Android ADS/B in for $20 available NOW!

It is finally available! I predicted it about a year ago, when I first ordered my tablet, and thought about writing it myself, and asked for help. I am glad there are more ambitious people out there, because they get it done. My Android development skills aren't there yet either. I am working on an app that will use maps, but haven't got to that part yet.

The app is $1.50 in the PlayStore, called ADS-B on USB SDR RTL (beta)  it shows up in apps called "USB ADSB..." on the tablet. The USB dongles are really only about $15-20 US, plus shipping. You will probably need an OTG cable or adapter for a phone or tablet. (The OTG cable allows attaching USB client devices like mice and keyboards to a phone or tablet). Really the cost may approach $50 plus a tablet.

The app shows promise, and really looks nice. It starts the map centered on Lakeland Florida, so it needs to be adjusted to where you are. The maps can be sectional, WAC, IFR, and street maps, and can be selected from a menu. The pinch to zoom works, but the menu allows zooming, along with buttons in the upper corners.

When the app comes up, it displays all the available devices, selecting the available device starts the app. The top part shows the map, the bottom part shows a list of the aircraft that the software has heard recently (can be adjusted in startup menu, defaults to 60 seconds).

It appears to be listening for 1090MHz Mode S with Extended Squitter (ES) transponders. 1090ES is the world wide standard. GA in the US will probably focus mostly on the 978MHz UAT devices, since there is more bandwidth available to those devices. See UAT or 1090ES in my other blog).

The developer says it will have weather eventually. Weather alone would make this app worth while, but the aircraft positions is a huge benefit. "Mounting" a tablet in an aircraft isn't hard, and there are a few adapters to make it easy. 

This doesn't completely compete with the Garmin GDL-39, and their Pilot app, but it will give you the chance to see what is possible, and the benefits to having ADS/B service.

I had trouble using it. The SDR dongle is very sensitive to the antenna chosen. I found a link to a site were there are extensive design and testing of antennas especially for ADS-B reception:

http://forum.planefinder.net/threads/ads-b-diy-antenna.23

I chose the simple 1/4 wave dipole and was able to get some reception. I didn't want a large antenna, nor an amplified one. I want to be able to use this portable in rental aircraft and such. It did seem if I got the SDR farther away from the tablet, it worked better. I used a USB extender to do that.

The battery life doesn't seem to be negatively affected running the SDR dongle, the screen still eats most of the battery. Someone suggested a split OTG cable, so it could be connected to power while running the SDR dongle. That is a great idea.

I can't say this will save a life, or replace TCAS for alerting, but it could help someone get the big picture when ATC calls out traffic.

If everyone only does ADS-B in, it looses some of the benefit. The future will require us to use ADS-B out as well, then everyone should be on the same level.

A Quick Look at A Couple Android Gyro Apps

Tonight I was flying from KDAL to KMSP on Southwest. Now with the technology on all the time policy, I've been getting more bold. I actually try to use aviation apps on the plane while riding in the back. I've tried GPS based apps, and the metal tubes that are commercial aviation make using the built in phone and tablet GPS unreliable at best, and mostly unusable. I have maybe gotten 4 satellites at once on my tablet.

Gyro apps should be usable on aircraft, no matter where you are sitting. I tried a couple at random while coming home. I didn't start using them until we penetrated the clouds just north of KRST. We were supposed to be flying the KASPR4 arrival, but when we got in close, the controllers gave us all routing.

From my window, is seemed like we got much closer to KMSP than flight aware shows, but this will show that we did do some maneuverin, especially out past Lake Minnetonka.

The two apps I used were Sensors and Gyro.  Both apps portray an aircraft Attitude Indicator (AI), where gyro also displays a Directional Gyro (DG).They both rely on the sensors in the tablet or phone. I tested both on my Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (classic?).

I've written before about how the gyros work on an Android device. The gyros in the device are rate sensors, and to display current attitude information, they need to be integrated over time. Both apps seem to have done this well, with limits.

Sensors, (I can't find it in the play store any more, I did crash it this evening, so I was able to send the author a note about me wanting to get in touch with him/her)  is a really basic AI. It is probably designed for a phone, but it seems really reliable.  The gaps around the angle display seem to be quite revealing on the tablet, but probably look good on a phone. The calibrate button is needed, and should be set while the aircraft is on the ground.

Where the Sensors app has trouble, is the coarseness of the changes. I had to integrate its reading to determine our attitude. I don't want to be too harsh on this app, it does well. It is a little jerky, and tended to not lock in to a particular pitch or bank angle. The bottom numbers are always integer values, so I wonder if there is some rounding going on, and that makes it less smooth. Overall, I really like the work that went into this app.

The other app, Gyro, or Inflight Instruments looks really good. It has a ton of settings. I've said before the Galaxy Note 10.1 sometimes doesn't work with some apps, because of the gyros, but this app lets you adjust around it with different Gyro configurations (in the settings menu). Once I found that my tablet seems to have the gyroscope orientation "C" with the tablet in portrait mode, and set the calibration, I could see it work.

