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-   -   Stratus wanna-be (Stratux) (https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=128742)

okei 08-23-2015 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by humptybump (Post 1008233)
Given the different PIREPs, I did some reading about various SDR-RTL dongles.

For APRS I've used the old E4000 chipset SDRs. These have proven to be somewhat superior on the 100-450Mhz range. However, they are getting scarse and are typically $40 when compared to the RTL2832U R820T based units which center around $15.

Recently, a few sellers have been offering an updated design for the low cost units. These newer dongles use an R820T2 chip and a few better tolerance supporting components.

The result is the newer units show improvement in sensitizing and reduced noise above 800Mhz.

I hope to test one of the newer units and will update my PIREP above.


E4000 and R820T will not work for this, you'll get spotty results.

humptybump 08-23-2015 12:27 PM

Hi "okie". I'm not sure who/where you are or your background. You're profile is blank. You only appear to be associated with this thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by okei (Post 1008312)
E4000 and R820T will not work for this, you'll get spotty results.

The R820T will work. I was explaining that independent testers have data showing the R820T2 is a better option.

I hope I was clear to others in saying the E4000 has its uses in the lower frequencies (such as APRS), the R820T units are prolific (so many may have one lying around), and this project seems to benefit from the newer R820T2 devices.

I was trying to give some data to those who might be experimenting and to help with choosing the better component hardware.


The reddit user has given links to Amazon for the RPi bundle and others pieces (and may be making money from every purchase). Some of us may already have pieces and are experimenting with what we have. As I identify differences I'm trying to share to help others. We are here to learn and share.


BTW: for anyone trying to use one of the RT5370 based wifi dongles (common with the canbit bundles and used by many vendors) I have built the latest stable code for hostapd with the necessary support. I'm happy to post them somewhere if you're not comfortable doing raspberry Pi builds.

gblanck 08-23-2015 01:07 PM

R820T
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by humptybump (Post 1008327)

The R820T will work. I was explaining that independent testers have data showing the R820T2 is a better option.

... the R820T units are prolific (so many may have one lying around), and this project seems to benefit from the newer R820T2 devices.

I had an R820T on hand and put together a Stratux receiver with it- seems to work just fine with reception comparable to my GDL39

-Greg

humptybump 08-23-2015 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gblanck (Post 1008335)
I had an R820T on hand and put together a Stratux receiver with it- seems to work just fine with reception comparable to my GDL39

Thanks for the PIREP Greg. I'm glad you got good results!

I also tried an SDR-RTL based on the R820T. My results were not as good as my permanent mounted GDL-39. This may be attributed to the superior installation and antenna of my GDL-39 or something else.

I like this experiment so I'll try the different dongle and share what I learn.

okei 08-23-2015 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by humptybump (Post 1008327)
I was trying to give some data to those who might be experimenting and to help with choosing the better component hardware.


Well, at least with 1090MHz ADS-B, it has been tested ad nauseum and R820T2 always comes out the winner. If you were using either an E4000 or R820T RTL-SDR, that is likely the cause of bad "reception" as the qualities of these are inferior for this application.


Quote:

Originally Posted by humptybump (Post 1008327)
The reddit user has given links to Amazon for the RPi bundle and others pieces (and may be making money from every purchase).


If you're against him making money off of the links, just type in the name of the product on Amazon. They're not custom made for Stratux :)

humptybump 08-23-2015 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by okei (Post 1008347)
Well, at least with 1090MHz ADS-B, it has been tested ad nauseum and R820T2 always comes out the winner.

"ad nauseum" is an exaggeration. The R820T2 has better test results. All of the Internet searches I conducted eventually link back to the same two tests.

Most pilots testing Stratux in this thread are focused on the weather data which is on 978Mhz.

At least one poster has had good results with the R820T. I had marginal results.

If someone has a RPi2 and the older R820T, they can get the Stratux to work. If they are buying everything new, it's beneficial to get the R820T2.

catmandu 08-24-2015 07:03 AM

I am buying everything new (except for the Kmashi, which I have), especially after reading from the Reddit OP, "Yeah, a unit that has a good GPS, pressure sensor, and the AHRS sensors is coming for development. It'll add another ~$50 to the parts list." REALLY glad I did not buy something retail recently, as I intended to do.

rv7charlie 08-24-2015 08:52 AM

Why not....
 
implement the required pi software routines as an app for android and/or ios?

Sorry for my flagrant display of ignorance; the last real programming I did was back in the mid '70s (previous century).

But if the SDR uses a USB port to communicate, why couldn't the routines running on the pi be run inside android, and avoid the extra hardware? Is it just too much overhead for one device to handle ADSB tasks in addition to mapping?

