FAQs: Mode-S receiver access options Basic setup - how to link the two programs Accessing SBS1 data via the BaseStation software TCP port - the simplest way! Accessing SBS1 data via the BaseStation log file (method one) Accessing SBS1 data via the BaseStation log file (method two) How do I overcome the 5-minute delay? Method 1 - using the SBS1patch software Method 2 - using SBS1rt software Method 3 - use the FileFreedom software Why is setting the Home Location important with the BaseStation software?

FAQs:

 

• Q: Why do I get the "Increase aircraft time" message?
• A: You get that flag because your a/c from SBS may be delayed by 5 minutes into PP...so select the green spanner icon on the toolbar and in there you'll find an "Omit aircraft after" box set that to 6 or 7 minutes.
• Q: How do I get registrations added to SBS BaseStation?
• A: Run a utility like Gatwick Aviation Society SBS-1 Populate to look up hex codes.
• Q: What's the best way to link my SBS-1, SBS-1e or RadarBox to Plane Plotter?
• A: Use TCP access, with the SBS1patch software (Kinetic BaseStation), or the TCP30003 port with the AirNav RadarBox 2009 software.  More details below...

 

Mode-S receiver access options

 

Bev has kindly prepared the table below which shows the requirements of the different linking schemes and the data type and timeliness obtainable.

 

Receiver	Kinetic SBS1 BaseStation				AirNav RadarBox 2007		AirNav RadarBox 2009
Access method	TCP	TCP+SBS1Patch	Log	Log+FF	Log	TCP	Log	TCP	TCP30003
Recording	Off	Off	On	On	On	Off	On	Off	Off
Real time	5 mins	Yes	30 secs	Yes	Yes	5 mins	5 mins	5 mins	Yes
Positionless data	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
CPU load	Low	Low	High	High	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low
Simple to install	Yes	Needs SBS1patch	Yes	Needs FileFreedom	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

 

Basic setup - how to link the two programs

 

This information is extracted from the Help, Tutorial, Using Plane Plotter with the SBS-1 - please read that tutorial for more information. PlanePlotter can access the data in BaseStation in several different ways. If you are interested in positionless data you must use the TCP port method. As many will be interested in your positionless data (please set Plane Plotter to upload this even if you don't use it yourself), please use the TCP port method if at all possible.

 

Accessing SBS1 data via the BaseStation software TCP port - the simplest way!

 

This is the simplest way to access the data from the BaseStation software. It works with the recent versions of the BaseStation software and places no special requirements on the way BaseStation is set up. This does not require the Ethernet hardware port. There are, however, disadvantages with this simple approach (see below).

 

To use this method, in PlanePlotter select Options..I/O settings, check the Mode-S/ADS-B option and in the Mode-S selection box at upper right, choose SBS1 tcp. Start BaseStation running and then start PlanePlotter processing. The aircraft will start to appear on the PlanePlotter chart. Remember that the output from BaseStation is delayed by five minutes so you should not expect to see all the flights from the BaseStation screen immediately. If BaseStation has only just been started, you will see nothing for five minutes.

 

The disadvantage of this method is that the data displayed on the charts is delayed by five minutes so you see an historical view of the traffic in your area. This is a restriction imposed by the receiver manufacturers – it is not a limitation of PlanePlotter – but you can overcome this delay as indicated below.

 

Accessing SBS1 data via the BaseStation log file (method one)

 

If you run BaseStation and select Files..Start recording, the BaseStation software will write a log file to disk with all the aircraft data in real time. Unfortunately, recent versions of the BaseStation software lock the recorded log file so that it cannot be read while it is being written. PlanePlotter can overcome this restriction by automatically stopping and starting the BaseStation log file recording at thirty-second intervals. It is then able to read the file’s contents each time recording is stopped.

 

To use this method, start BaseStation running and select Files..Start recording. Make a note of the directory in which BaseStation is saving the log file. In PlanePlotter, select Options..I/O settings, check the Mode-S/ADS-B option and in the Mode-S selection box at upper right, choose SBS1 log. Also in PlanePlotter select menu item SBS1 and Uncheck the Open Access option. Still in PlanePlotter, select Options..Directories...SBS1 and navigate to the directory where BaseStation is saving the log file. Start PlanePlotter processing. You should see the log recording Save dialog box fleetingly appear and disappear every thirty seconds as PlanePlotter controls the recording function in BaseStation. Aircraft from BaseStation should appear in near real time on the PlanePlotter charts.

 

Accessing SBS1 data via the BaseStation log file (method two)

 

This method is very similar to the previous one except that there is slightly more preparation to do but the results are more stable and the PlanePlotter chart display is fully real-time.

