Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Great Product
by Douglas from Libertyville IL USA 
Review: This product works great. I read reviews before I bought the item and the comments about it being cheaply built almost discouraged my purchase. It's not the cure all for collision avoidance but let's face it. Nothing is. The product works very well and is a nice extra set of eyes outside the cockpit.

Friday, October 16, 2009
Better than eyeballs
by A Customer from Bloomington MN USA 
Pros: Doesn't depend on the FAA. Decent value. Small size on the glare shield.
Cons: Audio warning needs to be expanded beyond a beep. Programming mildly difficult without manual in hand.Too many cords.
Review: The MRX-A does what is expected at its cost but does cause eyeball strain. You know that there is a "target" out there but you don't know where so you are trying to look everywhere at once. Yet your eyes must be on the unit to determine if the "target" is inbound, outbound, higher, lower, etc., and therefore if a real threat. This information should be audio via your headset while you are looking for the threat. There should be a schematic in the rear of the manual to help wire the unit into my audio panel.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Wouldn't fly again without it!
by S Craig from Raleigh NC USA 
Pros: small, lightweight, easly to install, excellent manual
Cons: relatively short battery life; keep some good rechargeables
Review: The PCAS MRXA-A performs just as advertised. I can see the display well even in bright sunlight and the alert is audible even with a good ANC headset. It lacks a bearing indictor(present on the more expensive XRX model), but even so it greatly improves situational awareness. You may be surprised how many planes are nearby, but unseen. This has made me much more disciplined about using flight following.

Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Useful for cross-country
by Karl from Pismo Beach . USA 
Pros: Small, light, works well
Review: Useful, small, light. Can't 'see' everything due to line of sight issues, and non-transponding aircraft, but adds a set of electronic eyes.

Monday, August 31, 2009
Very cool and useful traffic alerting device
by Richard from Santa Cruz CA USA 
Pros: It gives you a very useful warning when traffic is near
Cons: It doe not provide any directional information
Review: Easy to use device to advise you when possibly conflicting traffic is in the vicinity. The downside is a profusion of wires adding to cockpit mess.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Good Technology, low build quality and poor customer service
by Piper Pilot from USA 
Pros: It really works
Cons: Its poorly built, and there is NO tech support/customer service
Review: At first glance you will see the really low quality of the box that your $450 will get you. I'm not sure why my $200 Escort radar detector exudes quality, and for twice the money, the MRX comes in cheap plastic with a battery door that doesn't even seem to fit. Once in the air, its hard not to love the MRX. I did for more than a year. It truly did what Zaon claims it will do. It never saved my life, but it did give me some comfort in a crowded sky, and it did see airplanes I didn't. I loved it. The cheap 4-way rocker switch on the front face fell off early, but I accepted even that. The thing just works so well, I could put up with the cheap construction. Until it really broke. Back to low build quality.  The antenna is removable and screws on. Unfortunately, the fitting the antenna connects to is only supported by the soldered connections to the circuit board. Take the antenna off too often and you have a short, and a device that doesn't work. I've called Zaon for help and repair, they don't pick up, and I haven't ever gotten a return call. Its a really nice device. If Zaon would spend the extra $5 bucks for a decent case and switch, get Daniel or Glenn at Zaon to return a call and they'd be getting 5 stars. As it is, I give it a 3 and hope the technology gets bought by a company with a better sense for quality and customer focus.

Thursday, August 06, 2009
A great set of extra eyes!
by David from Seattle, Washington 
Pros: Low cost compared to others. Although still a little pricey.
Cons: No direction, but gets your eyes outside looking.
Review: If only its beep got your eyes back outside and saved your live, it would be worth every penny. It won't tell you what direction the other plane is, but it does get you looking, (although you should have been anyway). Nice and compact. A single set of batteries will last a normal flight if you don't have a spare power outlet to use. Does not use the TIS system, which I like but still has it's limitations. Worth the money, but if I could afford the XRX, I would prefer to have direction like you get from the XRX.

