Using RadarBox with PP

[GlynH]

I have finally got round to installing v5.4.6.2 of PlanePlotter with the intention of sharing my data with both PlanePlotter and the iPhone app by PinkFroot called PlaneFinder.

I have had a look at the WIKI and various other sites but most everything is geared towards using the SBS-1 with PlanePlotter.

RadarBox does get a mention on the WIKI but then all the talk is about SBS-1..should have bought one in the first place! <ducking>

I know there are RB users out there who use PlanePlotter so can any kind soul please point me in the right direction of configuring PP/RB so they work together?

As I want to output data to PimkFroot also I have changed the UDP/IP Output under I/O Settings in Remote Port from the default 9741 to the recommended 9742 and added 87.194.135.252 into the Remote IP box but am not sure now if this will prevent the flow of data to PP?

Do I have to open this port in my router?

Interestingly I see a Network Error 183 bottom left sometimes...

Annoyingly I see 'processing SBS1 data in the title bar despite having RadarBox TCP checked in the aforementioned settings (should I use this or RadarBox v2 300003?

I do have lots of yellow aircraft on-screen so can only assume I am doing something right!

I can only concur with many previous comments about it being a nightmare to setup with the myriad of options available and little or no information that I can see with regard to operating with the radarBox.

Any help/tips/hints or preferably a hand-holding, idiots guide would be much appreciated!

Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

[Anmer]

Hi Glyn

I can answer some of your questions though I need to run PP with the ANRB and write a new Guide!

You will only need to open port 9742 if you are wanting to use the Mlat option (for which you will have to pay the annual Master User fee - you can't be a Ground Station with the ANRB).

Reachspotter is well versed in using PP with the ANRB and hopefully he'll visit soon and maybe offer some help.

In the meantime, these AirNav forum posts might help:

http://www.airnavsystems.com/forum/index.php?topic=4093.0

http://www.airnavsystems.com/forum/index.php?topic=4185.0

[GlynH]

Hey Mike,

It was a pleasure to meet you on Saturday! ;^)

Well I did read those threads referenced above but as is usual with that Forum the top thread degenerated into AN having a pop at what they regard as competition and when users dared to disagree with their official line they were castigated by AN for doing the very thing that AN themselves were guilty of at the outset!

Talk about hypocrisy...

Is it any wonder that I rarely post there any more...even friends of mine are sick of the attitude and contempt shown to paying customers by the manufacturer.

Anyway...I digress...where was I...oh yeah...PlanePlotter & RadarBox.

Well I sort of had it working OK (I think) but now it has a delayed start-up with a dialog box Warning; Unable to connect to the sharing server. Check that Internet connection is possible.

After clicking this error box the main program screen opens but then gives Error 2/12029 A connection with the server could not be established message after  I click the green button.

I was at one point feeding 300+ aircraft into the PlaneFinder server but I have no idea what on earth is going on now...

Thanks & regards,
-=Glyn=-

[Anmer]

Hi Glyn

Yes, good to meet you on Saturday.

It may be a coincidence, but Roger has posted that the PP server is down?

[GlynH]

Hmmmm...why does that always happen?

I get the same issue when I go to site to fit a new router or something and after you have carefully setup & configured it you find there is no Internet access?

"But the old one worked before you started buggering about" is the usual reply so you get that cold sweat on and recheck everything (at least twice) before concluding that the ISP chose that exact moment to take their server down to perform some menial maintenance task...

I must have been born lucky!

Thanks & regards,
-=Glyn=-

[GlynH]

Just as a follow-up I have had ANRB & PP working well together for a week now and all seems well.

So not only am I feeding the AirNav network @ 3,000 unique Mode-S aircraft each & every day but I also feed COAA PlanePlotter the same data along with ACARS info too.

In addition I also feed PlaneFinder the data from my ANRB also...

I signed up for the 21-day MLAT and although it is a great feature to have I was disappointed on two counts;

1. As an ANRB user I am unable to feed MLAT info to COAA/PlanePlotter. SBS only apparently and also Aurora when it comes along...

