FlySight GPS

[bucketlistpilot 1]

Just uploaded the newest beta firmware onto mine. The config file shows

; Speech settings

Sp_Mode: 2 ; Speech mode
; 0 = Horizontal speed
; 1 = Vertical speed
; 2 = Glide ratio
; 3 = Inverse glide ratio
; 4 = Total speed
Sp_Units: 1 ; Speech units
; 0 = km/h
; 1 = mph
Sp_Rate: 0 ; Speech rate (s)
; 0 = No speech
Sp_Dec: 0 ; Decimal places for speech


Couldn't find any info on what they actually do. Anybody know?

Ian Purvis
http://www.loadupsoftware.com
LoadUp DZ Management App
admin@loadupsoftware.com

[GoneCodFishing 24]

That looks like the 'standard' beta firmware to me. They are the parameters for the spoken info. Basically just a voice calling what your GR is, speed, or whatever you want to set it as.

Sp_mode - What particular data gets spoken

Sp_units - Whether the speed related data is given in normal speed or some archane measurement unit which is still used in a couple countries in the world.

Sp_rate - How often the voice in your head talks to you.

Sp_dec - How many decimals are called out

[bucketlistpilot 1]

Thanks for that.

Ian Purvis
http://www.loadupsoftware.com
LoadUp DZ Management App
admin@loadupsoftware.com

[dthames 0]

Using a new extended version of the Excel macro that Hellis wrote, I have added Closed Caption flight data to video on Youtube. The CC is a Youtube feature that Hellis can write a file out for. Here are some examples. Be sure to turn CC on.

7 way flock
http://youtu.be/AGWU6M3JMQE

Windy solo
http://youtu.be/OWv2XXNIqbA

2 way GPS. GPS data from myself and MW as we tried to get together on one of her early flights.
http://youtu.be/O29rpQoMcXA

[inline cc-example-640x398.jpg]

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[za_skydiver 0]

I haven't used my flysight in awhile, and i want to start using the flysight again. I have upgraded my pc to windows 7 and recently bought a windows 8 laptop. Both machines will charge the flysight, but none of them can access the flysight so that i can see logs or change settings.

Can anyone tell me how to fix this?

Edit to add: Fixed, looks like it might have been a dodgy usb cable

Some dream of flying, i live the dream...

[NoValidTitle 0]

Anyone having issues with theirs locking on GPS? I've had mine for a few years and in the last year or so I'm having terrible luck with it locking signal. I turn it on at the DZ in the morning before jumping to be sure it gets a lock. I turn it on at 9k on the way up in the plane and most of the time it doesn't get a lock until I'm at 10-9k on the way DOWN.

Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.

[dthames 0]

NoValidTitle

Anyone having issues with theirs locking on GPS? I've had mine for a few years and in the last year or so I'm having terrible luck with it locking signal. I turn it on at the DZ in the morning before jumping to be sure it gets a lock. I turn it on at 9k on the way up in the plane and most of the time it doesn't get a lock until I'm at 10-9k on the way DOWN.

Where is it mounted? What type of aircraft?

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[johnmatrix 21]

When I go to turn mine on on the 3 min light, I put the earphone in first, then turn the Flysight on and hold my helmet up to the window - I keep holding it there until I hear it beep then I put my helmet on. Usually works.

[MrCat 0]

NoValidTitle

Anyone having issues with theirs locking on GPS? I've had mine for a few years and in the last year or so I'm having terrible luck with it locking signal. I turn it on at the DZ in the morning before jumping to be sure it gets a lock. I turn it on at 9k on the way up in the plane and most of the time it doesn't get a lock until I'm at 10-9k on the way DOWN.

Yep - I've noticed a definite increase in the time mine takes to get a lock (etc). I was jumping with one of my friends and his was noticeably quicker at getting a lock than mine despite me doing all the warm up procedure on the ground etc etc. I lost maybe a third of a jumps data on that one :(

And it's been happening quite a bit for maybe the last year. I'm also getting patchy tones out of mine - sometimes it will just cut out mid jump and then chime back in 10 seconds later with a sound like a sound effect for a dying plant (tricky to describe...)

Mine is a version one though so when I get some cash I'm going to replace it..

Jump more, post less.

[dthames 0]

MrCat

***Anyone having issues with theirs locking on GPS? I've had mine for a few years and in the last year or so I'm having terrible luck with it locking signal. I turn it on at the DZ in the morning before jumping to be sure it gets a lock. I turn it on at 9k on the way up in the plane and most of the time it doesn't get a lock until I'm at 10-9k on the way DOWN.

Yep - I've noticed a definite increase in the time mine takes to get a lock (etc). I was jumping with one of my friends and his was noticeably quicker at getting a lock than mine despite me doing all the warm up procedure on the ground etc etc. I lost maybe a third of a jumps data on that one :(

And it's been happening quite a bit for maybe the last year. I'm also getting patchy tones out of mine - sometimes it will just cut out mid jump and then chime back in 10 seconds later with a sound like a sound effect for a dying plant (tricky to describe...)