Charlie

humptybump 08-24-2015 09:33 AM

Hi Charlie.

No worries on "the learning curve".

We can dismiss building it with iOS since there is no direct way to get to the necessary internal protocols and no access to the SDR via USB. That leaves Android. ForeFlight does not run on Android.

dynonsupport 08-24-2015 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by okei (Post 1007987)
Do you have, by chance, the TSO sensitivity specs for UAT receivers? I'm curious to quantify the difference between the published specs on an RTL-SDR dongle vs that.

I don't know about other brands, but the Dynon ADS-B receiver is about 15dB better than the TSO requires, and it does this in the presence of a +17dBm 1090 transponder pulse.

DrHolling 08-24-2015 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by humptybump (Post 1008516)
Hi Charlie.

No worries on "the learning curve".

We can dismiss building it with iOS since there is no direct way to get to the necessary internal protocols and no access to the SDR via USB. That leaves Android. ForeFlight does not run on Android.

I have 3 apps on my phone that use the USB OTG feature to receive the ADS-B data from a SDR (one of the cheap ones). Avare, FIS-B Free, Avare ADSB Pro (different developer than the Avare above). There are Android solutions out there. Avare would be great but I can't get the USB OTG function on my Nexus 7 without rooting it (other Android tables work very well though).

Dave

humptybump 08-24-2015 11:19 AM

Dave,

Very cool!

The few attempts I've made to hook devices up over OTG cables have been hit or miss.

I've gone back and edit my original comment. Thanks for syncing up our thread!

rv7charlie 08-24-2015 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by humptybump (Post 1008516)
Hi Charlie.

No worries on "the learning curve".

We can dismiss building it with iOS since there is no direct way to get to the necessary internal protocols and no access to the SDR via USB. That leaves Android. ForeFlight does not run on Android.

Not too concerned with Foreflight, since I left ios a while back. :-)

Does your answer mean that it *is* (or might be) possible for the stuff running on the pi to get ported to an android device (the same one running Avare or other mapping app), instead?

And I don't really consider this a 'learning curve' any more. The last time I programmed, 'Basic' meant Basic Assembler Language (BAL). At this point, the gap is far to wide. I'm just grateful that you and other users of various technologies have discovered 'open source' and its variations. I'll try to take advantage your knowledge on this, and hope to pass on my knowledge of some other field.

Charlie

humptybump 08-24-2015 01:52 PM

Hi Charlie,

I've put my foot in my mouth so many times on this read I may as well skip dinner!

So I'll attempt to just answer you question and not go off the rails.

Is it "possible" to port the project to Android and connect it with one of the Android based aviation navigators? yes. Is it easy? no. Is it likely? no.

rv7charlie 08-24-2015 04:54 PM

Well shucks. Guess I'll have to spend the extra 50 bucks to save the 800 or so vs ADSB...

:-)

Charles C 08-24-2015 05:27 PM

I am lost.
 
With all the back and forth, what do I need to buy to make this work. I am interested since at this time, I can not buy a $800 Stratus and this would be great for foreflight. I have looked at Amazon and it looks at though the grouping everything for $100. After reading, I am confused if there are other items to buy to make it work better.

Thanks,

humptybump 08-24-2015 05:51 PM

The reddit list looks complete for the Stratux for "weather only". You will use the battery USB cable to charge and then switch it around to also to power the RPi.

There is a follow on project underway to add GPS support and to support simultaneous weather and traffic. Nothing you buy now becomes obsolete.

You will also need to have or borrow an SD card reader. You computer may have an SD slot or you may have a USB card reader that an supports SD card. If neither, then the "thing" you are looking for is something like this: http://amzn.to/1U3d7Po

If you get all the pieces and get stuck, I'm happy to get on the phone (or Skype) to walk through the process.

boom3 08-24-2015 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by humptybump (Post 1008620)
The reddit list looks complete for the Stratux for "weather only".

I was receiving traffic of some flavor with the recommended setup. (See my 2nd post on page 4 of this thread.)

I was connected via bluetooth to a GDL-39 for my GPS position source but Foreflight was showing Free Flight via the Stratux for the ADS-B.

As I understand it the GDL-39 will not send ADS-B data to Foreflight at this point.

okei 08-24-2015 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charles C (Post 1008615)
With all the back and forth, what do I need to buy to make this work. I am interested since at this time, I can not buy a $800 Stratus and this would be great for foreflight. I have looked at Amazon and it looks at though the grouping everything for $100. After reading, I am confused if there are other items to buy to make it work better.