2. After ctrl-clicking like a man posessed at the first sign of an orange aircraft on the Chart and getting no MLAT info whatsoever I found the only way to start MLAT was to ctrl-click on the aircraft entry in either the the Aircraft without positions or Aircraft with MLAT possible listings.

The 60 second wait only to be told that no MLAT info was possible is frustrating but what is even more frustrating is how on earth do you close the little blue MLAT box once it has opened as the Close gadget is ghosted and does not work?

Even right clicking on the MLAT window entry only gives you the option to Move, Minimize or Restore.

Can it be stopped once started??

Also when you do manage to find an entry that can be MLAT'ed the chart jumps to a position where there is inevitably no map coverage and so all I see is a small object obscured by a myriad of blue lines intersecting it on a pale background...or have I missed something fundamental here?

Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

[Anmer]

No Glyn, I don't think you've missed anything.

Like you, I still can't fathom out how to close the Mlat dialogue box, despite hitting the Esc key as per the Help!

On the map score, best to set your map parameters to cover your typical local area and select an aircraft that shows you as a sharer?

But unless someone offers an alternative to PP Mlat, Aurora won't make much difference to your experience, except that you may become an approved Ground Station.

[GlynH]

Aahhh...I see I'm not alone then Mike?

Well that gives me a warm, fuzzy glow inside...bugger...I've spilt me tea!

The thing is it took a while and I like my map...

Another thing about PP is I love the OSM map display but I can't see any bloody aircraft on screen which defeats the object of using PlanePlotter in the first place!

Maybe its my eyes...<edit>...aahhh...just found the Chart transparency function...clever. Tried that before and it didn't make a difference but didn't realise it only affected subsequently loaded charts...

So how come Aurora is able to offer ANRB users GS Approval when PP doesn't?

I thought it was something to do with the ANRB port output being encrypted or something which the Vidka patch for SBS is supposed to bypass?

I am still thinking about the SBS1-er but may hold off until Aurora is out and has been reviewed.

My money would still go to AirNav if they had a RadarBox GTi MKII or something - especially if it had built-in Ethernet like their long-awaited ShipTrax - PoE preferably so it wouldn't need USB or PSU!

One can but live in hope...a bit like prospective ShipTrax buyers really!  

Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

[satcom]

" 2. After ctrl-clicking like a man posessed at the first sign of an orange aircraft on the Chart and getting no MLAT info whatsoever I found the only way to start MLAT was to ctrl-click on the aircraft entry in either the the Aircraft without positions or Aircraft with MLAT possible listings.

The 60 second wait only to be told that no MLAT info was possible is frustrating but what is even more frustrating is how on earth do you close the little blue MLAT box once it has opened as the Close gadget is ghosted and does not work?

Even right clicking on the MLAT window entry only gives you the option to Move, Minimize or Restore.

Can it be stopped once started??

Also when you do manage to find an entry that can be MLAT'ed the chart jumps to a position where there is inevitably no map coverage and so all I see is a small object obscured by a myriad of blue lines intersecting it on a pale background...or have I missed something fundamental here?

 "

You appear to have missed a number of rather fundamental bits , all of which are explained in the PP Help section , Mlat pdf and wiki


To Mlat ..CTRL left click.. on the target in the a/c list...what could be simpler.

Use Outlines/vector mapping then where ever your screen goes , you'll get mapping.Alternatively , press the OSM button to bring up a suitable map.

Stop the mlat by making sure the multilat request window is the active one , then press escape.
Alternatively , with the a/c list in view , press escape then select [ left click ] a new a/c in the a/c list
Alternatively , with the map in view double left click any tracking a/c and press the escape key.

"1. As an ANRB user I am unable to feed MLAT info to COAA/PlanePlotter. SBS only apparently and also Aurora when it comes along..."

Thats certainly not a PP problem....Airnav simply doesnt provide the required data.

John

[Anmer]

So how come Aurora is able to offer ANRB users GS Approval when PP doesn't?

Aurora won't offer ANRB users GS approval.  Aurora may be able to be approved by PP as a Ground Station (subject to launch and PP checking data from Aurora).

The issue, as I understand it, is that the ANRB doesn't time stamp its data to a level of accuracy required by PP, but no doubt satcom will clarify.  I think the Boris patches for SBS-1 remove encryption so PP can use its data?

