Competitor to SPOT?

http://blog.delorme.com/2011/06/03/d...communication/

Looks like starting in the 2012 year we will see a competitor to SPOT
product and service. Read some of the comments in the blog and some
features a

- user selectable data send interval
- custom messages in the text
- altitude reporting

Will be interesting to watch this unfold

Delorme has been making very small GPS receivers with serial output
for use with their laptop software for many years, back into the 90's
in any case. The first one I purchase was about the size of a deck of
cards and was $200 or so without the software - and it was considered
cheap and small. Now the receiver is the size of a book of matches
and go for $50 with the software.
http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELi...&section=10091.

It was great for having a really nice moving map display on business
trips before the advent of all the automotive Garmin/Tom-Tom/etc
GPSs. Their software had a cool "radar" function that kept updating
you on the location of the nearest gas station (restraurant, hotel,
etc) along you travel path. All I needed was that small receiver and
my laptop (which I had anyway). And you can't beat a 15" display for
visibility!

They must have been really adversely impacted by the consumer GPS
revolution. I wish them well.

- John DeRosa

On Jun 28, 6:00*am, Ron Gleason wrote:
http://blog.delorme.com/2011/06/03/d...way-satellite-...

Looks like starting in the 2012 year we will see a competitor to SPOT
product and service. *Read some of the comments in the blog and some
features a

- user selectable data send interval
- custom messages in the text
- altitude reporting

Will be interesting to watch this unfold


The 2 min tracking interval looks much better for use in contests -
with the right software you could actually show the field on course
with current projected scores for each glider - all in real time. It
might turn soaring into a spectator sport (sort of).

9B

Hi,

I imagine that ADS-B will eventually also make it possible to have real-time
data back at the home airport. I look forward to that day! But, until
then, this new product does look interesting.

Best Regards,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.

"SoaringMaps Team" wrote in message
...
On Jun 28, 6:00 am, Ron Gleason wrote:
http://blog.delorme.com/2011/06/03/d...way-satellite-...

Looks like starting in the 2012 year we will see a competitor to SPOT
product and service. Read some of the comments in the blog and some
features a

- user selectable data send interval
- custom messages in the text
- altitude reporting

Will be interesting to watch this unfold


The 2 min tracking interval looks much better for use in contests -
with the right software you could actually show the field on course
with current projected scores for each glider - all in real time. It
might turn soaring into a spectator sport (sort of).

9B

On Jun 30, 7:50*pm, "Paul Remde" wrote:
Hi,

I imagine that ADS-B will eventually also make it possible to have real-time
data back at the home airport. *I look forward to that day! *But, until
then, this new product does look interesting.

Best Regards,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.

Well the poor coverage of the FAA/ITT ground stations in many
important glider areas is going to be an issue for many of us, and
even in other places with "good" coverage gliders will "go off the
map" when they get low/shielded from terrain. So you better not rely
on piggybacking on data obtained off the terrestrial ITT network.
Local FBOs/clubs could set up an ADS-B receiver and see line of sight
out to some distance. And all that requires having ADS-B transmitters
in those gliders (and on UAT or 1090ES or both? And at what cost?).
And until the current requirement for STC based installations are over
getting ADS-B data-out anything in certified gliders is a total non-
starter.

I gave some interest in local tracking of gliders and have offered to
help two FBOs who are interested test out PowerFlarm ground stations.
That will see close by/local Flarm traffic and eventually (much much
longer term) 1090ES data-out equipped traffic over longer line of
sight distances. While interesting for local monitoring this is far
from the sort of infrastructure you need for effective contest
coverage. I just do not see any reason to look at terrestrial based
tracking systems when there are satellite based systems here already
and evolving.

Darryl

On Jun 28, 7:00*am, Ron Gleason wrote:
http://blog.delorme.com/2011/06/03/d...way-satellite-...

Looks like starting in the 2012 year we will see a competitor to SPOT
product and service. *Read some of the comments in the blog and some
features a

- user selectable data send interval
- custom messages in the text
- altitude reporting

Will be interesting to watch this unfold

Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS) does this and more.

Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS) does this and more.

......When in range of a repeater.

On Jul 2, 7:56*am, Grider Pirate wrote:
Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS) does this and more.

.....When in range of a repeater.

It's hard to find a place in the US where your NOT in range of a
repeater. And, even if you do, repeaters are only ~$200 to set up.
APRS is a good, solid and cheap solution with 1min fixes and all the
additional data we'd like to see. APRS would really let the folks on
the ground see the real-time "play-by-play" progress of the fleet out
on a task.

On 7/2/2011 8:28 AM, Bill D wrote:
On Jul 2, 7:56 am, Grider wrote:
Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS) does this and more.

.....When in range of a repeater.

It's hard to find a place in the US where your NOT in range of a
repeater. And, even if you do, repeaters are only ~$200 to set up.
APRS is a good, solid and cheap solution with 1min fixes and all the
additional data we'd like to see. APRS would really let the folks on
the ground see the real-time "play-by-play" progress of the fleet out
on a task.

Is there a coverage map I can look at? Is there an "APRS in a Box" that
one can buy and plunk into his sailplane in the morning then go flying
with it in the afternoon, or how much more involved than that is it?

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)

- "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation Mar/2004" Much of what
you need to know tinyurl.com/yfs7tnz

Eric Greenwell wrote:
On 7/2/2011 8:28 AM, Bill D wrote:
On Jul 2, 7:56 am, Grider wrote:
Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS) does this and more.

.....When in range of a repeater.

It's hard to find a place in the US where your NOT in range of a
repeater. And, even if you do, repeaters are only ~$200 to set up.
APRS is a good, solid and cheap solution with 1min fixes and all the
additional data we'd like to see. APRS would really let the folks on
the ground see the real-time "play-by-play" progress of the fleet out
on a task.

Is there a coverage map I can look at? Is there an "APRS in a Box" that
one can buy and plunk into his sailplane in the morning then go flying
with it in the afternoon, or how much more involved than that is it?

In the U.S., APRS requires the user to hold at least a Technician class
amateur radio license. So unless you already have an amateur radio license,
you can't get up running with APRS that quickly.

Since the Morse code requirement is history, all it takes to get a
technician license is taking a 35 question multiple choice test. You need
to answer 26 of those 35 correctly. The entire question bank is publicly
available, as are the answers. (I bought a couple study books from ARRL
that cover the technician and general class licenses and plan to take both
tests in the next month. Seems pretty straight-forward.)

This link appears to have further information, including links to various
maps:

http://www.aprs.org/