GliderLink - New team soaring app for airborne location sharing

Whether this solution compares to FLARM technology or not - I think overall it's a very innovative idea that has a lot of potential in it. As Ben mentioned, a ground base station can broadcast information from the ground, gliders can share the location and strength of thermals among themselves, all at the cost of a $100 gadget. I cannot say that I have ever had the chance to fully exploit what PowerFLARM gives, but knowing that others are in the air nearby is already a great safety feature, especially given that the cost of this gadget is a fraction of the cost of a new PowerFLARM portable. Though credit goes to Flarm for collision course detection, but I'm not sure that this single feature justifies the huge price difference ($100 vs $2000). I hope this app will have many more features and the solution will be used widely among glider pilots.

On Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 6:04:45 PM UTC-5, Marton K-Sz wrote:
Whether this solution compares to FLARM technology or not - I think overall it's a very innovative idea that has a lot of potential in it. As Ben mentioned, a ground base station can broadcast information from the ground, gliders can share the location and strength of thermals among themselves, all at the cost of a $100 gadget. I cannot say that I have ever had the chance to fully exploit what PowerFLARM gives, but knowing that others are in the air nearby is already a great safety feature, especially given that the cost of this gadget is a fraction of the cost of a new PowerFLARM portable. Though credit goes to Flarm for collision course detection, but I'm not sure that this single feature justifies the huge price difference ($100 vs $2000). I hope this app will have many more features and the solution will be used widely among glider pilots.

Actually, the amount I was charged for a pair of the goTenna devices, after putting 'BENDER25' in the discount field, was $134.25 - which made it $$67..13 per piece. I found the suggestion here (bottom of the page - 25% discount):

http://travelwithbender.com/product-...na-mesh-review

Another application for this, is automatic logging for clubs. Just sit down and pick your name (and instructors name) from a list in the app, and a ground station gets your take off, and two height, and landing. In our club that would eliminate a duty person. Is the code open source, up on line some where? Would be a great enhancement.

Rick

I've published a FAQ on the GliderLink site: https://glider.link/faq

On Monday, April 30, 2018 at 12:32:49 AM UTC-5, Ben Hirashima wrote:
I've published a FAQ on the GliderLink site: https://glider.link/faq

Thanks, great job. Answers most basic questions potential users may have.
Another suggestion: how about adding the distance from your glider next to the other gliders' icons/information? I actually thought initially that the '5KM' in your example pictures was the distance.

Thanks Tom. That reminds me of another thing I should put in the FAQ: You can tap on a glider to get more information, like distance, ground speed, and exact altitude. I didn't put distance on the screen all the time because it's not essential information and it keeps screen clutter down.

Here's a discount code you can use to get 20% off a goTenna order: NOEXCUSES. Eight people from my club just bought an 8 pack of Meshes for $463.20, less than $58 each!

I also would like to see an IOS version. Thanks, great work!

On Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at 8:11:32 PM UTC-7, Ben Hirashima wrote:
I'm excited to announce a new soaring app I've developed called GliderLink. The app shows your location and the location of nearby gliders on a moving map. You can see the other gliders' callsign, relative altitude, heading, and vertical speed. That's about it right now; it's very simple. The value of this app is that it allows you to quickly see where nearby gliders are, and whether they're in lift or sink. No more confusion on the radio trying to communicate to others where you are. With this app, all it takes is a glance. This enables team soaring, and increases safety by helping you be aware of where other gliders are. It could also be useful for lead/follow cross-country mentoring.

The app is free, and always will be. I developed it as a hobby and as a service to the soaring community. The app is for Android 4.3 and above, and requires Bluetooth LE (low energy, aka 4.0). I may make an iOS verison if there is enough interest. However, a used Android phone can be had for a song these days, if you don't want to wait.

Here's a screenshot:

https://glider.link/wp-content/uploa...5-768x1580.png

One unique thing about this app is that it doesn't require a cellular or Internet connection to share your location with others. Instead, it uses a device called a goTenna Mesh, which pairs to your phone/tablet using Bluetooth, and contains a separate radio that it uses to communicate with other goTennas. It's like a peer-to-peer airborne datalink. GliderLink uses the goTenna to directly send your GPS coordinates to other users of the app; once every 20 seconds. No cell towers, base stations, or servers are involved. You can put your phone in airplane mode, and still use the app and goTenna.

This is what a goTenna Mesh looks like:

https://glider.link/wp-content/uploa...naKeychain.jpg

You mount the goTenna Mesh in your cockpit, in a location where it will have line-of-sight to other gliders. I have mine velcroed to the underside of my canopy, but it also works well if you tape it to the end of your microphone boom where it can "see" out through the canopy. Here's what it looks like on the underside of my canopy:

https://glider.link/wp-content/uploa...nopy_below.jpg

In my testing, the maximum range of the goTenna Mesh is around 41.2nm (76..3km). However, the reception is not reliable at that range. In practice, you can get fairly reliable reception within about 10nm (18.5km), which is plenty. The app shows gliders in green if you've received a position update from them recently. If the app hasn't received a signal from them in a while, the glider will be shown in orange, then red if it's been a long time.

The cost of the goTenna Mesh is quite reasonable. They sell for about $72-90 each, depending on how many you buy at once. You can buy them from goTenna, or in outdoor stores like REI. Note that GliderLink uses the goTenna Mesh, not the original goTenna or the Pro. You can save $20 by ordering a goTenna Mesh from this link: https://www.talkable.com/x/IgisuY. This is their standard referral program, and I get a small reward from it. It would be nice way to say thanks for the app, but you don't have to use it if you don't want to.
​
The app can be downloaded right now from Google Play:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...der.gliderlink

The app will walk you through some setup, which involves requesting permissions, downloading a map for offline use, and entering your callsign in the settings. Downloading the map ahead of time ensures that it will be available while airborne, where you may not get cellular reception. Make sure the phone is on WiFi when you're downloading the map. It can use a lot of data if you're on a cellular connection. The larger the map area you select, the more data/storage will be used. Once setup, tap the little switch button in the corner of the screen to connect to the goTenna Mesh(make sure it's on) and start sending/receiving data. There is also a demo mode, accessible from the menu, that allows you to see a demonstration of what it looks like when you're flying with other GliderLink users.

There are many more features I'd like to add to this app in the future. Some possibilities include:

- Mesh networking: In addition to broadcasting your own location, the app could re-broadcast the locations of other gliders it sees, increasing the robustness and range of the network.
- Base station mode: If on the ground, the app could broadcast live weather data to glider pilots, such as wind speed and direction at the airport. It could also send the locations of any gliders it sees to a server on the Internet, so that people at home, or the FBO, can see where they are, sort of like glideport.aero.
- Lift marking: Recently used thermals could be marked on the map. Color coded glider tracks could also be shown, for visualizing wave/ridge/convergence lift.
- Mayday mode: Broadcast to anyone in range that you are in trouble, or need a retrieve.
- Internet connectivity: If you do happen to have an Internet connection while airborne, the app can use it to share your location as well, further increasing the robustness of the system.

I, and a few other pilots, have been testing the app around Hollister, California, and find that it comes in handy. I hope you do too, and I look forward to hearing what you think!

I have a website set up for GliderLink, but I haven't had a chance to put anything on it yet. You can check it later for more info: https://glider.link

Cheers,
Ben

Kudos on developing this Ap, but probably half of my friends have Iphones, so they can't use it. This makes it a tough sell.

Tom

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
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