Hi Steve,
The short answer is ‘Yes’, but in practice it depends on the issue and level of access required.
I know you will be aware of most of this, but hopefully this explanation will be of benefit to all PAW users.
Issues such as whether the station is running, has updated to the latest software, and is receiving and rebroadcasting the different types of traffic can be assessed remotely by looking at data via the GRID network (secure access is limited to a small group of Team Members). One of the significant benefits of the GRID, however, is that this type of monitoring can be automated so that issues can be identified early allowing station owners to be contacted and alerted to problems, or a fix to be developed - often before anyone outside the Team is even aware that there was a problem.
Unfortunately this only works where the station is running OGN software version 20191028 or newer and where we have contact details for the ‘owner / maintainer’. Where stations are running older software, their stations will NOT auto update, won’t appear on the GRID and won’t therefore benefit from the relay of data from adjoining stations or rebroadcast of MLAT positions for Mode-S 3D.
All OGN-R Station Owners still running software prior to version 20191028 are therefore encouraged to update to the latest software ASAP (ask for help if you need it)!
If a station is, ‘On the GRID’ and there is, or appears to be, a specific problem, Lee can request the logon password (privately) from the owner to allow access to the individual station(s) via the network for deeper analysis or where necessary, repair.
This process has several benefits:
It allows high level technical intervention (well above my pay grade or ability).
Lee can see directly what is going on, rather than relying on 2nd hand reports, allowing him to identify any issues and apply a fix (or force a reinstall). In the odd case this direct access has been pivotal in identifying a previously undiscovered bug or behaviour.
The ‘owner’ doesn’t need to be present or travel to a potentially distant or remote site.
Lee has used this facility several times to identify and repair complex or ‘hidden’ faults with stations in my group (and others) either to save having to travel to see what was going on, or where the fault was of a specific and highly technical nature.
Best Regards
Peter