View Full Version : Contest "viewing"
I'd like to "follow" some of the upcoming contests.
What is the most current website or app for real-time tracking? And do you have to know a trackers ID to make this work?
Also what websites or apps can be used to "play back" a flight log? Is there a software which allows you to sync the starts of multiple sailplanes (a la GP fashion) and then follow their course path's?
Thanks for your help.
kiwiindenver
May 10th 16, 05:17 PM
GlidePort.aero is the best option for real-time tracking. It combines Spot, InReach and cell phone traces into one contest focused viewer. You see details of the competition including the task.
http://ssa.org/sailplanetracker is mostly the same thing, just a different name.
GlidePort will not sync the starts but it does allow play back.
Search "GlidePort.aero" on YouTube to see a video of how to use it.
On Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 10:33:18 AM UTC-7, wrote:
> Thanks kiwiindenver.
SeeYou (PC) will play back multiple igc files, synchronised to crossing the start or time of day. In 2D or 3D.
Jim
kiwiindenver
May 10th 16, 08:31 PM
On Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 12:47:17 PM UTC-6, JS wrote:
> On Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 10:33:18 AM UTC-7, wrote:
> > Thanks kiwiindenver.
>
> SeeYou (PC) will play back multiple igc files, synchronised to crossing the start or time of day. In 2D or 3D.
> Jim
Yes, lots of choices are available for post flight igc file viewing and comparison. SeeYou is a good option.
Real-time tracking is different because you don't have the igc files yet.
Alan
With Nephi hosting 3 nationals at once this June, we thought a real time tracking solution could be really exciting. The solutions we found would cost us many thousands of dollars unfortunately.
I would love to see the SSA consider investing some of the $55 "sanction fees" each contestant pays at any contest (and have been paying for years now) and invest in a system that can be used at all nationals for all of us to follow and enjoy.
By the way, where has the tens of thousands $$ already collected from these sanction fees gone to? I hope not just the SSA general operating fund, but to something racing related to hopefully grow contest participation...
There was one gps system a while back that looked really cool showing real time data of all sailplanes competing, but the cost for renting all of the equipment would be something in the range of $15,000 for just one full contest!
Fun to dream about what may be someday...
Bruno - B4
On Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 4:19:15 PM UTC-4, wrote:
> With Nephi hosting 3 nationals at once this June, we thought a real time tracking solution could be really exciting. The solutions we found would cost us many thousands of dollars unfortunately.
>
> I would love to see the SSA consider investing some of the $55 "sanction fees" each contestant pays at any contest (and have been paying for years now) and invest in a system that can be used at all nationals for all of us to follow and enjoy.
>
> By the way, where has the tens of thousands $$ already collected from these sanction fees gone to? I hope not just the SSA general operating fund, but to something racing related to hopefully grow contest participation...
>
> There was one gps system a while back that looked really cool showing real time data of all sailplanes competing, but the cost for renting all of the equipment would be something in the range of $15,000 for just one full contest!
>
> Fun to dream about what may be someday...
> Bruno - B4
In recent years the surplus from sanction fees paid, after direct expenses were accounted for, was made available for the benefit of the contest community. This was administered by the contest board. a significant portion is used to pay 90% of contest expenses for young people who participate and apply.
UH
On Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 10:48:43 AM UTC-4, wrote:
> I'd like to "follow" some of the upcoming contests.
>
> What is the most current website or app for real-time tracking? And do you have to know a trackers ID to make this work?
>
> Also what websites or apps can be used to "play back" a flight log? Is there a software which allows you to sync the starts of multiple sailplanes (a la GP fashion) and then follow their course path's?
>
> Thanks for your help.
IGC Flight Replay http://ywtw.de/igcsimen.html works well with my Windows 7 Pro and Google Earth Pro 7.1.2.2o41. Just had to add https://www.google.de/earth/explore/products/plugin.html . Thanks Tobias Wicht.
Clay[_4_]
May 12th 16, 03:43 PM
They had a great system for the 2010 Worlds in Szeged. You could see them thermalling almost like you were out on course. Everything since then has been a disappointment.
Paragliding crowd has some phone based tracking apps that work in cell dense Europe. Probably not legal and I'm guessing useless in the American West.
The foreign competitions I have viewed can only afford around 10 devices which they randomly distribute daily.
The GlidePort app integrated with SSA contest data and Winscore is freely available to anyone. Contest Directors can take advantage of this system by requesting a Competition Manager user name and password from the SSA. You do not have to be a sanctioned contest to use our Contest system.
Our present obstacle is the reluctance of pilots to download and use the respective smartphone app. The apple version " glide track" is free. The droid version "igc droid" has a small one time fee.
This system has proven its potential over the last two seasons and is getting better as we work out the sync issues (amazingly there seem to be persistent errors with SSA member numbers as people enter their info).
At the Seniors competition Rich provided complementary aux phone batteries (highly recommended) yet only a half dozen pilots used real time (igc style) tracking. You can differentiate them by the bold track info in the left hand pain when selecting tracks.
I would like to emphasize that this is a "entertainment" app and not to be confused with the PLB features that SPOT and InReach provide.
You can also upload igc files to GlidePort and it becomes a very effective analysis tool. Additionally the phone apps allow OLC uploads so you can get your flight on OLC even if you don't have a logger ?
All this for "free"? Yet we wonder "why is the SSA not providing contest tracking"? The answer of course is "we are".
Many thanks to Pedja Bogdanovich, Doug Easton and Guy Buyers for keeping this system functioning and free.
Lane Bush
SSA Tracking Committee
Steve Koerner
May 13th 16, 12:41 AM
I'd say that what has been accomplished with the free SSA / GlidePort system is really quite impressive.
I'm wondering... If I fly with both InReach and IGCDroid running at the same time, does the data get merged into a single real time trace?
If both devices are registered in your profile you will have two tracks. Examples of this feature can be found at a number of contests. I encourage you to carry two devices.
Lane
I fly with a Spot and also use the phone tracker. While neither are perfect, the fidelity every 4 seconds of the phone tracker is MUCH better than spot. It does not send every 4 however, but from conversations with Lane, I think it sends more often than Spot.
Also while marketed as an entertainment app, if I go down somewhere and need help I think the higher fidelity of the phone app would really aid in finding me.
My wife and faithful crew both loves and hates the phone app. Spot does not show altitude and the phone app does. She loves it when she sees I am high and hates it when she sees I have gotten low.
Running both give you some redundancy.
Kevin
92
kiwiindenver
May 13th 16, 06:16 PM
As the developer of the Android IGCDroid phone tracking app I'm biased.
The phone app is actually sending an entire IGC file piece by piece in near real time. So, positions are recorded up to once a second, buffered on the phone and sent in blocks once every minute or so. The exact sending interval depends upon cell coverage. The app wants to send data as quickly as it can but also needs to consider your phone's battery life.
The final results you get from a phone tracker depend upon lots of thing, the quality of your phone, mounting in your glider, cell tower coverage. I have seen flights that update faster then spot. I have seen flights that update much, much slower than spot. Its this unreliability that makes Lane say this is for entertainment. I think that is slightly harsh, but I do agree that I wouldn't trust my life to it.
Personally I fly with a PLB and my phone. I don't use Spot or InReach. Everyone needs to make their own personal safety cost tradeoff.
One big down side I personally see with IGCDroid is that the data is addictive... I REALLY, REALLY, hate not seeing the data updating for a long time.. With Spot I don't hate not seeing the data as much because I don't like the data as much.
Alan
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