FLARM for SAR

Information on how to locate missing, FLARM equipped aircraft.
http://www.flarm.com/support/SAR_Text.pdf

On Thursday, October 25, 2012 8:45:46 AM UTC-7, FLARM wrote:
Information on how to locate missing, FLARM equipped aircraft.

http://www.flarm.com/support/SAR_Text.pdf

Interesting that the FLARM-recorded igc file also records the position of nearby targets. Will this feature be present on the USA PowerFLARM when the igc recording function is activated?

Mike

http://www.flarm.com/support/SAR_Text.pdf


Interesting that the FLARM-recorded igc file also records the position of nearby targets. Will this feature be present on the USA PowerFLARM when the igc recording function is activated?

Yes, it will.

FLARM/PowerFLARM records only a subset of the targets received, due to memory constraints.
We do try to record a target when it was first and last seen, though. Both
of which is important for range analysis and SAR.

We do not plan to release the SAR software at this point.

Best
--Gerhard

We do not plan to release the SAR software at this point.

I guess nobody expects you to release the software that you have written. It would be great though if the data format of these SAR relevant information was not kept as a secret. The new FLARM specification suggests that even all the PDA software solutions are supposed to record these information and that even without knowledge of what is actually getting recorded.

Once again, your software is your property and nobody suggests that you give that up for free, but the information in the IGC files of each individual pilot should be open and readable by the pilot if he chooses to do so. This would be the basis to provide such a service directly in platforms like the OLC or SkyLines.

Turbo

Once again, your software is your property and nobody suggests that you give that up for free, but the information in the IGC files of each individual pilot should be open and readable by the pilot if he chooses to do so. This would be the basis to provide such a service directly in platforms like the OLC or SkyLines.

Tobias,

we're actually discussing this internally.

Best
--Gerhard

Hi Gerhard,

that is very good news and I hope you take the right decision. Please let us know about it once you've decided.

Turbo

Gerhard,

Yesterday, Jim Staniforth ASW-27 JS and I, Walt Rogers Discus 2A WX, compared the performance of our PF Brick (V 2.40)during 11/2hrs of flying. See OLC posting for 10/29/2012. Overall, we were satisfied with performance. It correctly alarmed or warned in every case with 5-10 seconds notice in one case of a simulated head-on. Range was 2-3sm consistently and intermittently 5-6sm highly dependent on orientation of the gliders. Jim's ASW-27 antenna installation used the Peter Kelly technique placing the dipoles on the inside vertically within the nose. My Discus 2A used dipoles vertically installed (not touching panel cover or canopy) on the instrument cover.

QUESTION: I recorded the NMEA output of the PF with my LK8000 software. Do you know of any software or technique for playing back the NMEA output into the PC simulator of my LK8000 so that I can see the FLARM information and warnings?

Walt Rogers, WX

On Tuesday, October 30, 2012 2:08:16 AM UTC-7, wrote:
Once again, your software is your property and nobody suggests that you give that up for free, but the information in the IGC files of each individual pilot should be open and readable by the pilot if he chooses to do so. This would be the basis to provide such a service directly in platforms like the OLC or SkyLines.



Tobias,



we're actually discussing this internally.



Best

--Gerhard

Once again, your software is your property and nobody suggests that
you give that up for free, but the information in the IGC files of
each individual pilot should be open and readable by the pilot if he chooses to do so.
This would be the basis to provide such a service directly in
platforms like the OLC or SkyLines.

In case someone wants to fiddle with the LFLA records:

I found that it is some sort of base64 encoding of something binary, using ASCII 58-121, with the exception of \ and ^ (they are not allowed in an IGC file) according to Chapter 6. Those two are
probably replaced by # and %.

This decodes the 28 characters in the '02' records (those are used by the FLARM range checker). Into 21 bytes.
Pre-base64 bytes 5-11 effect the distance the FLARM checker reports.

Is it correct that the search area in Rieti was 30x100km?
Also, why is the software to perform the search not released? I can see massive time saving potential there...

At 17:57 25 October 2012, Roel Baardman wrote:
Is it correct that the search area in Rieti was 30x100km?
Also, why is the software to perform the search not released? I can see
massive time saving potential there...

I think the publication of this English language translation of an existing
German document was triggered by an approach I just made to the FLARM folks
suggesting a web tool to do exactly this, having bounced the idea off a few
experts in the UK gliding movement.

I don't claim to have a monopoly on good ideas but I think it would be good
to let the small team at FLARM respond to this first. I would not want an
enhancement to SECONDARY safety to distract them from the excellent work
they do in improving PRIMARY safety.

If this idea goes anywhere (and there are some recognised obstacles) I'll
report progress.

Paul