Altivario Fairhaven Micro Alti 2

To start using the Micro Alti, turn it on by pressing the middle button for about a second. To turn off, go to OFF on the middle button and press it for a second, or simply hold down the middle button in any mode, and it will turn off.

Press any button to scroll through the rest of the menu, and use EXIT to exit sub-menus.

The separate quick guide sheet provides an overview of the menus.

Charge the Micro Alti via the USB port if the battery starts to weaken.

The clock and timers are on the left button, altimeter and barometer references are on the right, and various other functions are on the middle button.

After displaying a function, such as temperature or altimeter type, that function will appear first when you return to the button.

After checking the time, the menu will automatically return to the previous function without having to press it again, and after selecting the averager, it will return to the current altimeter after a few seconds. If you press one of these functions a second time, it will stay on that function, then the vario will display above the time and the altitude below the averager.

The middle button provides access to 3 sub-menus when SUB is displayed:

The left sub-menu displays maximum readings for altitude, humidity, etc.

The right sub-menu allows you to adjust usual user settings.

The middle sub-menu is accessible by long-pressing SUB and provides access to less frequently used settings, tests, serial number, etc. Remember to use EXIT to exit any of the sub-menus.

The Micro Alti comes in DEMO mode to allow you to see how it reacts, but it may be too sensitive for general flight, so we recommend selecting DEFS (default flight values) in the middle SUB menu and pressing the right button to make the change. You can also customize your settings in the right sub-menu.

Three types of altimeters and barometers are accessible with the ALTI button. A quick press displays the name of the altimeter or barometer before showing the reading, an additional press while the name is displayed allows you to move to the next one.

QNE indicates altitude relative to the standard pressure of 1013.25 mB. This is equivalent to the pressure at the average sea level defined by the International Standard Atmosphere.

QNH can be set to the height of the hill or airfield, or to a pressure reference. After selecting QNH, hold down the ALTI button to access the height setting mode (H), then use the left and right buttons followed by SET to record the displayed height or switch to the pressure setting mode (P). This is adjusted in the same way and is usually set to the pressure given by the local airfield.

ALTI 1, 2, and 3 can be zeroed with a long press and can be used as a takeoff reference. ALTI 1 measures altitude in 10 cm (or 4 inches) increments returning to steps of 100 cm above 1999.9

The next option on the ALTI button is BARO. This will display your local barometric pressure, which will usually be different from the barometric pressure in weather reports that are referenced to sea level. Increasing altitude will result in a pressure decrease of about 1 mB per 30 feet above sea level, decreasing at higher altitudes.

This is followed by PRESSURE CHANGE which records how the local atmospheric pressure changes over time and can give an indication of a potential trend over time, for example, when a low-pressure system is approaching. Wait about an hour for the trend indicator to record any changes or leave it on overnight before flying.

In PRESSURE CHANGE mode, the segmented scale indicates increments of a quarter millibar. The current pressure is indicated by a flashing segment while the other segments will have recorded previous pressure changes. This can be reset to the current pressure by long-pressing the ALTI button. This function will be affected if you fly or change altitude and is provided for reference only if you decide to fly.

The TIMER button provides access to the clock, alarm, and stopwatch.

A first press of the TIMER button displays the current time and automatically returns to the previous mode (current altimeter, temperature, etc.) without further key presses. Press again to keep the clock displayed with the vario.

Clock setting: A long press on the TIMER button allows you to set the clock. The first hours will flash and can be adjusted with the left and right buttons, use the SET button to set the hours and then set the minutes in the same way.

A third press gives the ALARM timer which can be used to set a reminder or hourly events. If you use your Micro Alti with a paramotor helmet, the alarm timer can be used as a warning when your fuel tank is likely to be low or half full, provided you first familiarize yourself with your fuel consumption. The alarm timer will memorize the setting permanently, so the same duration can be reused.

Alarm setting: A long press on the TIMER button allows you to set the hours using the left and right buttons followed by the SET button. The minutes can then be set in the same way. Press the SET button again to start the countdown, and ALARM ON will be displayed before returning to the altimeter.

When the alarm sounds, press the middle button to deactivate it. You can cancel the alarm at any time by returning to ALARM and holding down the left button, this will be confirmed by ALARM OFF. Turning off the Micro Alti will also cancel the alarm.