 

To use this method you need to gain read access to the BaseStation log file while it is being written. Fortunately, there is a generic freeware utility called FileFreedom that allows file sharing of files being written by any program that would otherwise not be possible. You will find FileFreedom here in the files area of the Plane Plotter Yahoo user group. If you are sure that to do so would not violate the licence under which you use the BaseStation software, you can use FileFreedom to get real time access to the log files that BaseStation generates. This means that PlanePlotter will then be able to plot data in the log file in real time, rather than being sampled every 30 seconds. Note that this paragraph is not to be construed as an incitement to violate any licence conditions that you may have entered into with Kinetic Avionics when you installed BaseStation. Using FileFreedom is simple but there are a number of steps involved so it may appear to be daunting. There is an interactive tutorial on using it, which is very easy to follow.

 

Once you have used FileFreedom to achieve open file access, PlanePlotter can read and plot the data from the SBS1 in real time.

 

Start the open access version of BaseStation running and select Files..Start recording. Make a note of the directory in which BaseStation is saving the log file. In PlanePlotter, select Options..I/O settings, check the Mode-S/ADS-B option and in the Mode-S selection box at upper right, choose SBS1 log. So far this is the same as method one. Also in PlanePlotter select menu item SBS1 and Check the Open Access option. This was different in method one. Still in PlanePlotter, select Options..Directories...SBS1 and navigate to the directory where BaseStation is saving the log file. Start PlanePlotter processing. Aircraft from BaseStation will appear in real time on the PlanePlotter charts.

 

This method has none of the disadvantages of the other methods being fully real time and without any stability or language issues.

 

 

How do I overcome the 5-minute delay?

 

Method 1 - using the SBS1patch software

 

This is arguably the simplest method. For more information, please see: http://piopawlu.net/projects/sbs1-rt/

 

1. Close BaseStation SBS1
2. Wait until it fully closes
3. Copy sbs1patch.exe to your BaseStation installation directory (the one with Basestation.exe)
4. Make a backup copy of BaseStation.exe! (just in case you want the delay back)
5. Run the sbs1patch.exe and follow the on screen instructions

 

Method 2 - using SBS1rt software

 

This is an alternative to method 1. Basically, SBS1rt removes the built-in delay from the BaseStation socket output and so allows PlanePlotter to display real-time positions. Without SBS1rt, the only way for Plane Plotter to do this is via the FileFreedom hack, and this only gives access to what's in the BST file (i.e. only ADS-B aircraft). To use PlanePlotter with SBS without a delay in displaying data, download SBS1rt from http://piopawlu.net/projects/sbs1-rt/

 

1. Run BaseStation.
2. Wait until it fully initialises.
3. In Plane Plotter, "Input/Output Settings", enable "SBS1 TCP" in "Mode S Source".
4. Run sbs1rt.exe
5. A new icon will show next to your pc clock. Select it.
6. Start real-time data by selecting (no delay) or 2s delay).
7. Open Plane Plotter.
8. Run Plane Plotter.
9. To exit, use "Exit" option.

 

Method 3 - use the FileFreedom software

 

1. Download FileFreedom from here
2. Stop BaseStation.
3. Patch the BaseStation.exe program.
4. Restart the new BaseStation-Enabled.exe program.
5. Be sure to change any shortcuts to BaseStation.exe, such as in your start-up or GAS SBS-1 Populate program.

 

 

Why is setting the Home Location important with the BaseStation software?

 

Certainly with SBS, the Home Location coordinates aren't normally used in position decoding for aircraft other than those on the ground.  I believe it's the same for RadarBox, but I can't be sure.

 

The position coordinates returned from aircraft on the ground have 4x the precision of airborne coordinates.  Both types of report locate the aircraft relative to a cell in a repeating grid of either 90nm or 360nm respectively, but the encoding/decoding algorithm for each has two flavours - odd and even - and if at least one report of each flavour is received within a short space of time, it's possible to combine them and get what's referred to as a "globally unambiguous" position fix and opposed to a "locally unambiguous" one.  The other way to fix a position globally with just a single report is to relate it to a known reference position (i.e. the Home Location in the case of SBS).

 

For some reason, Kinetic took the decision not to do global decoding on ground position reports, even when both odd and even reports have been received, but always to use the Home Location reference point (see Page 36 of the BaseStation Manual).  That's why it's important to set the Home Location as close as possible to the aircraft's position if your setup is capable of picking up aircraft on the ground, so that there isn't a cell boundary between you and the airport.

 

Information kindly supplied by: Dave Reid, Reading, Berkshire