Hi Joe;

I purchase the VRX unit a few months ago, and am very happy with it.  I fly in the Los Angeles area, and it gets very crowded at times.  I initially had to move the unit around on the glare shield of my Cessna 150 because it wasn't picking up my transponder replys properly, but it seems to be working well now.  I wired it through my intercom so I get the audio alerts as well, which is a feature I really like as I am not yet in the habit of including it in my scan.

One problem I have not worked out is when I am taxiing for takeoff, I will set it to Auto mode, but I will still get alerts from other aircraft on the ground when I am close to them in the runup area.  In that case I will turn off the unit and turn it back on when airborne.

So far the VRX has always given me alerts when aircraft are nearby, but I occasionally get alerts for aircraft I never see, and I don't know if it my 51 year old eyes, or a spurrious signal.  Also, if you have the range set to 5nm, you will see a lot of traffic on the display you will never see with your eyes.  I usually only fly at that setting at night or over the desert, and set it to 3nm when in the LA basin.

All in all, I am happy with the unit.  It does give me peace of mind, but I try to stay vigilant with my visual scan.  My biggest problem is battery life.  It will go through a set of alkaline batteries in 4-5 hours.  I am trying to get my cigar lighter hooked up so I can power it that way.  I am also considering spending a few hundred more dollars for a panel installation with an external antenna.  Hope this information helps.

Jon

It would sure be nice if it could give direction of traffic, but that would probably cost another $20K (that's how much I paid for my plane).  My experience with the unit is that it is helpful, but I won't rely on it to keep from colliding with someone else.  To me the traffic alerts are a reminder to look out the window.  I also use flight following a lot in the LA basin, when So Cal Approach is willing to provide it, as they will give direction and distance.  It is also a check of how well the unit is working.

My best experience with the unit is in the practice area over Lake Matthews, which gets very busy with student activity on the weekends.  It seems to be pretty accurate at reporting who is near me at both distance and altitude.  Almost all of my near misses, since 1978, have been in this area, so like I said earlier, it does give me an added measure of confidence when flying in congested airspace so I feel the $800 was well spent.