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10-04-2009, 08:33 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Florence, AL
Posts: 626
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What program are you guys using here?
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10-05-2009, 04:41 AM
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unqualified unfluencer
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Highland Village, TX
Posts: 4,088
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TrackLog
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tram
What program are you guys using here?
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http://www.vansairforce.net/review/T...g/tracklog.htm
b,
dr
__________________
Doug Reeves (your host) - Full time: VansAirForce.net since '07 (started it in '96).
- Part time: Supporting Crew Member CAE Embraer Phenom 300 (E55P) @ KDFW.
- Occasionally: Contract pilot (resume).
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10-05-2009, 08:11 AM
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Super Moderator
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Hangar/home at Hicks Airfield (T67), Fort Worth, TX
Posts: 629
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IPhone Tracking
"Ok, one more time. If that is what you are using it for (to review your flights afterward) then it will work fine. I don't think anyone has argued to the contrary. What I am saying is that it isn't real time. Have you had someone on the ground tracking you while you are in the air?"
Jamie,
Your question above, my answer, YES! When my wife doesn't go with me she tracks me at home. She simply hits the refresh button on Safari and it shows my progress enroute. Last weekend I know I was at 4500 and she never lost my track. When I landed for fuel the phone rang and she told me the tracking was unbelievable. So far I've only lost my cellphone signal a couple times at 6500 or higher this past weekend in a remote area of Oklahoma. There seems to be a "dead" zone between Ardmore and Norman.
All I can do is tell you what she sees and you can believe or not. My niece whose hubby has an RV7 has also tracked me with the same results. They use Spot when they travel. I'm very satisfied with using Tracklog. Remember, there are other alternatives that you can go out and get for hundreds of dollars and annual fees if you're not happy with this app.
__________________
Mike Reddick
VAF#153
Pilots N Paws Pilot
RV6A N167CW 1,900 HRS
Ft Worth, TX (T67)
Last edited by mrreddick : 10-05-2009 at 08:14 AM.
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10-05-2009, 10:27 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Florence, AL
Posts: 626
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DeltaRomeo
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Gracias... 
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10-07-2009, 11:37 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 28
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Tracklog/APRS
I used both Tracklog, and APRS on a recent flight, although I didn't go above 5K on this flight. Both provided about the same track data, though APRS had a noticeably finer resolution. I've also used SkyCharts, which has a function similar to Tracklog.
Tracklog is somewhat user unfriendly, compared to both SkyCharts, and APRS. Both SkyCharts, and APRS (aprs.fi) quickly find your track, while Tracklog takes some finessing to find your position.
Tracklog does provide data below the threshold at which APRS often cuts out, which is typically, for me, below 500' AGL, or so. In all, however, APRS is much superior to Tracklog, which is only able to cache data points until an AT&T connection is available. At 10 to 12K, I'm often looking at NO SERVICE on my iPhone 3Gs.
Chip
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10-07-2009, 02:17 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 102
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Sorry for joining the discussion late..
Bob: I'm not working on adding a tracking on the display (to view on the iPhone) just yet. Actually haven't heard any requests for that yet - but I'll go ahead and add it to the 'to-do' list.
However, I will eventually make changes to the built in tracker in SkyCharts (and webpage) so you can log as frequently as you wish (less than 1 second doesn't make any real sense though) and exporting of fixes to some other formats. Elevation charts would also be nice. There are however other new exciting features I have been working on - so not just yet.
To chime in on realtime vs not: SkyCharts is extremely persistent when it comes to sending off the fixes to the server, and as soon as you have any connectivity it will send off the fixes it has not been able to send yet.
So say for instance that you are out flying for 3 hours, and there is NO connectivity the entire time, it will buffer for 3 hours.. Once you get in connectivity it will send off the entire 3 hours, so for a viewer on the ground, the (entire) track will suddenly just appear.
What normally seems to happen though is that the phone goes in/out of connectivity, and sooner or later it will be able to send off the track data it has not sent yet. So for a viewer on the ground, you will most likely see _something_ before you reach your destination (and hopefully good connectivity at lower altitudes).
__________________
/ Heikki
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10-09-2009, 12:07 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 2,125
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Hi Heikki. I probably used the wrong term when I mentioned tracking in Skycharts. I was really referring to the flashing blue position fix "dot" that shows on the chart.
When I first added the Skycharts app, I put it on the dash of my truck on the drive to the airport, and watched the blue dot move with me on the local sectional (I was on a freeway, so the road was actually on the sectional).
To be able to watch the dot move on a sectional in flight would be a neat capability, but I know it's limited to times when a 3G or WiFi signal (as well as a GPS signal) is available to the phone, or at least I believe that is the case (and that appears to be the case in my test flights). My feeble, pseudo-tech challenged mind figures the imbedded GPS provides position info to the program resident on your server (via 3G or WiFi), and then the server sends it back to the phone and positions the blue dot. No 3G/WiFi, no blue dot movement. I suppose if you added a track line to the display, and it caught up every time a good signal was found, then it might be an interesting display, though perhaps redundant if you have an aviation GPS display (probably why you're not getting requests for it). Seeing such a track, or the blue dot move in flight would really be a VFR backup to an aviation GPS (IMHO).
I'd concur with Jaime that this 3G/WiFi dependency is probably also the case with the tracklog program. If you're down low, you may be able to send a real-time track to the server for others to view as you move. I plan to test it, but in Skycharts, I lost the connectivity for the blue dot pretty quickly after takeoff (mountainous area, this Reno). I'm expecting the same with tracklog up here.
