Questions/Comments about OGN

[John DeRosa OHM Ω http://aviation.derosaweb.net]

I am interested in the Open Glider Network (OGN) work with a possible implementation around the Chicago area. See http://wiki.glidernet.org/ for details. You can see tracked objects at http://live.glidernet.org. As you can imagine not much going on right now on January 20th - except around Santiago Chile where 10 gliders are lining up with 3 tow planes (including two ASW-29's from Germany!).

A couple of comments and questions;

- The US lags far behind in OGN implementation with only 6 sites (Albuquerque, Williams, Minden, Moriarty, Edgewood and Lake Placid). We are tied with Namibia (!) and are behind Canada (8 sites). For comparison Germany has 281 and UK has 166 sites.

- Region 11 PASCO (Pacific Soaring Council) mentioned in March of 2019 that they were implementing OGN in the region (see their Yahoo Group thread below). Looks like Williams has been implemented. What other sites are in the works?

- Has OGN been used at some contests/regattas/events? If so, which?

- On http://wiki.glidernet.org/ there is this comment, "At the moment you already can see beacons from PilotAware, SPOT, Garmin InReach, Skymaster, FANET (paragliders) and Spidertracks circulating through our network." (plus FLARM of course). Does this mean that **ALL** the heavily used soaring SPOT and InReach trackers are showing up on all the OGN tracking sites?

- What is the typical cost to implement an OGN site?

- What is the typical range of an OGN site? Assumming flat terrain and an antenna on top of a typical hangar.

- What is the primary motivation for OGN? Watching contests in "real" time? Safety? In cockpit use?

Thanks,
John OHM Ω

==================================================

From: PASCO - Pacific Soaring Council, Inc
Date: Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 8:58 AM
Subject: Morgan, Region 11 OGN Fund Announcement

OGN Fund Announcement

To PASCO SSA Region 11,

PASCO is pleased to announce the creation of a fund to support the
installation of Open Glider Network (OGN) receiver stations throughout our
soaring region (SSA Region 11). The approved budget for this enterprise is
$2,000 over two years. The funds are expressly for the purpose of covering
material expenses required to build the receiver stations for the creation
of a Region 11 OGN network. The initial target coverage areas for the OGN
network are the most commonly used soaring cross country routes.

Creation of this OGN network will enhance the visibility and safety of
soaring in Region 11. OGN receiver stations provide not only real time
position reports and flight tracks of FLARM equipped gliders to computers
and mobile devices with internet connections, but also provide real time
data that could support search and retrieve/rescue operations. If you are
not familiar with the OGN network log into glidertracker.org and you will
see all aircraft that have registered and transmitting FLARM devices. You
will note heavy application of this technology in Europe and PASCO is
actively supporting its introduction in our region.

Project Coordinator: PASCO member Philip Lee has
volunteered to lead the project of planning, building and installation of
OGN receivers at key locations throughout Region 11. Philip designed,
constructed and installed the first OGN receiver station in our region at Williams, CA and will coordinate the initial rollout of OGN receivers in Region 11, prioritizing heavily-trafficked glider airspace. He is your best resource
for starting your own build project and suggesting additional station
locations.

PASCO requests that all individuals contact Philip Lee prior to
construction of a new OGN receiver station to avoid duplication of station
locations or significant overlapping coverage areas. Please coordinate your
projects with Philip or volunteer to take on a receiver build and
installation for a specific location. Any help will be greatly appreciated
by the entire soaring community as the benefit is great.

To Request Reimbursement for OGN receiver station material costs: Submit
copies of receipts and the intended location for the OGN receiver
station(s) that you built via email to .

Regards,
Dan Colton
President, Pacific Soaring Council

[Ramy[_2_]]

OGN receivers were installed in multiple places in California and Nevada last year thanks to the PASCO Initiative.
Williams, Avenal, Truckee, Minden, Hollister (planned), Byron (planned), tehachappi and couple more places in Mojave and southern sierras.
From my experience for the OGN network to really work well there need to be many OGN receivers, spread every 50 miles or so, otherwise there is only sporadic reception from further away. but they work very well for local flights.
Also the web sites I tried so far (mostly glidertracker.org) works but not nearly as well and consistent as the SSA tracker.
I would like to see one day a Fully functional web site such as the ssa tracker which integrates all the different tracking sources we have nowadays: Inreach, spot, flarm, ADS-B, Mode S transponders, flight computers (eg xcsoar/skylines) and cell phone apps.

Ramy

[[email protected]]

FYI, the list above shows Albuquerque, Moriarty and Edgewood in New Mexico. For all intents and purposes, all three are essentially serving the Moriarty Airport. There is another OGN tracker located at Taos, NM, but its usefulness is debatable. It may be removed and relocated to another spot to enhance coverage in the Estancia Valley (Moriarty). Please note that these installations (along with FlightAware antennae and hardware) were installed with funds provided by Albuquerque Soaring Club pilots who volunteered to pay for the equipment to enhance safer general aviation and soaring in the area.. The effort has been welcomed by the NM State Aviation Department, the NM State Police and all of the assorted Search & Rescue groups in the area.

[krasw]

We have installed several ground stations with sometimes over 100km reception. Hardware cost has been less then 500usd per station.

