Feather weight tracker updates

I tried firing up my new tracker after getting it last year. When I tried to open the app on my iphone it says I need a firmware update. I go to testflight and hit open and I get a screen that says update firmware on top. below that are 4 lines of text

BLDR Date time

STCK Date time

BTAP Date time

LORA Date time


And there it sits doing apparently nothing for the last half hour. Any ideas?

Steve

Are you running TestFlight or FIP? The trackers use FIP. If you haven’t already, download the manual and follow the startup instructions. Generally the updates are pretty automatic.


Tony

I got this too. I think you need to connect to the TX unit.

It took a couple tries for me, but it finally worked. I think the update is for the firmware on the GPS unit, not the software.

When I open FIP on the phone all I can get to is the Update Firmware page. It wont let me go anywhere else. And it doesnt seem to be doing anything. I had both transmitter and receiver turned on and nothing seems to be happening

Try force quitting the FIP. Turn off the trackers. Then start on page 5 of the manual.

Good luck,


Tony

How do you force it to quit?

Just regular iOS force quit. On my X you swipe up from bottom and pause just a bit and then swipe the app you want to force quit up off the top of the screen. If that does not work on yours, just do a google search on ‘force quit iOS app’. I hope that does the trick.


Tony

It wouldnt swipe anywhere so I deleted FIP from the phone and reloaded. After that the updates worked. Thanks for the input!

Great, glad to hear you got it going. They are great trackers.


Tony

Finally got it working! Yup, this looks like it is going to be a good one. Will have to charge it up and go running around the neighborhood.
Steve

So what I finally ended up doing was deleting FIP from my iPhone and then reinstalling it. When I started to initialize things it showed I needed the firmware update for the tracker and that installed correctly. Then it updated the ground station correctly but after that it seemed to lock up again. Once again I deleted the FIP off of the phone and was able to setup everything up and got it working. Cant wait to try it out at Mini Midwest power!

What I do is make an index card with simple step-by-step instructions on what order to power things up, what channels everything is set to, what screens to use, etc., and put that in my range box. Plus the same info on my smart phone.

When I first got mine I also went to a park and left the tracker stationary while I walked around and watched the tracking info. Helped make sure I knew what to expect when I was out at the field.

Good luck at MMP,


Tony

anyone else have problems plugging in the base station battery?

cbrarick said:

anyone else have problems plugging in the base station battery?

Click to expand...

If you mean into the plastic case, yes, it's a tight fit. I opened my case up and was able to reroute the wires and place the battery differently and it fit a lot better. Fortunately since it has a built in battery charger you shouldn't have to mess with it much.

A had a similar issue trying to update one of my trackers from my iPhone - it just would not get beyond the connect stage. But then I realized I had just updated the FIP software on my iPad and it had connected to the tracker. I opened up my iPad and sure enough, it was still connected and it had the update firmware message displayed. I used the iPad and it worked fine.

Moral of the story, don't have two iOS devices running the FIP when you are trying to update the firmware.


Tony

And make sure you check them the day before you want to use them. Would hate to get out to the field with a poor connection and find out the need to be updated after I have everything else prepped.....

SDramstad said:

And make sure you check them the day before you want to use them. Would hate to get out to the field with a poor connection and find out the need to be updated after I have everything else prepped.....

Click to expand...

Actually, that has happened to a few folks. But the firmware update is part of the actual FIP, so if it can connect to the tracker via bluetooth you should not need an internet connection. But sometimes deleting an app is the easiest way to fix things and of course then you do need a data connection to reinstall it. However, any iPhone can connect to the units so at a launch if there are other Featherweight users hopefully one of them would be able to do the update. But once updated, only the latest version of FIP will be able to connect to them.


Tony

SDramstad said:

And make sure you check them the day before you want to use them. Would hate to get out to the field with a poor connection and find out the need to be updated after I have everything else prepped.....

Click to expand...

