L-3 Aviation is planning to give away 36 of its ADS-B-compliant NGT-2000 units this week during EAA AirVenture 2016 as the avionics manufacturer unveils a new program to increase the experimental community’s access to its Lynx line of ADS-B products.

The company typically has required that the sale of L-3 products include installation rather than purchase of only the unit on an over-the-counter basis. But the company, which announced plans for its Lynx MultiLink Surveillance System ADS-B transceivers during the 2014 EAA AirVenture, said it will make Lynx systems available directly through the company or through authorized dealers. This decision, the company said, was made “considering the urgency of the FAA ADS-B equipage mandate and the desire of experimental aircraft owners to take advantage of the benefits of ADS-B equipage.”

The “LynxDirect” systems will include all required documentation and software for experimental aircraft owners to install the systems on their aircraft. The owners can also use installation systems of authorized dealers. To support this new pathway to market, L-3 said it is enhancing its field service engineering group to provide installation assistance either in person, through community forums or online. L-3 plans to roll out the new program by the end of the year.

The Lynx line includes the NGT-1000, -2000 and -2500 remote-mounted units that operate on the 978 MHz Universal Access Transceiver frequency to meet the 2020 ADS-B OUT mandate for aircraft that fly below 18,000 feet. L-3 further offers a Lynx NGT-9000 ADS-B OUT/IN transceiver with built-in touchscreen display.

To be given away during Oshkosh, the NGT-2000 also can provide ADS-B IN with the capability to display traffic and weather information on portable devices, such as the Apple iPad, via the 978 MHz frequency and Wi-Fi.

L-3 is holding drawings daily on the hour between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to give away the remote-mounted NTG-2000s. Entries must be submitted at the L-3 booth (Hangar C 3109-3114).