Never picked up another aircraft since I got it

[daveb]

Since I got my PAW, and I was a very early adopter, it has never detected another aircraft in flight. 
While on the ground months ago, pre-flighting, I did pick up one flying through the overhead, but never in flight.
I fly out of Leicester which gets quite busy at times so would have thought I'd pick up lots of traffic especially in the circuit, but nothing.
How do I tell if it's working?  I think I have it set to the recommended settings etc.

Cheers

Dave

[Keithvinning]

Hi Dave
Do you mean P31 Adsb or both
Is it a home Built?
PiB+ or Pi 2B
What power supply are you using
What navigational software are you using sky demon etc
What vertical heights have you got set

Cheers

Keith

[daveb]

Hi Keith

Both I think
No, off the shelf.
2B I think.
2A Cigar adaptor.
SkyDemon.
500ft.

Cheers

Dave

[Keithvinning]

If you bought it from PilotAware hardware it will have been tested working ok.
Can you see aircraft when you are on the ground when the vertical limits are opened up.
If you have the vertical limits on sky demon set to 500 ft then it is possible that you will see little.
Open it up to 30000 ft as a test to see if it's working in the air as well as on the ground.
Are you going to the flyer show at Telford? If so bring it along we will have PilotAware units you will be able to detect
Have you read the operating instructions at PilotAware.com? This will help you With the installation
Regards

Keith

[exfirepro]

Hi Dave,

Sounds very strange, bearing in mind that the unit has 2 completely separate receiver systems! You should at least be getting Commercial ADSB traffic.

If it's a PilotAware Classic Kit (bought since May 2016), it is a Raspberry Pi 2B. As Keith says your 500ft vertical separation jumps out as one reason you might not be receiving traffic, but we need to go through things logically. Is this 500ft separation set in PilotAware (in which case it only affects bearingless Mode C/S targets) or in Sky Demon? Have you correctly set SkyDemon to receive data from PilotAware?

SkyDemon/Settings/Connectivity Options

Live Data when planning        selected
FLARM                                   selected
Air Connect Key                     6000

And SkyDemon/Settings/Navigation Options
(near the bottom of the list)

Other Traffic
Show Within Vertically            Set to at least 30,000 ft for initial testing
Show Bearingless Targets       Set to On if you wish to see Mode C/S   (You also need to select relevant settings in the PAW 'Configure' screen)

Lots of other things we can check, but if you can confirm this lot, we can take things forward from there.

Regards

Peter

[daveb]

It's connecting to Skydemon fine as it uses the PAW GPS for its nav.
I'll have another look at the settings tonight and see if anything looks wrong, then open up the heights and see if that helps.  I'm sure I set it up as per the user guide. I should be seeing stuff going in and out of East Mids I would have thought.
Not sure when I'll be flying again to try it though, but I can set it up at home..
Unfortunately I won't be at the show this year.

Thanks for the advice, I'll come back when I've had a play with it.

Dave

[Admin]

Hi Dave,

One other thing to mention, take a look at the 'Traffic' screen on the PilotAware Hotspot Page.
The traffic listed here should be displayed in your Navigation software, if all the filters are
opened up

Thx
Lee

[Ian Melville]

Open up the filters until you verify everything is working OK, then tune to taste.

Which P3i card are you using Wirelessthings, or the new PAW Bridge?

[exfirepro]

Is it a home Built?

No, off the shelf.

Which P3i card are you using Wirelessthings, or the new PAW Bridge?

Hi Ian,

I guess that'll be PAW 'Bridge' P3i then....

Sorry, not trying to be smart, I was just trying to concentrate on the 'easy to test' ADSB receive issue first and didn't want to get Dave confused by worrying about the P3i side until he gets a chance to recheck his ADSB settings and see if he's getting anything on the Traffic Screen, before we go on to check Mode C/S and P3i settings, what type of antennas he's using and where they are fitted, etc., etc.... 

Best Regards as always

Peter

[Ian Melville]

For some odd reason I read 'off the shelf' as meaning off the parts shelf. I blame iPad and rushed lunch break. 

[exfirepro]

Ian, I've lost count of how often I've Been there,.....Done that,....... In fact I've probably Worn the T-shirt out already. 

Peter

[daveb]

Ok guys, just to clear up any confusion, by early adopter I mean when the completed units were first put on sale, not the initial 'home built from bits' ones. I think I was in the first 100 or so to be shipped back in May.
Referring to P3i, Bridges etc doesn't really mean anything to me, I'm not techie, I bought a black box, plugged it in, changed a few settings as per the guide and thought it was good to go.
Not had time to have a look at it yet, but I will report back soon.

Cheers

Dave

[exfirepro]

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the 'clarification'. That makes everything crystal clear. The problem with the Forum is, we all know how well PilotAware (PAW) works, hence everyone's eagerness to help, which can sometimes get a bit overpowering. Sorry if we have caused confusion.

The problem is very likely to be a simple one of a missed or wrong setting. If not, we'll get your unit sent back and repair or replace any faulty parts. We just need to work our way through logically until we find out what's wrong. Just come back on when you've had time to check the initial settings I gave you and as Lee said, see if you have Commercial (CAT) traffic showing on your PAW traffic screen and we can take things from there in simple straightforward steps.We're here to help you deal with the 'techie' bit not to confuse you. Anything you don't understand, just ask. There will be plenty of others reading this wondering the same thing I assure you!

Best Regards

Peter

(p.s. Ian and I are good friends, hence the light-hearted 'leg pull' about the mix-up.)

[daveb]

Sorry for the delay in getting back... been a bit busy.

So, my settings were:
On PAW:
Display Traffic info - Alternative
Mode-C/S Separation -   +-500'
Mode-C/S Detect - Short Range
Mode-C/S Select - None

And on SD:
Show Within Vertically    1000' 
Show Bearingless Targets       Set to On

I've increased Mode-C/S Separation to 2000' and on SD Show Within Vertically to 10,000'.
Hopefully get to try it on Sunday.
Any other suggestions gratefully received.

Cheers

Dave

[exfirepro]

Hi Dave,

If you want to see mode C/S, you need to change the Mode C/S Select to Mode S, Mode C/S (Beta) - if you have NO transponder, or Mode C/S (Beta) + Filter - if you DO have a transponder.

I would also set Mode C/S Detect to Medium or even Long Range for initial testing and increase the SDShow within vertically to 20,000 ft to draw in commercial ADSB for initial tests.

Let me know how you get on

Regards

Peter