Mine is a version one though so when I get some cash I'm going to replace it..

Have you updated the firmware? I have no idea if any of the firmware has a history of issues but the newer firmware might help. I doubt it would hurt anything.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[crwper 7]

NoValidTitle

Anyone having issues with theirs locking on GPS? I've had mine for a few years and in the last year or so I'm having terrible luck with it locking signal. I turn it on at the DZ in the morning before jumping to be sure it gets a lock. I turn it on at 9k on the way up in the plane and most of the time it doesn't get a lock until I'm at 10-9k on the way DOWN.

Often when I hear a problem like this, the cause is a non-existent or abbreviated "warm-up". There are a couple of steps which should be followed to give the FlySight the best chance of getting a lock:

1. The 15 minute warm-up. At the start of every weekend, put the FlySight in an open area and turn it on. Wait until the green light starts blinking, then start a timer. Leave the FlySight on for at least 15 minutes. During this time, the FlySight downloads "almanac" data from the GPS satellites that tells it roughly where they are orbiting. Strictly speaking, it takes 12.5 minutes to download the data and it's good for several months. However, it's a good habit to do this at the start of each weekend just to be sure the data is current for wherever you happen to be.


2. The 1 minute warm-up. Just before you get on the plane, turn the FlySight on for 1 minute. Again, the timer starts when the light starts blinking and it has to be a full minute. During this time, the FlySight downloads "ephemeris" data from the satellites. This is much more precise information about the orbit, but because it's so precise, it's only good for a few hours.

Broadly speaking, these two steps give the FlySight the information it needs to figure out what's going on quickly when you get out of the plane. If you miss one of these steps, the FlySight winds up trying to figure out where it is in a really dynamic situation--i.e., when you've just fallen out of a plane. That takes time.

If you're already following both of these steps, shoot me an email (michael at flysight dot ca) with the following four files:

1. The "config.txt" file from your FlySight;


2. The file from the 15 minute warm-up that weekend;


3. The file from the 1 minute warm-up before that jump;


4. The CSV file for the jump.

We'll definitely get it sorted out for you.

MrCat

Yep - I've noticed a definite increase in the time mine takes to get a lock (etc). I was jumping with one of my friends and his was noticeably quicker at getting a lock than mine despite me doing all the warm up procedure on the ground etc etc. I lost maybe a third of a jumps data on that one :(

And it's been happening quite a bit for maybe the last year. I'm also getting patchy tones out of mine - sometimes it will just cut out mid jump and then chime back in 10 seconds later with a sound like a sound effect for a dying plant (tricky to describe...)

Mine is a version one though so when I get some cash I'm going to replace it..

Definitely send me an email with the information above and I'll take a look. It sounds like you may also have a loose audio jack, which I can sometimes fix. In any case, we'll make sure everything is working 100% for you.

I would also be interested to know the serial number of your unit and your friend's. In the last year we moved to a newer version of the u-blox module, which could account for some of the difference between the two units.

Michael

[crwper 7]

dthames

Have you updated the firmware? I have no idea if any of the firmware has a history of issues but the newer firmware might help. I doubt it would hurt anything.

The "beta" firmware currently on the wiki can sometimes produce corrupt CSV files, but shouldn't affect time to first fix.

We should have an updated beta firmware available soon (most likely this week) which fixes the "corrupt CSV" issue. We've managed to get up to 10 Hz logging (on newer units) with glitch-free speech. I'll let you all know when the updated firmware is available.

Michael

[lyosha 50]

do you use gps or glonass?

[dthames 0]

crwper

***Have you updated the firmware? I have no idea if any of the firmware has a history of issues but the newer firmware might help. I doubt it would hurt anything.

The "beta" firmware currently on the wiki can sometimes produce corrupt CSV files, but shouldn't affect time to first fix.

We should have an updated beta firmware available soon (most likely this week) which fixes the "corrupt CSV" issue. We've managed to get up to 10 Hz logging (on newer units) with glitch-free speech. I'll let you all know when the updated firmware is available.

Michael

I love the speech feature. I have no problem listening to it when I want to know, and ignoring it the rest of the time. I have been married a long time, so some would say I have a highly trained ear.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[crwper 7]

lyosha

do you use gps or glonass?

By default, the FlySight uses GPS only. Newer units (SN 1247 and up) use the u-blox NEO-7 module, which supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo or QZSS--but only one at a time. The firmware doesn't currently expose this feature, but it certainly could.

Michael

[lyosha 50]

neat. Reason I ask is I thought that max GPS refresh frequency is 1 HZ, and 10 HZ for Glonass. Am I mistaken?

[dthames 0]

lyosha

neat. Reason I ask is I thought that max GPS refresh frequency is 1 HZ, and 10 HZ for Glonass. Am I mistaken?