[[email protected]]

> I am interested in the Open Glider Network (OGN) work with a possible implementation around the Chicago area.

Looks like you found a project with a good fun to effort ratio.


The US coverage map is slim:

http://ognrange.onglide.com/#,max,recent,40.31852_-81.22789,4,#80000040:#008000ff,circles;


But a tracking station looks easy:

http://wiki.glidernet.org/ogn-receiver-hardware-and-software#hardware


To get coverage for a task area, you might want either a mountain top or a handful of sites?

[[email protected]]

John, you know me. I'm slow on the uptake but I make up for it with a bit of open mindedness. What is the purpose of this thing? It sounds like a half step between ADS-B and Flarm.
When I started flying gliders nobody even had a radio. Sometime after radios and GPS if you didn't have a transponder you were a public menace out to give gliders a bad name WHEN you inevitably blunder into a 747 full of nuns on their way to build an orphanage. Then Flarm, even though it already looked outdated at the onset in the shadow of ADS-B was made mandatory for contests and anybody who wanted to feel safer at the home field. This just seems like "one more thing to do". Given that none of it is a %100 magic pill, just how fine do we want to slice this thing? I really don't care what the glider 50 miles away is doing,so what's this for? Sell me on it.

[Ron Gleason]

On Tuesday, 21 January 2020 07:13:06 UTC-7, wrote:
> > I am interested in the Open Glider Network (OGN) work with a possible implementation around the Chicago area.
>
> Looks like you found a project with a good fun to effort ratio.
>
>
> The US coverage map is slim:
>
> http://ognrange.onglide.com/#,max,recent,40.31852_-81.22789,4,#80000040:#008000ff,circles;
>
>
> But a tracking station looks easy:
>
> http://wiki.glidernet.org/ogn-receiver-hardware-and-software#hardware
>
>
> To get coverage for a task area, you might want either a mountain top or a handful of sites?

Does anyone have experience in a base station configuration that can be used in a remote location such as a mountain peak? This would require batteries, solar panels, weather protection and non-dedicated internet connection?

I am thinking of what it would take to cover the eastern Great Basin area from Nephi south to Parowan and west into the Great Basin.

Thanks in advance

[Dave Nadler]

On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 1:49:36 PM UTC-5, wrote:
> ...What is the purpose of this thing?

If you are asking about FLARM, see:
http://www.nadler.com/GliderPilotUSAflarmWeb/FlarmHome.html

OGN lets everyone know where everyone is, great for friends, families, and sometimes SAR. In Europe, pretty much all gliders and many powered aircraft (majority of GA aircraft) have FLARM, and the distances aren't so big, so coverage is pretty good.

Hope that helps,
See ya, Dave

[[email protected]]

I'm talking about OGN. A SPOT, InReach, can already do this. (Another device I forgot to mention.) I dunno... it just seems like a solution looking for a problem.

[Dave Nadler]

On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 4:11:58 PM UTC-5, wrote:
> I'm talking about OGN. A SPOT, InReach, can already do this.

OGN is a great solution for thousands of gliders that do not have SPOT or InReach.

[Al McNamara[_4_]]

At 21:11 21 January 2020, wrote:
>I'm talking about OGN. A SPOT, InReach, can already do this. (Another
>device I forgot to mention.) I dunno... it just seems like a solution
>looking for a problem.
>
It's a system that is cheap and easy to enable, and works incredibly well.
The rest of the world got on and did it years ago; the US continues to
pontificate. In Europe it's hard to imagine gliding without it.

[[email protected]]

