Aircrew Playback symbology

[Smaragd]

Could someone please remind me what the ACSPUMB identifiers on Aircraft Playback are? Also what is the implication of "Type: static"?
Is there anywhere which explains all this?

[James Rose]

Static is the aircraft type.




The ACSPUMB is the transmission types. If you hover over the letters on the playback it displays:

A = Mode-A
C = Mode-C
S = Mode-S
ES = ADS-B
P = PilotAware
F = FLARM
U = Uplink from ATOM
M = MLAT Uplink from ATOM

So PilotAware was receiving the aircrafts ADS-B transmission, PilotAware transmission and an uplink to its MLAT position (which probarly was discarded as you were receiving it direct). Not sure why it's static, would be good if I could take a look at the track file. The playback tool hooks into some of the PilotAware debugging messages in the .trk file so it could be inaccurate.

[Smaragd]

Thank you James, I hadn't noticed that hovering worked! As the PAW traffic page uses A for ADS-B I'd assumed that Aircrew did the same, and therefore couldn't work out what B was.

On 'static', I attach a track file. At 12:41:22 over Newport Pagnell PA28 G-COVA is shown as ACSPUM and 'static' - though clearly it isn't as there is a track.  The aircraft NNE and NW of G-COVA are also labelled 'static' as are several other aircraft.

A couple more queries:

There are several gliders visible at 12:41:22 (including two to the south of my aircraft) shown as PU. I assume that, as FLARM is widely carried by gliders, but probably not many have PAW, these are FLARM outputs provided to me by Upload - correct? The use of P rather conceals the source; is every U accompanied by a P, ie does P just indicate an 869.5MHz transmission rather than specifically a PAW output? I also note NW of Banbury a glider with just P - I assume that this is a glider with a PAW unit.

At 12:46:15 C-GKOA (which I imagine is a Brize Skyvan paradropper) is manoeuvring around Weston-on-the-Green and shown as ACS - but no M or U. I would therefore have thought that it should be a bearingless target, but it is shown with a position.

So many questions! Apologies, but this display is fascinating!

Trevor

[Admin]

Hi Trevor

P indicates brouadcast over PilotAware frequency
U indicates its an uplink (from ATOM/GRID)
- less we mention ATOM/GRID the better for now I think 

sometimes you will also see M indicating that the source was Multilaterated, not captured/rebroadcast directly

I think for some this may be information overload, but was left in following the extensive testing during the trials...

thx
Lee

[Smaragd]

Thank you Lee, very thankful for ATOM/Grid! Keep up the good work.

That explains PU from gliders, but not the 'static' or C-GKOA's ACS position - unless U or M are not always shown?

M shouldn't be overload, it can always be ignored - the important thing is to have as much visibility of traffic as possible. I was just trying to explain PAW and Aircrew Playback to someone else and realised that there were things I didn't understand.

Trevor