Aussie Feeders

[vk2tv]

Cooked Raspberry Pie, yummy. I haven't thought too much about temperature at this stage but given that the Pi is running "cool" now I'm not overly concerned. I'm not overclocking and the only load is the DTV dongle. However, it's feasible to fit up a 12v computer fan if temperature is a problem. I have a spare Pi and a spare dongle, and I'm about to retrieve a wireless bridge that's fitted up in 100mm pipe - not too much effort to give it a try, but after Christmas now.

[vk2tv]

I finally heard back from a busy Mike about my Rxxxx identification.

<quote>
Rnnn are temporary codes allocated while the server catches up, typically for an hour or less.
<etouq>

I guess three days is in the hour or more category but I'm sure Mike will investigate.

Over the last day I've seen R27a3 appear and it seems to be near Armidale. Coverage seems restricted and given that Armidale is in a basin my Armidale location theory might be correct.

Ray
vk2tv

[POR911]

I am currently seeing R274d around the YBBN airport today. I have seen T-YBBN18 showing some airport ground movements as well. Very spasmodic, and the pkt of information is very slow and often a/c is frozen for several seconds. Mostly though, fluid coverage ends at about 1500-800 feet into YBBN and seems to appear about 1500 feet out of YBBN.

Intersting how a/c retain their radar. I am looking at virgin 607 out of YBBN at about 3000 feet using T-YBBN20, yet above it and slightly East is Jetstar 11 out of YBGC at 24600 feet and still retaining T-YBCG5. You would think it would also use T-YBBN20?

[vk2tv]

Hello por911. If I was into cars I'd be jealous <grin>

I think that ideally the delays through FR could be shorter to more correctly reflect current status. I monitor the dump1090 terminal whilst looking at FR and I see significant Lat/Long differences between dump and FR, with FR lagging. The difference is quite noticeable when an ac drops below my horizon and I'm the only feeder. The ac remains on FR for what sometimes seems forever. Still, for me my principal interest is local traffic and I see that in real time with dump1090. At the same time many low elevation aircfart are added to FR whilst they fly through here and eventually get picked up by other feeders. It's all mostly good.

[fungus]

I am currently seeing R274d around the YBBN airport today. I have seen T-YBBN18 showing some airport ground movements as well. Very spasmodic, and the pkt of information is very slow and often a/c is frozen for several seconds. Mostly though, fluid coverage ends at about 1500-800 feet into YBBN and seems to appear about 1500 feet out of YBBN.

Intersting how a/c retain their radar. I am looking at virgin 607 out of YBBN at about 3000 feet using T-YBBN20, yet above it and slightly East is Jetstar 11 out of YBGC at 24600 feet and still retaining T-YBCG5. You would think it would also use T-YBBN20?

As I understand it, with the 'T' receivers, it's a case of first in best dressed and also a case of the antenna losing data from aircraft straight overhead (since the antenna is vertical). Here in SYD I lose some signal the closer an aircraft gets to my antenna so it's more than likely going to be picked up by another, more distant radar. Then if I hold onto it it'll show on my radar until I lose it, but is dependent also on the server software and who's first in the queue at any given point in time when 'packets' are uploaded.

Regards and hope that helps,
Gregg (T-YSSY4)

[POR911]

Hello por911. If I was into cars I'd be jealous <grin>

Hi vk2tv,

I have had a manual Turbo 911 for some years now. If you give them their head, it can go faster on the ground, (both accelerating and cruising) than my Cessna 172 could. Being an old sod now, I am happy to poodle along at the speed limits, with my only pleasure in using the turbo to get to the speed limit a bit quicker than most.

It seems like FR as some logic that allows the signal to keep going in the same direction for a given period of time...eg, the trail disappears and the aircraft keeps going for a bit more, and the a/c either vanishes, and/or another radar picks it up and it re-appears..in YBBN case to later freeze at about 800 feet or so.

Hi Gregg, I can see a/c with your feeder(T-YSSY4) usually when approaching YSSY at about 4000 feet from Guildford through Parramatta to Pennant Hills. I think the logic by FR is great as the strongest signal wins. I think the actual hand over some times is not the best, but maybe this is due to both signals not being the strongest.
T-YSSY7 is a fantastic feed. Antenna must be on the Tower roof as I can see all ground activities, coupled with Live ATC..sheer bliss.....

Geoff

[vk2tv]

Maybe you had the wings on the wrong piece of machinery. If you pull up next to a greenish VZ Commodore that needs a bath, it'll be me!

In my hobby of Amateur Radio I use APRS (Amateur Position Reporting System), a (very) poor man's adsb. I can run around with a radio, GPS and an interface and broadcast my location, speed and elevation. Some applications that display APRS activity have Dead Reckoning that predicts where a station "should" be heading. My guess is that FR does something similar. I saw a good example a short while ago with an air ambulance heading into Coffs Harbour. I lost him at 3500ft just south of Coffs and FR predicted he was going directly ahead, until R27a3 saw the ac which did a very quick change of direction moved rapidly to the correct new position on the FR display as he was getting ready to land at Coffs.

