Notwithstanding the debate about the accuracy of lookup databases for aircraft, routes, etc, my recent trials using RadarBox data for a possible professional application have highlighted a potentially much more fundamental problem - the so-called "hex code confusion" issue.
Even if lookup databases are a work-in-progress, it's reasonable to expect that RadarBox will decode and display correctly information like callsign, altitude, squawk, etc, which comes directly from the aircraft and doesn't require a lookup.
However it would appear that's not always the case. Processing both the log (RBL) files and the socket output indicates that there is no guarantee RadarBox will assign such data to the correct hex code. I'm getting many instances of callsigns, squawks, altitudes and other navigational data which clearly belong to one aircraft but are showing against a different hex code.
Other users' posts indicate that I'm not the only user to have encountered this problem, although it's always possible that some of us have rogue boxes, which is why I'd like to ask everyone for some log samples to help troubleshoot the issue.
If anyone is situated under reasonably busy airspace, I would appreciate half an hour's worth of recording (either an RBL file or a socket capture) - PM me and I'll let you have my email address. I'll be happy to give feedback on any anomalies found, and hopefully we'll establish whether it's a hardware, firmware or software bug.
AirNav haven't shown any interest so far in acknowledging or fixing this bug, which is why I'm doing their job for them, but it doesn't really matter who does the troubleshooting - either way we all stand to gain from a fix, particularly users who are looking for kit that can be used as part of a robust, reliable professional solution to a real-life requirement.
MTIA
Dave