My apologies for the tracking of the Sports nationals not being available a couple of days and being available late the last day, I had other constraints at that time that required more urgent attention. The tracking of the Sports Nats was the last test before the tracking of JWGC.
I have spent fair a bit of time investigating different technologies, trackers and software since February last year. As Matthew pointed out different systems and technologies have different advantages and also very different costs. The system we use is cost efficient, it is based on 20 small size 3G smart phones packaged with an additional battery in a box that is velcro strapped to a near ideal location on the straps of the parachute. Obviously it relies on the Telstra mobile network which does not have 100% coverage but a number of tests in Lake Keepit and Narromine have given good results, if the tracker is properly placed, in most cases the latency is just a few seconds, if communication is lost, the points are buffered and sent when comms are re-established. The Satellite comms based system we tested was far more sensitive to the placement of the tracker and had a far worse minimal latency however it was more consistent and we didn’t have black holes areas. The satellite comms trackers were not retained mostly due to size and cost of comms ($0.04 per position report). At the time of investigation, all the portable cellular network trackers were using GSM/2G comms which are not appropriate due to reduced and shrinking coverage area. I believe that now an Australian company produces a 3G personal tracker that costs about $1000 which is outside of our budget, they also have other constraints. I have also built two tracker prototypes using standard GPS and 3G/4G modules but the current drain and power consumption was too high for a portable battery operated device. At the end of the day, a mass produced smartphone already has all the hardware we need for a tracker at a very affordable price. After testing a number of different software, LiveTrack24 was retained because it is the most functional, it is reasonably priced (5 euro per competitor per event) and has an excellent support. The only other software service close to LiveTrack24 is Airtribune which has an excellent presentation but not as many features. I am in negotiations with Airtribune and it is possible that we will use them in the future. Some of you may have noticed that in LT24 the replay no longer works and the 3D view does not work with Chrome. That is due to Google no longer supporting the google earth browser plugging, LT24 is about to release a new version if their software with a promising new tracking engine. >From a technology point of view, I think we are at a point where we have a >working and cost effective system, the problem is the operation of the system. >It is not complicated to use the trackers and entering the tasks in LT24 is >simple but it requires someone to look after it and during competitions we are >already short of volunteers to do the essential tasks so tracking comes as a >secondary thing that is only done when we have time. Tracking can provide great benefits to event organisers as they can see where the gliders are or land, a real example was when a glider crashed in the Pilliga forest during the Club Nats, it was quite difficult to relay the information as the Keepit base radio was only able to talk to gliders that were at a higher altitude, a tracker would have been handy to report the position. Other benefits are engaging with other glider pilots that may peek at the tracking while in the office, every time someone talks or things about gliding it is good for our sport. Partners family and friends also enjoy watching the live tracking and lastly, live or delayed tracking provides an avenue for sponsors to advertise. The problem is that live tracking does not provide any immediate benefit for the pilot and thereby not all pilots care so much about it. Based on observations, if we do not assist and remind the pilots individually every day, 10-30% will not charge, turn on or properly position the tracker. The reality is that we need someone that ensures that every day all trackers are charged, turned on, properly placed, the task is entered, go to LT24 and put a message if the task is delayed and may even put comments or reports on conditions and what is happening. (conditions, storm, high cloud, etc.) Such job takes perhaps 2 hours per day but it needs a permanent availability and immediate attention it is not something you do in dead time. The 20 trackers will be used for JWGC, if your club would like to track an event using the trackers, please contact me, the trackers were made for JWGC but I am hoping that we will use them in other events. If you want to provide constructive feedback on the tracking, you can do so on this list or emailing me directly. Cheers Jacques Graells From: Aus-soaring [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Matt Gage Sent: Saturday, 21 November 2015 11:20 AM To: Aus Soaring <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] Lake Keepit Nationals I wasn’t there and wasn’t involved in setting things up. I have used both systems, and both have strong points - they were designed for different (but overlapping) purposes from different ends of the problem. SlyLines is my personal choice for tracking myself instead of using spot or similar. XCsoar can use either system if required, or anything else if you re-code it However, for setting up tracking for a comp, LiveTrack24 is far superior in what can be done and ease of use for the organisation as well as presentation for the viewer. The problems I’ve had have not been with the actual web sites, but with the quality of tracking available - relying on 2g or 3g signals (Telstra is rapidly phasing out 2g totally and some trackers use 2g only), and also on placement of the device - move it 5mm and it stops working. A suggestion to those whinging - if you want to see reliable tracking, put up some cash and pay for a service that works reliably all the time and provide the team to run it rather than rely on an already overworked volunteer organiser who has many priorities above this. On 20 Nov 2015, at 22:24 , Peter F Bradshaw <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: Hi; I've had problems with Livetrack as well. The code is not very good. Three competitors are on Skylines and may be tracked at: https://skylines.aero/tracking/2151,2391,5510/ I don't understand why everybody doesn't use Skylines. Its just a matter of a phone in the pocket of the glider. And the Web site is so much better. On Thu, 2015-11-19 at 19:19 -0800, Jim Staniforth wrote: So far have not seen a live tracking link on livetrack24.com, only "replay past tasks". Tried various browsers and logged in to livetrack24. Watched on glideport.aero. Only four competitors are registered, three have 20 minute track interval and no altitude data (SPOT). Jim 4-speed manual gearbox On 11/19/2015 3:29 PM, Casey Jay Lewis wrote: Hi Tom, Live tracking of a significant proportion of the fleet is available at livetrack24.com Jenny Ganderton & Allan Barnes write informative comments in the OLC Multiple competitors comment and/or post pictures on Facebook or their own blogs including the Taylor's, Matthew Scutter, Emmanuel Cadieux, Stephen Wallace etc. CJ iPhone Transmission On 20 Nov 2015, at 07:20, [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> wrote: Does anyone know of any more info/photos etc other than the results posted on soaringspot for the nationals at Keepit? Thanks Tom Cheers -- Peter F Bradshaw, http://www.exadios.com Public key at www.exadios.com/pfb.pgp.key <http://www.exadios.com/pfb.pgp.key> and www.exadios.com/pfb.gpg.key <http://www.exadios.com/pfb.gpg.key> Personal site: http://personal.exadios.com "I love truth, and the way the government still uses it occasionally to keep us guessing." - Sam Kekovich. _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://lists.base64.com.au/listinfo/aus-soaring _____ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com <http://www.avg.com> Version: 2015.0.6176 / Virus Database: 4460/10993 - Release Date: 11/13/15 Internal Virus Database is out of date.
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