Featherweight Raven + GPS = ?

[StreuB1]

Ok all, question here.

I have several of Adrian's products since he started out. I just bought the new Raven Blue and looking at the website, I am a bit confused about one of the graphics that seems to state that the GPS and the Raven somehow link to each other and stream telemetry back to the ground station. Specifically it states that it streams telemetry and staging data....

• You phone tells you the flight information so you can keep your eyes on the sky
• Monitor two or more stages with one phone app and one ground station.
• Easily switch channels to monitor each stage.

I have looked through the manual and cannot find anything on this, unless I missed it. Unless "staging data" means simply a GPS unit in each stage and then you flip flop back and forth to each tracker? And telemetry data simply means its derived altitude and velocity based on GPS pings....

So does the Raven communicate telemetry to the GPS module then stream back? Would be amazing if you can monitor the Raven outputs and get milestone data back like on the Eggfinder stuff.

Also, can you use a laptop with the GPS instead of an iPhail....errr iPhone?

Adrian is on his honeymoon so I don't want to email when I can ask here first.

Thanks!

 

[manixFan]

I have both the Blue Raven and the tracking system, and there has been no change to the tracker software since the Raven has been introduced to allow them to communicate. So I believe your second assumption is the correct one, the 'staging data' is the GPS data from which you infer the status of the flight, and you do have to flip between trackers (personally, I've never tried doing that in flight). That description of the tracker was written well before the Blue Raven existed.

If you don't like the iPhone or iOS, I suggest you don't buy a Featherweight. As has been pointed out in another thread, it only works on iOS and there aren't plans to change that anytime soon. But the Blue Raven, as you are likely already aware, works fine with Android.


Tony

 

[StreuB1]

I have both the Blue Raven and the tracking system, and there has been no change to the tracker software since the Raven has been introduced to allow them to communicate. So I believe your second assumption is the correct one, the 'staging data' is the GPS data from which you infer the status of the flight, and you do have to flip between trackers (personally, I've never tried doing that in flight). That description of the tracker was written well before the Blue Raven existed.

If you don't like the iPhone or iOS, I suggest you don't buy a Featherweight. As has been pointed out in another thread, it only works on iOS and there aren't plans to change that anytime soon. But the Blue Raven, as you are likely already aware, works fine with Android.


Tony

Thanks Tony for the clarification!

I got all mixed up due to the wording, the fact that the Blue has wireless connectivity, and that the GPS uses iOS. I thought somehow they had some type of connection so that the Blue could communicate to the GPS module and use its radio to TX telemetry to the ground unit. Hence the laptop question as well.

I think I got it now.

 

[Neutronium95]

I got all mixed up due to the wording, the fact that the Blue has wireless connectivity, and that the GPS uses iOS. I thought somehow they had some type of connection so that the Blue could communicate to the GPS module and use its radio to TX telemetry to the ground unit. Hence the laptop question as well.

I believe that Adrian is planning for the Blue Raven to be able to downlink telemetry data through a Featherweight GPS. That feature has not been implemented yet. I suspect that will happen sometime after the Blue Raven app is updated to also connect to the Featherweight GPS and ground station. That's going to come at some point in the future, and I have no idea when exactly.

 

[kjhambrick]

Yes ! This !!

I can imagine a ROCKET LAN someday not too far away in our future.

I am hoping for an open protocol so one could connect any BT capable gadget to the LAN for possible telemetry back to the ground station via radio ...

Maybe even video someday when bandwidth is capable ...

-- kjh( who now has a new variation of an old Elton John song stuck in my head )

 

[StreuB1]

Yes ! This !!

I can imagine a ROCKET LAN someday not too far away in our future.

I am hoping for an open protocol so one could connect any BT capable gadget to the LAN for possible telemetry back to the ground station via radio ...

Maybe even video someday when bandwidth is capable ...

-- kjh( who now has a new variation of an old Elton John song stuck in my head )

This was my thought as well. Cris sort-of has the hardware already in-use on most of his devices to do this, with the ESP-12x wifi MCU's as they can operate in various modes, one of which would allow a series of almost limitless on-board devices to communicate back and forth during flight. I haven't looked too deep at the hardware but I am sure Adrian could do the same. I would be remiss if I didn't believe both of these extremely intelligent people haven't already had this idea in their heads long ago.

 

[kjhambrick]

Sorry StreuB1 ...

Is Cris @cerving of EggTimer?

Thanks !

-- kjh( still kinda new here and I've not mapped many real names to TRF handles )

 

[StreuB1]

Sorry StreuB1 ...

Is Cris @cerving of EggTimer?

Thanks !

-- kjh( still kinda new here and I've not mapped many real names to TRF handles )

Thats him!

 

[Adrian A]

I believe that Adrian is planning for the Blue Raven to be able to downlink telemetry data through a Featherweight GPS. That feature has not been implemented yet. I suspect that will happen sometime after the Blue Raven app is updated to also connect to the Featherweight GPS and ground station. That's going to come at some point in the future, and I have no idea when exactly.

I’m not sure either. If possible, the initial new app capability will use the existing tracker and Ground Station firmware so that I can transition to the new app and provide an Android version ASAP. After that I will either add OTA update capability for the existing hardware and update the firmware to include communication between the Blue Raven and the tracker, or wait until I redesign the tracker and GS with the Blue Raven’s Bluetooth chip, which can handle more than one Bluetooth connection at once.

 

[Neutronium95]

I’m not sure either. If possible, the initial new app capability will use the existing tracker and Ground Station firmware so that I can transition to the new app and provide an Android version ASAP. After that I will either add OTA update capability for the existing hardware and update the firmware to include communication between the Blue Raven and the tracker, or wait until I redesign the tracker and GS with the Blue Raven’s Bluetooth chip, which can handle more than one Bluetooth connection at once.

Just a thought, but will the Blue Raven be able to receive data from the GPS? Being able to use the GPS to detect apogee might be useful for flights above altitudes where the barometer is useful.