Oudie 2's needed

Yes this is what I would suggest. As a new XC pilot using XCsoar originally, and now Top Hat now, I think it is the best way to start using a moving map glide computer. Because I was initially able to bring my phone home and mess with XCSoar while not in the glider (or even at the airport) it made learning how to read and use a moving map/glide computer much much easier. An older Samsung phone (galaxy 5,6,7,8,9 or Note 4,5,6,7,8,9) work great and are pretty cheep if you don't have one laying around already. The only thing I would say is that have someone experienced with XCSoar or TopHat configure them because the stock layout and settings are less then optimal.

I immediately removed the old PDA from my first glider in 2012, bought an Oudie 2 running SYM, and never looked back.

I don't want to start a "what is the best software / hardware" war but, if someone is trying to standardize across a club, I would argue the Oudie is the only reasonable way to go.

When a promising new XC pilot asks me what flight computer to buy, I immediately tell them an Oudie IGC. Fully integrated flight computer, IGC logger, and long life battery. Plus, it plays nice with all the other glider goodies.

YMMV -

Lou

I have and love the Oudie IGC. However the price is too high for some people starting out on XC, and for them I recommend and demonstrate XC Soar on either phone or Kobo (I have it running on both). The club has one Oudie IGC to lend, and an Oudie 2 in the motor glider which we use for nav training. For next season we will have PowerMouse in all our club gliders so they will all have IGC loggers.

Whether Oudie or XC Soar, there is a substantial learning curve, and help with setup from an experienced user is invaluable.

On Tuesday, December 18, 2018 at 12:30:26 AM UTC+2, waremark wrote:
Whether Oudie or XC Soar, there is a substantial learning curve, and help with setup from an experienced user is invaluable.

With Oudie, it's mostly the setup of SYM, what you need and wan't to see. Too bad the default settings are extremely poor, and many pilots (with thousands of hours using multiple software and computers) simply don't alter the default settings. Then they complain about not being able to read the small fonts etc.

After using Oudie for almost 10 years I tried XCSoar and LK8000 for one summer because they are so "advanced". It was pure torture.

On Monday, December 17, 2018 at 11:43:02 AM UTC-8, MNLou wrote:
I immediately removed the old PDA from my first glider in 2012, bought an Oudie 2 running SYM, and never looked back.

I don't want to start a "what is the best software / hardware" war but, if someone is trying to standardize across a club, I would argue the Oudie is the only reasonable way to go.

When a promising new XC pilot asks me what flight computer to buy, I immediately tell them an Oudie IGC. Fully integrated flight computer, IGC logger, and long life battery. Plus, it plays nice with all the other glider goodies.

YMMV -

Lou

While Oudie is advertised as an out of the box turn key system...it is not.
One still needs to set up; home field, arrival or required altitude, glider polar, safety margins, airspace, etc, etc, etc,…
Downloading the XCSoar or TopHat ap into an Android phone, plus waypoints, terrain maps, etc, is no brain surgery (but one still has to go through what is required for Oudie above as well). There is usually at least one person in an average club who can guide one through these steps I would think, if not ask your teenage child.
The Android system is far more advanced than the old Windows the Oudie runs on, both the XCSoar and TopHat is far more intuitive and has better simulator too (it actually works), not to mention PRICE!

I've flown in U.S. competitions with LK8000 software for the last 4 or 5 years. Comfortable with it's UI now and features. Changed polar from my Discus 2a to match the SN10B in my panel.

The 2018 season (Standard Class Nationals - Texas) was the first contest I flew my LK8000 Android version on a Nokia 8. Cockpit readability was equal or better (sharper) than the previous Vertica V2 which is a similar screen to the Oudie 2. Somewhere on the LK8000 Postfrontal forum I sent Vertica V2 Nokia 8 screen comparisons.

Used my Nano recorder to feed bluetooth NMEA to the LK8000... and a small 5v phone booster battery in the side pocket for power. No ship power. Two recommendations for reliability 1) Set up the Nokia 8 and LK8000 verifying bluetooth connection well before takeoff 2) Blank screen and cover the Nokia 8 to protect it from over heating in the sun.

Walt Rogers WX

While Oudie is advertised as an out of the box turn key system...it is not.
One still needs to set up; home field, arrival or required altitude, glider polar, safety margins, airspace, etc, etc, etc,…
Downloading the XCSoar or TopHat ap into an Android phone, plus waypoints, terrain maps, etc, is no brain surgery (but one still has to go through what is required for Oudie above as well). There is usually at least one person in an average club who can guide one through these steps I would think, if not ask your teenage child.
The Android system is far more advanced than the old Windows the Oudie runs on, both the XCSoar and TopHat is far more intuitive and has better simulator too (it actually works), not to mention PRICE!