On Monday, January 20, 2020 at 11:10:39 AM UTC-6, John DeRosa OHM Ω http://aviation.derosaweb.net wrote:
> I am interested in the Open Glider Network (OGN) work with a possible implementation around the Chicago area. See http://wiki.glidernet.org/ for details. You can see tracked objects at http://live.glidernet.org. As you can imagine not much going on right now on January 20th - except around Santiago Chile where 10 gliders are lining up with 3 tow planes (including two ASW-29's from Germany!).
>
> A couple of comments and questions;
>
> - The US lags far behind in OGN implementation with only 6 sites (Albuquerque, Williams, Minden, Moriarty, Edgewood and Lake Placid). We are tied with Namibia (!) and are behind Canada (8 sites). For comparison Germany has 281 and UK has 166 sites.
>
> - Region 11 PASCO (Pacific Soaring Council) mentioned in March of 2019 that they were implementing OGN in the region (see their Yahoo Group thread below). Looks like Williams has been implemented. What other sites are in the works?
>
> - Has OGN been used at some contests/regattas/events? If so, which?
>
> - On http://wiki.glidernet.org/ there is this comment, "At the moment you already can see beacons from PilotAware, SPOT, Garmin InReach, Skymaster, FANET (paragliders) and Spidertracks circulating through our network." (plus FLARM of course). Does this mean that **ALL** the heavily used soaring SPOT and InReach trackers are showing up on all the OGN tracking sites?
>
> - What is the typical cost to implement an OGN site?
>
> - What is the typical range of an OGN site? Assumming flat terrain and an antenna on top of a typical hangar.
>
> - What is the primary motivation for OGN? Watching contests in "real" time? Safety? In cockpit use?
>
> Thanks,
> John OHM Ω
>
> ==================================================
>
> From: PASCO - Pacific Soaring Council, Inc
> Date: Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 8:58 AM
> Subject: Morgan, Region 11 OGN Fund Announcement
>
> OGN Fund Announcement
>
> To PASCO SSA Region 11,
>
> PASCO is pleased to announce the creation of a fund to support the
> installation of Open Glider Network (OGN) receiver stations throughout our
> soaring region (SSA Region 11). The approved budget for this enterprise is
> $2,000 over two years. The funds are expressly for the purpose of covering
> material expenses required to build the receiver stations for the creation
> of a Region 11 OGN network. The initial target coverage areas for the OGN
> network are the most commonly used soaring cross country routes.
>
> Creation of this OGN network will enhance the visibility and safety of
> soaring in Region 11. OGN receiver stations provide not only real time
> position reports and flight tracks of FLARM equipped gliders to computers
> and mobile devices with internet connections, but also provide real time
> data that could support search and retrieve/rescue operations. If you are
> not familiar with the OGN network log into glidertracker.org and you will
> see all aircraft that have registered and transmitting FLARM devices. You
> will note heavy application of this technology in Europe and PASCO is
> actively supporting its introduction in our region.
>
> Project Coordinator: PASCO member Philip Lee has
> volunteered to lead the project of planning, building and installation of
> OGN receivers at key locations throughout Region 11. Philip designed,
> constructed and installed the first OGN receiver station in our region at Williams, CA and will coordinate the initial rollout of OGN receivers in Region 11, prioritizing heavily-trafficked glider airspace. He is your best resource
> for starting your own build project and suggesting additional station
> locations.
>
> PASCO requests that all individuals contact Philip Lee prior to
> construction of a new OGN receiver station to avoid duplication of station
> locations or significant overlapping coverage areas. Please coordinate your
> projects with Philip or volunteer to take on a receiver build and
> installation for a specific location. Any help will be greatly appreciated
> by the entire soaring community as the benefit is great.
>
> To Request Reimbursement for OGN receiver station material costs: Submit
> copies of receipts and the intended location for the OGN receiver
> station(s) that you built via email to .
>
> Regards,
> Dan Colton
> President, Pacific Soaring Council

John, as you well know, I'm flying on every day of the season around N. IL when the weather is decent and I can get a towpilot. On any given day, there may be 3-5 gliders between our 3 clubs here on a x-country. Often I'm the only one. I can see no purpose for an OGN network to be implemented at probably considerable cost. Let's focus instead on promoting x-country flying. If you are looking for me, I'll let you have my InReach page address and you get a trace in 10' intervall. This hole subject is a total non-starter for me.

Herb

[[email protected]]

On Tuesday, 21 January 2020 21:11:58 UTC, wrote:
> I'm talking about OGN. A SPOT, InReach, can already do this. (Another device I forgot to mention.) I dunno... it just seems like a solution looking for a problem.

If Flarm is in the glider anyway, then tracking derived from it is nearly free, just the initial possibly shared cost of some ground stations.

People flying over more remote or mountainous areas will probably still like to have Spot or InReach, and/or PLB or ELT

[Paul Ruskin[_2_]]

I fly in the UK and in the Alps. We have good OGN coverage in both
places, and in both places all (Alps) or most (UK) cross country
gliders carry Flarm. I manage >20 receivers.

A primary benefit of OGN tracking is to make gliding more of a
spectator sport - so if you're not flying, you can see what other
people are doing or have done today. It gets used for most
competitions, with websites configured to show just the gliders in the
competition, with their relative position in the race. Much more
interesting for the spectators than just waiting for finishers. As an
additional benefit we get useful traffic data for conversations with the
regulators about airspace.

My club, and many others, also use it for logging gliders and tugs up
and down, improving the accuracy of otherwise hand-recorded logs.

As an instructor, it's very useful being able to look on the club
website and see where all the gliders that launched from the club are
at the end of the day - whether home, local or still remote. Even
down to which field they landed out in.

In the Alps it has proved very useful for S&R in the event that a crash
has occurred. Also in the Alps, there are a number of mountaintop
receivers with solar power supplies (not within the $250 budget
mentioned later though).

In the UK there's a parallel system to Flarm, called PilotAware, which
is like Flarm for GA aircraft. An extension of the OGN system
rebroadcasts Flarm signals to PilotAware equipped aircraft. That
system is being extended to include multi-laterated transponder
signals.

The backend of the system is opensource and integrates targets from
a number of systems including OGN (Flarm), PilotAware and others.
So all that traffic data is available. There are several websites that
make use of that data, presented in different ways.

Typical cost of a receiver is in the order of $250. Range can be high -
100km or more - it's pretty much line of sight - but you get much
better results with receivers on a grid around 30km depending on
terrain - then you get multiple receivers picking up an aircraft.
Ground stations are best with decent antennas mounted high and
clear of buildings.

All in all, it's been an extremely successful example of building on
some existing technologies (ie Flarm) to provide a lot of additional
functionality.