Maybe AirNav will be able to offer Mlat somehow, either an ANRB firmware upgrade or a less accurate Mlat plot, but my guess it will be via its own servers and not PP?

Today the SBS-1 can feed data to PP that is deemed accurate for Mlat plots and get Ground Station approval.  Aurora may be able to do the same or better.  ANRB cannot.

[GlynH]

Hi John,

Thanks for the quick reply.

You appear to have missed a number of rather fundamental bits , all of which are explained in the PP Help section , Mlat pdf and wiki

To Mlat ..CTRL left click.. on the target in the a/c list...what could be simpler.

What could be simpler? After installing PP, reading as much of the Help file & WIKI as possible my brain had scrambled. I couldn't even string a sentence together coherently after spending a couple of hours trying to get it all to work! 

It's like anything...once you know how it all works it is simple. I spent a lot of time in IT at various levels and consider myself well versed in everything computery but installing PP was far from simple IMHO.

I've seen better men than me struggle with trying to get it all to work! I am thinking here of experts like Anmer & Tarbat...if they struggle with some of the concepts/features what hope is there for mere mortals such as I?

Use Outlines/vector mapping then where ever your screen goes , you'll get mapping.Alternatively , press the OSM button to bring up a suitable map.

And that's another example. Outlines/vector mapping...where is it? I don't see it in any of the Menus and it's not in the Help as I searched and didn't see it.

Stop the mlat by making sure the multilat request window is the active one , then press escape.
Alternatively , with the a/c list in view , press escape then select [ left click ] a new a/c in the a/c list
Alternatively , with the map in view double left click any tracking a/c and press the escape key.

Like Mike above (who is definitely not a beginner) I also struggled with this. Now I know exactly how it works you are right...it is simple a slong as you don't expect the window to close straight away!

What isn't quite so straightforward is that the window has a close gadget that is ghosted and so doesn't work. You will excuse me when I see a close gadget and try to click it to close it. Is it any wonder users go off on a tangent?

"1. As an ANRB user I am unable to feed MLAT info to COAA/PlanePlotter. SBS only apparently and also Aurora when it comes along..."

Thats certainly not a PP problem....Airnav simply doesnt provide the required data.

Yes I know...I was not trying to level the blame with PP but merely making an observation.

Don't get me wrong John. PP is a great program and when you take into account it is authored & supported as a labour of love that makes it all the more impressive.

So much so that I paid for a license before I even started to use it properly as a show of my support.

I just wish it didn't take a degree and a surname of Einstein to install, configure & use it!

Thanks for listening & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

[GlynH]

So how come Aurora is able to offer ANRB users GS Approval when PP doesn't?

Aurora won't offer ANRB users GS approval.  Aurora may be able to be approved by PP as a Ground Station (subject to launch and PP checking data from Aurora).

The issue, as I understand it, is that the ANRB doesn't time stamp its data to a level of accuracy required by PP, but no doubt satcom will clarify.  I think the Boris patches for SBS-1 remove encryption so PP can use its data?

Maybe AirNav will be able to offer Mlat somehow, either an ANRB firmware upgrade or a less accurate Mlat plot, but my guess it will be via its own servers and not PP?

Today the SBS-1 can feed data to PP that is deemed accurate for Mlat plots and get Ground Station approval.  Aurora may be able to do the same or better.  ANRB cannot.

Sorry Mike I thought you said in your previous post;

----------snip----------
Aurora won't make much difference to your experience, except that you may become an approved Ground Station.
----------snip----------

My bad...I misunderstood.

Interestingly AN still pronounce that RB is 100% compatible with SBS Add-Ons which although that might be strictly true - and I do understand that SBS won't either out of the box until it is patched - is still a little misleading in that it won't supply GS data to PP like SBS.
 
Kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

[satcom]

Hi John,

Thanks for the quick reply.

You appear to have missed a number of rather fundamental bits , all of which are explained in the PP Help section , Mlat pdf and wiki

To Mlat ..CTRL left click.. on the target in the a/c list...what could be simpler.

