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davesalmon
Pterodattilo
United Kingdom
1644 Posts |
 Posted - 05/02/2010 : 08:55:25
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A new cheap device is being marketed in the UK under this name, and with the official backing of NATS. No technical information is given, but I have asked for it. It comes complete with ICAO maps for the UK and an official airspace database that can be updated monthly, free of charge.
It would be great, at least for those of us in the UK, if we could load LK8000, but still use the airspace feature. If I get any further information, I'll pass it on.
Dave |
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modellbobby
Aquilotto
323 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2010 : 09:03:36
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| i really dont understand here? |
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bo.
Pterodattilo
843 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2010 : 09:11:38
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Looks cool.
http://www.xcmag.com/news/2010/01/5372/
http://www.airspaceaware.com/aboutaware/
I guess it is the airspaces/maps that would be of interrest for us. Airspaces tend to change, so having a reasonably priced (free?) service to get updated and official airspaces would be very interresting indeed. Lets hope this will be avaliable also outside of UK..
Can the files be (legally) translated to the openair.txt format?
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modellbobby
Aquilotto
323 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2010 : 10:29:28
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wheres the problem you get all airspaces free with the open airspace format.
You dont need anything to reformat. The airspaces are downloadable since years! |
Edited by - modellbobby on 05/02/2010 10:30:54 |
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bo.
Pterodattilo
843 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2010 : 10:46:01
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| Sure, but who makes sure the avaliable airspace files are kept up to date? Is this checked on a regular basis, or do people fly around with the files that has been "downloadable since years"? |
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thermiekfabriek
Falchetto
Netherlands
116 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2010 : 11:04:38
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What I read: The AWARE contains only airspace for the UK.
About actual maps/airspace: Pilots are always responsible to use (most) actual maps / airspaces. Periodically you go to:
- AIP guide(s)
- Worldwide Soaring Turnpoint Exchange Airspace http://soaringweb.org/Airspace/HomePage.html
Last week I used LK8000 in a Rotax Falke (Touring Motor Glider) for airspace and navigation (task)! |
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davesalmon
Pterodattilo
United Kingdom
1644 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2010 : 11:28:13
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| Sure, airspace files have been available for years, but they are not "official", they are 3rd party,and are more likely to have errors, and they are usually only updated annually, because it is a big job for those kind and dedicated people who compile them. Unfortunately at the moment this system seems only to be UK based, but I would have thought that it could well become pan European. |
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Coolwind
Moderator
Italy
8957 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2010 : 12:48:47
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Uhmmmm.... from the picture, I can see they are using probably Jeppesen printed charts, scanned and calibrated. So it is a raster solution, and we don't use raster maps here.
You cannot zoom like you are used to with digital vector maps..
But, of course, they look great at a glance, and for that price I would buy 2 units at once!
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MPusz
Aquila imperiale
Poland
683 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2010 : 13:31:41
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| modellbobby - if you will find up to date (end of 2009) polish airspaces on the servers where you can download the files for years, please let me know ;-) |
Edited by - MPusz on 05/02/2010 13:35:21 |
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cernauta
Pterodattilo
802 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2010 : 14:11:55
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quote:
Originally posted by bo.
Looks cool.
mmm.. only 300 nits (cd) backlighting.
Aldo |
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bo.
Pterodattilo
843 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2010 : 14:30:58
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Its the airspace/map service that is the most appealing to me. The device looks like some off the shelf PNA. Maybe the company will distribute the software and/or the airspace data separately at some point? It could make a good buisness model if these data were compatible with LK, seeyou etc. A pan European service would be very interresting..
Btw, what is the backlight rating for common pda/pna devices? |
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BigBird
Falchetto
Germany
133 Posts |
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MPusz
Aquila imperiale
Poland
683 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2010 : 16:09:13
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Thanks BigBird. Those airspaces look pretty recent :-).
On Turnpoints Exchange site (which everybody recommends) are files from 2 years ago. Sometimes you have deep dive into Internet to find things or have friends that do competitions and just have that stuff (it is how I get the latest gliding files). |
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bo.
Pterodattilo
843 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2010 : 16:16:59
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Yes, as long at they are up to date. If not, they can be misleading and dangerous.
Of course the pilot is responsible for checking the correctness of the maps and airspace files. But airspaces are complex, and its not that easy to monitor changes. |
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cernauta
Pterodattilo
802 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2010 : 16:44:51
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quote:
Originally posted by bo.
Btw, what is the backlight rating for common pda/pna devices?
Nit, or Cd/m2, is the measure for display brightness. Unfortunately, declared values are often unreliable, just like power from audio amplifiers.
And just like audio, you need a 2x improvement to really appreciate the stronger lighting.
Touchscreen can absorb from 10% to 30% of original display brightness; so you wonder if the declared value takes the touchscreen into account.
Anyway, a common old PDA delivers just a mere 80-100 nits (but with transflective or reflective displays, you may not need more as ambient light is beneficial).
Notebooks are around 200, and are definitely unreadable in strong light.
The 4700 is probably comparable to a notebook, at around 200, but it's transflective.
The 314 is certainly better, probably around 3-400 but I was not able to find figures. It is not reflective though, so it's completely unreadable under strong ambient/direct light.
The best soaring displays are the ClearNav (max 1100 nits) and the "Ultimate" (max 1500 nits). They both got rid of touchscreens.
So, IMHO, we need a device with at least 500nits, or return to transflective technology...
Aldo Cernezzi |
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Topic |
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AWARE