows a typical system with a SkyLink Ground Radio System GRS and a SkyLink Airborne Radio System ARS managed by uAvionix SkyLine infrastructure Figure 1 SkyLink Radios with SkyLine Infrastructure ...

Page 9: ...ze airborne coverage 1 Secure the SkyLink Mounting Bracket to a pole with the included stainless steel hose clamps 2 Align the GRS with the Mounting Bracket and slide the GRS into place over the end of the bracket The bracket will now hold the GRS in place 3 Use the included mounting screw to fasten the GRS to the bracket 4 Attach the GRS Directional Antennas tighten and adjust orientation ...

Page 10: ...enotes the transmit and receive direction of the antenna The antennas have 110 degrees of horizonal sector coverage 55 degrees on either side of the directional arrow Point both antenna arrows in the direction of your ARS for best performance Figure 3 Directional Antenna Orientation ...

Page 11: ...is not angled The Hub mounts perpendicular to the pole and the GPS antenna should point up 1 Fasten the Hub Mounting Bracket to a pole with the included stainless steel hose clamps 2 Align the Hub with the Mounting Bracket and slide the Hub into place 3 Use the included mounting screw to fasten the Hub to the bracket ...

Page 12: ...or RF loads are attached to both RF ports on the GRS before powering on Figure 5 SkyLink GRS Connections The SkyLink GRS connects to the Hub with the provided LEMO harness Table 1 below shows the connector pinout Table 1 SkyLink GRS Pinout Pin Type GRS Hub LEMO 1M 308 1 GND 2 NAV IN OUT 3 CTRL RX IN OUT 4 CTRL TX OUT IN 5 PWR 24V 24V 6 USER RX IN OUT 7 USER TX OUT IN 8 PPS IN OUT ...

Page 13: ...02 3bt POE Maximum Power 60W Voltage Range 37 57V Maximum Current 350mA Maximum Cable Resistance 20Ω Supported Cabling Shielded Cat 5 Supported Modes Mode A endspan Mode B midspan Power Management Power Class 6 Maximum Cable Length 100 meters Figure 6 SkyLink M12 Connector Pinout Caution Absolute maximum DC voltage 57 V Higher DC voltage will permanently damage the equipment ...

Page 14: ...ith the following three terminations GPS source for truFYX User data link for autopilot connection Control data link for ARS device setup and configuration Ensure that the two omni antennas or RF loads are attached to both RF ports on the ARS before powering on 24v power source can be supplied through either the User data link or Control data link connector Connection to an autopilot is done via t...

Page 15: ...UAV 1006203 001 Page 15 25 The Figure below shows each component and its corresponding pinout Figure 7 ARS Wiring Harness ...

Page 16: ...eb browser from a PC or mobile device on the same Local Area Network LAN as the powered SkyLink Hub The IP address assigned by the DHCP server is the base URL An IP Scan can be used to find the IP address of the Hub MAC addresses are printed on the Hub label Navigate to http NOTE is the IP address of the SkyLink Hub Figure 8 SkyLink Hub Web Page ...

Page 17: ... settings for network administrators On the main Hub settings page click the Network Configuration link under Settings The Network Configuration settings are only used if the SkyLink Hub is connected to a network without a DHCP server These settings are ignored in a typical system In a network without DHCP set the IP Address field to assign a static IP to the SkyLink Hub Fill in the appropriate va...

Page 18: ...yLink Hub and the Control Port from the SkyLink Hub Settings page in the COM Settings box Optionally next to Device Name type in a friendly name for the radio and press Save This allows for quick switching between different radio connections When the Radios are linked status data is shown for both the local and the remote radios on the Status tab Figure 10 SkyLink App GRS Connection ...

Page 19: ...s well as selecting the Frequency scheme for the system The frequency used MUST be within 5030 and 5091 MHz Figure 11 SkyLink App Radio Configuration Station Type SkyLink GRS Ground SkyLink ARS Air SkyLink GRS with SkyLine Infrastructure Frequency Get Set Radio C Band Frequency in Hz Versions Get version details from connected SkyLink radios ...

Page 20: ... Open the uAvionix SkyLinkApp application In the COM Settings box next to Mode choose Serial then select the Port that corresponds with the connected radio i e COM1 Optionally next to Device Name type in a friendly name for the radio and press Save This allows for quick switching between different radio connections Figure 12 SkyLink App ARS Connection ARS Configuration See Section 9 1 2 GRS Config...

Page 21: ...th need to be configured to the same frequency scheme have a GPS position lock and a PPS timing signal To verify link connect the GRS to the SkyLinkApp and go to the Status Tab When the data arrives skyLinkApp will begin graphing the radio link statistics Figure 13 SkyLink App Radio Status ...

Page 22: ...ArduPilot Mission Planner application 4 In the communication drop down menu upper right corner select TCP 5 Press Connect Figure 14 Mission Planner Connection 6 Enter the IP Address of the SkyLink Hub Click OK 7 Enter the User TCP Port of the SkyLink Hub Click OK 8 Mission Planner will connect and display aircraft and telemetry data Figure 15 Mission Planner Connection Status ...

Page 23: ...re Update Page Choose the appropriate file to upload and click Start Update Figure 17 SkyLink Hub Firmware Updating Note The update is canceled if the Hub is powered off or the webpage is closed Wait for the Hub to reboot before proceeding When the file transfer is complete click the Main Page link to return to the SkyLink Hub Settings page The version number on the Configuration Webpage should re...

Page 24: ...io FW Update in SkyLinkApp A new window will open Press Select File and select the correct firmware file Press Connect When the GRS is connected the Product Information window will populate with radio information and the PingBoot Status in the bottom left will change to Idle Press Flash DO NOT power off or disconnect the device until the flash is complete Figure 18 Ping Boot Flasher Application ...

Page 25: ...Radio Firmware Update The ARS Radio firmware is updated using the SkyLinkApp Connect the ARS to the SkyLink following the steps in section 9 2 1 then repeat the steps in section 11 2 12 Support For support visit https uavionix com support ...