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Messages - FERRYAIR

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1
General Discussion / Re: Ground Station
« on: June 19, 2016, 05:47:48 pm »
I think I would be concerned if I saw ICAO24-address 1E641D as this is from the Russian Federation [ RU ]
1E641D hex = 1991709 decimal = 7462035 octal = 00011110 01100100 00011101 binary.

2
FERRYAIR, would the builder of your unit be willing to assist you with the upgrade or set up of a new unit? If not there may be someone else close to you.
Ian,
Thank you for your message...... I haven't asked the builder of my unit if he would be willing to assist me with the upgrade or to set up a new unit for me.
I am up in Scotland where PAW hasn't really taken off ( excuse the pun ) so it is probably not worthwhile to update my current unit until the R&D has been fully tested & the Scottish Aviation fraternity is onboard with the PAW units.

Looks like I will have to put the unit back into hibernation soon.

3
Thank you Paul for answering my message so succinctly ( it is much appreciated ).
In current format I am using the GPS in my Samsung Tab in conjunction with the Pilotaware Android app,I have the Skydemon running from the Samsung Tab GPS also.
If the P3i doesn't give coverage for the Airliners to know where I am, it then seems pointless for me to have a PAW unit running when I have Mode 'S' or Mode 'C' running at the same time..... The Airliners are seeing my Transponder signature, unless I am mistaken I am seeing the Airliners on my current PAW unit so I am aware of their relative position to me, though it isn't usually an issue as they are above my cruising levels.
Now the question I have to ask myself is: " Do I want to invest £101.99 in buying a New Bridge & License for a unit that I am not 100% sure will do anything worthwhile if I won't get voice alerts (if I have a suitable input and cable for this) and I won't get non-ADS-B Mode S alerts. If in the future there may be Mode C alerts but they're not there yet is exactly what I mean by the future updates.
or:
Do I want to invest £191.99 in what is currently described as a FULL UNIT ( that I presume does Voice alerting & receives non-ADS-B Mode S traffic? ).
At this time I think I will hold off on replacing the unit I have seeing as I have unknowingly missed out on the Incentive Scheme & I don't think it bodes well to be one of the beta testers & then be expected to pay 'top whack' for a new unit.

I am inclined to wait until close to the end of the current license before contemplating replacing the unit, if the ARF in my current unit is good enough for the Airware unit ( Paramotor version ) I am likely to get an Airware unit built up as I quite like the look of their product.

The only concern I really have is that with the Paramotor boys having their version will seemingly only see those on their system, the PAW boys will only be seeing the PAW users & the ADSB/non-ADS-B Mode S alerts, the Glider boys will be only seeing their Flarm users on their systems.
So it actually looks like our skies are fragmented with different users on different systems & not everyone is visible to each other !!

I will keep my unit 'as is' because it really is just a gimmick imho.   

4
Hi FerryAir,

so many questions,

Ok, so I suppose the first question is, who did you buy this unit off ?
There was a beta trial using the ARF board. This was never "the real deal" and in fact in October last year we discovered that the ARF board was not up to the job, and also there were supply problems and repeatability problems.
I am sure the PAW Unit I purchased was a Beta Trial version using the ARF board, it also had a barometric upgrade according to the builder. I acquired it as a Trial unit to see if it was something I could use as a User Friendly unit..... I think it categorically proved it wasn't a User Friendly unit for the Electronically inept.
So an announcement was made to say DO NOT use it whilst we designed and tested something that was up to the job. This also needed CE marking.
I wasn't privy to any announcement by email, I probably read something on the forum because it was around October 2015 that I banished the unit to the darkest corner of my Avionics cupboard thinking this unit is trash.
This was accomplished and tested over the winter.

There are lots of articles to keep everyone up to date on what was going on, posted in the "Latest News" and other threads on this site.
To be honest I had banished the unit to the darkest corner of my Avionics cupboard thinking this unit is trash & doubting that I would bother to bring it back out of the cupboard again..... it was only that I read that a few of the Fly UK guys were planning to use PAW that made me pull the unit out of the darkness & see if it would work?  With regards to " lots of articles to keep everyone up to date on what was going on, posted in the "Latest News" and other threads on this site ". is wasted on me as I have more important things to monitor than something that bamboozles me at the best of times & might as well have been written in swahili for what benefit it would be if I read it.   
The ARF board is not compatible with the PilotAware Bridge.
So am I to understand that the Beta testing unit I have is about as useful as an Ashtray on a motorbike now? I can see Airline traffic on it but I am guessing my PAW unit doesn't show up on their monitor? # Just as well I have MODE 'C' or MODE 'S' in the aircraft I fly  :P  # 
We announced when the PilotAware became properly available that the early adopters (those who bought ARF units before Oct 15th) should not be out of pocket, and so we offered to discount these against the fully tested and legal units or bridge.

