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ADL / Golze satellite weather system

The Q is whether 2008 is still relevant to the FLASH used in high-end consumer IT products today.

However I don’t think any of the above applies to the topic, since roughly the same performance is seen on two very different devices.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

I have finally got my IOS9-update-bricked Ipad2 fixed and have run both the android and IOS app with the ADL150. They both work of course.

To look at the previously mentioned performance issues, and given that they cannot both run from the same ADL150/Iridium satphone connection (and if they could it would not be a useful comparison due to the low data rate) a comparison was done with both devices running on 30mbps wifi/ADSL.


Since both have similar CPU power it is clear that the app is written differently. It would appear that the IOS app renders the data as it downloads it, whereas the android app renders it only when you select the Moving Map mode. There are probably other differences.

The processing time on android is as previously reported – some seconds.

I cannot see any CPU-related processing time on the Ipad. In view of the previous reports, this suggests one or both of two things

  • the processing time is heavily data or config dependent
  • the info I got on the IOS app performance (being same as android) was incorrect; this came from another ADL user, who left EuroGA recently and it could have been a windup to cause me to post something for which I could then be attacked (this has been done before)

Accordingly, this thread has been cleaned up to remove the various off-topic posts and baits… Nobody likes to read that kind of stuff, anyway. Guidelines.

I don’t see a significant issue with usability with either app. The android app is a bit more “clunky”. Both apps could do with the data downloads being done in the background, so one can remain in the Moving Map mode the whole time.

I also tested the ADL150 with an Antcom rooftop antenna which I got installed about 10 years ago, described here. It was to be used for feeding a Thuraya satphone in a car holder; this project failed because the 7100 phone car holder radiated a fantastic amount of RF interference, wiping out VHF comms in the aircraft, but I left the antenna in place because it might be useful one day. It contains two sections: one for Thuraya and one for Iridium+GPS (those two are close in frequency). I used just the “GPS” connector on it, ignoring the “Thuraya” connector. The GPS portion is a passive antenna – not the usual 5V/30mA active one used in GA avionics. This is really neat and is cleaner than the self adhesive dash mount antenna which comes with the ADL150, although the two probably work identically as far as signal acquisition goes.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Just as a remark…
I think the Iridium operations (request + download) have greatly improved over the different evolutions of the app (and ADL firmwares ?)
Maybe @Sebastian_G can confirm eventually, and explain how he managed ?
I find downloads pretty quick now.

Last Edited by PetitCessnaVoyageur at 30 Nov 21:31

Yes, the whole EGKA-LDSB route downloads in about 2 mins.

The SMS is useful too. They should have a Telegram gateway

I will install the box during the TKS job.

One aspect is that anything that radiates should have a pilot-accessible means of turning it off, and I will put the CB next to the existing ones.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

PetitCessnaVoyageur wrote:

Maybe @Sebastian_G can confirm eventually, and explain how he managed ?
I find downloads pretty quick now.

He has explained it is better compression he has implemented. So making downloads faster and cheaper.

Last Edited by JasonC at 30 Nov 22:02
EGTK Oxford

The better compression explains that fewer packets are needed for the same amount of informations.
But I also have the feeling that, requesting and downloading for eg 1 packet, takes much less time.
As an early adopter, did you observe that too Jason ?

Here is a piece of a screenshot from the android app

I had a strong signal the whole time there. Sometimes it takes a minute longer.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Just curious since i’m thinking of buying an ADL 140 next year.

Is is theoretically possible for Garmin Pilot (or ForeFlight etc) to use ADL in their app? If Garmin or @Sebastian_G writes a driver for it? Or maybe if ADL simulated some other supported hardware?

Are there any technical limitations comparing to ADS-B or other satellite solutions, that would make it impossible to do this?

The included software seems nice but it would be great to have ADLs weather info as an overlay in Garmin Pilot :)
Jonas

Last Edited by Jonas at 19 Dec 22:19
ESOW Västerås, Sweden

Jonas wrote:

Is is theoretically possible for Garmin Pilot (or ForeFlight etc) to use ADL in their app?

Of course it is theoretically possible… I asked Garmin about that at their Garmin Pilot presentation in Friedrichshafen the past spring. Several people in the audience also wanted an ADL connection, but the Garmin guy didn’t seem interested.

Last Edited by Airborne_Again at 20 Dec 04:30
ESKC (Uppsala/Sundbro), Sweden

Airborne_Again wrote:

but the Garmin guy didn’t seem interested

As yet, Garmin Pilot is relying on its own weather information (own servers, I presume) depicted as an overlay. BTW, nice to compare GP and ADL (while on the ground) to see that their radar informations, for instance, are quite different. Anyone did further comparisons as yet?

Last Edited by Flyamax at 20 Dec 08:16
France
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