Some of the SARL racing guys have been discussing the possibilities for Tracklog during a race. With the group feature, one might be able to watch a race unfold on a remote computer, and see all the tracks move right along. Might work for a low altitude race in the flatlands...only testing will tell. But it'd be a fun way to share the race with everyone!
In Skycharts, of course, I can move the sectional along with me manually on the phone (if it's been cached), but so far a paper chart has just been easier to manipulate. But I do love the cached airport diagrams and other charts...almost like a little EFB! Looking forward to your updates and new features. I haven't tried playing with playing back a Skycharts cached track. Guess I should go on your website and learn a little on how to do that!
And Chip, when you did the side-by-side with APRS and Tracklog, was someone watching both live. or was it a comparison of the playback? Either way, thanks for the info...glad it worked well for ya!
Cheers,
Bob
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10-09-2009, 07:35 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 102
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Hi Bob
Glad you like SkyCharts so far!
First: I assume you have the GPS capable iPhone (3G & 3GS) ?
And that you have cached the charts you intend to use ?
And that you DON'T use airplane mode ?
Otherwise, it really should work - for example I flew to Reno (from UAO) for the races and I had SkyCharts as a backup and it was tracking me the entire time (both out & back). There was plenty of occasions when there was 'No service', but the dot kept tracking.
Things to remember though: Like any assisted GPS, it takes about 30 seconds before you start getting 'real' gps fixes (the first ones are wifi/cell towers), so make sure you have _some_ coverage when you take off. If you have ZERO connectivity when starting a GPS app, it takes a LONG time (if ever ?) to get a fix, it really wants to find a tower first. But once that is done it should work. Also make sure your phone can 'see' the sky when in the airplane.
Again: AIRPLANE mode OFF! It disables the GPS as well as the transmitter... Unless of course you jailbreak the phone, then you can disable the transmitter but keep the GPS running.
Hope this helps
__________________
/ Heikki
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10-09-2009, 09:15 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 28
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SkyCharts
Greetings Bob,
In answer to your question about the side-by-side comparison of APRS and Tracklog, I have to say no, it was not compared in real-time. However, I did see Tracklog following me on the drive to the airport, so I assume it's posting the track in real-time. APRS posts periodically, about a 60 second interval, or more frequent with turns. It's essentially presented as you go.
Tracklog, for me, is kind of more work than it's worth. The site always opens in Europe (probably something I'm not setting up properly), unlike APRS. I'm still getting a handle on the SkyCharts tracking, but according to Heikki, if you set it up properly, it will send periodic emails to whoever you'd like, with a URL showing updated positional info.
All in all, SkyCharts looks to be the best of the aviation nav apps I've seen, with capabilities found nowhere else. The METAR/TAF function will eventually be a real sweet feature, as all you have to do to get the lowdown on the weather ahead it tap the station you're interested in. Heikki is doing some really cool things with the app, and he's upgrading it constantly.
Now, if we could get it to run on an Apple tablet PC we'd really be in business.
Chip
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10-10-2009, 02:10 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 2,125
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Heikki and Chip,
Thanks for the responses!
Heikki, great info...I do have a 3G (bought 2 months before the 3GS came out...grrrrr!), with Airplane Mode off, charts cached and breadcrumbs on. Will re-test on my next flight (haven't had the chance to re-test it in a bit, due to other projects with the plane...but your report is very encouraging!) I also like the new info bar at the bottom...will give it all a whirl on the next flight, and report back.
On the tracking feature...tonight I set up the e-mail to go to my bride, but can't find the URL that she should go to to see the track. Is that included in the e-mail she'll get, and does it change, or can I bookmark a site for her and make it quick and easy for her (like SPOT or APRS)? Once she's on the tracking site, does it update automatically, or does she (or any e-mail recipient) need to wait for a periodc update e-mail and go to a new website? Perhaps bonehead Q's, but I also visited your website and looked around for a tracking URL, but no joy. Saw your forum as well...you've been busy...nice work!
Here's a GPS vs 3G question for ya...born of my ignorance. Sounds like the blue dot will move on the sectional with GPS only (but likes and initial 3G or WiFi fix)...understood that piece. You mention connectivity a number of times in your posts above, but I'm not sure if that means GPS or 3G/WiFi, with respect to the remote tracking feature. If I'm airborne, with a GPS signal to the iPhone only, will the remote track continually update, or does it only do that with a 3G/WiFi signal (ie, what defines "connectivity").
I ask, first to set appropriate expectations of real-time trackability for others while I'm flying, and second (to relate it to a degree back to Tracklog for this post) because if Skycharts can send a track real-time with only a GPS signal, perhaps Tracklog can do the same. Possibly wishful thinking, but just trying to understand better how the programs operate.
Finally, with your knowledge of how the systems work on a 3G and 3GS, will a 3GS perform better or have more capability when using Skycharts? My wife wants an iPhone, and I may be able to negotiate a bait and switch with her (though that will cost me...probably in jewelry!  ). Worth the upgrade?
Thanks again for all the great info!
Chip, thanks for the follow-up. It'll be interesting to see how Tracklog works with someone looking at a computer while we're in flight, and when and where it tracks (or drops track). Concur with your usability comparison assessment so far. Will be fun to see if experience makes Tracklog easier to use for a remote viewer. SPOT and APRS are pretty easy, and I'm looking forward to trying the feature in Skycharts, and seeing what capability Tracklog really has. Lots of gadgets to compare, then choose from! Fun stuff!
Cheers,
Bob
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