Speaking of R27a3, earlier today I thought the station may have been in Armidale. Later it looked more like Coffs but I now doubt that as that station lost the air ambulance at about 1700ft. Wouldn't it be nice to have access to the database cross referencing radar ID with coordinates. My curiosity is worse than a cat's.

Ray

[fungus]

FR24 do some 'predicting' of flightpaths. Some of mine up north I lose short of Narrabri but they get extended up past there before disappearing off the map. Tamworth used to have an incredible reach and could pick up aircraft south of me. Must have had a mast on the hill up there.

I try to run 24/7 but am a tad sporadic. From memory T-YSSY3 is in the hills district and towers over me. (I dont think I'm giving away too much info there re location).

Regards,
Gregg

[vk2tv]

As Real Estate agents say it's location, location, location. I could gain access to Mt Yarrahapinni, 497m ASL and 30km north of Kempsey, but there is so much RF on that hill that a simple DTV decoder would swamp completely and probably block. Yarra stands like a very large pimple on the floodplain and would return brilliant coverage of the Mid North Coast but a decent rx is a must. Yarra would probably see ac at height beyond Sydney and Brisbane, and out to Lord Howe Island.

Regards
Ray

[fungus]

I believe we're about to get a feeder at Lord Howe very soon.

Gregg

[POR911]

Yes, I saw this last week. Be interesting to see what range it has on Lord Howe. Hope they mount the antenna on a hill top, on a mast. Maybe great for your YSSY area flights but maybe too far south for my YBBN flights?

Geoff

[fungus]

Yes, I saw this last week. Be interesting to see what range it has on Lord Howe. Hope they mount the antenna on a hill top, on a mast. Maybe great for your YSSY area flights but maybe too far south for my YBBN flights?

Geoff

Geoff,

According to the High Altitude charts on the following link, there is a track (M639) from BNE to WLG (Wellington, New Zealand) passing over LHI and there are a number of Air new Zealand flights too Lord Howe and SYD-LHI (amongst other flights) so you should see some traffic over there. Range- any guess as there's a very large hill on the island (I think it's an extinct volcano- I've flown over it a couple of times) but some flat areas so it will depend very much on position of the receiver/antenna. Time will tell. Ball's pyramid would be a great location for an antenna!

There's a VOR and NDB at LHI which you'll see if you have the premium version of FR24.

I got involved in all this simply by wondering how aircraft get from A to B and after flight sim and listening to aircraft departing SYD on my scanner, this seemed a natural progression. (loved seeing those BAW 747's flying over the top (OTT) at my place. Now when I'm able I photograph them. One never knows just where life will take us sometimes.

http://skyvector.com/ Note: These charts cant be used for navigation purposes (as far as I am aware).

Regards,
Gregg

Norfolk Island is further east and would also make a great location for a receiver in the Pacific. Any volunteers?

[vk2tv]

This guy is right on the edge of my current range. LHI is near the edge of the pic

Ray
vk2tv

Screenshot-33.png

[POR911]

Geoff,

According to the High Altitude charts on the following link, there is a track (M639) from BNE to WLG (Wellington, New Zealand) passing over LHI and there are a number of Air new Zealand flights too Lord Howe and SYD-LHI (amongst other flights) so you should see some traffic over there. Range- any guess as there's a very large hill on the island (I think it's an extinct volcano- I've flown over it a couple of times) but some flat areas so it will depend very much on position of the receiver/antenna. Time will tell. Ball's pyramid would be a great location for an antenna!

There's a VOR and NDB at LHI which you'll see if you have the premium version of FR24.

I got involved in all this simply by wondering how aircraft get from A to B and after flight sim and listening to aircraft departing SYD on my scanner, this seemed a natural progression. (loved seeing those BAW 747's flying over the top (OTT) at my place. Now when I'm able I photograph them. One never knows just where life will take us sometimes.

http://skyvector.com/ Note: These charts cant be used for navigation purposes (as far as I am aware).

Regards,
Gregg

Norfolk Island is further east and would also make a great location for a receiver in the Pacific. Any volunteers?

Hi Greg,

NZ North Island flights into YBBN are usually a few hundred kms North of Lord Howe. Maybe the South Island could use LH, as this seems to be in its path. Will chase out my high altitude airways map later which shows all published routes from the various NZ cities. Some times though, a/c use fix paths, like when I went to South America a few times and used a great circle route YSSY-SAEZ. On all occasions we almost made Antarctica landfall. Due to massive headwinds we almost had to divert to NZ for fuel on one SAEZ-YSSY flight.

I hope the LH feeder will provide excellent range, restricted only by the earth curvature. As you say, time will tell. As for Norfolk Island...ummm, this looks about halfway between NZ and New Caledonia.Again, maybe surprising as to what it picks up.

Geoff

[Oblivian]

FYI.. during the day pilots have been know to point out lord howe (and seen on the GPS/airview screen) when I've gone BNE-CHC so yep, will extend to us down here