The AI wasn't as sensitive as I might like. During the big right turn in the picture at the top, it seemed like we were doing a 15 degree bank, and the AI only showed about half a line of turn. The DG seemed right on, or very close. I got myself turned around, and thought the DG was pointing the wrong way, but let it go, it turns out it was pretty much right on.


Summary

Right now, I wouldn't use either of these for instrument replacements in actual IFR conditions. They show promise. I probably won't write my own gyro instrument app.

I did want to try A-EFIS, but thought it needed GPS (it does for altitude). That appears to be a reliable panel replacement.  Next time, I will try it.

More Aviation Software For Android

That last post got some good hits, and then I looked at my tablet, and realized I forgot a whole bunch of apps. I'll include the same categories, and list 10 more titles.

Moving Maps

To get good reliable moving maps in most aircraft will take an external GPS unit. These external GPS receivers can be mounted somewhere with a clear view of the sky. Sometimes the tablets will be used in places where they are unable to get a full view of the sky, making them unreliable. The external GPS receivers may have other capabilities (IE WAAS or ADS/B) as well.  

I forgot the biggest of the big names. Garmin has and Android app, Garmin Pilot. The tag line "Plan, File, Fly" is what it seems it can do. There is a 30 day trial with this app, and requires a $9.99 monthly subscription. It includes charts (VFR, low and high IFR, approach plates and airport diagrams. Gets weather from NWS, including METARs TAF, winds aloft, PIREPs and various maps. Allows flight plan filing via DUATs.

Avilution AviationMaps is another application that seems really nice for maps. Allows breifing and filing through DUATS. Advertises that it can  get weather including NEXRAD through ADS/B receiver, making it a very handy tool. Can get weather maps, METARs, TAFs, PIREPs and NOTAMs while in flight, or on the ground. Icing, winds and area forecasts are only available on the ground (this is a ADS/B limitation, not the software). All the same maps, VFR, Hi/Lo IFR, approach plates and airport diagrams. The subscription is either $74.95/year or 149.90/yr premium.

AirNavigation Pro includes maps and instruments.The instrument looks like an HSI, which I have always preferred for telling me where to go, or if I am on course or not. The charts they say are free and cover the whole world. The cost is $26.95 to buy, and doesn't really mention any subscriptions. This may be an app to keep an eye on.

E6B/Weather

AirWX Aviation Simple layout, enter an airport, the tabs appear for METAR, TAF, PIREPS, Charts and Plates. A really simple thing to be able to check as you get to an airport, not sure how useful it will be when flying for a couple hours (doesn't say ADS/B receivers are supported). No subscription fee, but will cost you $6.99 to buy it.

Weather Pilot Simple organization, allowing looking at text weather for multiple airports at a time. Very light weight, seems pretty fast and reliable. Still limited to mobile data, and not ADS/B receivers. It is free, and no subscription is required.

Avilution E6B Flight Computer - Real basic conversions, but seems well organized. Enter what you know, and it will figure out the rest. It is $4.95 to purchase it. It is likely you will not be able to use this on a test, since the proctors will confiscate your tablet and phone before going into the testing area.

Misc

Trade-A-Plane I used this weekly for a while on my old phone. Really handy for looking up used plane prices, or avionics or whatever you used to see in the yellow paper. Loved it, but I am not looking to buy things these days, so sadly, I haven't used it in a while. This app is free.

Aviation Exam just had a huge upgrade, it is very pretty now. I most recently used their app to earn my AGI rating. The Flight/Ground instructor review was really helpful, and allowed me to get a good grade the first time. The app is free, but you need to buy the test you want to study from. The tests are mostly $9.99-13.12 for 2 months, and can be had in bundles (IE PPL, IR, CPL). The tests are for EASA and FAA. Hooks into http://aviationexam.com and allows sync'ing tests and results.

GPS Status isn't just for aviation, but if you use GPS for anything, it may give you more insight about the accuracy of your GPS receiver. It shows the receivers in the sky right and their relative position. On the bottom, it shows the relative signal strength in a bar graph. Most Androidn GPS receivers will allow picking up US GPS and Russian GLONASS GNSS satellite signals and use them to give even more accurate position reports. This will show most of the relative position information the device can provide, including error information (DOP/HDOP/VDOP and absolute error in ft).

Ultimate Flight Checklist Mobile is a huge name, and will put it in the bottom of any alphabet list, but it is a great checklist tool. It allows adding any number of checklists for various aircraft. It comes with the three popular training aircraft; Cessna 172, Piper Cherokee 180, and Socata TB-10. You may add your aircraft and customize the checklist for any particular aircraft. Set your checklists in a way that works for you and be safe.



This again is not an exhaustive list of the aviation apps out there for the Android. It is a collection of some that I have used, or thought were interesting. If you have a favorite, let me know, and I'll take a look. Authors, users, doesn't matter to me, I'd love to hear what your favorites are.

