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Messages - Uptimist

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1
General Discussion / Re: METARS download facility
« on: October 02, 2020, 06:28:38 pm »
@kurt37 sorry I don’t have a pic, and looks like Peter has some good tips on positioning.  That said, what worked for me yesterday (c182) was mounted on a sucker mount on the piece of windscreen which wraps around from the front to meet the front pillar of the p2 door. So it’s just between the coaming and the door pillar.  I mounted the whole unit vertically with aerials vertical too, so it’s tucked out of the way with battery in Map pocket,  but note  Peter suggests having the box itself horizontal for best GPS reception. I didn’t have GPS issues. My previous setup was sucker mount on he almost horizontal back window, which worked well for GPS and traffic but not for ground stations.

2
General Discussion / Re: METARS download facility
« on: October 01, 2020, 06:05:38 pm »
Thanks Peter. I flew again today and put the PAW unit stuck on the forward part of P2 side window near the cowling (C182), and it worked well, so I guess it’s really a question, as you suspected, of antenna positioning. Finding a good spot which has good view of sky (for GPS), ground (for ATOM) and around you (for traffic!) isn’t easy. That spot seems to work ok.
Cheers

3
General Discussion / Re: METARS download facility
« on: October 01, 2020, 11:05:41 am »
Morning Uptimist,

I got the same results as Lee when I checked the PilotAware database last night (not surprisingly as it’s the same database), but my Pad gave out before I managed to post my findings. As Lee says, there are multiple PAW / ADSB reports for 402BB7 from 20200928 from 45 different ATOM Ground Stations at ranges between 10 and 95 Km, though not necessarily from both modes at all 45 sites (which is normal), but nothing whatever from F24A86 (which I presume to be a default ‘PAW Hex ID). This would therefore imply that for some reason either the F24A86 unit wasn’t transmitting - or you have given us the wrong Hex ID.

Checking the database again this morning, the reports for yesterday (20200930) for 402BB7 have now appeared from 11 different ATOM Ground Stations (this reporting delay is normal). Yesterday’s reports are however ALL PilotAware ONLY, which implies that the aircraft wasn’t transmitting ADSB-Out during yesterday’s flight.

As Lee has indicated, you should certainly have been able to see METAR reports on either the METAR or PAW RADAR screens via the 192.168.1.1 link for at least the majority of both flights (even allowing for a degree of dissimilarity between broadcast and receive range). This does make me wonder if you were looking for them in the right place or were expecting to see them appear on your (SkyDemon or other) Nav Screen? (No offense intended)

Best Regards

Peter
p.s. to avoid adding to the confusion, the PAW Public Release software version Lee refers to above should read 20200906 (not 20200916).

Thanks Lee and Peter for looking at this.  The hex 402BB7 is my normal aircraft which I'm in 99% of the time.  Yesterday I was PAX in someone else's aircraft which gave me the chance to play with PAW properly without having to focus on flying!  I started off with the 402BB7 hex (but obviously no ADSB out), but then tried to change to the temporary one I was in and may have looked up/keyed the hex in incorrectly. I upgraded to the latest firmware version a few days ago, using the IOS updater, and confirmed upgrade successful.

Either way, I have not been able to see the Metars any time I've checked (which is only occasionally when I'm flying and frequently yesterday).  I am looking at the PAW internal web page (192.168.1.1) on the Radar page to see whether ground stations showing, and Metar tab for those.  The flight on 0928 was before the ugprade - I was on a Beta version from May which did have a Metar tab. I did the upgrade after that flight, so yesterday was on the new version.  I've not yet seen any Metars show up (either on Metar or Radar page), and most of the time I get no ground station showing.  For a few seconds occasionally yesterday I could see "ATOM 1" on the Radar page, but most of the time it was blank, which feels to me like my unit is just not picking them up for some reason, or I've been unlucky at the times I've checked.

