Beginners guide to setting up a basic windows plane tracking system

[jeallen01]

Chris

OK, basic stuff, right-clicked the K, but no "Exit" shown!!!!!
(Same on the W7 Pro laptop as on the W10 Pro Acer - though W10 did give me an easy option from the Start Menu to uninstall it!)

Think I will have to progressively allow the Blocked Firewall Packet Rules - one at a time - to try to find out if one of those is the problem.

 

[jeallen01]

A/S

As I hope you can see from my posts earlier today, I think I've tried most (?) of the possible combos of IP address and Port No on that bl**dy m/c, and nothing seems to work.

Except, that is, when I accidently mis-entered the IP as "27.0.0.1" (!) - which then appeared to hang my VRS application for a few minutes until a message popped up and, IIRC, it said something like that host (wherever, if ever, it exists) did not respond.

So it seems to me that the Test message is actually getting to the VRS Server but is then being "actively rejected" for some bl**dy reason - and the rejection message comes up on screen within a few seconds, not minutes

 

[Analoguesat]

As far as Im aware - and Ive only been in this game a few weeks longer than you - refused connection is good - if it cant see the computer hosting the dongle at all you get this instead - just tried this as my netbook is off.

I think it refused connection means the connection is getting to the hardware but is "bouncing off" for some reason.

 

[Analoguesat]

So lets work through this logically. BTW dont give up - it will be a minor misconfiguration somewhere - it took me bloody ages (almost a week) to get the pi up and running the first time around!

You are running the dongle on a second machine.

You have set the VRS configuration to the ip of the second machine - x.x.x.8

You are getting bounced out instead of connecting when using 3000x series ports.

 

[jeallen01]

A/S

From memory, the message you just posted is more like the one I got when I mis-entered the IP address - and quite a lot different to the one that I am consistently getting. (which is shown several times in the screen shots I posted)

 

[jeallen01]

A/S

Basically "Yes" to all 3 points - although the machine IP address has been set at various times to "127.0.0.1" and to xxx.xxx.x.8 - but the result is the same in that the response message quotes that specific IP address + the Port No

PS: Got to break off for a bit to do the recycling and have something to eat - probably back in an hour or so.

 

[Analoguesat]

OK so you need to have the VRS target set as x.x.x.8

Open a command line (start - run - cmd - enter)

type the following

ping x.x.x.8 (where x.x.x.8 is the ACTUAL address of the second computer!)

enter. And if you have successful inter - computer connection you will get something like this



If you get "request timed out" then there is no connection. Im using 192.168.1.6 as I know thats currently active on the LAN.

 

[Analoguesat]

OFF TOPIC - but as a tip using ping x.x.x.x -t (<ip address> space -t) is a useful network tool as it keeps the ping going indefinitely allowing you to try different configs, network cables, switch stuff off & on etc.

When it changes from timed out to conencted you have solved the network issue!

 

[lovelyperson]

............. it took me bloody ages (almost a week) to get the pi up and running the first time around!/QUOTE]

We like honest people here ..........bet you were pleased when you were 'up and running'..............the words 'bloody ages' are very polite compared to my words trying to set up my first Dreambox 7000 years ago.

Really looking forward to joining in with this 'plane tracking' topic........aviation has always been a big interest.

Best wishes.

 

[Analoguesat]

When you are ready to go if you start your own thread we can pile in & give you dedicated help Im missing my little setup here. - looking forward to rebuilding it over the weekend.

 

[jeallen01]

A/S

New Thread created: Virtual Radar Server - Trouble shooting!

 

[jeallen01]

Pinging now and getting the responses

 

[Analoguesat]

Info moved to troubleshooting thread

A/S

 

[jeallen01]

Morning (here anyway)

I've just fitted a small 47MHz-2150MHz inline amp just below the Colinear & Discone antennas at the end of the garden, and powered it via a DC inserter (and home built DC filter network to try to eliminate any crap coming from the cheap 12V walwart PSU I used) just behind the SDR module, and the result has effectively been a doubling of the number of aircraft transponders being received (to around 24-25) and of the ranges at which they are (to around 50+ miles or so in all directions).

Thus see attached sample screenshot - also seen other planes out between Oxford and Swindon, and it looked like the Northampton area as well - so well worth the effort involved.

PS: Thought I had blown the SDR module up this morning when I accidently connected the power inserter the wrong way round so that it fed 14V into the input of that and I could not understand why it was getting warm! - was NOT a happy chappy until I got everything else sorted out and fired up the PC and so on, to find the SDR unit still working fine

 

[Analoguesat]

Nice - you are well ahead of my maximum - 16 or 17 when conditions were very favourable a week or so back. Im trying my tuned 8 element again although its difficult to do a proper comparison as atmospheric conditions are very different

 

[Channel Hopper]

Nice - you are well ahead of my maximum - 16 or 17 when conditions were very favourable a week or so back. Im trying my tuned 8 element again although its difficult to do a proper comparison as atmospheric conditions are very different

Not forgetting Heathrow, Gatwick, and about ten other airfields in the vicinity.

It will really come into its own when drones are forced to have active transponders when in the air.

 

[jeallen01]

FWIW, these are the amp and DC inserter that I used:
- Amp: SAC 20dB IN-LINE SATELLITE AMPLIFIER/SIGNAL BOOST. LOW NOISE- 4DB MAX BUYME | eBay

- DC inserter: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002KDU19A/ref=pe_385721_37986871_TE_item

 

[jeallen01]

Not forgetting Heathrow, Gatwick, and about ten other airfields in the vicinity.

It will really come into its own when drones are forced to have active transponders when in the air.

CH

Previously. on a Sunday, I would get around 12 planes with ranges up to about 25 miles from Heathrow (we are 5 miles North of that) - now both numbers have doubled, and so it's the reception that has improved considerably, and not just the numbers of planes flying around this area.

PS: must get back, with Chris's help, to getting the Splatter Diagrams working.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Heathrow changed their flight and stacking patterns in the past week, and there are also increases in traffic from the smaller fields in the run up to Christmas.

 

[jeallen01]

Heathrow changed their flight and stacking patterns in the past week, and there are also increases in traffic from the smaller fields in the run up to Christmas.

CH

IMHO, the "telling" point is the much greater ranges rather than the numbers of planes (those vary according to the day/time of day, and the season as you point out) because I never picked up anything much more than 25 miles away, whereas the system is now seeing them out to around 50 miles.