The last option on the TIMER button is the stopwatch.

The AUTOMATIC START OF THE STOPWATCH (flight timer) can be launched by long-pressing the left button, and READY will be displayed. The stopwatch will then start as soon as the altitude changes by +/- 30 feet or 10 meters.

The stopwatch can also be started, paused, and restarted with other button presses and can be reset with a long press on the TIMER button. Press any other button to exit.

The first item on the middle button is the average. It is a useful tool for finding your overall climb rate when flight conditions create short bursts of lift and sink.

The averager is selected on the middle button with the averaging time, e.g., AV 20 (average over 20 seconds). It will return to the current altimeter after a few seconds, but a new press will leave it in averager mode with altimeter reading. The averager is displayed as a black band of petals, and the normal vario rate is also displayed as a single blinking petal in this mode. Audio tones will still respond quickly to climb or sink. The averager can be adjusted to smooth out climb and sink variations over a period of 1 to 60 seconds and can be set by long-pressing the middle button or in the right settings menu, which is explained further in the manual.

Next is the vario (indicated by a V) and has a digital readout of 0.1 meters per second in this mode and a resolution of up to 10 mm per second on the petal display. The sensitivity of the petal display can be adjusted by a long press or in the right settings menu.

Battery indicates the actual battery voltage. The top segments of the screen will only show during charging, after which a full charge is indicated with about 80% of segments displayed, around 4 volts. 'Batt' will blink whenever the battery voltage drops to the '2' level on the battery display.

To avoid damaging the battery, recharge it if it becomes depleted. The clock has a separate backup battery and recharges with the main battery.

The G-meter is the next option on the SET menu, showing the force of gravitational or centrifugal force acting on the pilot and normally indicates about 1G at rest, displayed as G 1_00

A higher 'G' can be encountered during a turn or dive, and the G-meter will indicate it with 2 decimals, for example: G 2_15 (meaning just over two times Earth's gravitational force).

The maximum G force encountered during your flight can be seen in the left submenu. This will be permanently stored and only updated if a higher G force is recorded. This reading can be reset by long-pressing the button.

This is followed by the temperature in degrees Celsius, which equates to the local air temperature if the vario is not heated by sunlight or body temperature, etc. A long press will give the temperature in Fahrenheit.

Next is the % humidity and can be a useful indication of saturation when approaching cloud formations.

The last item on the menu is FM radio. This option is included because many people use devices to listen to music while flying, and the Micro Alti is a convenient choice as the vario tones are incorporated with the radio. Although we do not encourage activities that might distract from the task of flying, listening to music is generally allowed if done with the required caution and does not divert your attention; for example, on cross-country flights and away from obstacles or groups of other paragliders. You may consider using a single "over-ear" headphone so you can still listen to other aircraft. While on the ground, you might want to check weather forecasts, follow sports, or pass the time while waiting for the ideal flying opportunity!

Plug an earphone or headset into the jack on the top of the Micro Alti.

The radio turns on with a long press on the FM RADIO option. The left and right buttons change radio stations stored in memories 0-9. (Several frequencies are already saved for testing, so it should find a station immediately). Another press on the middle button gives volume control, which is operated with the left and right buttons, followed by MONO/STEREO control, then EXIT and OFF. (EXIT will leave the radio on after pressing the left and right buttons, OFF will exit with the radio off).

Storing stations: a long press on the middle button in memory mode will initiate scanning, and the radio will stop when it finds a station. You can press again to continue scanning or use the left and right buttons to choose a memory number, then press the SET button to save the station. A long press on the left or right allows you to exit scanning mode without storing a station. Vario tones are also sent to the headphone jack, and the radio volume should be adjusted to provide appropriate audio sound.

Note: If FM is indicated on the screen, the radio will turn on and consume power!

Press the middle button to access SUB-MENUS, then use the left and right buttons to access the two main sub-menus. Continue through the menus with the middle button. The middle sub-menu is explained further in the manual.

Left sub-menu

The left sub-menu displays maximum and minimum readings relative to your flight. All readings are stored permanently and can be individually reset by long-pressing the key. Vario and G-meter readings are visually represented on the display petals starting from the left. 1 - indicates that a vario reading has exceeded the maximum of 19.

