SoftRF OGN

[Charlie Finn]

Does anyone have any experience with SoftRF OGN? https://github.com/lyusupov/SoftRF/wiki/Dongle-Edition#required

They have developed several DYI devices based on Chinese hardware. It appears very interesting. You can create an inexpensive OGB tracker that's small, light, and low power consumption.

[John Godfrey]

On Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 10:25:35 PM UTC-5, Charlie Finn wrote:
> Does anyone have any experience with SoftRF OGN? https://github.com/lyusupov/SoftRF/wiki/Dongle-Edition#required
>
> They have developed several DYI devices based on Chinese hardware. It appears very interesting. You can create an inexpensive OGB tracker that's small, light, and low power consumption.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g5_wkpxvUMj26ztusIqDEgGFJdpRllQimsON5N9bUDU/edit

[John Godfrey]

Thanks to Davis Chappins for all the work on this. Wish folks would not be so derisive towardds him in other threads.

[Charlie Finn]

Thanks guys. Just what I needed. I fly with Southern Eagles Soaring at Butler, GA. We plan to install an OGN ground station. Researching airborne tracker solutions. I've held a ham radio license for over 50 years. Since OGN is based on APRS, it's easy to understand. Moshe, after I get the basic working, I'll try your predictive version.

Charlie
AK4IA

[Richard Livingston]

On Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 9:25:35 PM UTC-6, Charlie Finn wrote:
> Does anyone have any experience with SoftRF OGN? https://github.com/lyusupov/SoftRF/wiki/Dongle-Edition#required
>
> They have developed several DYI devices based on Chinese hardware. It appears very interesting. You can create an inexpensive OGB tracker that's small, light, and low power consumption.

I've built up an OGN tracker based on the Lilygo T-Beam and SoftRF per the instructions Davis Chappins provided. I tested it at our field two weeks ago. The test glider showed up on our OGN receiver and also on a FLARM unit in another glider that was on the ground at the time. We tracked it the entire flight and while moving on the ground. I can't vouch for the ultimate range, the test glider never got more than about 3 miles away (It was a student and instructor in a K21), but I think it is very promising.

Rich L

[J6 aka Airport Bum]

Charlie and all interested parties,

We over here at Central Alabama Soaring Association (CASA) are also installing an OGN ground station, at our home 'drome at Merkel Field Sylacauga Alabama (KSCD). The ground station has been provided to us through Davis Chapin's program (thanks, Davis!). We have tested the ground station with a temporary antenna and one SoftRF "tracker"-equipped aircraft (our towplane) plus a few FLARM-equipped gliders, worked great. We should be up and running with a permanent antenna installation in a few days. At that time we'll be fully on the OGN system.

We plan to outfit our entire club fleet, including our Pawnee, with SoftRF "trackers" AND traffic displays. So far we have built two SoftRF "trackers" using the Lilygo T-Beam board. And we have built one SoftRF "SkyView EZ" display unit so far, with speaker. The "SkyView EZ" links with a SoftRF "tracker" via wifi and provides the pilot with audible voice alerts for traffic as well as a "radar screen" display of glider traffic (both SoftRF "tracker"-equipped and FLARM-equipped gliders). We have done some simple ground tests so far, and it all works as advertised. We'll do flight tests this coming weekend, to confirm full functionality.

Finally, I have just received a Lilygo T-Echo combined SoftRF "tracker" and display, which provides a "tracker" and small (maybe too small) display screen together in one unit, we'll test that probably next weekend also.

We are 100% satisfied with what we have seen so far with the SoftRF units! They provide traffic information and alerts (including voice alerts, if equipped with a speaker) similar to FLARM at a fraction of the cost, plus of course the Open Glider Network real-time viewing and automatic flight logging capability. But let me be clear, it is not (yet) a FLARM replacement! At this time the baseline SoftRF does not provide the type of sophisticated turning-flight collision predictions and alerts that FLARM does. And it doesn't pick up ADS-B traffic. But there are folk working on SoftRF versions that provide more advanced collision predictions and alerts, in particular Moshe Braner. We plan to update to these advanced SoftRF versions once our baseline systems are fully tested and checked out.

Finally, we at CASA will be installing additional OGN ground stations at a few surrounding airports, in order to expand our OGN-coverage area. Right now we are thinking Gadsden, Tuscaloosa, and Tuskegee Alabama (but we need to complete a range validation of our home base KSCD station before we finalize). Charlie, we should coordinate with you folk at Southern Eagles to get our OGN-coverage areas to overlap if possible.

Charlie, I will send you an email with some more details on our "trackers" and status, watch for it. You can ask me about more details on our SoftRF experiences by responding to my email address if you would like.

We at CASA are excited about incorporating OGN at our flying site, for what we view to be safety enhancements and fun and useful real-time visibility into the status of the day's glider operations via the OGN viewers and the automatic flight logging.

