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Relative Altitude of Traffic Targets


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TimT
TimT
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The relative altitude of traffic targets displayed on the map and/or in Traffic Radar is arguably the most important information about a threat.

The relative altitude is currently included in the label belonging to the target (both with ADS-B target symbols, and with TPX-C related alert rings). For example "+0.8", or "-0.3", standing for 800 FT above, or 300 FT below respectively. The text size is:

- Controlled in the "Mapping" settings
- Linked together with the text size for all other waypoints, airport names, etc.
- And is limited to 140% of default text size

When a new traffic threat appears, I find it difficult to very quickly read the relative altitude:

- Even at 140% the writing is still small (after all the tablet 'vibrates' on a RAM Mount arms, and light conditions may be less than ideal)
- The most important + or - sign is really difficult to tell apart (after all, the difference between + and - is only a few vertical pixels on the screen, but it may be the difference between life and death up in the sky).

Therefore my suggestions are (not withstanding an entirely different, better way of doing it that the clever people at SD are capable of coming up with):

- Separate the settings for Traffic Label text size from the general text size settings
- Allow a wider wider range to set the text size (e.g, up to + 300%)
- Find a better way of differentiating between "above" and below" targets (I have no suggestion here how to do it - you'd need to play around with it)



Sky Painter
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TimT - 6/23/2019 1:49:43 PM
The relative altitude of traffic targets displayed on the map and/or in Traffic Radar is arguably the most important information about a threat.

The relative altitude is currently included in the label belonging to the target (both with ADS-B target symbols, and with TPX-C related alert rings). For example "+0.8", or "-0.3", standing for 800 FT above, or 300 FT below respectively. The text size is:

- Controlled in the "Mapping" settings
- Linked together with the text size for all other waypoints, airport names, etc.
- And is limited to 140% of default text size

When a new traffic threat appears, I find it difficult to very quickly read the relative altitude:

- Even at 140% the writing is still small (after all the tablet 'vibrates' on a RAM Mount arms, and light conditions may be less than ideal)
- The most important + or - sign is really difficult to tell apart (after all, the difference between + and - is only a few vertical pixels on the screen, but it may be the difference between life and death up in the sky).

Therefore my suggestions are (not withstanding an entirely different, better way of doing it that the clever people at SD are capable of coming up with):

- Separate the settings for Traffic Label text size from the general text size settings
- Allow a wider wider range to set the text size (e.g, up to + 300%)
- Find a better way of differentiating between "above" and below" targets (I have no suggestion here how to do it - you'd need to play around with it)




- Find a better way of differentiating between "above" and below" targets...

How about a dart symbol, pointing up or down as required. It might even be possible for the symbol to change colour depending on the threat level – yellow=low, orange=moderate, red=high.


Mike
_________________________________________
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 – Android 11.0 & SD 3.16.12.0
Huawei P30 – Android 11.0 & SD 3.16.12.0
PC – Windows 10 (Home Ed) Version 22H2, Build 19045.4239
, SD 3.16.12.0

TimT
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Sky Painter - 6/25/2019 7:52:24 AM
TimT - 6/23/2019 1:49:43 PM
The relative altitude of traffic targets displayed on the map and/or in Traffic Radar is arguably the most important information about a threat.

The relative altitude is currently included in the label belonging to the target (both with ADS-B target symbols, and with TPX-C related alert rings). For example "+0.8", or "-0.3", standing for 800 FT above, or 300 FT below respectively. The text size is:

- Controlled in the "Mapping" settings
- Linked together with the text size for all other waypoints, airport names, etc.
- And is limited to 140% of default text size

When a new traffic threat appears, I find it difficult to very quickly read the relative altitude:

- Even at 140% the writing is still small (after all the tablet 'vibrates' on a RAM Mount arms, and light conditions may be less than ideal)
- The most important + or - sign is really difficult to tell apart (after all, the difference between + and - is only a few vertical pixels on the screen, but it may be the difference between life and death up in the sky).

Therefore my suggestions are (not withstanding an entirely different, better way of doing it that the clever people at SD are capable of coming up with):

- Separate the settings for Traffic Label text size from the general text size settings
- Allow a wider wider range to set the text size (e.g, up to + 300%)
- Find a better way of differentiating between "above" and below" targets (I have no suggestion here how to do it - you'd need to play around with it)




- Find a better way of differentiating between "above" and below" targets...