Paul

[Tom BravoMike]

On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 4:04:12 PM UTC-6, wrote:
> On Monday, January 20, 2020 at 11:10:39 AM UTC-6, John DeRosa OHM Ω http://aviation.derosaweb.net wrote:
> > I am interested in the Open Glider Network (OGN) work with a possible implementation around the Chicago area. See http://wiki.glidernet.org/ for details. You can see tracked objects at http://live.glidernet.org. As you can imagine not much going on right now on January 20th - except around Santiago Chile where 10 gliders are lining up with 3 tow planes (including two ASW-29's from Germany!).
> >
> > A couple of comments and questions;
> >
> > - The US lags far behind in OGN implementation with only 6 sites (Albuquerque, Williams, Minden, Moriarty, Edgewood and Lake Placid). We are tied with Namibia (!) and are behind Canada (8 sites). For comparison Germany has 281 and UK has 166 sites.
> >
> > - Region 11 PASCO (Pacific Soaring Council) mentioned in March of 2019 that they were implementing OGN in the region (see their Yahoo Group thread below). Looks like Williams has been implemented. What other sites are in the works?
> >
> > - Has OGN been used at some contests/regattas/events? If so, which?
> >
> > - On http://wiki.glidernet.org/ there is this comment, "At the moment you already can see beacons from PilotAware, SPOT, Garmin InReach, Skymaster, FANET (paragliders) and Spidertracks circulating through our network." (plus FLARM of course). Does this mean that **ALL** the heavily used soaring SPOT and InReach trackers are showing up on all the OGN tracking sites?
> >
> > - What is the typical cost to implement an OGN site?
> >
> > - What is the typical range of an OGN site? Assumming flat terrain and an antenna on top of a typical hangar.
> >
> > - What is the primary motivation for OGN? Watching contests in "real" time? Safety? In cockpit use?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > John OHM Ω
> >
> > ==================================================
> >
> > From: PASCO - Pacific Soaring Council, Inc
> > Date: Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 8:58 AM
> > Subject: Morgan, Region 11 OGN Fund Announcement
> >
> > OGN Fund Announcement
> >
> > To PASCO SSA Region 11,
> >
> > PASCO is pleased to announce the creation of a fund to support the
> > installation of Open Glider Network (OGN) receiver stations throughout our
> > soaring region (SSA Region 11). The approved budget for this enterprise is
> > $2,000 over two years. The funds are expressly for the purpose of covering
> > material expenses required to build the receiver stations for the creation
> > of a Region 11 OGN network. The initial target coverage areas for the OGN
> > network are the most commonly used soaring cross country routes.
> >
> > Creation of this OGN network will enhance the visibility and safety of
> > soaring in Region 11. OGN receiver stations provide not only real time
> > position reports and flight tracks of FLARM equipped gliders to computers
> > and mobile devices with internet connections, but also provide real time
> > data that could support search and retrieve/rescue operations. If you are
> > not familiar with the OGN network log into glidertracker.org and you will
> > see all aircraft that have registered and transmitting FLARM devices. You
> > will note heavy application of this technology in Europe and PASCO is
> > actively supporting its introduction in our region.
> >
> > Project Coordinator: PASCO member Philip Lee has
> > volunteered to lead the project of planning, building and installation of
> > OGN receivers at key locations throughout Region 11. Philip designed,
> > constructed and installed the first OGN receiver station in our region at Williams, CA and will coordinate the initial rollout of OGN receivers in Region 11, prioritizing heavily-trafficked glider airspace. He is your best resource
> > for starting your own build project and suggesting additional station
> > locations.
> >
> > PASCO requests that all individuals contact Philip Lee prior to
> > construction of a new OGN receiver station to avoid duplication of station
> > locations or significant overlapping coverage areas. Please coordinate your
> > projects with Philip or volunteer to take on a receiver build and
> > installation for a specific location. Any help will be greatly appreciated
> > by the entire soaring community as the benefit is great.
> >
> > To Request Reimbursement for OGN receiver station material costs: Submit
> > copies of receipts and the intended location for the OGN receiver
> > station(s) that you built via email to .
> >
> > Regards,
> > Dan Colton
> > President, Pacific Soaring Council
>
> John, as you well know, I'm flying on every day of the season around N. IL when the weather is decent and I can get a towpilot. On any given day, there may be 3-5 gliders between our 3 clubs here on a x-country. Often I'm the only one. I can see no purpose for an OGN network to be implemented at probably considerable cost. Let's focus instead on promoting x-country flying. If you are looking for me, I'll let you have my InReach page address and you get a trace in 10' intervall. This hole subject is a total non-starter for me.
>
> Herb

Herb, count me as well, beginning this coming season. So there will be two of us. And seeing us two soaring (thanks to the OGN), there will be more pilots joining us, including x-country flying. I fully support building-up the OGN network in the Chicagoland area (and willing to help setting it up). Sorry (regret) couldn't attend the presentation last Monday at the Schaumburg Airport.

[Dan Marotta]

Can you see historical tracks or only current?