Happened to me and contributed to the loss of the tracker. You have to reset power to get the tracker to function after the firmware update. So, if you put the tracker in the rocket and THEN connect your base station only to find a required update (no option to skip, yet), you're stuck taking everything apart to recycle tracker power after the update. I think the option to skip an update is coming, ref your field example with poor connectivity above.

Read above post!!! will open separate thread!

manixFan said:

Actually, that has happened to a few folks. But the firmware update is part of the actual FIP, so if it can connect to the tracker via bluetooth you should not need an internet connection. But sometimes deleting an app is the easiest way to fix things and of course then you do need a data connection to reinstall it. However, any iPhone can connect to the units so at a launch if there are other Featherweight users hopefully one of them would be able to do the update. But once updated, only the latest version of FIP will be able to connect to them.
Tony

Click to expand...

Viperfixr said:

Happened to me and contributed to the loss of the tracker. You have to reset power to get the tracker to function after the firmware update. So, if you put the tracker in the rocket and THEN connect your base station only to find a required update (no option to skip, yet), you're stuck taking everything apart to recycle tracker power after the update. I think the option to skip an update is coming, ref your field example with poor connectivity above.

Click to expand...

The way this should work is that if you are in the field, if you have enough connectivity to find out that there is an update available, you also have enough connectivity to do the update. And you should be able to do the update as long as both units are powered on and in Bluetooth range, without needing to take anything apart or power cycle it.

I think what has been happening instead is that because the app is currently only available through TestFlight (and not the app store), each build has a 90-day expiration. In the future, when we get it into the App store, the upgrades will be optional.

The updates must be optional- in my seperate post my issue is its already in a rocket and powered up. I updated two days before to minimize chances. Its the non auto reboot that prevented the featherweight from functioning properly. i suspect a device scan was also necessary. See my separate post for details

emailed Adrian and he's gonna take care of me...can't wait to try it out. URRF will be my first "real" flights with perhaps a CATO shake down next weekend if i get it in time....

I finally had a chance to fly it at mini Midwest power and it paid for itself on the 1st flight. Had a main chute come out at apogee and it drifted 2 miles away. The tracker kept updating until it hit 200 feet or so and I was able to just drive right to it. Without the tracker it would have taken hours to find if it was found at all. I really like this tracker but forced updates can cause unnecessary stress on launch day.

What if you put your phone in airplane mode so that it cannot update? I know I'm using mine with an iPod that doesn't have internet connectivity.

Edward

AlphaHybrids said:

What if you put your phone in airplane mode so that it cannot update? I know I'm using mine with an iPod that doesn't have internet connectivity.

Click to expand...

Airplane mode would also turn off BlueTooth making it not work at all...

For the recent updates, we don't force you to update the phone app. If you do update the phone app though, it will need to possibly update the firmware to match. So BKM would be to update the phone app a few days before launch, verify all is well and then not update again unless you see us post an update and know it is something you need.

The only way I could see us 'forcing' a phone update / firmware update is if we determined an issue that had a chance of you losing your rocket if you flew with the older firmware. In that case, we might prefer that you be forced to update and learn of any issues at the pad before you put it in the air. I don't see that being an issue anymore as I think builds 91 and above will be new features using the existing communications timing / frequencies and protocols. I also think the firmware updates are becoming more stable so at some point there is less worries about updating the unit in the rocket - although I can totally understand the desire to not be in that position...

Thanks!

/kjs

SDramstad said:

I tried firing up my new tracker after getting it last year. When I tried to open the app on my iphone it says I need a firmware update. I go to testflight and hit open and I get a screen that says update...

And there it sits doing apparently nothing for the last half hour. Any ideas?

Click to expand...

I also had the same problem. I found that having the tracker and ground station both turned on kept it from working. If I turn both off then turn just the ground station on, it updates. Then turn the tracker back on and the tracker updates.

