GliderLink - New team soaring app for airborne location sharing

Ben, as I understand this the real purpose of the cell phone app is to manage the mesh data and display it? What if the phone app also converted the glider position data into a NMEA stream compatible with SeeYou Mobile (for Oudie displays) and XCSoar, LK8000 etc and transmitted that info via Bluetooth?

Perhaps the FLARM message protocol could be used?

You could then stick your hosting phone in your pocket and have the mesh data on a nice readable display.

That would be AWESOME!

Kirk
66

Interesting idea about Bluetooth to Oudie. Might be possible.

A couple of people have emailed me asking about a problem with the goTenna disconnecting. I have updated the FAQ regarding this:

https://glider.link/faq/

Basically, update your goTenna's firmware using the official goTenna app:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...otenna.gotenna

I would love to hear from anyone who has been using the app. How is it working for you?

On Sunday, May 20, 2018 at 7:57:47 PM UTC-5, Ben Hirashima wrote:
I would love to hear from anyone who has been using the app. How is it working for you?

Ben, I haven't had any opportunity yet, but hope to get to fly within next 8 days and will let you know how it went. I tried out the software on the ground and walked around few blocks. For that purpose I wish I could zoom-in even more, to a more detailed map, but I guess the map range limit will be OK when in flight.

Tom BravoMike

Thanks, Tom. Looking forward to hearing about it. I would like to allow zooming in more on the map too, but adding just one more zoom level would quadruple the size the map takes up, so it's just not practical. In the air, the current level of detail should be quite sufficient.

On Sunday, May 20, 2018 at 5:57:47 PM UTC-7, Ben Hirashima wrote:
I would love to hear from anyone who has been using the app. How is it working for you?

I got the package of 8 goTennas for the club. Haven't got anyone up to speed yet, but I've trialed it with one unit on the ground and one in my glider, my longest contact was 14 miles.

I have 2 reactions. 1. It seems to be very power hungry, and 2. It needs to have a shutdown or exit command, as the power consumption seems to continue after you quit using it. I'm using a Samsung s5 and put it into airplane mode with location and bluetooth on. After I'm done using it the only way I have successfully terminated it is by doing a restart.

I think it has great potential and an interface into nav programs would reduce display requirements.

Hi Bruce. I'm surprised to hear GliderLink is consuming a lot of power. It consumes very little power on the four phones I have run it on. It's often difficult to tell how much any one app is using. Just looking at how much the battery went down while you were using the app is not necessarily a good way to tell. It could be any app on the system using up the battery. Some apps will freak out when there's no Internet connection (airplane mode) and constantly try to connect, using up the battery. On most Samsung phones, you can go into the settings to the battery page and it should show how much individual apps are using. Let me know what it says.

BTW Bruce, the way to shut down GliderLink is to tap the on/off switch in the upper right corner of the main GliderLink screen.

Meshing has come to GliderLink! I just published version 1.2.0 to Google Play. This version will broadcast not only your own location, but the locations of up to three other nearby gliders. This increases the range and robustness of the system. This version is backward compatible with older versions, but the older versions will not benefit from or contribute to the mesh network.

Example of extended range: You are glider A. Glider C is far away, out of range. However, glider B is between you and C, and in range of both of you. When C broadcasts its location, B will see it and re-broadcast it, which you can then receive. In effect, you will be able to see gliders that would normally be out of range.

Example of increased robustness: You, glider B, and glider C are all within range of each other. Glider C is thermalling, and when it broadcasts its location, the fuselage happens to be blocking transmission to you, but not to glider B. Glider B sees glider C and re-broadcasts C's location. This time, you are able to receive C's location since your line-of-sight is not blocked to glider B. There is more than one path for C's location to get to you, so the system is more robust. The more gliders there are in range, the most robust the system is. One caveat is that C's location may get to you a bit later, since you have to wait for glider B to broadcast on its usual 20 second cadence.

Some friends and I tested it for three days last weekend, and it worked well. One pilot was able to see me from 70 nautical miles away, thanks to meshing.