Messages

2296

Technical Support / Re: Installation

« on: August 16, 2016, 09:39:38 am »

Hi GrimShadow,

As Lee is now on the case and you seem convinced your problem is with the software side of things, he is by far the best person to advise you, so I will take a 'watching brief' on the side meantime.

As Lee says, getting the Pi to boot is the first priority before addressing anything else, though if as you say you are trying to 'prove the concept', you will really need to build two working units with 'Bridges' as the bridge is the core element of the PilotAware concept of 'See, Be Seen and Avoid' and is the only way to directly transmit and receive the essential 869MHz positional data between aircraft. Buying the Bridge is also currently the only way to obtain the relevant software licenses, which is probably what Dave and others meant when they said PilotAware won't now work without one.

Having been involved over a prolonged period, both as a user and development tester, I can assure you that the system works extremely well and is in my opinion worth every penny of its cost - and then some!

Regards meantime

Peter

2297

Technical Support / Re: Mode S Height Indication

« on: August 15, 2016, 11:07:26 pm »

Correct Rob.

Peter

2298

Technical Support / Re: Mode S Height Indication

« on: August 15, 2016, 09:29:58 pm »

Hi Rob,

As Alan says, G-WTSN is NOT a Mode S contact, it is either an ADSB contact, or a P3i contact with a different 'GroupID' to yourself (which wouldn't show the P3i '#' brackets). I would need to see your traffic screen to confirm which.

The 'bearingless' Mode S target - which would have been giving an audio warning from the PAW audio output of 'Traffic Danger' just before the red ring appeared then 'Traffic Alert' just before it changed to 'amber' - indicating that it was moving away from you - clearly has its relative altitude (-1.6) - i.e. 1,600 feet below you in the standard SkyDemon notification position, which is in your 12 o'clock. The problem is that in the current SkyDemon version the text for bearingless targets is currently very 'fine' with no background contrast, which makes it very difficult to see. Lee, myself and others have identified this to SkyDemon and have been working with them to address this issue, as a result of which this problem should be fully addressed in the next SkyDemon release.

Hope this helps clarify the position.

Brinsley,

I think the multiple alerts when multiple devices were connected was probably purely coincidental. The multiple alerts could have been from multiple targets but this can also happen due to varying received signal strength from a bearingless target aircraft - initially causing it to break one of the alert thresholds and trigger an audio alert, then dropping back below the threshold, then rising back through the trigger point again. Unfortunately there is no easy way of preventing repeat alerts in these circumstances, however in practice this usually happens due to local screening - e.g. when the aircraft is in the circuit and the PAW is as in your case stationary on the ground (especially if inside a building). Fortunately it happens fairly infrequently in flight.

Regards

Peter

2299

Technical Support / Re: Installation

« on: August 15, 2016, 11:23:53 am »

Hi Grimshadow,

I take it Lee hasn't got back to you yet? I have also been away, but have been tracking the forum though not able to deal with enquiries. We now have several hundred PAW units in use in the UK and elsewhere, so the system definitely works. I have built several myself on a mixture of Pi B+, and Pi2 units as well as helping many others in person and via the forums and we now know most of the standard issues which can arise.

I appreciate you are trying a self-build and suspect that may be part of the problem. During the development phase it was established that the components selected are critical to effective operation, which was the principle reason the 'Classic' kit was developed and brought to market. If you self-build, you must stick to components from the known good hardware list or risk non-compatibility. You should also be aware that whilst the PilotAware project is 'open source', the software is not! Tinkering with this area will inevitably result in system failure.

So to summarise, the main areas to consider are:
Do all components match the spec for the known good hardware list especially WRT chipsets
Have you done a full overwrite card format with size adjustment 'on' using SD Formatter
Have you downloaded and copied the PAW software - and ONLY - the PAW software to the root of the card
Are you using a heavy enough power cable (min 20awg) and min 2 Amp supply
Are you leaving the system long enough to reconfigure/install/boot with the GPS having a clear view of the sky OUTSIDE so it can get a proper fix

If you can can confirm these points we can move forward from there.

Regards

Peter
Mode C/S Development Tester

2300

General Discussion / Re: FL*RM Integration - Beta Testers

« on: August 03, 2016, 08:36:34 am »

Hi Alan,

Well said. My point was that Lee is trying to give those who have already made their choice an opportunity to combine systems at a minimum cost. I did try PFC but due to a weird fault it just didn't work the way it should, so I felt I had to bale out before the 'warranty' expired and I might have been left holding a very expensive baby. It won't stop me going down the FlarmMouse route to let me see local gliders once Lee gets things fully sorted.

Regards

Peter

2301

Technical Support / Re: Antenna location in a flexwing

« on: August 02, 2016, 11:17:32 pm »

Hi peastlake,

Thoughts on this (as ever) vary. I run a GT, and currently use old Flarm dipoles inside the pod at each side for ADSB and P3i, with my PAW velcroed up inside the front of the pod. GPS in my case is a 'mouse' mounted outside on the top of the pod behind the windscreen. I have used this setup for virtually all of my testing. Alan G runs the 'standard' setup in his Quik with the PAW velcroed on top of the pod inside his windshield with standard PAW P3i endfed dipole attached and standard ADSB antenna mounted to a small steel plate fixed to the pod top inside the right side of the windshield. Both systems have their good and bad points and signal inevitably varies depending on which bits of us or the aircraft get between our respective antennae. Alan feels his system is superior - I am still testing!

Bear in mind that the most serious risk of collision is from the front where your closing speeds are greatest (and therefore time to 'eyeball' the inbound is least).