Friday, June 05, 2009
Cheap insurance in the practice area
by KPOC CFI from Brackett Airport, La Verne, CA 
Pros: Cheap insurance in congested airspace, enhances vigilance
Cons: The occasional erroneous target. Better than not picking up a target at all, though.
Review: I am a flight instructor out of KPOC and since our practice area (Santa Fe Dam) is within the mode C circle, this is the most reliable place to use the device. Works very well, but every once in a while, I get a .4nm alert and there is no one there. It scares the crap out of me and after a couple clearing turns, I turn it off and back on and it resets with no traffic. I think it serves to scare me more than anything, but at least I'm always vigilant for traffic this way. If it saves me once, it was worth it. You don't really need direction alerts anyway, if the distance is increasing, the target is flying away from you. If the distance is decreasing, the target is flying toward you. Simple enough. I bought it at $550, and its WELL worth the money at $450. This will have to do until a full rollout of ADS-B. Fly safe, everyone.

Saturday, May 23, 2009
practical and easy to use... never fly without it!
by KEMT student pilot from  
Pros: price point, works right out of the box
Cons: none
Review: Many thanks on a fast delivery! I am into hour 8 dual on C152 out of KEMT, and given there have already been 2 midairs in Southern Cal this year involving similar training craft, buying this was a no-brainer. On very first use, we got a PCAS ALERT; both my instructor and me were scrambling for visual contact! This is an amazing device at a great price! I think the skies would be a lot safer if all training craft had something like this. I will ALWAYs fly with this unit.

Monday, April 20, 2009
Great Device!
by A Customer from jersey city NJ USA 
Pros: Works as advertised
Cons: Battery door is a bit flimsy - mounting options need improvement -
Review: I fly around New York City & New Jersey which is very busy airspace. The device works perfectly - very helpful.

Saturday, February 28, 2009
The Poor Man's TCAS
by Al Red BE-33 from Holland MI USA 
Pros: Altitude information on nearby targets.
Cons: No directional information.
Review: I have now had the opportunity to fly the system a couple of times and found it to be informative and fairly accurate in ID'ing other aircraft and their altitude. After watching it awhile you an get an idea of aircraft location by watching the increasing or decreasing miles even without a approximate direction to target. It is like another set of eyes and an early heads up on traffic just out of sight and closing on your altitude. For the price, this was a bargain for the information provided.

Thursday, February 19, 2009
Extra pair of eyes
by Kevin from Miami FL USA 
Pros: Lets you know when somebody is in your space!
Cons: Short battery life (who cares--batteries are relatively cheap)
Review: This little device should be renamed "Piece of mind". Can't beat the price and it acts like a sentry letting you know somebody is out there.