Maximum lift is followed by maximum altitude, then maximum descent, followed by minimum altitude. High and low readings are usually indicated by H and L. This is followed by maximum and minimum temperature, then maximum % humidity and maximum G force.

EXIT followed by the left or right buttons returns to the clock or altimeter display.

Right sub-menu

PIZO - Allows the piezo beep to be turned off when not needed by selecting "n", selecting "Y" will reactivate the vario tones. Select "A" to allow tones to automatically activate if barometric pressure changes by more than 1 mB. This silences the vario until you start flying.

AVERAGE SETTING - Allows setting the display average between 1 and 60 seconds.

SENSITIVITY - Adjusts the sensitivity of the vario scale. On the secondary scale, petals reduce from the center of the display as the climb/descent rate increases.

Setting - Petal sensitivity - Full scale - Secondary scale

VOLUME - Adjusts the volume of the beep in 20 steps. Use the left and right buttons to set the level according to your needs. This does not affect the volume of the headset. Lower volume levels will result in slightly longer battery life.

Seuil UP (UP th) - This sets the rate of climb at which the vario starts beeping. The threshold can be adjusted with the left and right buttons to avoid excessive triggering.

Seuil DOWN (DN th) - A continuous tone indicates that the glider is descending. You may want to adjust the low threshold so that it responds only when you are descending rapidly, as a warning that you are in rapidly descending air.

WEAK LIFT Finder - The "Weak Lift" or "Thermal Finder" is used to indicate rising air even when the glider itself is not climbing! This would typically be set to the glider's sink rate, then if rising air reduces the sink rate above this point, the Weak Lift Finder will start chirping and accelerate as you approach level flight. The default threshold is set to 1100 mm/second, which is typical for modern paragliders. The left and right buttons adjust the threshold, and Weak Lift Finder tones can be turned off if set to zero or "n" in the middle submenu.

AMORTISSEMENT VARIO - This controls how quickly the audio and visual indications of the vario respond to changes in altitude. A short response will make the vario react quickly, but it may respond too easily to small changes, such as when the wind affects the vario. You may prefer a slower response that averages small, rapid changes. Once you are flying, the Micro Alti will tend to be quiet until lift is detected.

RYTHME des tonalités - This sets the scale of the vario tones. So, if you generally look for small amounts of lift, such as when soaring, a high setting will make the vario more responsive to small altitude changes. If, on the other hand, you are used to flying at higher climb rates, such as in thermals, a lower setting will be more useful as the audio tones will vary more gradually over a wider range.

Unit - Allows you to select metric or imperial units.

1. Metric altimeter and vario in meters per second.
2. Altitude in feet and vario in feet (x100) per minute.
3. Altitude in feet and vario in meters per second.

G-METER AUDIO - Selecting this option (with a right button press) provides a range of tones (similar to vario) to indicate G-force, providing audible feedback during aerobatics and training. Selecting VARIO AUDIO restores the normal vario tone system.

EXIT - Use the left or right buttons to exit.

Central Sub-menu

The middle sub-menu is accessible by long-pressing SUB and provides access to less commonly used settings, tests, serial number, etc. Briefly press the options below, use the left and right buttons to modify settings.

DEMO - Sets the Micro Alti to be very responsive to demonstrate its operation. Lifting tone = 30 mm/second, lifting search threshold = 1.1 m/s, falling threshold = 800 mm/s.

DEFS - Loads typical default flight values: lifting tone = 100 mm/second, lifting search threshold = 1.1 m/s, falling threshold = 2 m/s.

SHUTDOWN TIMER - Automatically turns off the Micro Alti when there is no activity to save battery. The timer can be set from 1 minute to 6 hours. If you press a button or if the pressure changes more than 1mB, the timer will reset, and the Micro Alti will stay awake.

When the Micro Alti is about to shut down, it emits a beep and displays "SHUTTING DOWN" on the screen.

The countdown can be disabled if set to OFF. It will also be disabled in PRESSURE CHANGE mode, so that pressure trend can be monitored over a long period.

WEAK LIFT Finder - Enables or disables the weak lift detector.

LED ON - Turns the blue Lift LED on or off. (Off extends battery life).

USB ON/OFF - Enables the USB port for communication with other devices.

DATA FORMAT - Select NMEA or hexadecimal USB data formats with the right or left buttons.