I will fly again today if weather permits, so will have another crack, and see how that goes.  Is the data recorded in the PAW track log? I.e. could I, on the ground, see when/where any ground stations were picked up after the fact?  Is the ground station at Redhill operating? Is so, perhaps I could test on the ground there, as it's close by. Thanks for your help.

4
General Discussion / Re: METARS download facility
« on: September 30, 2020, 06:02:08 pm »
Hi Uptimist,

You can load your track into here
https://aircrew.co.uk/playback/

Antenna placement is critical to good performance.
Internal are good, but if shrouded by Metal and Water - this has an impact
External are best.
ye cannae change the laws of physics

Hi Lee - Hex code is 402BB7.

Understood on placement - but struggling to think how to place for good ground reception in cabin of a metal 182!  External antenna not currently an option. But if I did have external, wouldn't it need to be sky-facing for GPS reception? Just wondering how you can get adequate GPS and ground reception at the same time.  Sounds like others have done OK though, so there must be a way.

Also PM your ICAO code to me and I can interrogate our database
thx
Lee

Sorry, slightly bogged up that quote! 

I was also using hex code F24A86 today on return from Cambridge to Biggin.

5
General Discussion / Re: METARS download facility
« on: September 30, 2020, 05:43:58 pm »
Thanks for that. Slightly struggling to interpret the coverage map, but if I'm reading it correctly, there are active stations within at most about 20k from a route between Biggin and Cambridge, so slightly puzzled as to why I never got any reception.

6
General Discussion / Re: METARS download facility
« on: September 30, 2020, 02:53:47 pm »
I haven’t had much joy so far with Metars. First try was when in the vicinity of Reading On Monday, no ground stations being picked up. Second was today, from Biggin to Cambridge return via London City overhead. First trip was with PAW mounted where I normally have it under back window of 182 in luggage bay. Second was on side window of PA31 over the wing a bit.  How sensitive is positioning to ground station reception? Problem might be what’s good for GPS is bad for ground and vice versa.

Could someone remind me of a good link to show ground station network map/status? Thanks.

7
Ok thanks Lee.  I’ll try a different battery next time I’m up and will report back. At least I know what to look for now.  It’s frustrating to be having the problem when I am using all the recommended bits.

8
So I did a highly scientific field test to see if moving cable and unit around would reveal anything.  Results were puzzling.

The first time I powered up, the home page showed Voltage warning and Throttle from the get-go.  I moved cable around, shook unit, sat it in the sun etc.  Nothing changed.

So I unplugged the battery, left it for a minute, then powered up again.  This time, voltage fine, no throttling, everything OK.  I shook it around, sat it in the sun, flexed the cable all over the place.  Nothing changed, no throttling, no voltage warning.

I left it running for about 90mins, gave it another few shakes during that time and still no change.

I inspected the log afterwards, I don't know how to read it, but the only thing which maybe looked odd was a bunch of these which started showing up in high volume after about an hour.

$PALOG,20200529,113658,DEBUG,MODEC-FILTER-PASS,4073FD,223,SIG,200,MAX,170,FILTER,1730,VDIFF
$PALOG,20200529,113659,DEBUG,MODEC-FILTER-PASS,4073FD,223,SIG,200,MAX,170,FILTER,1730,VDIFF
$PALOG,20200529,113659,DEBUG,MODEC-FILTER-PASS,4073FD,223,SIG,200,MAX,170,FILTER,1729,VDIFF
$PALOG,20200529,113659,DEBUG,MODEC-FILTER-PASS,4073FD,223,SIG,200,MAX,170,FILTER,1729,VDIFF
$PALOG,20200529,113659,DEBUG,MODEC-FILTER-PASS,4073FD,223,SIG,200,MAX,170,FILTER,1729,VDIFF

And a number of these randomly interspersed about 5 mins apart:

$PALOG,20200529,105334,PAWRT,400BC1,TIMEOUT


So I'm not sure what to conclude from that - perhaps a poor/dirty USB connector (cable to battery), or maybe I got unlucky with the battery and it's a faulty one.  I can try a different battery.  Changing the cable is more of a hassle.