Friday, January 30, 2009
Works as Advertised
by Eric from Dunedin FL USA 
Pros: Performs EXACTLY as specified. Works well.
Cons: Poorly selected case materials, buttons don't offer solid tactile feedback.
Review: This device turned out to be a solid performer. Frankly, it does everything the company says it will do. I like that you can simply turn it on, and in default mode it operates flawlessly. The display is clear and bright. When operated on freshly charged NiMH batteries, with the display somewhat dimmed, you will get about 6 hours of operation from this tiny "radar-detector-sized" package. I only gave it four stars not because it has any performance issues, but because the material with which it is made are VERY cheap. This high-tech electronic device is built inside a very brittle, translucent polycarbonate case that doesn't fit together very well. The seams don't appear to meet evenly and the battery door is extremely difficult to open and close. I feel as if I will break the plastic if not handled very carefully. The display, while clear and bright, has no protective window. This does eliminate glare, but also adds to the feeling that the case... was an after thought of design. The buttons are also not well designed and lack good tactile feedback. Functionally, it performs to specification - and that's a lot a peace (or perhaps... cockpit assistance) for a small amount of money. I would highly recommend it. Remember this device counts on the active transponder of other aircraft, so you can't completely rely on all other aircraft having a transponder that's active or even presnt. Use it with caution. Comes with all the accessories. I consider it a deal, and well worth the price. If anyone from Zaon reads this - if you folks spent just a little extra time and money on the case and buttons... you'd have a winner product.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Works well - but poor quality of materials
by Eric from Clearwater, Florida 
Pros: Works exactly as advertised, performs well
Cons: extremely "cheap" case construction
Review: I gave this product four stars, not because it does not perform. Frankly it performs exactly as advertised. It's simple, small, and does a great job doing every single feature that they publish. Now, I would not fly without it. But beware... not all aircraft have a transponder, so use with alert caution. This said, the construction is very poor. For some ridiculous reason the company choose to make the case from translucent polycarbonate material. The material is very brittle and unforgiving. The edges and seams do not meet well. the switches and button do not provide a very positive tactile "feedback". Honestly the cheapest automotive radar detector on the market has a better case than this thing. It is a struggle to get the batteries in and out. Thank goodness the electronics perform admirably.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Very poor quality workmanship
by Dave Hetteen from Kenmore, WA 
Pros: I've heard it works well but I haven't tried it yet due to workmanship problems.
Cons: Very poor quality workmanship
Review: Out of the box, this is the poorest quality workmanship electronic product I have ever bought, and I've had some cheap stuff in the past. I will need to send this unit back so I haven't even had the opportunity to try it out yet. Here are my complaints from the first 30 minutes of owning the MRX: 1. One of the battery springs catches on the plastic battery representation causing the battery to not seat in it's compartment. 2. The battery door fits so poorly I couldn't even get it back on. 3. The multi-function switch is not even close to being centered in the case opening. The down position does not even work because it is right up against the case. 4. The multi-function switch is rubber and does not look anything like the photos in the manual. Did the plastic piece not fit so they just left it off? 5. The antenna connector is also poorly centered in it's case opening but at least the antenna threads on. 6. There are sharp edges on the sides of the case where the case halves meet. This case is extremely poor quality. 7. It takes at least six tries to turn the unit off. It appears that the power switch doesn't work either. I have no problem turning it on however with the same switch. Obviously I am not a happy owner of the MRX and I will be sending this unit back for a replacement. I will not accept this serial number again. In case you think I am just a complainer - I have never returned a product or been this unhappy about a purchase before.

Thursday, October 09, 2008
Good product.
by Julian from Roscoe IL USA 
Pros: small, easy to read, battery operated. works as advertised
Cons: fragile
Review: Does what it advertises to do. Small package, battery operated. Seems to be accurate. After just having the product for a week the multi-function switch fell off.This was repaired in a timely manner.

Friday, August 01, 2008
Another set of eyes is always helpful
by James from Lutz FL USA 
Review: Product seems to work great. I do not see 90% of the aircraft that it warns of.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Great Guts, Marginal Skin
by Greg from Ada MI USA 
Review: As per the other posted and published reviews, the unit does all that is promised. My only gripe is with the plastic case. The battery compartment on both of mine (first unit had to be returned due to bad toggle switch) is almost impossible to get to slide back into its channel and lock without the possibility of snapping the plastic. A very poor design. Also, when the plastic casing on my unit was apparently "deburred" at the factory when it came out of the mold, they were a bit over-zealous and the outcome is a case that does not fit to its other half as well as it should. The guts of the unit are great, they need to spend more time on the skin.