The traditional Flysight firmware records GPS at 5Hz. New beta firmware at 10Hz for the newer shipset, is what I hear.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[crwper 7]

lyosha

neat. Reason I ask is I thought that max GPS refresh frequency is 1 HZ, and 10 HZ for Glonass. Am I mistaken?

You are mistaken, I think. The details of GPS processing are a little outside my area of expertise. However, roughly speaking...

• The GPS C/A code is transmitted on the L1 frequency at a rate of 1.023 Mbps.


• The C/A code itself is a 1023 bit "pseudorandom" sequence. This means the code has certain "nice" properties that random signals do, but the sequence can be generated by a simple function.


• This means the C/A code repeats 1000 times per second.


• To distinguish one satellite from another (and from background noise), the GPS processor correlates the incoming signal against the known pseudorandom sequence for each satellite. Thus, we might expect that there is a natural limit somewhere around 1 kHz sampling.


• What keeps us from realizing this 1 kHz sample rate is the enormous amount of computation that needs to take place in order to perform the correlations mentioned above. The ability to perform these computations while remaining space- and energy-efficient is one of the things that separates one GPS chipset from another.

For now, the rate that we get solutions is mainly limited by a balance between cost, energy-efficiency and space. With each generation, u-blox has reduced the scale of their fabrication process, which allows them to squeeze a few more transistors into the same space with minimal impact on power requirements. Consequently, we see a bump in the specs each time.

Hope that helps clear some things up!

Michael

[crwper 7]

dthames

The traditional Flysight firmware records GPS at 5Hz. New beta firmware at 10Hz for the newer shipset, is what I hear.

Bingo.

Michael

[lyosha 50]

crwper

***neat. Reason I ask is I thought that max GPS refresh frequency is 1 HZ, and 10 HZ for Glonass. Am I mistaken?

You are mistaken, I think. The details of GPS processing are a little outside my area of expertise. However, roughly speaking...

• The GPS C/A code is transmitted on the L1 frequency at a rate of 1.023 Mbps.


• The C/A code itself is a 1023 bit "pseudorandom" sequence. This means the code has certain "nice" properties that random signals do, but the sequence can be generated by a simple function.


• This means the C/A code repeats 1000 times per second.


• To distinguish one satellite from another (and from background noise), the GPS processor correlates the incoming signal against the known pseudorandom sequence for each satellite. Thus, we might expect that there is a natural limit somewhere around 1 kHz sampling.


• What keeps us from realizing this 1 kHz sample rate is the enormous amount of computation that needs to take place in order to perform the correlations mentioned above. The ability to perform these computations while remaining space- and energy-efficient is one of the things that separates one GPS chipset from another.

For now, the rate that we get solutions is mainly limited by a balance between cost, energy-efficiency and space. With each generation, u-blox has reduced the scale of their fabrication process, which allows them to squeeze a few more transistors into the same space with minimal impact on power requirements. Consequently, we see a bump in the specs each time.

Hope that helps clear some things up!

Michael

That's really informative, thanks!

... are serial numbers indicated on Flysight boxes somewhere? (i.e. is there any way I can tell whether I'm getting an older or newer chipset?)

[johnmatrix 21]

Many thanks for all of this info!

[crwper 7]

lyosha

... are serial numbers indicated on Flysight boxes somewhere? (i.e. is there any way I can tell whether I'm getting an older or newer chipset?)

There is usually a decal on the back of the FlySight which includes the serial number. If the decal has been removed, you can usually find the serial number printed on the PCB inside the FlySight.

Michael

[tmccann 1]

I'm late to the party - my wife just got me a flysight and a cookie G3 mount for our anniversary. I would tend towards an armband, but since it was a very thoughtful gift, I should use it...

Since this is probably a solved issue, I thought I'd ask - on a G3, have people had better experience mounting above the vent (top of helmet) or below the vent (back of helmet), and do people widen the vent to route headphone wires, or cut a separate hole? I assume it'll work well any way, just thinking about fit/comfort/aesthetics.

Thanks,
Tim

[za_skydiver 0]

I mounted mine above the vent like on cookie's website and drilled a whole through the vent so the microphone jack can fit through. I've had no reception issues with it.

Some dream of flying, i live the dream...

[kallend 2,070]

tmccann

I'm late to the party - my wife just got me a flysight and a cookie G3 mount for our anniversary. I would tend towards an armband, but since it was a very thoughtful gift, I should use it...

Since this is probably a solved issue, I thought I'd ask - on a G3, have people had better experience mounting above the vent (top of helmet) or below the vent (back of helmet), and do people widen the vent to route headphone wires, or cut a separate hole? I assume it'll work well any way, just thinking about fit/comfort/aesthetics.

Thanks,
Tim

I mount mine below the vent and run the wire down under the hard shell and then up inside the shell (between the liner and the shell). No holes drilled.

Reception is fine.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.