Cheers,
Jim J6

[kinsell]

I built up one of the same units. Haven't flown it, but have seen up to
6 miles ground-ground range, should be substantially better when it's in
a glider.

Nice thing about this unit is it has a battery holder on the back of the
PCB, so you can run it entirely off battery. A 12 volt to 5 volt
converter might add RF noise that could get into the radio.

-Dave

[Charlie Finn]

Thanks Dave. Which model did you choose? We're going ahead and build up a few for the club. Looking for the best location to mount the ground station. We have several large trees around the hangar. May be able to mount it on the rotating beacon tower, but have to ponder the logistics for power and connectivity, and of course maintenance.

[Bruce]

There is a huge advantage to having this device powered by a USB port. With the battery(which works fine) the user needs to be taught the correct sequences for turning the unit on and off. For private use, this is fine, but in a club environment it will not work, and the unit needs to be plugged in to charge so would need an easily removed mount and someone would need to manage it.

With a USB port, the unit automatically turns on and off with the ship's power, so can be mounted. Buy a decent power converter, and there will be little or no noise. A power converter with 2 outlets, let the club members plug in their flight computers too.

[Moshe Braner]

On 11/14/2022 5:15 AM, Charlie Finn wrote:
> Thanks Dave. Which model did you choose? We're going ahead and build up a few for the club. Looking for the best location to mount the ground station. We have several large trees around the hangar. May be able to mount it on the rotating beacon tower, but have to ponder the logistics for power and connectivity, and of course maintenance.
>

You may consider a different approach to setting up an OGN ground
station in situations where it is difficult to get power, internet
connection, and good radio reception, all in one spot. Long antenna
cables have their drawbacks too. The "OGNbase" software, which runs on
devices similar to SoftRF, offers an alternative 2-device "relay" mode.
One "remote" device is installed on top of a tall tower, or on a hill
or mountain, possibly miles away, and receives the FLARM signals from
gliders. That device can be powered by a small solar panel. The other
"base" device is installed somewhere with internet connection, e.g., the
clubhouse. The two devices communicate via radio. The antenna for the
"base" device can be indoors if the "remote" is nearby, or can be a
directional antenna on the roof if the "remote" is far away.

For more details, and the software itself, see here:
https://github.com/moshe-braner/Open-Glider-Network-Groundstation
Start here:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/moshe-braner/Open-Glider-Network-Groundstation/main/ognbase/documentation/documentation.txt

[kinsell]

On 11/14/22 3:15 AM, Charlie Finn wrote:
> Thanks Dave. Which model did you choose? We're going ahead and build up a few for the club. Looking for the best location to mount the ground station. We have several large trees around the hangar. May be able to mount it on the rotating beacon tower, but have to ponder the logistics for power and connectivity, and of course maintenance.

I did the standard Davis Chappins build, using this transmitter:

https://www.amazon.com/LILYGO-LORA32-T-Beam-Development-CH9102F/dp/B09VLFQQG4/ref=sr_1_6

Make sure to get the one with OLED unsoldered, and there's no reason to
solder it yourself.

For the ground station, there's no need to have it right at the airport.
Maybe a house within a couple miles?

If you really want to put it up on the tower, power over ethernet (POE)
wqould be a great choice, you can get cheap POE hats for Pi 3B+ or 4B
units. You could cycle power and remote login easily without climbing
the tower. But you're looking at serious weatherproofing and lightening
protection issues.

-Dave

[Moshe Braner]

On 11/14/2022 8:31 AM, Bruce wrote:
>
> There is a huge advantage to having this device powered by a USB port. With the battery(which works fine) the user needs to be taught the correct sequences for turning the unit on and off. For private use, this is fine, but in a club environment it will not work, and the unit needs to be plugged in to charge so would need an easily removed mount and someone would need to manage it.
>
> With a USB port, the unit automatically turns on and off with the ship's power, so can be mounted. Buy a decent power converter, and there will be little or no noise. A power converter with 2 outlets, let the club members plug in their flight computers too.
>

I recently installed a dual-head USB power converter in a friend's
glider, and it turned out to create so much radio noise on 123.3
(specifically!) that the COM radio squelch could not silence it. I'm
sure there are better model converters. Can anybody recommend models
they've found to be radio-quite? Also, ferrite rings that help (by
looping the input and/or output wires of the converter through)?

[Bruce]

I have this unit in my motor glider and have no noise interference. I also used these in my yachting days and they were the best then. It's a little more expensive than the cheap ones, but you get what you pay for.

https://www.bluesea.com/products/1045/12_24V_DC_Dual_USB_Charger_4.8A_with_Intelligent_Device_Recognition

It's available on Amazon.

