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Info boxes when thermalling?



 
 
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  #21  
Old May 30th 15, 02:08 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
6PK
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Default Info boxes when thermalling?

On Friday, May 29, 2015 at 2:02:55 PM UTC-7, Tim Taylor wrote:
On Friday, May 29, 2015 at 12:37:29 PM UTC-6, Andy Blackburn wrote:
On Friday, May 29, 2015 at 10:56:52 AM UTC-7, jfitch wrote:
On Friday, May 29, 2015 at 9:38:04 AM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:
I disagree that XCSoar thermaling assistance info box is hopeless. It is in fact working perfectly 90% of the time. Like John, if I stay focus I can do as good or better than the thermal assistance, but if I let myself loose concentration (usually when talking in the radio or focusing on something else) the XCSoar thermal assistance helps me getting back to the core in one circle 9 out of 10 times. The nice thing about it is that it does not replace your moving map, so you can see both your zoomed in circles and the thermal assistance info box at the same one, and have all the information you need.

Ramy

Ramy,

I didn't mean that the XCSoar thermal assistant is hopeless, but hopeless in that circumstance indicating it is not as sophisticated. It is not as good as the Winpilot version in any circumstance, but not hopeless. Most of them work on the same principle, but the tuning and presentation are significantly different. The exception is iGlide, when coupled with the Butterfly vario the principle is quite different: each 1 second lift dot (size and color differ with lift strength) has also an instantaneous wind vector, these tend to pretty reliably point towards the center of the thermal. This is interesting, but requires more attention and interpretation than either Winpilot or XCSoar. Also the others assume the thermal is symmetric about its axis, iGlide does not and will map out a 2 core or asymmetric thermal.


I was a hard core WinPilot climb maximizer snob, but I finally gave up because of the hardware platforms and general lack of development. SeeYou Mobile used to be terrible, but the latest version has a pretty cool thermal strength breadcrumb display that works quite well and helps tease out thermal shape, multiple cores, etc. It would be nice if it did a better job of graying out the track after 5 or 6 turns or overlaying the newer tracks (for climb maximizer mode separate from navigate mode), but overall I like it a lot better than Naviter's prior efforts. It's also cool that it is just a zoomed in version of the normal moving map display with some additional "move the center this way" guidance (guidance is good, but still not quite as definitive as WinPilot's was). You can use your trace to come back to the location of the core near a turnpoint, etc. It's also a lot better at starting right when you start thermalling - it used to take a turn or so to get going, which was just what you didn't need.

Andy
9B


I agree with Andy. I loved the Winpilot climb maximizer. It came on when you needed it and was very easy to use. I miss the line graph of thermal strength over time. I do not know why none of the others have provided this feature as an option.

I liked the full screen with the diagram and the chart. It did have a quick switch button for the iPAQ that allowed you to toggle the other screen quickly if you wanted to. I guess I tend to be focused on optimizing the climb when I am climbing and don't need to see the other maps all the time.

SeeYou Mobile is better than it was but still does not start and stop when it should. The bubbles do not give as good of resolution as WP did in the graphic mode and I would like to have the average climb rate versus time graph. SYM is about a 6 out of 10 now but WP was a 10/10. Hopefully they will continue to improve it and add the additional graphic as an option.

Tim
TT


I sadly agree with all who favor WinPilot's climb maximizer. I actually feel that as a Windows platform it is still the most straight forward software out there. It is really too bad that the developer/owner has turned his back on this fine glide computer and is refusing to offer support. I downloaded the WP ios simulator out of curiosity and not impressed with it at all. I also like XCSoar but really not a great fan of SYM for many reasons.
WP IMO is leaving money on the table by not offering minimal support. I know I would be willing to pay for updates, aviation database ( a sore subject- has not been updated in two years)etc.
Little by little I am heading over to the XCSoar camp through.
6PK
  #22  
Old May 30th 15, 11:40 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
waremark
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Posts: 377
Default Info boxes when thermalling?

I find the LX 9000 thermal assistant good. I used to like the WP one but but cannot remember how it compares.
  #23  
Old May 31st 15, 04:26 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
John Galloway[_1_]
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Default Info boxes when thermalling?

At 22:40 30 May 2015, waremark wrote:
I find the LX 9000 thermal assistant good. I used to like the WP one but
but cannot remember how it compares.


I too think that the LX9000 assistant is quite good but the difficulty I
have
with all the thermal assistants that show any sort of circular display is
that (even ignoring wind drift) any re-centering move I make must mean
that I have moved to a new circle position which invalidates, to a greater

or lesser extent, the data represented in the remainder of the previous
circle before the shift was made.

What I have found more useful is to zoom into the snail trail, have it set

to colour climb rates above or below a mid climb range MC setting, and
mentally allow for the effects of drift. As previously mentioned, this
seems to be what SYM/Oudie has moved to as well. I have so often
looked at my own and other pilots flight traces on SeeYou and wondered
why the thermals weren't being centered properly so now I look at the
same display in real time while I can still do something about it.

John Galloway

  #24  
Old June 1st 15, 02:02 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Blake Seese 3Y
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Posts: 28
Default Info boxes when thermalling?

On Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at 9:35:06 AM UTC-6, Blake Seese 3Y wrote:
Hello All,

I am interested in what information other pilots feel is most important when thermalling.

Thanks,

Blake 3Y


The XC Soar/TopHat thermal tool seems to work just fine. Now that I have been observing it more closely, it helps you turn into the strongest part of the lift. Actually seems to work pretty well. Best for the price!
 




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