PlanePlotter

[Allocator]

Considering it's the ONLY application in the world allowing you to track non-positional aircraft (it does not even need an RB or SBS for this), its built-in detailed worldwide map, ability to incorporate your own charts, maps, waypoints and navaids and its low one-off cost, it represents superb value for money and is well worth the small effort to get it running. Oh! I forgot to mention the free network - growing every day.

Tom

PlanePlotter is a one-off payment, but MLAT is a small annual subscription if you are not providing data to aid the MLAT.  RadarBox can share data with the PP network, but not in a way that allows you to help with MLAT.

[tarbat]

You don't have to tell it you are using an SBS-1.

Yes you do.  To get MLAT to work, you have to tick the "SBS1 Raw Data" box in IO Settings, even if you don't have an SBS-1 to provide raw data!!

[Pinza]

Getting confused with the technical banter between Allocator and Tarbat (about MLAT)!

On a more basic level I got Planeplotter up and running within an hour this evening.

Hate Windows Vista with a passion - thought I'd installed it into a root directory rather than under Program Files. So struggled to find the sub directory to copy a map to.

Eventually copied over a map of the UK to the correct subdirectory.

Looks good - have zoomed-in map of the midlands running on ANRB on my 22" external monitor and a general overview of the same planes (locally received) on Planespotter running on laptop - with a larger (more detailed map of the UK).

Only problem I have, so far, is that when I click on a plane icon on the planeplotter screen, it says no-reg.

Is this simply because I've not registered yet - or do I have to tinker with settings?

I've not touched anything yet - simply entered home location (brilliantly simply via installation process), copied across a relevant map and clicked on Process/Start.

Impressed so far - will play with further more localised maps.

Chris

PS Must play further with making screenshots across dual monitors...

[viking9]

Chris,

As PP was originally designed to run with SBS-1 it uses the Basestation.sqb database. You can download my copy here: http://www.viking9.co.uk/basestation.sqb

You just need to save it to your COAA/Planeplotter folder and restart PlanePlotter. You will find that you will not see many NO-REG. If you do see one just right-click on the entry and it will automatically update from www.airframe.org.

Tom

[viking9]

PlanePlotter is a one-off payment, but MLAT is a small annual subscription if you are not providing data to aid the MLAT.  RadarBox can share data with the PP network, but not in a way that allows you to help with MLAT.

Not according to the COAA website which says, "If you are a PlanePlotter licence holder but are not an SBS1/SBS1e user, or if there are reasons why you cannot contribute raw data regularly, you can request temporary Master User status for an experimental period of 21 days using the link below. If you request the 21 day trial, you are not committed to paying any fee unless you want to continue to use it after the end of 21 days. After that, you may choose to pay a small fee of Euro 12.00 (plus VAT in EU countries) to continue as a Master User."

No mention of an annual fee, though I would be very happy to pay it.

Incidentally, RB users who are Master Users can contribute to Mlat in the latest version. When they track an aircraft using Mlat that aircraft's icon along with Hex code, c/s, reg, alt, GS, squawk and track is then shown on the maps of other Master Users.

Tom

[Allocator]

You get 21 days MLAT free.  After the 21 days, unless you are an SBS-1 Master User providing data for the MLAT process, you have to pay - I do pay 2 subscriptions for 2 PC's, although Bev let me activate a 3rd PC as I'm only ever using one at a time.

I don't use my SBS-1 any more - can't be bothered to go through all that setting up again - so I happily pay the 2 annual fees to COAA.

[viking9]

I got no such email from Bev. Perhaps as I was one of the earliest users he decided not to charge me. I have been using three instances of it, on a PC and two laptops and I have not been asked to pay any more.

[Allocator]

The process works like this:

- You go for the 21 trial and register. Your PC is activated for MLAT

- After 21 days, when you try to MLAT, you get a message in PP to say that your 21 days has expired

- This is the confusing bit!  You then click on the 21 day trial application again and it takes you go to a page that says that it will cost 12 Euros(?) to activate.

- This happens for every PC when the 21 day trial expires.  There is no way of activating MLAT on more that one PC without going through this process on each PC - other than emailing Bev and appealing to his better nature.

Bev did activate my 3rd PC and set the expiry date of the other 2 as the date of the latest subscription, but he didn't offer a refund for my second subscription as I thought that he might.  I had read on the PP forum that you only needed to pay one sub to activate MLAT on more than one PC - just like the way that with PP you can get extra activation codes for additional PC's using the standard PP functions.

Anyway, a small fee to pay for the extra functionality and I like to support innovation.

