SkyEcho 2 with Skydemon

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SkyEcho 2 with Skydemon - ghost plane

Author	Message
chris-bayern	c chris-bayern posted 11/2/2020 9:38:10 AM Topic Details Share Topic
c Group: Forum Members Posts: 6, Visits: 53	Some weeks ago I switched from Stratux to the SkyEcho 2. So far it works very well in combination with SkyDemon. I use the SkyEcho 2 only as receiver for ADS-B and FLARM. And I am not always flying the same aircraft and so I can't store the FLARM and ADS-B hex code in the SkyEcho 2 or I would have to adjust both frequently (see post "SkyEcho Set Aircraft Reg and Hex Code from Skydemon"). So it happens that at the beginning of a flight I hear permanent traffic warnings (ghost plane) - which can be very "stressful" (see post "Suppress traffic warnings below a certain height"). I know that I can ignore a aircraft (with one touch on the Traffic Radar). But on ground I often can't decide which aircraft should be ignored. Before the SkyEcho 2 I had a Stratux in use. And back then I had no problems with a "ghost plane" (not even when changing the aircraft). In the SkyDemon "Aircraft Profile" I had always stored the FLARM HEX ID. But the SkyEcho 2 doesn't seem to transmit a FLARM HEX ID to SkyDemon when Flarm is used (received). You see only the text "FLARM" in the Traffic Radar. This seems to be the difference between Stratux and SkyEcho 2. Can this be fixed?
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Tim Dawson	Tim Dawson posted 11/2/2020 10:11:49 AM Post Details Share Post
Group: Forum Members Posts: 8.1K, Visits: 9.2K	Having read your post twice I'm afraid I am not entirely clear on what the problem might be. The issue of a "ghost" bit of traffic that is actually you, is resolved by correctly setting your aircraft's hex code in SkyDemon and ensuring that aircraft is selected when you go flying. SkyDemon will then ignore any traffic with that hex code. If that isn't working for you, we'll need a few more details, such as, what exactly is being broadcast by your aircraft? Just ADS-B or also FLARM?
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chris-bayern	c chris-bayern posted 11/2/2020 1:00:47 PM Post Details Share Post
c Group: Forum Members Posts: 6, Visits: 53	Sorry for my english. Let me try to describe it in more detail. First of all, it is important to know that there are a lot of gliders active at our site. And they all have a FLARM on board. The powered aircraft also have FLARM installed (and ADS-B or MODE-S). I myself fly with two different TMGs (with installed FLARM + ADS-B or Mode-S). 2018/2019 I started to use a "Stratux" in combination with SkyDemon. And was very satisfied with the integration of the traffic warnings. In the beginning I also had the "ghost" problem there. But like you said before, I was able to solve this quickly and easily using the FLARM HEX ID in the aircraft profile. A few weeks ago I switched to the SkyEcho 2 (for various reasons). And the ghost problem was there again. In the beginning I thought I had gotten the wrong profile in planning. But soon it was clear that it was not the profile. Also the HEX ID of the FLARM transmitters remained unchanged. So I continued to search for the cause. My guess is that the SkyEcho 2 does not "send" the FLARM ID to the SkyDemon. When I touch on the Traffic Radar and have a look at the list, I only see list items with the entry "FLARM" and the distance (in the next line). If there is an ADS-B target around me, I see the callsign and the distance. And I seem to remember that in the past (= Stratux) FLARM targets also showed the HEX ID in the list. I hope that I have now described it a bit more understandable. SkyEcho 2 itself has the posibility to filter one ADS-B ID and one FLARM ID. But that means that it has to be adjusted every time the aircraft is changed. Currently I do not know when I can fly again (lockdown). But I could compare both systems again at the airfield - if that helps.
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Tim Dawson	Tim Dawson posted 11/2/2020 3:32:01 PM Post Details Share Post
Group: Forum Members Posts: 8.1K, Visits: 9.2K	It does sound like you're picking up your own FLARM device. These are only ignored if the identifier emitted by the FLARM device says it's your ICAO identifier, and perhaps that's not the case here. This is because an ICAO hex code of 123456 is not the same as a FLARM hex code of 123456. What FLARM device is in use on the aircraft, and are you able to ascertain whether it's broadcasting an ICAO hex code or a FLARM one?
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chris-bayern	c chris-bayern posted 11/3/2020 10:17:20 PM Post Details Share Post
c Group: Forum Members Posts: 6, Visits: 53	I have to check this. But I also think it‘s the own FLARM ID (which is probably not the same as the icao ID of the transponder). I will give you a feedback as soon as possible. But what are the differences between the GDL90 protocol and the SkyEcho 2 implementation? Because I didn’t change the HEX ID in the aircraft profiles. Just to satisfy my curiosity.
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Tim Dawson	Tim Dawson posted 11/4/2020 9:16:22 AM Post Details Share Post
Group: Forum Members Posts: 8.1K, Visits: 9.2K	With SkyEcho 2 we decode the FLARM data ourselves, and we do not currently offer a facility to ignore an aircraft identifier that is a pure FLARM id. Perhaps the device you were using previously, which I gather decodes FLARM itself without a license, offered that functionality as part of its features.
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chris-bayern	c chris-bayern posted 11/10/2020 12:27:22 PM Post Details Share Post
c Group: Forum Members Posts: 6, Visits: 53	+x Tim Dawson - 11/4/2020 9:16:22 AM With SkyEcho 2 we decode the FLARM data ourselves, and we do not currently offer a facility to ignore an aircraft identifier that is a pure FLARM id. Perhaps the device you were using previously, which I gather decodes FLARM itself without a license, offered that functionality as part of its features. I think this is the cause. I am pretty sure that STRATUX sent the FLARM ID with the GDL90. So the filter in the SkyDemon aircraft profile could hide it. But I read (different thread) that an update is planned in connection with the SkyEcho 2. SkyEcho 2 itself has the ability to store a FLARM and an ADS-B ID (to hide them). Maybe it is then possible to fill in both fields in SkyEcho 2 (at connection start-up) with the data stored in the SkyDemon aircraft profile.
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Tim Dawson	Tim Dawson posted 11/11/2020 10:14:59 AM Post Details Share Post
Group: Forum Members Posts: 8.1K, Visits: 9.2K	So has the SkyEcho's facility to hide a given flarm ID solved the problem in your case?
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