Update via USB Memory Stick

[Richard W]

I want to upgrade to 20220101 using a USB memory stick.  The URL https://pilotaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/180529-Software-upgrade-by-Flash-Memorystick..
pdf in the 20200906 manual no longer leads to the instructions. The Knowlege Base does not contain details for update via USB.  Please fix the link, or post the instructions. Also, where can I find the full Operating Instructions PDF for 20220101?

[AlanG]

Hi Richard
Are you aware that there is now an Updater App for iOS & Android, available from the Play/App Store, that greatly simplifies this process.

If there is some other reason why you want to use a memory stick to upgrade your PilotAware, here is a link to the software.

https://pilotaware.lode.co.uk/downloads/PilotAware/PilotAware.pgp 

This will download the software to your PC tablet or phone and you will then need to copy this to your memory stick.  It must be in the root directory of your memory stick  Then,  remove the PAw GPS dongle and replace with your memory stick. (This is just to create space for the memory stick.)  whilst logged into your unit, navigate to the "Updates" tab along the top then Tap, "check for updates."
When the version number appears, tap, "Install" and wait, do not switch off.  It may take up to 20 minutes and your unit will reboot once the update is finished.  Once the unit reboots you can safely swap the memory stick back to the GPS dongle.
You will need to  log in to the unit again to check that the update was successful as your device will have dropped the wifi during the reboot.  Don't forget that if you are anywhere there is an alternative wifi source you will have to re-select the Paw wifi on your device.

I hope my memory is serving me well as it's a while since I did it this way, it's so much easier with the Updater App.

Regards
Alan

[Richard W]

Thanks, I will give that a go.

I can't use the updater app because it won't run on anything pre iOS 15.

Might it be possible to include the update via USB instructions directly in the 20220101 Operating Instructions, please?

Thank you for your help.

[exfirepro]

Hi Richard,

Re the latest user instructions, they are (as you hopefully now know) presented on the Knowledgebase under the ‘Learn’ heading on https://PilotAware.com as a sequence of separate documents, rather than a single ‘pdf’, which hopefully makes them much less wieldy and easier to search (and update). I must admit this caught me out the first time I went looking for them as I was expecting a link to a single pdf as before and just saw the 20220101 Software Release link and assumed (incorrectly) that the full instructions hadn’t been published yet (the rest of the links were ‘off-screen’ below).

I presume the lack of instructions for ‘update by USB’ is simply an oversight from the new setup, rather than a deliberate omission - as the current .pgp ‘update’ file is available on the pilotaware.lode download site (as linked to by AlanG), though I suspect much less often used since the introduction of the Updater Apps. Point taken about the Apps not working on older devices, but unfortunately out of our control - Apple and Google simply won’t let developers introduce new Apps for older devices. I got caught by this myself and had to update my (Android) phone and iPad to newer models to allow me to use newer Apps including the PilotAware ones

There is of course also an issue where .pgp updates aren’t always appropriate - e.g. where major changes to the core software have taken place, such as from pre-2018 to 20180520 and from there to 20190621, where in both cases a full install of the newer software was required.

Best Regards
Peter R

[Richard W]

Alan, thank you for explaining that the documentation is now only available online, and that no downloadable version will be forthcoming.  Let us hope that the Update via USB option will be documented there, under Manual Update, but distinguishing between that and the full install.

Best Regards,
Richard W