What could be simpler? After installing PP, reading as much of the Help file & WIKI as possible my brain had scrambled. I couldn't even string a sentence together coherently after spending a couple of hours trying to get it all to work! 

It's like anything...once you know how it all works it is simple. I spent a lot of time in IT at various levels and consider myself well versed in everything computery but installing PP was far from simple IMHO.

I've seen better men than me struggle with trying to get it all to work! I am thinking here of experts like Anmer & Tarbat...if they struggle with some of the concepts/features what hope is there for mere mortals such as I?

Use Outlines/vector mapping then where ever your screen goes , you'll get mapping.Alternatively , press the OSM button to bring up a suitable map.

And that's another example. Outlines/vector mapping...where is it? I don't see it in any of the Menus and it's not in the Help as I searched and didn't see it.

Stop the mlat by making sure the multilat request window is the active one , then press escape.
Alternatively , with the a/c list in view , press escape then select [ left click ] a new a/c in the a/c list
Alternatively , with the map in view double left click any tracking a/c and press the escape key.

Like Mike above (who is definitely not a beginner) I also struggled with this. Now I know exactly how it works you are right...it is simple a slong as you don't expect the window to close straight away!

What isn't quite so straightforward is that the window has a close gadget that is ghosted and so doesn't work. You will excuse me when I see a close gadget and try to click it to close it. Is it any wonder users go off on a tangent?

"1. As an ANRB user I am unable to feed MLAT info to COAA/PlanePlotter. SBS only apparently and also Aurora when it comes along..."

Thats certainly not a PP problem....Airnav simply doesnt provide the required data.

Yes I know...I was not trying to level the blame with PP but merely making an observation.

Don't get me wrong John. PP is a great program and when you take into account it is authored & supported as a labour of love that makes it all the more impressive.

So much so that I paid for a license before I even started to use it properly as a show of my support.

I just wish it didn't take a degree and a surname of Einstein to install, configure & use it!

Thanks for listening & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

This is why I always recommend that users join the PP yahoo group.

In the group files section there's a whole load of sstuff for vector mapping including a readme file on how to install the maps , how to use them etc.

Basically , PP can accept all the outlines from  basestation [ I know you use RB ] and those files then work very much like they do in SBS.In fact I  never look at my SBS now...I use it to feed PP and thats it.The screen is minimised and left running...been like that for months.

It would be innapropriate to post the link here , but if you join the Yahoo PP group , go to the files section and download Vector Maps for beginners...all will be revealed.Takes just a few minutes to set up......and if you get stuck.........SHOUT      and I'll teamviewer you if you like  :O)

John

[GlynH]

This is why I always recommend that users join the PP yahoo group.

In the group files section there's a whole load of sstuff for vector mapping including a readme file on how to install the maps , how to use them etc.

Basically , PP can accept all the outlines from  basestation [ I know you use RB ] and those files then work very much like they do in SBS.In fact I  never look at my SBS now...I use it to feed PP and thats it.The screen is minimised and left running...been like that for months.

It would be innapropriate to post the link here , but if you join the Yahoo PP group , go to the files section and download Vector Maps for beginners...all will be revealed.Takes just a few minutes to set up......and if you get stuck.........SHOUT      and I'll teamviewer you if you like  :O)


John

Many thanks for the heads-up & the offer John.

I'm gonna let the dust settle and then take a look and see what else PP can do.

And if I get stuck I'll SHOUT! ;^)

I used to subscribe to a quite a few Yahoo Groups but find them clunky, cluttered and user-unfriendly, sometimes the mail stops being received with no warning because of a bounced post or something else I am not aware of and the spam was a killer.

I don't use them any more and much prefer to use Forums these days...much easier to follow and find things plus easy to read when working remotely.

Why not have a dedicated, official PP Forum?

Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

[Anmer]

I don't use them any more and much prefer to use Forums these days...much easier to follow and find things plus easy to read when working remotely.

Why not have a dedicated, official PP Forum?

I made that very suggestion on the PP Yahoo Group a few months ago and before I knew it the phosphorus bombs were dropping all around me.

As Corporal Jones once remarked "They don't like it up em!"

Try doing a search on the PP Yahoo Group!  For a serial message board as Search function is mandatory but it don't work!