In the summer of 2020 I had the idea that I wanted to let full size pilots know where we are flying. There is no easy way to do that. But then I found the Open glider Network. What started out as a ‘just for fun’ project, turned into something that I don’t want to fly without anymore.
In Dec 2020, I encountered a heli-driver, going full speed straight across our field at less than 300 ft, where I was a few minutes earlier.
Some references:
- FAI
- Glidertracker
- Live.glidernet.org
- Howto make it: OGN Wiki
- Segelflug.ch or here.
- www.dfvb.de/flugsport/flarm-richtig-einsetzen
- Source of my gadget
- glider.untony.org
- Wir sehen uns
- regulations
- Onglide Range (to see if my antenna works.) The first day I had the antenna (home bent) on the roof, looking south, I was lucky enough to track a photo-plane. (D-IAPD) This gave me a good lot of information as to the performance (more lack-there-of at the moment).
First I build a OGN-Groundstation, and was lucky enough for someone to keep flying nearby.
In short, the photo-plane had connections to the Gorinchem node. (The fellow has a good 9 dBi antenna mounted above rooftop.) and to other stations more then 100 km away. Since the signals really depend on line of sight, you can bet they are higher up then I am! I already noticed that the Eltenberg is in my way 😉
Long story short, if you want to play you need a 9 dBi antenna. Yikes.. Hard to beat, but there’s no fun without a challenge!
First impressions (antenna way too low!) this plane was tracked to 12 km, when I had a good 10 dB signal. You can have good data to as low as 0.8 dB, if you can see the plane! so hopefully that part will be rectified RealSoon.
When I am higher, I can start playing with the antenna design. (FYI, all this 868 Mhz stuff is also applicable to 2.4 GHz systems. See where I am going?) No better way to learn then try to create and solve your own problems!
Let’s also say that apart from several air-plane types that are tracked, there are: Obstacle and UFO. I’ll forget the UFO for the time being, but Obstacle could be interesting. Park an obstacle at our field and the big boys should take notice!
Of course this is not something you do, just for fun, much discussion will have to follow. But imagine the future, when the whole world has their pizza delivered by drone, you can put an obstacle in your backyard and say: not in my backyard!
Yes, this all has to do with the regulations being forced upon us. Better to know and understand then to wake up one morning and find out we’ve been administratively cleansed!
So no cutting of metals this week? Yes/no/working on it. I never quite got the ancient software to play nice when cutting layers. In wood that don’t matter too much, in metal, things start to smoke or bend. working on it!
Anyways, it’s hot outside, still 30+C at 20:00. I’m calling it a day!