Originally Posted by
Crash one
So this OpenFlarm device cannot see ADSB, Mode C, Mode S, Flarm.
It can see other OpenFlarm.
At the risk of repeating myself...
It can see FLARM users, FLARM cannot see it. FLARM appears to be the incumbent standard for small aircraft ie the number of units deployed in the kind of aircraft that private and hobby are likely to come during normal operation. What I mean by this is that of the small aircraft that carry collision avoidance technology the largest proportion of these are using FLARM and it is therefore the one you are most likely to come across in normal operations.
It cannot see ADSB (and the related technologies you mention) directly but can via a ground station, the intention being that these can be deployed in areas where small aircraft are likely to be mixing it with larger ones carrying ADSB transmission equipment. The reason for not including this functionality is that only a tiny minority of small aircraft carry ADS-B transmit capability (Pilot Aware only receives) and it is therefore of limited use to small aircraft pilots at this time.
It can see other OpenFLARM units.
We hope it will be able to see other PA units in the future but this is subject to their cooperation.
Originally Posted by
Crash one
Please can someone tell me the advantages over Pilot Aware which can see all of the above except Flarm.
It is significantly cheaper than a FLARM setup of the same functionality (ie that can link to a tablet via wifi)
It is cheaper and far less complicated than a Pilot Aware and does not require any DIY. If you factor the cost of adding FLARM capability to Pilot Aware the cost is also significantly less.
The advantage to the community as a whole is that it promotes a collision avoidance technology that is both open (as in ADS-B) and does not require expensive (due to heavy certification requirements) equipment. None of the standards current available tick both of these boxes.
And why is it called "OpenFlarm" which implies it can "open the encrypted Flarm signal" ?
It is 'Open' as in 'Open Source' That means that the protocol, software and hardware are going to be released to the public (the latter already has).
As such, any manufacturer can build they own device either based on our hardware and software design or their own. Market pressures will decide whether Pilot Aware and/or FLARM make their units compatible with this protocol. As a community it should be obvious that it would be a good thing to promote an open standard instead of the closed shop we have now and we as individuals and potential customers should therefore be pushing the manufacturers down this road. Up to now though there has been no viable alternative and therefore no way to develop the critical mass to force the manufacturers to wake up. The sole driver behind coming up with a device that is priced at such a level that it becomes a must-have item and achieves this critical mass.