How about a dart symbol, pointing up or down as required. It might even be possible for the symbol to change colour depending on the threat level – yellow=low, orange=moderate, red=high.

I thought about that, but the dart is conventionally reserved for "climbing" and "descending" trend. Can't mess with those conventions.

A workable idea would be to omit the "+" sign, and to only use the sign in case of "below". So 300FT above would be "0.3", and 500 FT below would be "-0.5". (But see below regarding the 'useless' leading zeros...). So instead of having to figure out whether the sign is a "+" or a "-", one then can just say: If there is a sign, it is below; no sign, above. That is safer than the current denotation.

--

On a different note, in principal I prefer to see relative altitude stated in "hundreds of feet", like normal TCAS systems would do. And like it is equally the conventional way to denote flight levels. So for example:

"80" for 8,000 FT
"3" for 300 FT

Doing it is "thousands of feet" just creates leading zeros and commata without meaning. Why say (for 300Ft) "+0.3", if you can just say "+3", etc. That helps decluttering the display. 

Sky Painter
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TimT - 6/25/2019 8:11:41 AM
Sky Painter - 6/25/2019 7:52:24 AM
TimT - 6/23/2019 1:49:43 PM
The relative altitude of traffic targets displayed on the map and/or in Traffic Radar is arguably the most important information about a threat.

The relative altitude is currently included in the label belonging to the target (both with ADS-B target symbols, and with TPX-C related alert rings). For example "+0.8", or "-0.3", standing for 800 FT above, or 300 FT below respectively. The text size is:

- Controlled in the "Mapping" settings
- Linked together with the text size for all other waypoints, airport names, etc.
- And is limited to 140% of default text size

When a new traffic threat appears, I find it difficult to very quickly read the relative altitude:

- Even at 140% the writing is still small (after all the tablet 'vibrates' on a RAM Mount arms, and light conditions may be less than ideal)
- The most important + or - sign is really difficult to tell apart (after all, the difference between + and - is only a few vertical pixels on the screen, but it may be the difference between life and death up in the sky).

Therefore my suggestions are (not withstanding an entirely different, better way of doing it that the clever people at SD are capable of coming up with):

- Separate the settings for Traffic Label text size from the general text size settings
- Allow a wider wider range to set the text size (e.g, up to + 300%)
- Find a better way of differentiating between "above" and below" targets (I have no suggestion here how to do it - you'd need to play around with it)




- Find a better way of differentiating between "above" and below" targets...

How about a dart symbol, pointing up or down as required. It might even be possible for the symbol to change colour depending on the threat level – yellow=low, orange=moderate, red=high.

I thought about that, but the dart is conventionally reserved for "climbing" and "descending" trend. Can't mess with those conventions.

A workable idea would be to omit the "+" sign, and to only use the sign in case of "below". So 300FT above would be "0.3", and 500 FT below would be "-0.5". (But see below regarding the 'useless' leading zeros...). So instead of having to figure out whether the sign is a "+" or a "-", one then can just say: If there is a sign, it is below; no sign, above. That is safer than the current denotation.

--

On a different note, in principal I prefer to see relative altitude stated in "hundreds of feet", like normal TCAS systems would do. And like it is equally the conventional way to denote flight levels. So for example:

"80" for 8,000 FT
"3" for 300 FT

Doing it is "thousands of feet" just creates leading zeros and commata without meaning. Why say (for 300Ft) "+0.3", if you can just say "+3", etc. That helps decluttering the display. 

That makes a lot of sense Smile


Mike
_________________________________________
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 – Android 11.0 & SD 3.16.12.0
Huawei P30 – Android 11.0 & SD 3.16.12.0
PC – Windows 10 (Home Ed) Version 22H2, Build 19045.4239
, SD 3.16.12.0

Bealeyman
Bealeyman
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I have suggested elsewhere (but cannot think where (is there a method to see all my posts ?)) that the relative height info is at times very difficult to see because of clutter. Of course here on the photo the 'traffic' is easy to see as regards height using the RADAR inset but if it had been bearingless traffic and one could only look at the main display the amount of in-cockpit time would be significant. I think this needs more consideration.

The route was EGKA EGKA via the Needles if you are puzzling and the Fantail for the return to Shoreham for the 07 rwy is already being depicted about 30 mins too early !! 

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Bealeyman
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I found my previous post it is on Bearingless Targets on the Traffic Screen. TD was interested at the time sorry my feedback was delayed.
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