Date: 201706
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: BKL.Airport, OH
Flight conditions: VMC
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Small Aircraft; Low Wing; 1 Eng; Retractable Gear
Operator: Personal
Operating under: Part 91
Flight plan: None
Mission: Personal
Flight phase: Initial Climb
Airspace: Class D BKL
ATC / advisory: Tower BKL
Aircraft component: Safety Instrumentation & Information
Component problem: Design
Reporter organization: Personal
Reporter function: Single Pilot
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Private
Human factors: Other / Unknown
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Aircraft Automation Overrode Flight Crew; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Contributing factors: Aircraft; Human Factors
Primary problem: Aircraft

Narrative: Controller/Clearance/ADS-B oddity. Being reported to hopefully improve awareness of unusual ADS-B related situations as this new technology is being deployed. VFR clearance out of BKL. While on the ground I asked for a squawk code for VFR Flight Following with CLE upon departure. I did this both because of the close proximity of CLE airspace and the active TFR in downtown Cleveland. Also; being familiar with the area; getting a squawk on the ground is far easier than negotiating with CLE Approach at low altitude under their approach corridor. BKL ground provided me with a squawk code but unusually told me to 'squawk standby until handoff to departure.' In 25 years of flying (including many departures from BKL) I had never been issued this instruction.I complied; entered the squawk code; set standby on my Garmin GTX 327 transponder; was cleared to takeoff and did so. Soon after takeoff BKL Tower passed me to departure and scolded me for *not* squawking standby. The controller said sternly: 'for future reference; when told to squawk standby please do so. When you appeared on radar you caused me to have to make some calls' or something to that effect. Not wanting to argue; I informed the BKL Tower controller that I was in fact squawking standby as requested and I wondered if it had something to do with my ADS-B Out installation (GDL-88) which may be passing my position/squawk even though the GTX 327 was set to standby. I contacted CLE departure and all was well from then on. No issues of any sort.On landing; I phoned CLE voluntarily (I was not asked to call) and asked them about the situation - specifically what problem BKL was trying to solve with the unusual 'squawk standby' request and whether my ADS-B Out may have been a factor. To my surprise; the gentleman on the phone was present during my departure and he said he and the female controller at CLE were also confused as to why BKL Tower would have issued that instruction. They confirmed that there was no problem; no concern; and that the request from BKL Tower to 'squawk standby' was unusual in their eyes. He agreed with my assessment that I wanted to be 'fully squawked up' (his amusing term) due to the TFR. He confirmed there was no concern on the CLE side.I strongly suspect that 'squawking standby' doesn't work in the ADS-B world the way an 'old-school' Controller may be familiar with. If it has any effect at all; suppressing ADS-B outputs seem to in general be contrary to the regulations so creating the 'squawk standby' behavior may not only be impossible but contrary to the regulations.




Synopsis: GA pilot reported being asked to squawk standby by BKL Tower until switched over to Departure and did so. Once airborne he was informed that he was not in standby. The reporter suspected that his new ADS-B out installation may have been a factor.