This was publicised as "The great ARF replacement program". You could send your ARF back and have a discount against a proper unit. This closed on the 6th of June. We replaced hundreds of ARF's with Bridges at a discount price.
This again was probably an announcement that I didn't receive by email & certainly wouldn't have paid attention to the forum entries as I didn't look at the forum whilst my unit was in hibernation in the warmth of the avionics cupboard.
I think you need to make it clear who the "trader/builder" was. We don't know of any and there certainly aren't any official ones other than the PilotAwareHardware website. Though I must admit, it is open hardware, so anyone is free to do so, but they should make it clear to you what you purchased, and definitely not sold it to you after the announcement.
The Builder of my unit is firstly not a " Trader " He built 3 units & sold me 1 of the 3 for the cost of the bits & pieces ( he might have added the price of a Cream Cake into what I paid but nowt else.  )
If the closing date for the discount concession was June 6th 2016 I see no benefit in disclosing who built my unit, though it was certainly built before October 15th 2015.
So, where does that leave you ?

You have an ARF type board plugged into a Raspberry Pi b+ presume ?
With the limited knowledge I have I can confirm I have a Beta Testing unit that has a ARF BOARD & a Raspberry Pi & had upgraded barometric capability.
It's up to you where you go from here, there are now hundreds of PilotAware out there.
You can either buy a Bridge, which comes with a license and add it to your old Pi and hardware, but this won't give you the latest functions as you need a Pi2, or you can buy the complete unit, which comes fully tested and licensed, with Bridge, all hardware, and based on a Pi2.
If I buy a bridge, which comes with a license & add it to my old Pi & hardware what are the functions that I won't get?
If I opt to buy a complete unit, which comes fully tested and licensed, with Bridge, all hardware, and based on a Pi2 what is the price to buy ?

Or you could buy a Pi2 yourself and a Bridge and create a full unit yourself.
With me knowing that Electronics is a Black Art I am not even contemplating creating a full unit myself, if folk like yourself couldn't get it right in the Beta Testing stage I have no chance of getting it right at any time of my life. I could ask my Father in Law as he was a Ferranti Electronics Management bod, but even he is electronically inept these days !!!
All details of the official hardware are on the PilotAwareHardware site.

Of course, if that really is all Double Dutch to you, then that is why we created the full unit, fully tested and pre loaded, so that if people aren't electronically minded and they "just want a unit that works" without worrying about what is in it, then just buy the full unit, and it will do so !
I think buying a Full Unit seems to be the way to go..... I guess it just depends whether I can justify spending money on something that I neither understand the gubbins of or whether I have that much faith in being the Final unit...... I am guessing that these units could be akin to mobile phones where the latest model of PAW is currently the 'i-phone' but by the time Fly UK 2017 comes around the latest version would be the 'i-phone 7'   
Hope this helps,
Your Message was interesting to read, however I read it but understood very little as it was of a techie nature.
best regards

Dave.

5
Technical Support / Re: Does the OLD PAW still work?
« on: June 18, 2016, 11:15:09 pm »
You don't say if you have an ARF?

If you have the PAW should still work, though it will have no one to talk to.  :o

If not then it still should work. However in both cases I think your license will have expired.

Time for a software update and buy a Bridge.

I have just had confirmed that my Unit was the original full build with the ARF plus the barometer upgrade.

I am hoping it is visible to others on FLY UK 2016.

6
On the old Download my Position was visible to other PAW users...... so has that all changed with the new updated version?

Does that mean you have the old ARF/bridge unit?

If so, and you got it early enough, you can get a discount on the new one. Someone will be along shortly to explain how, I would expect.

The old one, bought off the shelf, was found to be inadequate so a new one was designed.

Just had confirmation that my unit has, in the words of the builder  : " Yes it was the original full build with the ARF plus the barometer upgrade "

# ARF came out as Argies on spellchecker....... just had an update from Builder saying that Argies was a Mistake !!!! #

7
I think I will fire off an email to the Gentleman who built it ( I purchased it from him as he had built a few of them )

I am guessing it had an ARF / Bridge built in, however for all I know " it might have Maltesers & Fruit Pastilles inside the box "

I will see what response I get from the builder.

8
On the old Download my Position was visible to other PAW users...... so has that all changed with the new updated version?

