New Pilot tracking questions

New to soaring and I am a bit overwhelmed by all the different tracking options out there. ADS-B, Spot, etc.

Which ones are recreational and which (if any) live tracking devices are used for OLC contests etc? Are people using loggers and then uploading the info for the contests or are they using live trackers? Or both?

I know there is a minefield of information out there and I've been reading as much as I can but it's still not clear. So any information would be helpful. If I would like to have something to just trace my flights giving me distance, altitude and speed what are my options? What about for future badge flying?

I'm aware of the added benefits of SPOT for emergency use.

Thanks!

On Saturday, May 23, 2015 at 9:55:08 PM UTC-5, BMOC wrote:
New to soaring and I am a bit overwhelmed by all the different tracking options out there. ADS-B, Spot, etc.

Which ones are recreational and which (if any) live tracking devices are used for OLC contests etc? Are people using loggers and then uploading the info for the contests or are they using live trackers? Or both?

I know there is a minefield of information out there and I've been reading as much as I can but it's still not clear. So any information would be helpful. If I would like to have something to just trace my flights giving me distance, altitude and speed what are my options? What about for future badge flying?

I'm aware of the added benefits of SPOT for emergency use.

Thanks!

SPOT, DeLorme In-Reach are at or near real time trackers. Used to let those on the ground now where you are now or where you were a little bit ago. They cannot be used for OLC, badges, records, or just about anything else.

To record your flights, you should get some form of logger. The above are not loggers. I will leave it to someone else to narrow down the 10,000 or so possibilites, but I will start by suggesting you get a real, IGC approved logger. People will tell you all about apps they have on their phone, this feature on that thing, etc, and you will see they don't get the flight recorded because the forgot to turn it on. If you are flying club or rental ships, get something as self contained as possible. I would recommend against using anything related to your phone, because that should be turned off to conserve its battery for when you land. If you are flying your own plane, get something that gets its power through the master switch and is coupled to a glide computer.

Even with this "narrowing of the field" there are still literally hundreds of options, and the best thing you can do is narrow to a few, look at features, and make your purchase. There may likely be things you aren't happy with, but overall, you will be happy with whatever you get. It adds enormously to the ease of figuring "can I get there from here?" and makes flying more pleasurable.

Enjoy whatever you get!

Steve Leonard

To add to what Steve said:

Most panel-mounted flight computers these days include an IGC-approved
data logger from which you can retrieve your flight log and upload it to
OLC
(http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0...&st=olc&rt=olc)
or Skylines (https://skylines.aero/flights/upload/). Frankly, I prefer
Skylines because it allows me to use US units to analyze my flights and
it makes it easier for me to update my paper log book. One of our
instructors has a portable logger (sorry, don't know the brand), that he
wears on a lanyard around his neck. The options are many...

Most glider pilots use OLC because it allows them to compare their
flights to others regionally, nationally, or world-wide.

On 5/23/2015 9:32 PM, Steve Leonard wrote:
On Saturday, May 23, 2015 at 9:55:08 PM UTC-5, BMOC wrote:
New to soaring and I am a bit overwhelmed by all the different tracking options out there. ADS-B, Spot, etc.

Which ones are recreational and which (if any) live tracking devices are used for OLC contests etc? Are people using loggers and then uploading the info for the contests or are they using live trackers? Or both?

I know there is a minefield of information out there and I've been reading as much as I can but it's still not clear. So any information would be helpful. If I would like to have something to just trace my flights giving me distance, altitude and speed what are my options? What about for future badge flying?

I'm aware of the added benefits of SPOT for emergency use.

Thanks!
SPOT, DeLorme In-Reach are at or near real time trackers. Used to let those on the ground now where you are now or where you were a little bit ago. They cannot be used for OLC, badges, records, or just about anything else.

To record your flights, you should get some form of logger. The above are not loggers. I will leave it to someone else to narrow down the 10,000 or so possibilites, but I will start by suggesting you get a real, IGC approved logger. People will tell you all about apps they have on their phone, this feature on that thing, etc, and you will see they don't get the flight recorded because the forgot to turn it on. If you are flying club or rental ships, get something as self contained as possible. I would recommend against using anything related to your phone, because that should be turned off to conserve its battery for when you land. If you are flying your own plane, get something that gets its power through the master switch and is coupled to a glide computer.

Even with this "narrowing of the field" there are still literally hundreds of options, and the best thing you can do is narrow to a few, look at features, and make your purchase. There may likely be things you aren't happy with, but overall, you will be happy with whatever you get. It adds enormously to the ease of figuring "can I get there from here?" and makes flying more pleasurable.

Enjoy whatever you get!

Steve Leonard

--
Dan Marotta

Disclaimer : I'm the auther of one of those phone Apps Steve rejects.

I like Steve's answer but he is being a bit harsh on phones. They have there place. You can forget to turn on any logger (I've done it). Phone power is mostly an issue if you use it as a glide computer because the screen is on full brightness 100% of the flight. This is LESS of an issue if you are just logging and can turn the screen off. If batteries are an issue, this can be easily solved by an external battery pack or connection to ship power.

For somebody starting out I see phones as a good cheap way to get started. As with any technology they have limitations. Phones are unlikely to ever be "IGC-approved", which means you can't use them for FAI Badges. They can, however, be used for OLC (and Skylines) and post flight analysis.

My recommendation is while you are learning, start with a phone. Move to dedicated hardware when you know more and want more. Spend the money you save on more tows. :-)

PS. Simplistically, ADS-B is primarily a transmitter so other aircraft and air traffic control can see you. Gliders with FLARM and large jets will be able to see and avoid your glider. ADS-B doesn't log anything.

Alan

Looking at traces on http://glideport.aero is a good way to understand the difference between trackers (Not loggers!!!).

Spot traces are shown without altitudes

DeLorme In-Reach traces have altitudes

Phones show fully detailed traces (i.e. you can see thermaling).

If you watch a race or maybe flights from your home airport you can see the variability in these traces. Each technology is different, both in cost and performance.

Alan

Thanks guys. Perfect info. It's starting to congeal.