Bruce

[Dan Daly]

aircraft spruce then: Home / Pilot Supplies / iPad, iPhone, Android / USB Power /CRAZEDpilot USB Panel Power Adapter For Aircraft 6-30V Input
or
https://www.navboys.com/DOUBLEUSB.html
https://store.harkwood.co.uk/air/

[Charlie Finn]

Moshe,

After reading your documentation, I take since OGNbase relay is done using fanet, that it would not relay to a PI based OGNground station. I really like your work on the relay project. Got a good laugh from your future item: "Plutonium battery for a life of 100 years". I would like to have that for an EV!

Charlie

PS: Over a very short time, I've got a great education on OGN, thanks to the help from everyone.

[Moshe Braner]

Since Charlie replied to the group as a whole, I might as well respond
to the group as a whole. No OGNbase does not use FANET. The text on
that front page on github is from the original developer of OGNbase,
from a while back, and is somewhat misleading regarding the current
version. That's why I suggested starting with the documentation file
that I wrote:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/moshe-braner/Open-Glider-Network-Groundstation/main/ognbase/documentation/documentation.txt
Some day I'll get around to updating the front page... Been too busy
coding and testing. But did update that text file multiple times.

But yes, "it would not relay to a PI based OGNground station". Both the
"remote" station and the "base" station must run the OGNbase software,
because the two ends of the relay setup need to know how to communicate.
The radio messages between them are invisible to FLARM, and invisible
to other OGN stations even if they are within reception range.
Invisible not because it uses FANET (it doesn't), but because it is
deliberately formatted to not look like a valid FLARM message, and also
is sent on a frequency FLARM is not listening to at that moment. (FLARM
uses a frequency hopping scheme that depends on the *exact* UTC time -
since it has a GNSS (GPS) receiver that is possible.) The relay
messages are also encrypted using a security key, and are thus rejected
if received by other OGNbase stations within range. The relay messages
are private to the pair of OGNbase stations configured in that specific
relay setup. The base station decodes them, and posts the original
FLARM traffic info to the OGN servers.

[Charlie Finn]

Here's my plan. Everyone feel free to shoot holes in it.

1. Build an OGNbase using T-beam module with battery. I'd like to have one of those 1,000 year plutonium batteries, but guess I'll need to wait for those.
2. Configure it for non-relay and use WiFi for Internet connectivity
3. Use 10 watt solar USB battery charger panel
4. Install unit on tower approximately 600 ft. from club house
5. Install hi gain outdoor antenna connected to WiFi

This should allow me to monitor/maintain/upgrade the unit via a browser. If I can't get a good WiFi connection, I have plan B and C. Plan B is to connect an external antenna to the WiFi module on the remote unit. I found articles on how to disable the internal antenna. Plan C is to build another OGNbase and configure the two in relay mode. The lower frequency radios have a much longer range.

[Moshe Braner]

Exactly, better to rely on the 900 MHz radios for the longer range.
Also, the hardware you need for the additional "base" station (the
"paxcounter") is very small and only costs about $20.
https://www.amazon.com/LILYGO-V2-1_1-6-868Mhz-Bluetooth-Development/dp/B09FXHSS6P
And from 600 feet it'll probably work with the simple indoor antenna it
comes with. (Depending on the building, of course, if it's a metal
hangar maybe not... so put the thing on a windowsill on the side towards
the remote station). So I'd use the relay setup as Plan A.

The remote station will be set up with a good antenna (same type as used
for the RPi-based OGN stations, but I've tested it WITHOUT preamp and
filter). That helps it receive signals from far-away FLARM devices -
and also the signal from the much closer base station.

When you need to update the software in the remote station, it is
possible to connect to the base station via a web browser, and click the
button on its web page that resets the remote station (via a 900 MHz
radio message). After the remote station reboots, for 10 minutes, it
creates a WiFi AP (not the same as its 900 MHz radio) that you can
connect to from, say, a smartphone near it. Then you can configure it,
or upload new software, right from a browser on the phone.

[Charlie Finn]

Great. The management method is the part I needed.

Once again, thanks for the great help. Hopefully, I can play it forward with other clubs.

[kinsell]

On 11/14/22 6:31 AM, Bruce wrote:
>
> There is a huge advantage to having this device powered by a USB port. With the battery(which works fine) the user needs to be taught the correct sequences for turning the unit on and off. For private use, this is fine, but in a club environment it will not work, and the unit needs to be plugged in to charge so would need an easily removed mount and someone would need to manage it.

When you say "it will not work", that's a rather dogmatic statement,
isn't it? To turn it on, you press the power button, to turn it off,
you press the power button again. There's status lights visible through
the case, so it's fairly foolproof.

Our club gliders don't have loggers built in, we use velcro to mount the
unit, and charge after the flight. If a pilot can manage a Nano, I
think they can handle a tracker.

-Dave