XCSoar Questions

I am running both XC Soar and LK8000 on a MIO S501 PNA.
Runs great, but screen could be a bit brighter.
I am complementing GNII which has fallen far behind on performance and
good task information, but I really like the readability of the Compaq
1500 display. If only I could get XC Soar on a Compaq 1500 display I'd
be done.
The MIO even though a 12 channel gps receiver will occasionally lose gps
in thermals, but only briefly and returns.

XC Soar has the best documentation compared to LK8000.

Wells

On 9/20/2011 12:32 PM, Paul Remde wrote:
Hi XCSoar users,

I am new to XCSoar. I am currently reading the manual for version 6.2
and playing with XCSoar on my PC and iPAQ hx4700.

My goal is to become a technical resource for XCSoar users. But since
I'm new, it will take me some time to get up to speed.

I'll be perfectly honest, in the past, I have not spent much time with
XCSoar because I prefer to sell products like SeeYou Mobile and Glide
Navigator II - because I'm trying to make a living selling soaring
products and supporting glider pilots with their technical products.
Since I can't sell XCSoar, it has been tough to make time to play with
it. However, many XCSoar users have told me how great it is, and I want
to be able to support XCSoar users with phone/web conferencing support
(I do a lot of that with SeeYou, SeeYou Mobile, Oudie, Glide Navigator
II and LXe users) and also provide cables, cradles and other accessories
for XCSoar users. Also, I try to stay up to date on the latest
technologies (I'm a techno-nerd) and XCSoar is definitely on the leading
edge in regard to supported hardware platforms. Becoming knowledgeable
on XCSoar (over time) will help me stay up with the latest technologies.

The reason I'm sending this note is to try to get a feel for how
customers are using XCSoar. I really have no idea what hardware users
are running it on, or how they are connecting their PDAs and PNAs to
their soaring flight instruments.

I hope no one minds my asking these questions. I sincerely want to be
able to help XCSoar users and become an expert.

Questions:
- What hardware platform (PDA/PNA/phone) are you running XCSoar on?
- What GPS are you using with XCSoar? Is it built-in to your PDA/PNA or
connected to your PDA using a cable connection, or Bluetooth, or.?
- Is your PDA/PNA connected to a soaring flight computer? If so, is it a
cable connection or Bluetooth, or .?
- If you are using a Bluetooth connection - is it reliable and easy to use?
- If you are using cables, where did you get them? I'd love to be able
to supply Goddard built cables for XCSoar users. Any PDA/PNA connector
wiring diagrams would be greatly appreciated.

I'm sorry for these basic questions. I look forward to your feedback.

Best Regards,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
Serving the soaring community
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com
1-952-445-9033

LK8000 has a great manual on their website, over 200 pages. Trouble is
it is
all in German. Isn't there someone out there who would like to
translate to English
for us mono-linguistic pilots?

This isn't the latest version; however, it will is a good reference to
understanding the LK8000 philosophy. The "Help" elements of Ver 2.x screens
will fill in the blanks.
http://www.bware.it/LK8000/LK8000_MANUAL_122.pdf

Wayne

"soartech" wrote in message
...

LK8000 has a great manual on their website, over 200 pages. Trouble is
it is
all in German. Isn't there someone out there who would like to
translate to English
for us mono-linguistic pilots?

Paul,

Using Droid X and recently Droid bionic. Use the internal phone GPS currently but would love to use a cable from the lx5000 or bluetooth from LX Nano.. Have Oudie...but also like learning about other popular units that people are using.

Just like Google Maps and their Navigaton product has dominated Garmin out of existence in consumer GPS, so has XC soar begun to crush other flight computers. Partially because of cost but mostly because of the convenience of an all in one device. People don't want to carry 5 hardware units around.

With Garmin, their business model holds the basic limitation and requirement to purchase their hardware (crappy, requires second piece of hardware vs already being onboard ones phone) & most importantly expensive software (maps) upgrades or being faced with out of date maps. Google Nav/Maps is up to date automatically just as XC soar is automatically updated with Google market.

The other soaring product/software companies do not get it. They should have been out in front on this trend. Instead they are ignorant and way behind. They are stuck on stupid and ignoring this clear success of integrating software into smartphones or (most likely) are completely unable to respond to what XC Soar had done. A vast majority of their customers want to use their smart phones the many advantages they offer in hardware currency... And they are not reorganizing the transformation in the marketplace. They cannot compete any longer with garbage hardware. Why are so many who own expensive Oudies even trying XC Soar? The current providers offer cheap Chinese hardware vs. allowing their customers to use rapidly improving and vastly superior screen quality in mobile devices which most relevant pilots own already. Why they are still doing this is obvious, $$$. The customers are onto them now.

Also, the more recent generation Android smartphones feature increasingly large screens which can get extremely bright. Far brighter than, for example, my Oudie. All if these companies should be offering software on all major mobile platforms. The first ones to do so will dominate and likely kill the rest...

Oh and by the way...I would happily pay $100+ for professional supported software from Google market for soaring. I'm sure many iPhone/iPad users would as well. Maybe that's Max & team? Maybe somebody will buy them. But more should be stepping up to compete...

