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Updates

New Flight Log and Channel Map functionality

Flight Log (new), with Channel Map and Tracker GUI changes

Flight Log and Flight Log by User

Flight Log supports recording (per-flight, all optional fields):

  • Band / Channel / Start Date / End Date
  • Tracker
  • Flight Identifier (custom to your scheme)
  • Power configuration (eg solar setup, batteries, etc)
  • Free lift
  • Balloon type
  • Payload weight
  • Lift gas
  • UserDefined / VendorDefined configuration
  • Notes
  • Links (list of URLs)

Overview

Flight Log

  • Now exists
  • Has user and global view, with preliminary stats
  • Import/Export

Channel Map

  • Integrates with Flight Log to display last few flights
  • Allows quick-add of new Flight Log entry

Tracker GUI

  • Allows creation of new Flight Log entry from tracker-configured values

New Channel Map and Login Account functionality

Channel Map and Login Account changes

Overview

Channel Map

Changes:

  • Complete re-write and so much easier to extend to new features
  • Much better interface
    • Easier to use
    • Faster
    • Easier to explore other registrations
    • Nicer looking
  • Warns on registration errors (multiple same minute registrations)
  • Supports flushing old reservations
  • Supports new features (coming soon)

See Channel Map Help for details

Initial old channel flushing approach will be decided after a week or two to open up discussion

A new Admin-screen allows freeing registrations when a registration is: - 6+ months old, or - 3+ months old on a busy band (50% or more).

Because old registrations didn't keep track of the time they were made, the default is that migrated registrations "start now."

As in, nothing happens for at least 3 months.

If there's a desire from the group for speeding up the first opportunity for admins to free up registrations, that date can be brought in sooner.

Login Accounts

Changes:

  • Much easier to log in and out
  • Much higher security
  • Supports multiple accounts
  • Supports password reset
  • Supports new features (coming soon)

See Login Accounts FAQ for details

  • in site
  • 1 min read

New Website Content

Overview

Solar

There's a new page with a walkthrough using PowerFilm panels.

It's as simple and step-by-step guide that works, hopefully suitable for use in education or beginners.

PowerFilm

Flying / Balloons

There's a new page with walkthroughs for:

  • Getting/Sealing/Attaching balloons
  • Calculating Free Lift

They're simple and step-by-step guides that work, hopefully suitable for use in education or beginners.

Flying / Balloons

  • in site
  • 5 min read

New Website Features

Many changes across dashboard, messages, and other tooling

Overview

Messages

3 ET message types in draft (experimental/feedback) form:

  • Heartbeat
  • ExpandedBasicTelemetry
  • HighResLocation

New field encoding type for low-cost expanded value ranges

Slots

Slot renaming to from 1-5 to 0-4, too confusing as-is

Dashboard

2-3x faster load, esp on large datasets

Prettier load screen

Faster more responsive charts

Map has:

  • new controls and help guide
  • better spot popup

New dashboard Data Table Control layout and granularity

Future

Jetpack tracker

  • support gpsValid=0
  • breaking change to support Slot0-4 in url params and tracker config
    • (gui will prompt/guide)
  • in site
  • 3 min read

New Website Features

More graphs, map tweak, laps, and filtering insight

Overview

Graphs

  • RxStationCount
  • SpotCountByDate
  • RxDistance Histogram
  • Scatter Plot lets you compare any series against another

Summary

  • Lap Counter

Map

  • Highlight of latest

Filtering

  • Row-by-row filter data under Pro (under Data Table Controls)
  • Flight-wide filter breakdown under Data Table

Introducing Copilot Control

You can now create and send custom messages (and more!)

  • Create and send messages with any available GPS data
  • Create and send messages by using your own sensors (via I2C, ADC)
  • Send up to 5 custom messages in every 10 minute window

Overview

Copilot Control makes makes these new features available, and the Enhanced Telemetry Dashboard will automatically graph and tabulate the data you send.

In addition to lots of documentation explaining the details, there is a Walkthrough that covers the basics in a front-to-back example.

This new functionality does not change the way you use Jetpack today.

Continue to use Jetpack as you have, and use the additional functionality if/when you like.

Maiden Flight

Here (link) is the maiden flight of the new system, using both a BME280 and BMP280, sending 2 custom messages within each 10 minute window, following Basic Telemetry.

GPS Analysis from First Airborne ET Flight

Overview

I wanted to share some very interesting GPS data collected during the first flight of an Extended Telemetry UserDefind message set carrying GPS stats.

The results challenge some of my established beliefs about GPS performance relating to lock time. Some more epxeriments will shed more light on this.

The results have provided new insight and evidence into an ongoing mystery about why my tracker almost always has a 1-hour blackout period on initial launch before transmissions are received.

Major Takeaway Summary

Summary

  • The GPS appears to have a huge problem with getting locks while rising
    • Compared to, say, staying at ground level, or floating at altitude
    • Not seemingly correlated with ground speed
  • There is approximately a 1 hour period of time from launch in my area (NYC area) to first transmission, seemingly due to GPS inability to get a lock
  • The number of Chinese GPS satellites visible in flight rises significantly during flight

Telemetry's Future

Overview

Common telemetry questions:

  • Where is telemetry documented? (For implementation or curiosity)
  • Can telemetry be extended? And to what?
    • Who decides these things?

This change aims to answer those questions and provide a path forward.

Short answer -- it's documented here, we can extend it, and we all get to decide how.