On 1/21/2020 4:43 PM, Paul Ruskin wrote:
> I fly in the UK and in the Alps. We have good OGN coverage in both
> places, and in both places all (Alps) or most (UK) cross country
> gliders carry Flarm. I manage >20 receivers.
>
> A primary benefit of OGN tracking is to make gliding more of a
> spectator sport - so if you're not flying, you can see what other
> people are doing or have done today. It gets used for most
> competitions, with websites configured to show just the gliders in the
> competition, with their relative position in the race. Much more
> interesting for the spectators than just waiting for finishers. As an
> additional benefit we get useful traffic data for conversations with the
> regulators about airspace.
>
> My club, and many others, also use it for logging gliders and tugs up
> and down, improving the accuracy of otherwise hand-recorded logs.
>
> As an instructor, it's very useful being able to look on the club
> website and see where all the gliders that launched from the club are
> at the end of the day - whether home, local or still remote. Even
> down to which field they landed out in.
>
> In the Alps it has proved very useful for S&R in the event that a crash
> has occurred. Also in the Alps, there are a number of mountaintop
> receivers with solar power supplies (not within the $250 budget
> mentioned later though).
>
> In the UK there's a parallel system to Flarm, called PilotAware, which
> is like Flarm for GA aircraft. An extension of the OGN system
> rebroadcasts Flarm signals to PilotAware equipped aircraft. That
> system is being extended to include multi-laterated transponder
> signals.
>
> The backend of the system is opensource and integrates targets from
> a number of systems including OGN (Flarm), PilotAware and others.
> So all that traffic data is available. There are several websites that
> make use of that data, presented in different ways.
>
> Typical cost of a receiver is in the order of $250. Range can be high -
> 100km or more - it's pretty much line of sight - but you get much
> better results with receivers on a grid around 30km depending on
> terrain - then you get multiple receivers picking up an aircraft.
> Ground stations are best with decent antennas mounted high and
> clear of buildings.
>
> All in all, it's been an extremely successful example of building on
> some existing technologies (ie Flarm) to provide a lot of additional
> functionality.
>
> Paul
>
>
>
>

--
Dan, 5J

[Paul Ruskin[_2_]]

At 18:46 22 January 2020, Dan Marotta wrote:
>Can you see historical tracks or only current?
>
>--
>Dan, 5J
>

Hi Dan

By general agreement history is limited on the public display
websites to the current day. My club has the last three days of
club glider tracks for logged in members. Longer is stored in a
couple of places for S&R, system management and statistical
purposes.

Paul

[Dan Marotta]

Thanks!

On 1/22/2020 4:38 PM, Paul Ruskin wrote:
> At 18:46 22 January 2020, Dan Marotta wrote:
>> Can you see historical tracks or only current?
>>
>> --
>> Dan, 5J
>>
> Hi Dan
>
> By general agreement history is limited on the public display
> websites to the current day. My club has the last three days of
> club glider tracks for logged in members. Longer is stored in a
> couple of places for S&R, system management and statistical
> purposes.
>
> Paul
>

--
Dan, 5J

[[email protected]]