Why do I feel like a Dozy Yank now?......... I thought I had purchased the proper Bridge when I acquired what I thought would be the REAL DEAL...... Now I find out I purchased London Bridge when I thought I had purchased Tower Bridge.  8)   
( Some might understand that remark, most probably won't )

I saw a unit today that the Paramotor boys use ( Called AIRWARE )    There were a lot of useful stuff shown on the screen that would be handy for the PAW unit visuals.
http://www.air-ware.co.uk/airware-videos.php  These videos show what I mean in the last video  ;D

9
Ok, where to start...?  :)

What you appear to have is a beta test unit. What hardware does it have on it? Does it have

a) A GPS dongle?
b) An old RF unit with an SMA connection?

If the unit had a licence before, a beta licence, it may be possible to extend the licence. However, it's on an old software version, and the licence is now in a new format, so will need the new software. However, the new software also requires the addition of the new hardware, the P3i "bridge" board and antenna.

You can buy a bridge and licence together here:
http://pilotawarehardware.com/product/pilotawarebridge/

I believe you'd still need to buy the antenna and you'd have to open up the unit to fit the bridge and drill a hole in the case for the SMA (antenna) connector.

The current number that's entered in the licence field is the MAC address, or the address which identifies the Raspberry Pi in order to connect to your network and also the address used to obtain the licence to ensure the licence matches the unit. It isn't a licence number.

Looking back through your posts, it seems you had a beta licence at some point but I guess this has expired. If you can find the code in your e-mails, you can try re-entering it to see if it has any time left on it. But you're going to want to have one of those bridges to send your position to and receive your position from other PAW users. Also the new unit uses the Raspberry Pi 2 which has new features, and may have more again in the future, so it may be worth your while biting the bullet and buying a whole new unit complete with licence.

I downloaded 20160530 onto 3 different SD Cards & with one of them in the PAW unit I managed to get into Screens where I could enter the 16 DIGIT Licence code that Lee sent me via Pilotaware lode..... After not really knowing what I had done, I managed to get the PAW unit connected to PAW Android which then gave me a PAW Position report....... When I finally got my Skydemon connected by FLARM it started to show Traffic in my proximity...... Now I am hoping that I have sorted it all out as I abhor electronics ( electronics are my achilles heel ).
Before getting this sorted I seem to have been on a very old version of PAW but because my PAW was connecting to my PAW Android screen I thought everything was good. Now I am seeing screens that I have not previously seen so something must be good.

I just assume that I am now transmitting my position to other users on PAW or will all ADSB users see me as well?    If my position is not being transmitted to other users then I will need to investigate getting the P3i bridge etc.     

10
Your licence has expired. Not sure but have you put in your MAC address into the licence field rather than a licence number?
Paul, I am guessing you have seen that in the screenprint where the words "Licence Failed"  are shown. I am not following what you mean by " have you put in your MAC address into the licence field rather than a licence number? "

I am not electronics savvy, though I have noticed that it shows 'eth' where my email address should be !!!! Maybe that is where the problem lies as eth was previous builder of my unit.

11
Screenshots of config etc, ANYTHING WRONG ON THESE SHOTS?

12
 :'(
Just reset my PAW unit & I think I have done everything that Lee has mentioned..... I can get the PilotAware screen that shows LAT/LONG/ALT/HEADING/SPEED/TIME showing my B827EBFC42FF
I have put 6000 in the FLARM set up.
When I try to connect to SKYDEMON FLARM it comes up with  FAILED TO ESTABLISH A CONNECTION WITH BUTTERFLY CONNECT UNIT.

Any ideas because I am lost as to what to do next?

13
Technical Support / Does the OLD PAW still work?
« on: June 09, 2016, 12:02:22 pm »
I have an original PAW ( that I have used on 001986611DCF & B827EBFC42FF ) but because of the upgrading you have been doing inhouse I put it into the Avionics cupboard & have just taken it out of the cupboard again...... it seems to be non functioning now?

Is my unit now extinct or should it still work? 

14
General Discussion / Re: When willl the PAW be ready?
« on: April 28, 2016, 05:04:08 pm »
So what does this mean to any of us who have a PAW unit that is PRE this next release of Electronic Magic ?

Will the old version still work?

Interestingly you say " Some of us minions, which includes a few chartered engineers, an airline
pilot or two, an LAA inspector, a flying instructor, a genius and and a
muppet, have been sworn to secrecy regarding the excellent test results
that we all recently saw, despite dodging the poor weather over the past 3
months, at Hinton in the Hedges and Long Marston. "

Who is the Muppet ?        I just placed a bet with William Hill on it being Harry  8)   I hope it is because I have put ' Liberia's deficit' on it  ;D

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