OK, mounting the P3i dipole up on the pylon fairing will get it clear of your bodies and the engine (except of course from below), so might be an improvement, but remember the signal will still be shielded to the opposite side to some degree by the metal pylon inside the fairing.

Oh and it probably goes without saying, but make certain that if it ever comes unstuck it can't get to the prop or into the magneto housing at the front of the engine.

Let us know how you get on.

Regards

Peter

 

2302

General Discussion / Re: FL*RM Integration - Beta Testers

« on: August 02, 2016, 10:28:32 pm »

Julian,

I can understand your concern, you have just spent £1300+ buying and fitting a PowerFlarm Core to your aircraft which won't be able to see all those who have instead gone down the cheaper PilotAware route. Been there got the tee-shirt and sent it back due to problems I don't want to go into here. That won't however stop me going down the FlarmMouse route if I choose to do so.

Unfortunately, trying to justify your expenditure by making PAW seem much more expensive than it actually is won't help you see PAW equipped aircraft. Your financial argument quickly falls apart because most of us these days already choose to run some form of tablet based navigation system, irrespective of whether or not we choose to install an aircraft avoidance or awareness system, so you really can't justify taking the cost of the navigation system or tablet into account. Many PFC users in fact spend a fair bit more specifically to present data from their systems visually onto SD or their favoured tablet based Nav system.

What Lee is trying to do at the request of PAW and Flarm users is come up with a workable solution without illegally decoding Flarm's Collision Avoidance Protocols, which will allow Flarm users to see us for a minimal cost if they already run a tablet based Nav system and allow us to legally see them at minimum extra cost if we choose to do so.

I don't mean to be offensive or negative in any way, but as Keith says we all have a choice - yours is no more right or wrong than anyone else's - just different.

I for one will continue to await developments

Regards

Peter

2303

General Discussion / Re: Ground Station

« on: August 02, 2016, 07:35:04 pm »

Noted 

Peter

2304

General Discussion / Re: Ground Station

« on: August 02, 2016, 07:22:40 pm »

If clear line of sight, the same rules apply

Peter

2305

General Discussion / Re: Ground Station

« on: August 02, 2016, 07:12:48 pm »

What kind of information are you looking for Eric?

I'm guessing you already know about ADSB - up to well over 100 miles depending on your location and antenna position.

Mode S - depends on what range setting you have selected in (Config), but I have seen well over 50 miles in 'Testing' though couldn't run in that setting for long without unplugging the audio.

P3i up to 26 Kilometres in clear line of sight, but P3i is easily attenuated by buildings, aircraft body construction and big bags of water (aka - People). Unfortunately, operating from the ground you are likely to feel the effects of this more than if up in the air and need to optimise your receive antenna type and position. In practice, I have found P3i consistently reliable at up to around 10 miles - which is far further than any of us can see, but this can be subject to the vagaries of individual installations.

Keep up the good work.

Regards

Peter

Peter

2306

Technical Support / Re: Loss of position information in flight

« on: August 02, 2016, 07:10:20 pm »

You're obviously working too hard, Lee 

Peter

2307

General Discussion / Re: FL*RM Integration - Beta Testers

« on: August 02, 2016, 07:08:38 pm »

Hi again Richard,

Yes that's correct, PilotAware would also be able to take its GPS data from an attached FLARM device in the same way that our NAV devices currently take this information from PAW, but hold fire just now until Lee gets a chance to get everything working at the PilotAware end.

Regards

Peter

2308

General Discussion / Re: FL*RM Integration - Beta Testers

« on: August 02, 2016, 12:38:44 pm »

Hi Richard,

I don't know why nobody has answered your query yet, so will try to do so! Unfortunately, the simple answer is NO - AFAIK the only Flarm devices which claim to decode and provide transponder alerts are the PowerFlarm Core (Flarm + ADSB + Mode C/S - c.£1350 plus display & delivery) and the Air Avionics TRX 1500 (Flarm + ADSB + Mode S - c.£1500 plus display & delivery). Both of these also need specific interfaces to connect them to a nav display. Neither claim to provide Mode 'A' cover (which from the difficulty we are experiencing trying to get reliable results for Mode 'C', I can fully appreciate).

What Lee is trying to do WRT Flarm is collect already decoded data from the output of  the user's existing Flarm receiver (which is perfectly legal within Flarm's terms and conditions as you own the Flarm unit) and use PilotAware to filter and combine this data with PilotAware's own data before presenting the combined results to your Nav device.

For 'existing' Flarm owners, this will add Mode S (and C if/when we get it running), ADSB and P3i, plus a way of WiFi-ing the data onto a Nav System and as Lee said above access to multiple tablets and voice alerts. Hopefully this will also increase the uptake of PilotAware by existing Flarm users - allowing us to see them via P3i.

For PilotAware Users who don't yet have Flarm, they will effectively be able to add full Flarm Transmit and Receive to an existing PilotAware / Nav System installation for the cost of the most basic Flarm Unit (currently the basic Flarm mouse - available from about £450).

Hope this makes things clearer.

Regards

Peter

2309

General Discussion / Re: Enhancement Requests

« on: August 02, 2016, 11:36:50 am »

Lee,

'Sync' button might be better assuming there would be some indication when sync has completed. Automatic sync leaves the user in doubt as to what is happening and whether the sync is finished yet or not and might result in the stick being pulled out before the sync is completed. Otherwise, I have no particular preference. Which is easier?

Peter

2310

General Discussion / Re: Enhancement Requests

« on: August 02, 2016, 10:39:25 am »

Sounds good to me Lee. So each time you plug in your (dedicated to PAW - keeps it clean!) USB stick, it woud (automatically??) check for updates and also download any .trk files not already on the stick - am I right?

If so this would be great!!

Peter