Sentry Mini FAQs

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IS SENTRY MINI A "DUAL-BAND" ADS-B RECEIVER?

Yes, Sentry Mini has internal antennas for both UAT (978 MHz) and 1090ES (1090 MHz) frequency bands.

WHAT CAPABILITIES DOES SENTRY PROVIDE?

Sentry Mini receives traffic information on both UAT (978 MHz) and 1090ES (1090 MHz). When in proximity to a ground station, Sentry also receives FIS-B weather, NOTAMS, and TFR information. ADS-B ground station reception will usually not be available until airborne. Sentry can also receive air-to-air traffic information from ADS-B Out equipped aircraft and re-broadcast traffic information (ADS-R and TIS-B) from FAA ground towers. Keep in mind that if your aircraft is not equipped with ADS-B Out, then you will have a limited view of traffic on ForeFlight.

Additionally, Sentry Mini has a built-in WAAS GPS that also supports the Galileo, GLONASS, and Beidou satellite constellations, with support for up to three simultaneous connections for enhanced GPS reliability. Lastly, Sentry Mini supports up to 5 Wi-Fi connections at a time.

WILL I SEE ALL NEARBY TRAFFIC WHILE USING SENTRY MINI?

The traffic received by ADS-B In receivers, such as the Sentry, and shown in ForeFlight Mobile, may not represent all nearby traffic, especially if an ADS-B Out transmitter is not installed in the aircraft being flown by you.  See this article from iPad Pilot News for an explanation of how having ADS-B Out capability affects your traffic picture.

HOW CAN I MAXIMIZE SENTRY MINI’S INFLIGHT RECEPTION?

Reception is dependent on a number of factors, including Sentry Mini’s location and orientation in the aircraft, aircraft configuration, and your aircraft’s location.

Sentry Mini’s Location & Orientation: Mounting Sentry Mini upright on a side window will provide the best reception, but if no side window is available you can also mount Sentry Mini on the dash with the status lights towards the front of the aircraft.

Aircraft Configuration: All ADS-B receivers have poor reception through alternating current (AC) heated windshields, as the construction of such windshields tends to block ADS-B signals. Heated window solutions that utilize direct current (DC) do not block radio signals, by contrast. If your aircraft has an AC-heated front windshield, try mounting Sentry Mini on any non-heated windows to see if reception improves.

Aircraft Location: It is normal to receive little or no ADS-B tower reception below about 1,000 feet AGL since ADS-B signals depend on line of sight. If you are not in range of any ADS-B towers, you will not see any weather in ForeFlight and your traffic picture will be limited to nearby ADS-B Out equipped aircraft. See this article for an explanation of how ADS-B towers and ADS-B Out capability affects traffic picture.

CAN I USE MY OWN MOUNT?

Generally, no, Sentry Mini is not compatible with standard tripod mounts. It accepts an M3x.5 fastener. To use your own fastener, use a 2mm hex key to remove the quick release adapter from Sentry Mini and then you can screw in any other M3X.5 fastener.

DOES SENTRY MINI PROVIDE A WEATHER REPLAY CAPABILITY?

Yes, Sentry Mini has onboard memory to support animating up to 30 minutes of radar in ForeFlight Mobile.

DOES SENTRY MINI PROVIDE GPS DATA?

Yes, Sentry Mini has a built-in WAAS GPS for the display GPS data in ForeFlight Mobile, including aircraft position, altitude, ground speed, and more.

DOES SENTRY MINI PROVIDE AHRS (BACKUP ATTITUDE) CAPABILITY?

No, Sentry Mini does not include a built-in AHRS for backup attitude in ForeFlight Mobile.

DOES SENTRY MINI HAVE BAROMETRIC PRESSURE SENSOR?

No, Sentry Mini does not include a barometric pressure sensor.

HOW MANY DEVICE CONNECTIONS DOES SENTRY MINI SUPPORT?

Sentry Mini supports up to 5 simultaneous device connections to its Wi-Fi network.

DOES SENTRY INCLUDE A FLIGHT DATA RECORDER?

No, but you can use Sentry Mini’s GPS to record Track Logs within ForeFlight.

DOES SENTRY HAVE AN INTERNAL BATTERY?

No, Sentry Mini has no internal battery and requires an external power source.

HOW DO I POWER SENTRY MINI?

Sentry Mini comes with a high-quality USB-A to USB Type-C power cable in the case. Sentry Mini is powered by connecting the cable to any 5V USB-A port or charger capable of delivering 2A, including rechargeable USB batteries and cigarette lighter adapters.

HOW MUCH POWER DOES SENTRY MINI USE?

Sentry Mini uses about 230 mA at 50% LED brightness.

WHAT DO THE LIGHTS ON SENTRY MINI MEAN?

ADS-B Indicator:
Green: Receiving from multiple towers
Yellow: Receiving from one tower
Red: No reception

GPS:
Green: Good fix
Yellow: Weak fix
Red: No fix

HOW BIG IS SENTRY MINI AND HOW MUCH DOES IT WEIGH?

Sentry Mini weighs 44g (0.1lbs) and measures 83mm x 57mm x 15mm (3.25in x 2.25in x 0.6in).

WHAT APPS DOES SENTRY MINI WORK WITH?

Sentry Mini works with ForeFlight Mobile version 11.5 and above.

WHAT DEVICES DOES SENTRY MINI WORK WITH?

Sentry Mini works with any iOS device that can run ForeFlight Mobile version 11.5 or above. This means that older iOS devices that cannot upgrade to ForeFlight 11.5 will not work with Sentry.

Unsupported devices include:

iPad 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generations
iPad Mini 1
iPhone 5, 5C, and all older generations

Check out our Buying Guide for an up-to-date list of which devices are supported on the current ForeFlight version.

HOW DO I CONNECT TO SENTRY MINI IN FOREFLIGHT?

Connect Sentry Mini to an external power source to power it on.

Open the Settings app on your iPad or iPhone and go to Wi-Fi. Sentry Mini’s Wi-Fi network name will be “SentryMini_XXXX” where “XXXX” is a sequence of numbers and letters. Tap on the Wi-Fi network to connect.

Open ForeFlight and go to More > Devices to confirm that Sentry Mini is connected. Tap the Sentry Mini icon to view detailed information about the connection and information being received.

HOW DO I UPDATE SENTRY MINI’S FIRMWARE?

Sentry Mini uses convenient over-the-air firmware updates via ForeFlight Mobile. When you connect to Sentry Mini and updated firmware is available, ForeFlight Mobile will display a message with instructions on how to update.

IS SENTRY MINI AVAILABLE FOR FLEET SALES?

Contact sales@foreflight.com for more information.

WHO SHOULD I CONTACT IF I'M HAVING PROBLEMS WITH SENTRY MINI?

Please email team@foreflight.com if you encounter any problems while using Sentry Mini.

WHAT IS YOUR RETURN AND/OR REFUND POLICY FOR SENTRY MINI?

Please email team@foreflight.com if you have questions about Sentry Mini returns and/or refunds.

WHAT WARRANTY DO YOU PROVIDE FOR SENTRY MINI?

Sentry Mini’s manufacturer, uAvionix, provides a one year warranty for defective units. Read full warranty here.

WHAT COMPANY MANUFACTURES SENTRY MINI?

Sentry Mini is manufactured by uAvionix, an innovative avionics company based in Palo Alto, California.