Monday, June 02, 2008
Zaon MRX PCAS for Hang Gliding
by A Customer from Sylmar CA USA 
Pros: Works well for a general indication of aircraft in the area.
Cons: Needs a better display, louder audible and more concise controls.
Review: Keeping in mind that the MRX was not designed for hang gliding use, it works well in my application. Battery life with NiMH rechargeables has been exceptional. The advisories and alerts are accurate enough, although, I think a few craft were missed but they may have been outside the altitude range, overhead. Every aircraft in the Los Angeles area has a transponder so, I believe that isn't a problem. The unit is very light and was easy to mount above my other instrument. The operator manual is very well written, very understandable for any pilot. The not-so-good: The display is not readable in direct sunlight and the audible alert is a little weak to be heard at 50mph or when my variometer is indicating lift. The joy-stick button control makes it a bit difficult to choose the parameter to set and the desired setting, especially with gloves. Since I can't hear the alerts, I've left the default range and altitude setting (5 miles) and just glance at the MRX each time I check my variometer/speed/GPS. It doesn't give approach direction of other aircraft but seeing any reading is enough to start my eyes searching in directions other than straight ahead. Seeing nothing displayed is a comfort when crossing paths in and out of the San Fernando Valley used by many private pilots and especially the Southwest Air visual approach to Burbank, which seems to depend on their pilot. All-in-all, I'm pretty satisfied with its function. If anything could be changed, it would be great if aircraft approaching vector could be added as in the more expensive and heavier unit without, of course, the expense and weight.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Inexpensive Collision Avoidance
by 16L Pilot from Los Angeles CA USA 
Review: "Be advised there are multiple targets in your area," said the tower, but I already knew. The MRX had, already, pointed them out. I wish I could afford the more expensive XRX (which tells you where exactly to look), but this is cheap insurance from a midair.

Monday, May 19, 2008
Absolutely worth it!
by Jan Cocatre-Zilgien, N29HS from Champaign IL USA 
Pros: Works as advertised. I like to compare visual and readout targets, to get like an instinctive feel.
Cons: Flimsy battery door. The collision alerts lose a second for displaying alphanumerics instead of distance and relative altitude
Review: Being one of those who think that mid-air collision is one of the very few hazards that is not totally under control of the pilot, I have always been looking for a "cheap" way to minimize that risk, and the Zaon MRXA-A definitely fits that bill. I am now only flying gliders, that is, I circle a lot, and relative bearing information would be useless (obsolete by the time it is displayed). The relative altitude of the transponder-equipped aircraft, on the other hand, is priceless; there is even a little arrow pointing to the target climbing or descending. The alert (2) and warning (4) beeps keep my eyes looking outside. Flying on the edge of quite busy KCMI Class C, the sky has many student pilots from UIUC, CRJs coming in at 3000 MSL, and the occasional medevac helicopter barreling down at pattern altitude, so the little thing is busy. I use rechargeable AAs that last the whole afternoon. The Zaon is attached on top of the black glareshield with a rubber band, and it resists that oven zone without any problem (unlike the rubber bands...). It works exactly like the pdf manual says.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008
A very useful tool...
by Tim from Phoenix AZ USA 
Pros: it works! simple, small, portable, battery powered
Cons: battery life
Review: Who wouldn't want an extra set of eyes? My MRX let's me know when traffic is near, and I'm always amazed at the accuracy. When I check it against known traffic, it's usually right-on.

Thursday, April 03, 2008
Electronic Eyes for the Cockpit
by Al from Novato CA USA 
Pros: Small, good battery life, works as expected, Price is awesome!
Cons: Front rocker button is a little delicate don't let it rattle around your filght bag.
Review: A pilot in our EAA group recommended this unit and after hearing his praise I went out and got one. I loved it. The first flight I took it out and flew around looking for traffic. The unit found a couple of targets on that first flight that I would have missed. On the second flight I called ATC for VFR flight following. Most of the time just about when they were calling with traffic advisory is when it unit alerted. PERFECT. It is fairly intuitive to operate. Near airports you have to interpret data a little as it will find targets on the ground that are active. This is a good thing as it helps find traffic that may be entering the pattern shortly. It's great to have an extra set of "eyes" in the cockpit. Highly recommended! *****

Thursday, April 03, 2008
All pilots need this !!!!
by A Customer from Coahoma MS USA 
Pros: small size
Cons: be nice if crop dusters squawk
Review: Met all expectations would be 5 stars if there was a mid price version that gave direction to contact

Sunday, March 23, 2008
Adding another niche of comfort
by Bakersfield Barry from Bakersfield CA USA 
Pros: Quite accurate with alert information
Cons: Relatively brief battery life (5 hrs approx)
Review: An excellent addition to the cockpit. Provides very helpful and quite accurate alerts to nearby aircraft. I'm very pleased to have added capability for collision avoidance at an affordable price. Definitely must use the included velcro on the glareshield or it will dance all over due to aircraft vibration.