G-th - Provides a threshold to prevent the G-meter from randomly triggering the tone system.

CHG.H / CHG.L - Switches from high to low battery charge to extend battery life.

EXIT - Use the left or right buttons to exit, or exit further into the menu.

PIZO CHECK - Beeps to check the piezo beep.

LCD CHECK - Turns on all segments.

LCD. CONTRAST - Modifies the LCD screen contrast.

EXTENSION BLEEPER - Modifies the headphone jack output to drive an extension piezo beep.

G CAL - Provides calibration of the G-meter that may need to be configured initially or if the G-meter does not indicate about 1G at rest. To do this, press and hold the SET button, and "Flat" will appear on the screen. Place the Micro Alti on a flat and fixed surface and press the left button. The G-Meter will then calibrate itself and be ready for use. If you press the right button, the factory default settings will be restored.

CLOCK ADJUST - Allows adjustment if the clock is running fast or slow.

QNE ADJUST - Allows adjusting the QNE reading to compensate for small changes as the altimeter pressure sensor ages. We do not recommend this without having a precision reference for comparison.

BARO ADJUST - Allows adjusting the barometric pressure reading to a known reference, taking into account your height above sea level. Note that both QNE and barometric pressure will change when adjusted. QNE will always be zero when barometric pressure is equal to 1013.25 mB.

FW VERSION - Displays the firmware version. Fairhaven will occasionally provide updates to improve Micro Alti's features and operation.

SN (SERIAL NUMBER) - Displays the unique serial number of the Micro Alti 2. (You may want to take note of this).

ERROR CODE - Displays the last error recorded by the processor for debugging. Usually 2083 (power off).

DEBUG MODE - Sends live data variables to the USB port that can be viewed with a terminal program for fault analysis.

EXIT - Use the left or right buttons to exit.

In addition to having an internal audio beeper or "beep," the Micro Alti's headphone jack can connect to an external piezo beep that can be worn under the helmet or inside a headset. This is particularly useful for paramotor pilots who use thermals to extend their flights. For open-ear headsets, the additional piezo beep can still be heard when mounted near the ear, in the helmet padding. Any type of stereo headphones can also be used, or the Micro Alti can be connected to an intercom for tandem or glider flying, to the auxiliary input of your paramotor helmet, or with an earpiece if you have a hearing impairment. You can configure the Micro Alti to adapt to a helmet or a piezo beep in the middle submenu. The volume of vario tones in the headset is independent of the internal beep volume settings, which can be disabled if not needed. Note: When using an extension piezo beep, use a stereo jack and leave the ring of the jack unconnected. (Fairhaven can provide this part).

The lift tone is a "beep-beep" that increases in frequency and pitch as the climb rate increases.

The thermal search tone is a short chirp whose frequency increases above the glider's sink rate, and the sink tone is a continuous tone that starts high and decreases in frequency, indicating sinking air. Use the right submenu to customize the tonal response of the vario.

The Micro Alti can be mounted on your wrist, coat sleeve, or risers, or it can be mounted on a glider panel, etc., on most surfaces and can be sewn onto clothing. Additionally, we provide a strap that should be threaded through the strap retention device on the back of the Micro Alti and slid around your wrist or riser for added security. Make sure it will not tangle with the lines or controls of the paraglider. The retention strap on the back of the Micro Alti can be attached horizontally or vertically or removed if the Micro Alti is mounted on a flat surface. Be careful when replacing the 4 screws. Engage the threads by turning the screws slightly counterclockwise before tightening. Do not overtighten.

The battery is a rechargeable 100 mA lithium-polymer type that is automatically charged when the Micro Alti is plugged into any 5-volt USB power source, such as a computer, phone charger, satellite navigation cable, or solar charger, and we have included a charger that plugs into your car's cigarette lighter. Charging is indicated by a red LED, and about an hour of charge can provide over 60 hours of autonomy (depending on usage). If the FM radio is used, the battery life will be approximately 8 hours. The charger will turn off, and the light will go out when it is fully charged, and even a short charge is sufficient for most flights! If necessary, we can provide new batteries that can be installed by the user.

Note: This product is designed as a visual flight aid according to visual flight rules. It is not guaranteed for use in obstacle or aircraft avoidance. Specifications may change from time to time, and any claims in this manual relate to the device at the time of manufacture and similar type devices.