[Pinza]

Chris,

As PP was originally designed to run with SBS-1 it uses the Basestation.sqb database. You can download my copy here: http://www.viking9.co.uk/basestation.sqb

You just need to save it to your COAA/Planeplotter folder and restart PlanePlotter. You will find that you will not see many NO-REG. If you do see one just right-click on the entry and it will automatically update from www.airframe.org.

Tom

Tom - sincere thanks for that!!!

After downloading your kindly shared Basestation.sqb database, and copying across to my Planeplotter directory, I initially saw no improvement in the amount of no-reg results I was getting.

I then had a 'play' and realised that I needed to go to 'options' dropdown menu and select directories. This gave me an option to tell which directory should look in for my newly downloaded Basestation.sqb

Then shut planeplotter down and restarted.

Excellent - not had a 'no-reg' since!

Not had chance to play with 'right-clicking' options yet.

Must go, but will register Planeplotter before trial expires (and after I'm paid...) if only for the option to use downloaded maps.

Cheers
Chris

[DaveReid]

Incidentally, RB users who are Master Users can contribute to Mlat in the latest version. When they track an aircraft using Mlat that aircraft's icon along with Hex code, c/s, reg, alt, GS, squawk and track is then shown on the maps of other Master Users.

I've read and reread this but I still don't understand - surely RB doesn't provide the data necessary to make any contribution to MLat ?

[tarbat]

I've read and reread this but I still don't understand - surely RB doesn't provide the data necessary to make any contribution to MLat ?

Perhaps the suggestion is that non-SBS-1 owners can contribute to MLAT by turning on "Allow Remote Mlat", which may then let their PP be used to calculate MLAT positions, using data from other SBS-1 users over the PP network.

However, I haven't been able to get an answer to that question, whether RB owners should turn on "Allow Remote Mlat".  I suspect that even with that option ticked, the non-SBS-1 user still won't contribute to MLAT.

As always, getting a straight answer to a simple question gets bogged down in side-issues on the PP forum.   Unfortunately, the main focus is on supporting Ground Station users.

[viking9]

Dave,

PP now has the ability to show a non-positional aircraft which is being tracked by a Master User (with or without an RB) to be seen on other users' screens with all the flight details previously seen only by that requesting user. So you can in fact see several aircraft that are being mlat'd tracking on the map at one time.

You do not have to have an RB to do it but it is desirable to be able to contribute data to the network. For example, if an aircraft is out of range of a certain user or users and I make the first mlat request then the aircraft will appear on every use's screen.

I hope that makes sense.

Tom

[tarbat]

Tom, are you saying that Radarbox owners using Planeplotter should tick the "Allow Remote Mlat" box?  I might have misunderstood you, but I was told to NOT tick the box on the PP forum.

[DaveReid]

You do not have to have an RB to do it but it is desirable to be able to contribute data to the network. For example, if an aircraft is out of range of a certain user or users and I make the first mlat request then the aircraft will appear on every use's screen.

I hope that makes sense.

Yes, I think so. 

Whether you're an RB user or not is incidental (although if you are it may alert you to the presence of a non-positional aircraft that you might wish to MLat with PP).  But as a Master User, any aircraft you MLat becomes visible to other PP users.

Thanks for the explanation.

[viking9]

Yes you do.  To get MLAT to work, you have to tick the "SBS1 Raw Data" box in IO Settings, even if you don't have an SBS-1 to provide raw data!!

Right Tarbat, read this very carefully. I DO NOT have "SBS1 Raw Data" box in IO Settings checked and I have been a Master User since before it was generally available and mlat some ten to twenty US mil aircraft most days. Some of the features included in later versions of PP were at my suggestion.

Regarding remote mlat, it's quite simple. You can use mlat without a virtual radar, so when you make an mlat request it is sent across the network. If you are a Master User the option "Allow Remote Mlat" is in the Options..I/O settings dialog in the Input section. If this option is checked, then the server will invite PlanePlotter to perform an Mlat on a target that is "Mlattable" but not currently being "Mlatted". The request will only be made if the machine is not in use (no recent user interaction with PlanePlotter), no other Mlat is currently in progress and only if the instance of PP is currently receiving messages from the "positionless" aircraft in question.

The intention is that, with enough users choosing to enable this option, most potentially Mlattable aircraft will start to appear on the charts of Master Users without users themselves having to initiate the Mlat requests.

Finally, I have never found either John Locker or Bev to be biased towards helping only Ground Stations. Of course it is very important that we have maximum GS coverage, but Master Users are important too for reasons I gave above and I have always had the greatest cooperation from and assistance from both men, usually with instant responses - unlike some organisations I could mention.

Tom