Thanks,


The current version has full TIS-B traffic and FIS-B weather, the recommended hardware is:

http://amzn.com/B00MV6TAJI
http://amzn.com/B00P2UOU72
http://amzn.com/B00JM59JPG


Then follow https://www.reddit.com/r/flying/comm...ght_or_pretty/



Most people report it takes about 10-15 minutes.

humptybump 08-25-2015 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by okei (Post 1008673)
The current version has full TIS-B traffic and FIS-B weather, ...

Thanks okei. Many people - me included - get confused by the various traffic data being processed via ADS-B.

The reddit thread has a few comments trying to clarify what is available with the Stratux.

Quote:

Right now I've only tested weather and 1090ES traffic. Unless you buy two tuner dongles, you pick one of those because it can only pick up one at a time.
...
You can get traffic data with just one. GA planes with ads-b out would transmit their data directly to you on 978 ...
To further confuse the traffic question is that a number of GA aircraft are on 1090 rather than 978, especially EAB aircraft.

PaigeHoffart 08-25-2015 05:49 AM

Traffic
 
To see all of the traffic, you'll need to be transmitting ADS-B out. You can configure your ADS-B out transmitter to specify which frequency your portable receiver is on. Properly configured, with good ground station coverage, you should see all traffic with either a 1090 or 978 receiver.

If you are relying on other people to wake up the ground stations, a dual band receiver would be beneficial, but there is no guarantee that you are seeing all transponder equipped aircraft unless you are transmitting out, and have good ground station/radar coverage.

Paige

Raymo 08-25-2015 08:28 AM

Paige is correct. I would add that 1090 traffic could also be seen via ADS-R if another aircraft near you wakes up the ground station for traffic.

Charles C 08-25-2015 08:47 AM

I have placed my order
 
I have placed my order and hope to have all the pieces in a few days. If I get all the pieces and get it working, I have a trip planned to Atlanta Area during the Labor Day weekend and hope to test it out on a long cross county from the Orlando area. I will keep my fingers crossed.

PCHunt 08-25-2015 04:06 PM

iFly 740
 
I have successfully displayed traffic and weather on my iFly 740 using this Stratux setup.

In the ifly menu for connected devices, select "FreeFlight", and it appears to work.

Very happy on the first trial, but lots to learn yet.

GEM930 08-25-2015 04:15 PM

Will this work with wingx???

humptybump 08-25-2015 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PCHunt (Post 1008851)
I have successfully displayed traffic and weather on my iFly 740 using this Stratux setup.

Pete. Great news. Thanks for the PIREP!

catmandu 08-25-2015 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GEM930 (Post 1008856)
Will this work with wingx???

Per post #22 of this thread: "WingX works with no special config."

I only use WingX and am building one.

ccrawford 08-26-2015 02:25 PM

Seems like it'd be really easy to take this and have it output on RS232 via the USB ports (USB to RS232 adapter cable). Once you do that, you can pipe it to any of your avionics.

I haven't looked at the RS232 spec for traffic or weather to something like a Garmin or GRT, but I believe it's an industry standard. Anyone know where to get documentation on that spec?

Veetail88 08-26-2015 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ccrawford (Post 1009157)
Seems like it'd be really easy to take this and have it output on RS232 via the USB ports (USB to RS232 adapter cable). Once you do that, you can pipe it to any of your avionics.

Yeah, someone with the right background figure that out please! :D:D

jclark 08-26-2015 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ccrawford (Post 1009157)
Seems like it'd be really easy to take this and have it output on RS232 via the USB ports (USB to RS232 adapter cable). Once you do that, you can pipe it to any of your avionics.

I haven't looked at the RS232 spec for traffic or weather to something like a Garmin or GRT, but I believe it's an industry standard. Anyone know where to get documentation on that spec?

I **think** that the GRT Systems are compatible with GDL90.
USB or RS-232.

The issue with GRT via USB is what chipset is used. I know they are compatible with more than one but not sure if all. Connecting via RS-232 should not be a problem.

If the output format is the same as DUAL, iLevil, FDS and SkyRadar, then I suspect the GRT systems will be fine as I have tested all of those.

James

Veetail88 08-26-2015 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jclark (Post 1009200)
I **think** that the GRT Systems are compatible with GDL90.
USB or RS-232.

The issue with GRT via USB is what chipset is used. I know they are compatible with more than one but not sure if all. Connecting via RS-232 should not be a problem.

If the output format is the same as DUAL, iLevil, FDS and SkyRadar, then I suspect the GRT systems will be fine as I have tested all of those.