On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 8:51:38 PM UTC-5, Tom BravoMike wrote:
> On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 4:04:12 PM UTC-6, wrote:
> > On Monday, January 20, 2020 at 11:10:39 AM UTC-6, John DeRosa OHM Ω http://aviation.derosaweb.net wrote:
> > > I am interested in the Open Glider Network (OGN) work with a possible implementation around the Chicago area. See http://wiki.glidernet.org/ for details. You can see tracked objects at http://live.glidernet.org. As you can imagine not much going on right now on January 20th - except around Santiago Chile where 10 gliders are lining up with 3 tow planes (including two ASW-29's from Germany!).
> > >
> > > A couple of comments and questions;
> > >
> > > - The US lags far behind in OGN implementation with only 6 sites (Albuquerque, Williams, Minden, Moriarty, Edgewood and Lake Placid). We are tied with Namibia (!) and are behind Canada (8 sites). For comparison Germany has 281 and UK has 166 sites.
> > >
> > > - Region 11 PASCO (Pacific Soaring Council) mentioned in March of 2019 that they were implementing OGN in the region (see their Yahoo Group thread below). Looks like Williams has been implemented. What other sites are in the works?
> > >
> > > - Has OGN been used at some contests/regattas/events? If so, which?
> > >
> > > - On http://wiki.glidernet.org/ there is this comment, "At the moment you already can see beacons from PilotAware, SPOT, Garmin InReach, Skymaster, FANET (paragliders) and Spidertracks circulating through our network." (plus FLARM of course). Does this mean that **ALL** the heavily used soaring SPOT and InReach trackers are showing up on all the OGN tracking sites?
> > >
> > > - What is the typical cost to implement an OGN site?
> > >
> > > - What is the typical range of an OGN site? Assumming flat terrain and an antenna on top of a typical hangar.
> > >
> > > - What is the primary motivation for OGN? Watching contests in "real" time? Safety? In cockpit use?
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > John OHM Ω
> > >
> > > ==================================================
> > >
> > > From: PASCO - Pacific Soaring Council, Inc
> > > Date: Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 8:58 AM
> > > Subject: Morgan, Region 11 OGN Fund Announcement
> > >
> > > OGN Fund Announcement
> > >
> > > To PASCO SSA Region 11,
> > >
> > > PASCO is pleased to announce the creation of a fund to support the
> > > installation of Open Glider Network (OGN) receiver stations throughout our
> > > soaring region (SSA Region 11). The approved budget for this enterprise is
> > > $2,000 over two years. The funds are expressly for the purpose of covering
> > > material expenses required to build the receiver stations for the creation
> > > of a Region 11 OGN network. The initial target coverage areas for the OGN
> > > network are the most commonly used soaring cross country routes.
> > >
> > > Creation of this OGN network will enhance the visibility and safety of
> > > soaring in Region 11. OGN receiver stations provide not only real time
> > > position reports and flight tracks of FLARM equipped gliders to computers
> > > and mobile devices with internet connections, but also provide real time
> > > data that could support search and retrieve/rescue operations. If you are
> > > not familiar with the OGN network log into glidertracker.org and you will
> > > see all aircraft that have registered and transmitting FLARM devices. You
> > > will note heavy application of this technology in Europe and PASCO is
> > > actively supporting its introduction in our region.
> > >
> > > Project Coordinator: PASCO member Philip Lee has
> > > volunteered to lead the project of planning, building and installation of
> > > OGN receivers at key locations throughout Region 11. Philip designed,
> > > constructed and installed the first OGN receiver station in our region at Williams, CA and will coordinate the initial rollout of OGN receivers in Region 11, prioritizing heavily-trafficked glider airspace. He is your best resource
> > > for starting your own build project and suggesting additional station
> > > locations.
> > >
> > > PASCO requests that all individuals contact Philip Lee prior to
> > > construction of a new OGN receiver station to avoid duplication of station
> > > locations or significant overlapping coverage areas. Please coordinate your
> > > projects with Philip or volunteer to take on a receiver build and
> > > installation for a specific location. Any help will be greatly appreciated
> > > by the entire soaring community as the benefit is great.
> > >
> > > To Request Reimbursement for OGN receiver station material costs: Submit
> > > copies of receipts and the intended location for the OGN receiver
> > > station(s) that you built via email to .
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > Dan Colton
> > > President, Pacific Soaring Council
> >
> > John, as you well know, I'm flying on every day of the season around N. IL when the weather is decent and I can get a towpilot. On any given day, there may be 3-5 gliders between our 3 clubs here on a x-country. Often I'm the only one. I can see no purpose for an OGN network to be implemented at probably considerable cost. Let's focus instead on promoting x-country flying. If you are looking for me, I'll let you have my InReach page address and you get a trace in 10' intervall. This hole subject is a total non-starter for me.
> >
> > Herb
>
> Herb, count me as well, beginning this coming season. So there will be two of us. And seeing us two soaring (thanks to the OGN), there will be more pilots joining us, including x-country flying. I fully support building-up the OGN network in the Chicagoland area (and willing to help setting it up).. Sorry (regret) couldn't attend the presentation last Monday at the Schaumburg Airport.

Some of us here in Vermont, USA are thinking of setting up an OGN ground station. Can anybody point us to a source of info on how to do that? I.e., what hardware should we get for receiving USA PowerFLARM signals, antenna tips, what software is available, etc. I know it's been done in several places in the USA by now, so some people have the experience. And it may differ from the way it's done in Europe, due to different frequencies used by FLARM. Thanks.

[Ron Gleason]