On Wednesday, December 19, 2018 at 11:22:20 PM UTC-8, WaltWX wrote:
I've flown in U.S. competitions with LK8000 software for the last 4 or 5 years. Comfortable with it's UI now and features. Changed polar from my Discus 2a to match the SN10B in my panel.

The 2018 season (Standard Class Nationals - Texas) was the first contest I flew my LK8000 Android version on a Nokia 8. Cockpit readability was equal or better (sharper) than the previous Vertica V2 which is a similar screen to the Oudie 2. Somewhere on the LK8000 Postfrontal forum I sent Vertica V2 Nokia 8 screen comparisons.

Used my Nano recorder to feed bluetooth NMEA to the LK8000... and a small 5v phone booster battery in the side pocket for power. No ship power. Two recommendations for reliability 1) Set up the Nokia 8 and LK8000 verifying bluetooth connection well before takeoff 2) Blank screen and cover the Nokia 8 to protect it from over heating in the sun.

Walt Rogers WX

While Oudie is advertised as an out of the box turn key system...it is not.
One still needs to set up; home field, arrival or required altitude, glider polar, safety margins, airspace, etc, etc, etc,…
Downloading the XCSoar or TopHat ap into an Android phone, plus waypoints, terrain maps, etc, is no brain surgery (but one still has to go through what is required for Oudie above as well). There is usually at least one person in an average club who can guide one through these steps I would think, if not ask your teenage child.
The Android system is far more advanced than the old Windows the Oudie runs on, both the XCSoar and TopHat is far more intuitive and has better simulator too (it actually works), not to mention PRICE!

Walt, what Bluetooth are you using?

On Monday, December 17, 2018 at 7:13:42 AM UTC-8, Wyll Surf Air wrote:
Yes this is what I would suggest. As a new XC pilot using XCsoar originally, and now Top Hat now, I think it is the best way to start using a moving map glide computer. Because I was initially able to bring my phone home and mess with XCSoar while not in the glider (or even at the airport) it made learning how to read and use a moving map/glide computer much much easier. An older Samsung phone (galaxy 5,6,7,8,9 or Note 4,5,6,7,8,9) work great and are pretty cheep if you don't have one laying around already. The only thing I would say is that have someone experienced with XCSoar or TopHat configure them because the stock layout and settings are less then optimal.

I would agree that the ability to learn how to use the flight computer is greatly enhanced at home, when you don't also have the burden of flying the ship. But with the Oudie, you don't have to take the Oudie home to do so. There is a good simulator available for Windows PCs. (I don't think it's available for MAC) You can bring your .igc file home, load it into the PC and fire up the Oudie Simulator. And if the student wants to play with the Oudie even before making their own flight, they can download an .igc file from the OLC for the area they expect to fly and practice on that one.

-Greg

On Tue, 18 Dec 2018 15:19:42 -0800, gschibler wrote:

On Monday, December 17, 2018 at 7:13:42 AM UTC-8, Wyll Surf Air wrote:
Yes this is what I would suggest. As a new XC pilot using XCsoar
originally, and now Top Hat now, I think it is the best way to start
using a moving map glide computer. Because I was initially able to
bring my phone home and mess with XCSoar while not in the glider (or
even at the airport) it made learning how to read and use a moving
map/glide computer much much easier. An older Samsung phone (galaxy
5,6,7,8,9 or Note 4,5,6,7,8,9) work great and are pretty cheep if you
don't have one laying around already. The only thing I would say is
that have someone experienced with XCSoar or TopHat configure them
because the stock layout and settings are less then optimal.

I would agree that the ability to learn how to use the flight computer
is greatly enhanced at home, when you don't also have the burden of
flying the ship. But with the Oudie, you don't have to take the Oudie
home to do so. There is a good simulator available for Windows PCs. (I
don't think it's available for MAC) You can bring your .igc file home,
load it into the PC and fire up the Oudie Simulator. And if the student
wants to play with the Oudie even before making their own flight, they
can download an .igc file from the OLC for the area they expect to fly
and practice on that one.

Same for the others: XCSoar and LK8000 both have versions that run under
Windows, downloadable from the same place as the versions you'll fly with
that run under Android and WinCE. You use Linux? SYM, XCSoar and LK8000
run OK under Wine (a Windows emulator for Linux) and IIRC both XCSoar and
LK8000 now have native Linux versions.


--
Martin | martin at
Gregorie | gregorie dot org

The winner of the latest Australian Nationals in 18M and Open classes uses XCsoar, just saying.