The other thing I have observed is that when running SD on the iPad, if you put SD to background (e.g. to check another app), and ipad goes to sleep mode, then you return to SD, the dreaded "Waiting for Device" appears, and it doesn't automatically reconnect.  Is that expected behaviour?

Thanks again.

9

Like this?
$PALOG,20200526,142305,THROTTLE,1,UV,0,FC,1,TH

There are a couple like that every minute in the log.

And a lot of these:

$PALOG,20200526,105117,WIFI,UDP,192.168.1.27:4000,DISCONNECTED
$PALOG,20200526,105117,WIFI,UDP,192.168.1.27:2000,ATTEMPT
$PALOG,20200526,105117,DEBUG,MODEC-FILTER-PASS,7380C8,206,SIG,200,MAX,170,FILTER,16198,VDIFF

Unfortunately I didn't check the home page during flight.  I can fire it up now if that would help, but so far it has always been fine on the ground.

I do have a confession though - while looking for the track logs, I noticed that I had loaded an old aircraft configuration (flown before lockdown) and forgot to switch back to my usual. The old config had connection type set to AUTO not UDP.  So I have loaded the correct config now, but don't know if that is actually relevant.

Thanks

yep thats it - smoking gun  :P
1,UV - means UnderVoltage (true)

Sorry if asked before, USB lead type and battery type ?

Thx
Lee


Thanks Lee and Peter.  Answering both your questions together:

The USB lead type is the Juicy Bitz lead which came with the unit when I purchased it (mid 2018?).  Last summer Keith V kindly soldered the PAW end to the board to try to resolve issues I was having then when I suspected a loose connector. 

The battery is an Anker 20100 unit, fully charge (four blue dots).

The cable (0.5m long maybe?) from the PAW is plugged directly into the Anker 20100 unit.

Based on everything said so far, it seems like the cable has to be the prime suspect.  Perhaps always working OK at home as it's stationary, and intermittent in aircraft because of vibration.  Maybe something to do with heat too - it can get quite warm in the a/c.

I'll try flexing it around at home to see if I can replicate.

If I need to order a new cable, can you recommend a specific one (e.g. Amazon link)?

Many thanks.




10
Understood. Is it obvious (for the uninitiated) where and what to look for, or can I send you the file to inspect?
Thanks
try searching for the keyword THROTTLE
Also canyou report what is seen on the home page ?

Like this?
$PALOG,20200526,142305,THROTTLE,1,UV,0,FC,1,TH

There are a couple like that every minute in the log.

And a lot of these:

$PALOG,20200526,105117,WIFI,UDP,192.168.1.27:4000,DISCONNECTED
$PALOG,20200526,105117,WIFI,UDP,192.168.1.27:2000,ATTEMPT
$PALOG,20200526,105117,DEBUG,MODEC-FILTER-PASS,7380C8,206,SIG,200,MAX,170,FILTER,16198,VDIFF

Unfortunately I didn't check the home page during flight.  I can fire it up now if that would help, but so far it has always been fine on the ground.

I do have a confession though - while looking for the track logs, I noticed that I had loaded an old aircraft configuration (flown before lockdown) and forgot to switch back to my usual. The old config had connection type set to AUTO not UDP.  So I have loaded the correct config now, but don't know if that is actually relevant.

Thanks

11
Is there any way to tell from track logs if power is an issue, just to rule this out as red herring?
Yes messages are indeed sent to the logfile, and also the Hotspot Home page.

Thx
Lee

Understood. Is it obvious (for the uninitiated) where and what to look for, or can I send you the file to inspect?
Thanks

12
I run my PAW from a Charge4 USB hub which is wired into the aircraft power. The power cable from the Charge4 to the PAW is 18 AWG wire terminated at each end with the appropriate USB plugs. The mini USB plugged into the PAW itself is secured with hot glue (well, it's cold now but was hot when it came out of the glue gun) tp make sure it doesn't wiggle its way loose.