On Thursday, 4 June 2020 12:31:39 UTC-6, wrote:
> On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 8:51:38 PM UTC-5, Tom BravoMike wrote:
> > On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 4:04:12 PM UTC-6, wrote:
> > > On Monday, January 20, 2020 at 11:10:39 AM UTC-6, John DeRosa OHM Ω http://aviation.derosaweb.net wrote:
> > > > I am interested in the Open Glider Network (OGN) work with a possible implementation around the Chicago area. See http://wiki.glidernet.org/ for details. You can see tracked objects at http://live.glidernet.org. As you can imagine not much going on right now on January 20th - except around Santiago Chile where 10 gliders are lining up with 3 tow planes (including two ASW-29's from Germany!).
> > > >
> > > > A couple of comments and questions;
> > > >
> > > > - The US lags far behind in OGN implementation with only 6 sites (Albuquerque, Williams, Minden, Moriarty, Edgewood and Lake Placid). We are tied with Namibia (!) and are behind Canada (8 sites). For comparison Germany has 281 and UK has 166 sites.
> > > >
> > > > - Region 11 PASCO (Pacific Soaring Council) mentioned in March of 2019 that they were implementing OGN in the region (see their Yahoo Group thread below). Looks like Williams has been implemented. What other sites are in the works?
> > > >
> > > > - Has OGN been used at some contests/regattas/events? If so, which?
> > > >
> > > > - On http://wiki.glidernet.org/ there is this comment, "At the moment you already can see beacons from PilotAware, SPOT, Garmin InReach, Skymaster, FANET (paragliders) and Spidertracks circulating through our network." (plus FLARM of course). Does this mean that **ALL** the heavily used soaring SPOT and InReach trackers are showing up on all the OGN tracking sites?
> > > >
> > > > - What is the typical cost to implement an OGN site?
> > > >
> > > > - What is the typical range of an OGN site? Assumming flat terrain and an antenna on top of a typical hangar.
> > > >
> > > > - What is the primary motivation for OGN? Watching contests in "real" time? Safety? In cockpit use?
> > > >
> > > > Thanks,
> > > > John OHM Ω
> > > >
> > > > ==================================================
> > > >
> > > > From: PASCO - Pacific Soaring Council, Inc
> > > > Date: Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 8:58 AM
> > > > Subject: Morgan, Region 11 OGN Fund Announcement
> > > >
> > > > OGN Fund Announcement
> > > >
> > > > To PASCO SSA Region 11,
> > > >
> > > > PASCO is pleased to announce the creation of a fund to support the
> > > > installation of Open Glider Network (OGN) receiver stations throughout our
> > > > soaring region (SSA Region 11). The approved budget for this enterprise is
> > > > $2,000 over two years. The funds are expressly for the purpose of covering
> > > > material expenses required to build the receiver stations for the creation
> > > > of a Region 11 OGN network. The initial target coverage areas for the OGN
> > > > network are the most commonly used soaring cross country routes.
> > > >
> > > > Creation of this OGN network will enhance the visibility and safety of
> > > > soaring in Region 11. OGN receiver stations provide not only real time
> > > > position reports and flight tracks of FLARM equipped gliders to computers
> > > > and mobile devices with internet connections, but also provide real time
> > > > data that could support search and retrieve/rescue operations. If you are
> > > > not familiar with the OGN network log into glidertracker.org and you will
> > > > see all aircraft that have registered and transmitting FLARM devices. You
> > > > will note heavy application of this technology in Europe and PASCO is
> > > > actively supporting its introduction in our region.
> > > >
> > > > Project Coordinator: PASCO member Philip Lee has
> > > > volunteered to lead the project of planning, building and installation of
> > > > OGN receivers at key locations throughout Region 11. Philip designed,
> > > > constructed and installed the first OGN receiver station in our region at Williams, CA and will coordinate the initial rollout of OGN receivers in Region 11, prioritizing heavily-trafficked glider airspace. He is your best resource
> > > > for starting your own build project and suggesting additional station
> > > > locations.
> > > >
> > > > PASCO requests that all individuals contact Philip Lee prior to
> > > > construction of a new OGN receiver station to avoid duplication of station
> > > > locations or significant overlapping coverage areas. Please coordinate your
> > > > projects with Philip or volunteer to take on a receiver build and
> > > > installation for a specific location. Any help will be greatly appreciated
> > > > by the entire soaring community as the benefit is great.
> > > >
> > > > To Request Reimbursement for OGN receiver station material costs: Submit
> > > > copies of receipts and the intended location for the OGN receiver
> > > > station(s) that you built via email to ..
> > > >
> > > > Regards,
> > > > Dan Colton
> > > > President, Pacific Soaring Council
> > >
> > > John, as you well know, I'm flying on every day of the season around N. IL when the weather is decent and I can get a towpilot. On any given day, there may be 3-5 gliders between our 3 clubs here on a x-country. Often I'm the only one. I can see no purpose for an OGN network to be implemented at probably considerable cost. Let's focus instead on promoting x-country flying. If you are looking for me, I'll let you have my InReach page address and you get a trace in 10' intervall. This hole subject is a total non-starter for me.
> > >
> > > Herb
> >
> > Herb, count me as well, beginning this coming season. So there will be two of us. And seeing us two soaring (thanks to the OGN), there will be more pilots joining us, including x-country flying. I fully support building-up the OGN network in the Chicagoland area (and willing to help setting it up). Sorry (regret) couldn't attend the presentation last Monday at the Schaumburg Airport.
>
> Some of us here in Vermont, USA are thinking of setting up an OGN ground station. Can anybody point us to a source of info on how to do that? I.e., what hardware should we get for receiving USA PowerFLARM signals, antenna tips, what software is available, etc. I know it's been done in several places in the USA by now, so some people have the experience. And it may differ from the way it's done in Europe, due to different frequencies used by FLARM. Thanks.

We are looking to do something in central to northern UT. I reached out to Phillip Lee in CA as he is leading the charge for northern CA and NV.

He has started Google Group called OGN-US where he lists the parts he using and some installation instructions.

If you need to contact Phillip directly I got his contact infomration via SSA website under member services

I have not yet started this project but hope to do so soon

Ron Gleason

[[email protected]]

Try Mark Hawkins in New Mexico. He and Mike Abernathy spearheaded the efforts to get OGN and FlightAware tracking in the Estancia Valley. PM me if you cannot find his info from the SSA Member Locator service.

[[email protected]]