Saturday, March 08, 2008
Neato
by A Customer from Socal 
Pros: Display is easy to read in ANY conditions, including sunglasses
Cons: May distract you, but this is only a "con" when traffic is no factor or not there
Review: I gave it 5 stars because it works as advertised. There were a couple times when the unit went from tracking nothing to [ALERT] and I saw no other aircraft, could've been my transponder I guess. One thing is for sure, if you own one it will not be in your flight bag when you're flying. It's just fun to have when you're in a plane with no other electronic CAS. P.S. If you're thinking about purchasing for rental aircraft, the included velcro mounting option won't last long. Get outdoor high strength 3M double-sided tape, and use VERY small pieces of it to stick it to the glareshield.

Monday, February 25, 2008
Excellent aid to situational awareness, does exactly what it claims to do - if it's got a transponder, PCAS will find it!
by A Customer from NH 
Pros: Will detect nearly all aircraft with functioning transponder; small; multiple power options; good manual; bright screen; loud volume; removable/extendable antenna; updatable
Cons: Premium price; no case; battery life decent but could be better; must send to ZAON for future updates
Review:

The bottom-line first: I would buy it again, despite the price. I would give it 4.5 stars if that was an option. Shelling out $500 for anything this small and fairly limited in purpose can make anyone hesitate. I hope this review, combined with others, will help other pilots make up their mind. I am certainly comfortable recommending this product to anyone. 

First, why buy this unit?  Are you familiar with the Big Blue Sky theory? It goes like this.. You are a little airplane in a Big Blue Sky... so chances are you will not run into another airplane, right? Well, if you are lucky. But it is unquestionably risky to rely on luck alone, and on the hope that you will be looking at the right point in the sky when another airplane happens to come your way. Most of the time we do not see any other airplanes and that creates an illusion of safety. If you had access to radar you would know that it is just that, an illusion. When flying near airports and busy terminal areas, there is rarely a time on a good VFR day there isn't a plane within a few miles of you within a couple thousand feet of your altitude. Most of us who fly eventually survive a few close calls with proximity to other aircraft, loosely defined as where you were either not expecting another aircraft to appear, or noticed it just in time to take appropriate evasive action. I remember these situations, and they all involved transponder equipped aircraft, clear VFR days, more than one pilot in the cockpit and close proximity to airports. Incidentally, that's when most collisions occur. Since small GA planes do not as a rule have TCAS, it may appear that not much can be done other than maintaining constant visual vigilance, and, frankly, relying that luck will carry you the rest of the way. Most of us could not afford to spend thousands anyway to have something similar to TCAS.. even $1000 would put it out of reach. Still, there is nothing like raising your head from the instruments, the radio or the chart, to find another airplane on a head-on collision course with you. You did all the right things. You kept your head outside 90% of the time. You made all the radio calls. THAT is the airplane that should not be there, that is not talking on the radio, that is perhaps on the wrong frequency, or whose CFI is too busy talking to the student, etc, etc... for whatever reason, THAT airplane just came within 100 feet of you. It is a little disturbing to realize that, even though you did all the right things, you just got lucky and situation was practically beyond your control.

That kind of thing will motivate you to spend some money to avoid being in this situation again like nothing else. So when I found out about this PCAS unit from ZAON, and various competitor products as well, I started doing my research. It is a new, developing technology albeit based on the old transponder technology, and thus comes at a premium. Zaon product seems to be the best overall and that's why I chose it. 