James


This is all well and good, but how do you go from a usb output on the Raspberry PI, that thinks it's communicating with a WiFi dongle and strip out the data string to feed into the RS232? I'm not a computer guy at anywhere near that level, and there's a lot of missing links here to me.

jclark 08-26-2015 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veetail88 (Post 1009211)
This is all well and good, but how do you go from a usb output on the Raspberry PI, that thinks it's communicating with a WiFi dongle and strip out the data string to feed into the RS232? I'm not a computer guy at anywhere near that level, and there's a lot of missing links here to me.

OOOPS!

I missed that part of the dialog.
"My Bad".

Was thinking there was a serial stream out the USB port.


James

humptybump 08-26-2015 07:12 PM

The communication mechanism - USB, wifi, Bluetooth, serial, light signals, semaphores, or smoke signals - isn't the real challenge. Internal to the code, it's just strings of numbers and characters. These strings can be transmitted on any of the methods with relative easy.

The challenge is knowing what format the vendor is expecting. It's a bit like communicating in another language. If you are speaking French and the other person only understands Chinese, not much useful gets conveyed.

The contributors to this project are using a combination of published documents and packet sniffers to figure out what is expected. For some of the target vendors, they don't publish anything, so it's a lot of difficult reverse engineering. For some vendors, there is no available Rosetta Stone.

I know there is a desire to mimic other ADSB receivers but the contributors to the project don't own the necessary original manufacturer hardware to aid with the analysis to black box engineer the packets and messages. If someone wishes to donate hardware, I'm sure it would help.

Charles C 08-28-2015 05:21 PM

Question
 
I am waiting for my items to come in the mail but looking over the site I see three down loads. Which one do I download due to there are two updates as well as the original. Any help would be great and hope the itmes come in soon.

humptybump 08-28-2015 06:22 PM

Hi Charles, v0.1r3 is the best so far. However, like much of our latest avionics, you should keep an eye for updated builds. I am aware of a number of bug fixes and features that have not yet been rolled up into a new build.

UPDATE: a newer "release" is now there. Rather than keep editing this post, I advise taking the newest build. If you have any issues then back off the the newest "release".

humptybump 08-29-2015 03:22 PM

Stratux is getting better
 
For those who are interested, there is a now a subgroup over on reddit dedicated to the Stratux project.

A few highlights to pique your interest ...
  • Improved more stable code
  • Web configuration and status
  • GPS support
  • AHRS testing
  • 3D printed case

It's been tested with the following functionality:
  • ForeFlight 7.2 - weather, traffic, AHRS
  • Naviator - weather, traffic, AHRS
  • WingX - weather & traffic
  • Avare
  • iFly 740 - weather & tragic
There is a standard parts list. It really is plug-n-play if you use the list. There is also a lower cost SDR (saves $10) the same specs as the original recommendation.

Follow the progress on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/stratux
Watch for new builds on GitHub: https://github.com/cyoung/stratux/releases

Scrabo 08-29-2015 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boom3 (Post 1007366)
Sweet! For that price I'll give Stratux a try. If it's lame there's a lot of other things I can do with a Raspberry Pi and a USB battery pack.

Ordered parts ... Can't wait to try it out

RFazio 08-29-2015 05:53 PM

I tried it out!
 
So I couldn't resist and had to order it up. I have an RV-6 with a Dynon Skyview system in it. I have ADS-B out and a Dynon ADS-B receiver that I spent $900 on, I think. I also have an Ipad in the plane running ForeFlight. So I got the parts, assembled it, and had it up and running in about 15 minutes. I opened up foreflght on my Ipad and found the stratux device right away. I couldn't wait to try it out in the air. I went flying today and was amazed. The thing got weather and traffic exactly like the Dynon Skyview. The ipad actually displays traffic a little nicer I think than the Dynon does. There wasn't much weather around but what little there was matched on both screens. The only thing I noticed was on the return flight The traffic was not showing altitudes? On the first flight from Long Island to Connecticut I saw all traffic the same as the Dynon did, showing altitude in relation to me. On the return flight all the traffic had zeros instead of the altitude in relation to me? Weird, I flew again and still zeros. Have to figure that one out, but so far the stratux amazed me.

humptybump 08-29-2015 06:21 PM

Hi Richard, thanks forcthexPIRE.

The "zeros" is a bug.

You can read a similar report and reply on reddit -

https://www.reddit.com/r/stratux/com...ralink/cuk5pvr

Charles C 09-01-2015 03:06 PM

Help!!!!!
 
I have gotten my parts and tried to do the intructions on how to load the software onto the disk. But for some reason I am having dificuties. I am not sure if it is me or my laptop software (older laptop) but can someone help. Is there anyone that can help me tomorrow monrning sometime with the installed the software portion. Please PM me you info please.

Thanks


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