On Thursday, June 4, 2020 at 2:31:39 PM UTC-4, wrote:
> On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 8:51:38 PM UTC-5, Tom BravoMike wrote:
> > On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 4:04:12 PM UTC-6, wrote:
> > > On Monday, January 20, 2020 at 11:10:39 AM UTC-6, John DeRosa OHM Ω http://aviation.derosaweb.net wrote:
> > > > I am interested in the Open Glider Network (OGN) work with a possible implementation around the Chicago area. See http://wiki.glidernet.org/ for details. You can see tracked objects at http://live.glidernet.org. As you can imagine not much going on right now on January 20th - except around Santiago Chile where 10 gliders are lining up with 3 tow planes (including two ASW-29's from Germany!).
> > > >
> > > > A couple of comments and questions;
> > > >
> > > > - The US lags far behind in OGN implementation with only 6 sites (Albuquerque, Williams, Minden, Moriarty, Edgewood and Lake Placid). We are tied with Namibia (!) and are behind Canada (8 sites). For comparison Germany has 281 and UK has 166 sites.
> > > >
> > > > - Region 11 PASCO (Pacific Soaring Council) mentioned in March of 2019 that they were implementing OGN in the region (see their Yahoo Group thread below). Looks like Williams has been implemented. What other sites are in the works?
> > > >
> > > > - Has OGN been used at some contests/regattas/events? If so, which?
> > > >
> > > > - On http://wiki.glidernet.org/ there is this comment, "At the moment you already can see beacons from PilotAware, SPOT, Garmin InReach, Skymaster, FANET (paragliders) and Spidertracks circulating through our network." (plus FLARM of course). Does this mean that **ALL** the heavily used soaring SPOT and InReach trackers are showing up on all the OGN tracking sites?
> > > >
> > > > - What is the typical cost to implement an OGN site?
> > > >
> > > > - What is the typical range of an OGN site? Assumming flat terrain and an antenna on top of a typical hangar.
> > > >
> > > > - What is the primary motivation for OGN? Watching contests in "real" time? Safety? In cockpit use?
> > > >
> > > > Thanks,
> > > > John OHM Ω
> > > >
> > > > ==================================================
> > > >
> > > > From: PASCO - Pacific Soaring Council, Inc
> > > > Date: Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 8:58 AM
> > > > Subject: Morgan, Region 11 OGN Fund Announcement
> > > >
> > > > OGN Fund Announcement
> > > >
> > > > To PASCO SSA Region 11,
> > > >
> > > > PASCO is pleased to announce the creation of a fund to support the
> > > > installation of Open Glider Network (OGN) receiver stations throughout our
> > > > soaring region (SSA Region 11). The approved budget for this enterprise is
> > > > $2,000 over two years. The funds are expressly for the purpose of covering
> > > > material expenses required to build the receiver stations for the creation
> > > > of a Region 11 OGN network. The initial target coverage areas for the OGN
> > > > network are the most commonly used soaring cross country routes.
> > > >
> > > > Creation of this OGN network will enhance the visibility and safety of
> > > > soaring in Region 11. OGN receiver stations provide not only real time
> > > > position reports and flight tracks of FLARM equipped gliders to computers
> > > > and mobile devices with internet connections, but also provide real time
> > > > data that could support search and retrieve/rescue operations. If you are
> > > > not familiar with the OGN network log into glidertracker.org and you will
> > > > see all aircraft that have registered and transmitting FLARM devices. You
> > > > will note heavy application of this technology in Europe and PASCO is
> > > > actively supporting its introduction in our region.
> > > >
> > > > Project Coordinator: PASCO member Philip Lee has
> > > > volunteered to lead the project of planning, building and installation of
> > > > OGN receivers at key locations throughout Region 11. Philip designed,
> > > > constructed and installed the first OGN receiver station in our region at Williams, CA and will coordinate the initial rollout of OGN receivers in Region 11, prioritizing heavily-trafficked glider airspace. He is your best resource
> > > > for starting your own build project and suggesting additional station
> > > > locations.
> > > >
> > > > PASCO requests that all individuals contact Philip Lee prior to
> > > > construction of a new OGN receiver station to avoid duplication of station
> > > > locations or significant overlapping coverage areas. Please coordinate your
> > > > projects with Philip or volunteer to take on a receiver build and
> > > > installation for a specific location. Any help will be greatly appreciated
> > > > by the entire soaring community as the benefit is great.
> > > >
> > > > To Request Reimbursement for OGN receiver station material costs: Submit
> > > > copies of receipts and the intended location for the OGN receiver
> > > > station(s) that you built via email to ..
> > > >
> > > > Regards,
> > > > Dan Colton
> > > > President, Pacific Soaring Council
> > >
> > > John, as you well know, I'm flying on every day of the season around N. IL when the weather is decent and I can get a towpilot. On any given day, there may be 3-5 gliders between our 3 clubs here on a x-country. Often I'm the only one. I can see no purpose for an OGN network to be implemented at probably considerable cost. Let's focus instead on promoting x-country flying. If you are looking for me, I'll let you have my InReach page address and you get a trace in 10' intervall. This hole subject is a total non-starter for me.
> > >
> > > Herb
> >
> > Herb, count me as well, beginning this coming season. So there will be two of us. And seeing us two soaring (thanks to the OGN), there will be more pilots joining us, including x-country flying. I fully support building-up the OGN network in the Chicagoland area (and willing to help setting it up). Sorry (regret) couldn't attend the presentation last Monday at the Schaumburg Airport.
>
> Some of us here in Vermont, USA are thinking of setting up an OGN ground station. Can anybody point us to a source of info on how to do that? I.e., what hardware should we get for receiving USA PowerFLARM signals, antenna tips, what software is available, etc. I know it's been done in several places in the USA by now, so some people have the experience. And it may differ from the way it's done in Europe, due to different frequencies used by FLARM. Thanks.

Contact John Good. He has some practical knowledge of the subject.
UH