Sounds pretty solid. I do have PAW recommended power cable, supplied by them, and soldered into board by them!  Don't think it's a power issue unless the cable is randomly defective.
Is there any way to tell from track logs if power is an issue, just to rule this out as red herring?

13
there seems to be a few anecdotal stories on Android web browsers
Which web browser are you using on android ?

Can you confirm that your android device has ALL battery saving options disabled
This is known to mess up the WiFi connection

thx
Lee

Hi Lee - it's the Android one which is OK, it's the ipad I'm having problems with.

@PaulSS - yes, power seems to be a very common theme, but then not sure why it remains to connected to Android tablet while disconnected from iPad.  Interesting to note you're running ok with both bluetooth to DC and wifi to PAW concurrently.  I suppose the only way for me to rule this out definitively is try flying again with bluetooth off and see if it goes away.

@exfirepro - I'm not sure what you mean by "both devices".  The PAW is set to UDP connection type (so not the Auto default).  The iPad (Skydemon) only has one option I'm aware of "PilotAware", I don't see anything referencing UDP?

I'm using the original USB cable that came with the unit, soldered into the board at the PAW end, with a fully charged Anker 21000 power block, not sure what more I can do than that, power-wise.

Thanks for the suggestions.

14
Technical Support / “Waiting for Device” in SD, intermittent.
« on: May 26, 2020, 09:37:35 pm »
I have a PAW Rosetta.  IPad Pro running Skydemon (both up to date).
Every so often during flight the iPad shows “Waiting for device” and I lose position information.
Often it reconnects automatically after a moment. Sometimes it takes longer, and I resort to kickstarting it by hitting “stop navigating” then “go flying” again, and it reconnects, which is less than ideal if during a critical phase of flight.

Today I tried running two tablets together - cheap Android (Samsung Tab) and the IPad.
I got the disconnects on the iPad but not the Android tablet.

This has been happening for some time, and previously very helpful PaW support have soldered the power cable in (to eliminate loose usb connection as cause).
I have connection type set to Pilotaware(UDP).

I also tested at home, and it never drops out With IPad sitting on the kitchen table, And PAW 20ft away in the garden. Could it be something to do with the aircraft environment, but why specific to IPad?.  Maybe because IPad is also maintaining Bluetooth connection to GTN750 audio...could it be struggling to do both things at the same time?  I guess I could try without the GTN connection to see if that makes a difference, I can’t remember whether I’ve done that before and still had the issue.

I can supply track logs from today’s flight if that would help,

Many thanks

15
Technical Support / Re: SD Software upgrade
« on: June 24, 2019, 11:11:28 am »
Uptimist
      You need to select "CHS format size adjustment" on version 5.0.1 you tick the box to select it. Let us know how you get on

OK the option was greyed out, so I looked at the documentation for the format app, it says "Note: this option is enabled only when the user capacity of the card is less than or equal to
8032.5MB"

And your instructions ask me to use "at least" an 8gb card - so I guess that means it must be exactly an 8gb card, no more no less!

All the cards I have are 16gb or more, so unless I overwrite the existing older version PAW card I have, I need to get hold of a new 8gb card...I'm slightly nervous about zapping the only working version I have.

Hi,

Have a look at this thread and see if it helps - I had issues with SD formatter but found a tool that worked fine for me last time I did a full update! Haven’t had chance to do the process again with the new version.

http://forum.pilotaware.com/index.php/topic,1345.msg15406.html#msg15406

Thanks
Rob

Thanks for the suggestion. I decided just to risk overwriting the old SD card, and this time it all worked fine.

The takeaway is:  with this formatter and update
- use an 8gb card, nothing bigger or smaller
- make sure you have the CHS format size adjustment box ticked

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