Skip to content

telemetry

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.