Hope that helps.
Jeff

kjs said:

The only way I could see us 'forcing' a phone update / firmware update is if we determined an issue that had a chance of you losing your rocket if you flew with the older firmware. In that case, we might prefer that you be forced to update and learn of any issues at the pad before you put it in the air. I don't see that being an issue anymore as I think builds 91 and above will be new features using the existing communications timing / frequencies and protocols. I also think the firmware updates are becoming more stable so at some point there is less worries about updating the unit in the rocket - although I can totally understand the desire to not be in that position...

Thanks!

/kjs

Click to expand...

Speaking of which, builds 90 and 91 are solid in terms of ensuring you will have LoRa comm at all times you have a line of sight with your rocket, with or without GPS lock at either end. The microcontroller code used in both 90 and 91 has performed well in both ground tests and flight tests. Unfortunately, an earlier build, 77 had a significant flaw in this area that likely led to 2 rockets getting lost. I just made that build unavailable (and I'm replacing that rocketeer's trackers). Likewise, build 87 fixed that problem but introduced another one which could make paired comm sporadic if there is a lost rocket in view, so I made that build unavailable as well. Everyone who is not using build 90 or 91 yet, please be prepared to upgrade to build 91 before your next flights and enjoy much more solid LoRa performance and some great new features, including voice telemetry, faster switching between multiple trackers, and tracking to found rockets.

I am not an apple owner, so would anyone out there have any idea what the earliest apple iPhone would be that will work with this tracking system please? Also the earliest version of iPad that might work would be great too. Thanks.

Sorry, I speak android only currently.

OverTheTop said:

I am not an apple owner, so would anyone out there have any idea what the earliest apple iPhone would be that will work with this tracking system please? Also the earliest version of iPad that might work would be great too. Thanks.

Sorry, I speak android only currently.

Click to expand...

Let me get the exact model numbers of what I have, but I have used it with an iPad mini (home testing) and with an iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 6, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Some of the very old iPad mini's almost work but don't seem to support the larger bluetooth packet sizes

I don't think I have ever used my iPad mini at the field for tracking. somewhat large to hold, but I could understand if someone wanted to use the device for something else (app games and/or book reader) then the larger format might be preferred. remember that you usually carry it out to get the rocket though so a larger device will seem much larger when you are trying to hold it also while carrying the rocket back... my normal day phone is the iPhone 7 plus and I still curse myself for letting my brother-in-law talk me into the larger screen. I liked the smaller sizes of the 7 or the 6/5c for being able to just slip it into my front pocket.

My iPad mini model is MF069LL/A.

My iPhone 5c model is ME508LL/A.

I'll have to charge the 5 and 6 to get their model numbers. the 5 is getting pretty small on screen space so I might avoid that...

/kjs

How do the devices handle sunlight glare? With tablet or Android tracking I had to put the devices inside an open flat black painted box to act as a sun shade. I just purchased a large iPad to use with an ultrasound probe so I technically have something compatible on hand. Only device I’ve found great for map tracking out in the open was a Garmin 60Cs or CsX using Ham radio APRS tracking. The Garmin screens are meant to be read in sunlight.
Using an appropriate sized box, I can cut finger holes to hold the tablet/phone and receiver with one hand and a Yagi in the other.
A good Omni directional antenna for the 900mhz trackers for in flight tracking is a good idea but once the rocket is down and generally not moving so much, a high gain Yagi increases the ground footprint because the narrow beam can be aimed better at a stationary target. This is with the 900mhz ISM stuff. Don’t know if it make much difference with LoRa technology especially if mesh network tracking is available. The only thing one needs is one good position with the rocket close to the ground to have a successful recovery. (Unless the rocket gets dragged by the wind!) . Kurt

I use my iphone 7 in direct sunlight frequently, with no visibility issues as long as I have the brightness turned up. A 5s is what I would recommend as the minimum for someone getting one specifically for rocketry. They're about $60 on Ebay and still work fine. A 6 has a little larger screen and might future-proof you a bit more. Those go for around $100