“That it costs a lot to the average private pilot doesn't change the fact that it's a drop in the bucket compared to a real TCAS. the Xaon PCAS is a gimmick which has some limited use, but may serve more to misdirect and put heads down in the cockpit than it does to actually locate traffic. “
To try to bring so balance to this;
PCAS stands for Portable Collision Avoidance System. There are a number on the market from a number of manufacturers.
The Xaon units are designed for VFR use. Used correctly you do not put your head down in the cockpit. In this case, at night and under pressure the unit was way out of its design parameters and was probably a liability.
In the real world of VFR flight I find a correctly set up and installed unit to be a considerable assist to VFR lookout, which is all it is designed to be. The owner of flyer magazine has the same unit as you and has found it very good indeed, performing beter than the manufacturer say it should.
Rod1
(I spend a lot of time trying to raise the profile of collision avoidance as it costs about 5 lives a year in the UK, but I have no financial interest in any way)