For now...XC soar is way ahead...for a vast najoriry if recreational and racing soaring pilots. Distribution is good!

Sean Fidler wrote:
Oh and by the way...I would happily pay $100+ for professional supported software from Google market for soaring. I'm sure many iPhone/iPad users would as well. Maybe that's Max & team? Maybe somebody will buy them. But more should be stepping up to compete...

There's iGlide on the iPhone, but that's a proprietary software that
was started from scratch last year - it has some refreshing new
concepts, but it will probably never be able to catch up with XCSoar,
it's a one trick pony.

Proprietary software is a dead end, because to make something better,
you need to start from scratch. With free software, you improve the
existing thing, and contribute to the big project as a whole.

Money will not improve XCSoar. What we do is only possible because
there is no money involved: when developer time costs nothing, you can
afford to spend a year or two on just improving things on the backend,
where no user will notice it, until the big picture becomes visible
(e.g. the Android port, my pet project).

For that reason, none of the commercial vendors have an Android port:
they cannot afford the massive amount of developer time required to do
it. I spent thousands of hours on our Android port, with help from
other fellow developers. That's some huge investment that will never
pay off for a commercial vendor. It's not solely ignorance.

Anyway, don't believe me, I'm biased ;-)

Max

On Sep 23, 10:55*am, Max Kellermann wrote:
Sean Fidler wrote:
Oh and by the way...I would happily pay $100+ for professional supported software from Google market for soaring. *I'm sure many iPhone/iPad users would as well. *Maybe that's Max & team? *Maybe somebody will buy them. *But more should be stepping up to compete...

There's iGlide on the iPhone, but that's a proprietary software that
was started from scratch last year - it has some refreshing new
concepts, but it will probably never be able to catch up with XCSoar,
it's a one trick pony.

Proprietary software is a dead end, because to make something better,
you need to start from scratch. *With free software, you improve the
existing thing, and contribute to the big project as a whole.

Money will not improve XCSoar. *What we do is only possible because
there is no money involved: when developer time costs nothing, you can
afford to spend a year or two on just improving things on the backend,
where no user will notice it, until the big picture becomes visible
(e.g. the Android port, my pet project).

For that reason, none of the commercial vendors have an Android port:
they cannot afford the massive amount of developer time required to do
it. *I spent thousands of hours on our Android port, with help from
other fellow developers. *That's some huge investment that will never
pay off for a commercial vendor. *It's not solely ignorance.

Anyway, don't believe me, I'm biased ;-)

Max

Good discussion. I decided it is time to replace my 4700 PDA (which
keep freezing on me recently when it gets too hot) with a Droid
running XCSoar. My understanding that the Dell Streak mini is the best
option currently, and am getting ready to get one on eBay. What is not
clear to me is what else will I need to be able to connect it to my
302 and the glider battery, including cradle, without having to build
it myself or pay more than the cost of the tablet itself. Also if
anyone has suggestion for better Droid based hardware please advise.

Ramy

Ramy wrote:
Good discussion. I decided it is time to replace my 4700 PDA (which
keep freezing on me recently when it gets too hot) with a Droid
running XCSoar. My understanding that the Dell Streak mini is the best
option currently, and am getting ready to get one on eBay.

That's right, the Streak Mini has the best sunlight readable display.
Get one while you can, it's out of production.

What is not clear to me is what else will I need to be able to
connect it to my 302 and the glider battery, including cradle,
without having to build it myself or pay more than the cost of the
tablet itself.

There are two options for the data connection: a Bluetooth adapter
(easy), or the IOIO (you need to solder it).

The battery connection is easy: the CAI 302 has a DC 5V outlet, which
you connect to a USB plug. This is how my panel looks:

http://max.kellermann.name/gallery/f..._1024x768.html

Max

On Sep 25, 12:16*pm, Max Kellermann wrote:
Ramy wrote:
Good discussion. I decided it is time to replace my 4700 PDA (which
keep freezing on me recently *when it gets too hot) with a Droid
running XCSoar. My understanding that the Dell Streak mini is the best
option currently, and am getting ready to get one on eBay.

That's right, the Streak Mini has the best sunlight readable display.
Get one while you can, it's out of production.

What is not clear to me is what else will I need to be able to
connect it to my 302 and the glider battery, including cradle,
without having to build it myself or pay more than the cost of the
tablet itself.

There are two options for the data connection: a Bluetooth adapter
(easy), or the IOIO (you need to solder it).

The battery connection is easy: the CAI 302 has a DC 5V outlet, which
you connect to a USB plug. *This is how my panel looks:

*http://max.kellermann.name/gallery/f.../PICT0423_1024....

Max

Thanks Max. Any suggestions for cradle?
Also, now that the Amazon Kindle Fire was announced, perhaps it could
be a better solution?

Ramy

Ramy wrote:
Thanks Max. Any suggestions for cradle?

On my photos, you can see the original Dell cradle for cars. One of
my club mates builds mounts from bended plastic.

Max