Product specific impressions and real life use - The unit is pretty small and appears well built. It is made entirely out of hard semi-translucent plastic. There is no case or protective rubber on it so I would not abuse it too much. A protective case would be nice. It comes with little silicon rubber feet that prevent it from sliding around, but that's it. It also includes headset adapter and the cigarette lighter adapter. The manual is clearly written. The screen is very bright and the volume is sufficient.

You will get at least a couple hours out of two AA batteries, rechargeable or otherwise, probably closer to 4 hours depending on use and the type of battery. You can also plug it in your power socket.. either 12 or 24 volt will work just fine. The only gripe is if you switch power sources mid-flight the unit resets and has to be turned on again. When batteries get to about 1/4 usable life, expect the screen to flicker a little. That is normal, and adjusting the brightness up will rectify it, until the batteries are dead, at which point the unit will simply turn off.

For very loud cockpits, you can plug in the headset adapter and hear alerts in your headphones. Mute button comes handy if you do not want to hear beeping while on final approach and when already aware of all other traffic. While reading the manual is a must, the unit is a breeze to use once you know what the buttons do and what the screen tells you. It is simplicity by design. The multifunction button is very sensitive to how you press it and takes a little getting used to. PCAS works by detecting other aircraft transponder replies. In it lies its greatest strength and also its limitation. The replies originate when transponder is interrogated by ATC, TCAS in airliners, etc.. PCAS does not transmit anything, it just reads the replies. It computes distance by measuring signal strength of a transponder reply, and altitude by comparing your altitude to the altitude of the other aircraft. Perhaps the greatest feature of PCAS is that it has an internal altimeter so it can accurately compute other aircraft altitude. After using it on several flights, I must say I was impressed by the number of aircraft that it detected. The distance readout is not so accurate, because it depends on signal strength and that may be affected by various factors. But, the altitude readout, which is the most important one anyways, is very accurate and reliable, as it compares PCAS pressure altitude from internal altimeter to the other aircraft pressure altitude from their transponder, minimizing any errors.

Multiple times, the unit issued an advisory / alert close to terminal airspace when another aircraft passed within 1 mile to me closer than 500 feet in altitude. Most of the time, I never did see the other planes. Some of the time, I saw them. PCAS detected them first each and every time. I knew they were there and was able to monitor on PCAS as they were getting closer, or further away from me. One time, an alert of .3 NM and -300 feet prompted me to initiate a climb and I was happy to see altitude difference increase until the other traffic was not a factor. I suspect it was behind me as well as below me so there is no way I would have been able to see it. I never did see it until eventually it disappeared from PCAS display.

Ignorance, they say, is bliss.. but unreliable bliss at best. Knowledge is power and confidence. Often I was able to detect other aircraft inbound to the same airport even before they spoke on the radio. Once a jet reported inbound from the same sector, roughly the same distance from the airport but did not state its altitude. That was after I saw rapidly decreasing distance readout on PCAS. Ordinarily you would just talk on the radio and hope the guy was higher/lower or will see you first. The jet was moving fast and I would have been worried but PCAS showed that it was more than 600 feet above me even though it was closing rapidly laterally. I am sure he probably had TCAS, but I was glad to see him, too. I was straining the ole' eyeballs looking for him but did not find him until he was no longer a factor. Had he been a factor, I would never have known without the PCAS.

Overall, I am impressed. You can spend $1500 or more for the PCAS big brother, the XRX, and that will give you the bearing info.. but for $500, MRX is pretty much unbeatable. Even with its limitations, it is like having an extra pair of eyes helping you out.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Great Product
by Michael from Corona CA USA 
Pros: Does not need to be plugged into cigarette lighter
Cons: Doesn't give bearing of other aircraft
Review: Like having an extra set of eyes in the plane.

Zaon redesigned the case a few months back to make it more sturdy and user-friendly and we basically have heard nothing but good things about it since then.