I Ordered a New Tablet.

I wasted a bunch of time shopping on eBay last week. I finally decided it is time to get a mainstream tablet. I mostly want it for work, but think it would be good for doing ADS-B in on the cheap!

I ordered a new Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. I didn't get the note, it cost too much. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is still a dual code 1.6GHz device, and ought to be enough power for now, and is less than a year old. It has everything I want; bluetooth, GPS, WiFI and a big screen. I think I'll have to buy an OTG adapter since it uses a proprietary USB connector (just like the iPad).

How can I do ADS-B for under $100 with this? Well, the SDR folks have been working overtime. One guy at least, Martin. He has the RTL2832u dongle talking to the Android devices. It was only a matter of time, since both the Android stuff and the rtl2832 SDR software are all open sourced. It doesn't do ADS-B decoding out of the box, but what the heck, that is only a little more software.

The FAA while  threatening to charge for the charts, still gives them away. It doesn't really matter, for me using old charts on this, since it will probably be just a toy for now. If I were to ever fly with this relying on the tablet for navigation, then I would want the most current charts. If needed, I would pay for them.

I think I could do the development of the ADS-B decoding, and try to use someones mapping software to get the data to display on the screen. If nothing else, decode the TIS-B and FIS-B data.

Yea, I know Garmin and FreeFlight and everyone seems to think anything under $5000 is the a cheap price for ADS-B, but here I am suggesting a $300 tablet, and a $20 receiver it all I need for ADS-B (plus some cables, and software). Imagine if this would run on a $79 Android tablet, then the whole mess is under $100!. That ought to shock those other guys. Sure they are doing it the hard way, separate receivers and all the work to get "certified" ADS-B receivers, but trust me, you don't need to have a receiver "certified".

Since it is GA in the USA, I am convinced the UAT frequencies are the right ones. The FAA will put the same data out on both the 1090MHz ES, and the 974MHz
UAT frequencies. 


Can we make it happen? Want to help? Lets do it!!

Let me know if I forgot something...

Another SDR Post

I started putting together the hardware for the thermocouple amplifiers, but quickly realized I didn't have everything I needed. I needed some reasonable sized capacitors (0.47uf 10V or so) and a trimmer resistor. The closest I could find in my collection was a .10uf at 25V or .33uf at 1000V. I thought, crap, for less than a dollar, I should get what I need. That 1000V cap, while close to what I needed, was bigger than the chip. Board real-estate would be a challenge.  I know it is just a proof of concept, but I needed something better. I have some surface mount caps, but even those were all over the map, like 47uf, or 100pf, nothing kinda medium.

I was thinking a quick order at Mouser or Digi-Key and I would have what I need by Wednesday. Well, it would take a $25 minimum order, and I'd obsess over what else to buy for 5 days, and I wouldn't get what I need until next week. I had a coincidence happen on Tuesday. Traffic was awful, and I needed to try a different way home. I ended up in Farmers Branch. Tanners Electronics is right there. I thought I am close, maybe they stay open until 6pm. IT was about 4:50pm, and I was close, so I thought I'd go for it.

They are open until 6 Monday through Saturday. I could pop in there and get what I needed. When I got there, I was surprised. They had about the same collection of small capacitors as I did, .33uf at 1000V and some surface mount ones. I did find a couple medium ones, one disk, and one film and a small one, mylar I think. I bought an assortment, at least 2 of each, and a couple trimmer pots, spending all of $3, and I had them.

I haven't had time to do anything with them though. I hope to this weekend.

I've been thinking what a full system might look like. How about the Arduino as the engine controller and monitor. This is for the full FADEC system. Then a USB connection to a central hub, maybe an ARM controller running Linux. Another Arduino running DIY Drone air data computer, and IRS gyro package connected to the central controller over USB. Each Arduino would have their own blue tooth connection for sending to the display computers. Display computers would be Android tablets. I am not sure what the central system would do other than data collection. I guess it should share information, with the two Arduino's. Like putting in a TOGA button, the FADEC would run the engine up for takeoff power, then the autopilot would fly the missed approach procedure. The central computer would have some GPS and mapping software, unless that was outboard also (Android tablet may have that?).

Lots of planning and dreaming.

I said this was an SDR post. Well, here is the SDR info. Suddenly SDR hardware is down to about $20! You can buy USB tuner cards for PC's that have untuned front ends for $15-25 on EBay. There is software available to use them, and they are quite popular. They can tune anything from about 64-1700MHz and should work in almost any mode (even TV, since that is what they are designed for!). Reddit has a hardware compatibility chart. 

I ordered one, maybe, I'll have time to play with it. It sounds like it has most of the software written. All I need to do is plug it in and run some code.

I also found the LinuxCNC website. That might be my answer to the 3D printer I've been wanting to work on. Again, when I get some time, I'll take another look at it.