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OG-Tahiti

FlySight GPS

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yea but my box is sidemounted and i'd be worried that my riser might slap it off. There is a perfect sized space inside, but what i need to know is a> if carbon fiber blocks the gps signal and b> if it is just the top side of the FS that needs a clear upward view i.e. can i flush mount it if i need to cut the box?

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Here's a 9-step plan for ya:

1. turn on GPS on the ground inside the box (in a car or something so you get movement as well)
2. download data
3. check accuracy (and satellite count)
4. take GPS out of the box
5. rinse
6. repeat
7. compare results
8. ???
9. Profit!! :)

I understand the need for conformity. Without a concise set of rules to follow we would probably all have to resort to common sense. -David Thorne

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I just received my FlySight and was reading in this thread on possible mounting options. Finally I ended up with a pretty simple setup.
Since I was inspired by some mounts here in the forum, I thought I share my solution as well. Didn't fly it yet but have no doubt it will work. ;)

Attached the pictures ...

-Mirko

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Do you think i will need to cut a square opening at the back of the box for decent GPS reception? Is carbon fibre that bad for blocking gps signals?



Ordinarily, I would say there shouldn't be a problem as on long as the antenna side (i.e. the side with the light on it) has a clear view of the sky. Most people seem to get good results even if the antenna is facing sideways when in flight.

My only hesitation would be the carbon fibre in this case. I know that some high-carbon plastics can interfere with reception.

As mentioned previously, I think the best thing would be to mount the FlySight where you plan to, run it for a bit in an area with a reasonably clear view of the sky (i.e., outside and not in an urban environment, if possible) and then check the number of satellites (the last column in the CSV file). If you're getting 8-10, you're in good shape. More than 10, and you're in excellent shape.

Michael

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Thought I'd update everyone on the aluminum mounts.

I've got a bunch of camming buckles made, which will hold the FlySight in place wonderfully. Unfortunately, machining is taking a lot longer than expected. The first batch of aluminum mounts should be available in the first week of July.

To those who have been waiting--thanks for your patience!

Michael

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Ive seen some other GPSes get weird/corrupted from being mounted on GoPros/cameras. Dont know if the camera itself of the battery caused the weird spikes in data. But mounting it 'clean' seems to be best regardless.

Last weekends Ive been jumping the FLySight in a n easy/cheaper mount.
An Iphone/Ipod sportsband. Its a simple thing that wraps around the arm, and the FlySight is easily dropped into it. The earphones even go through a special channel/hole on the thing, and I can switch it on/off visually without taking of my helmet.
And sitting in the plane, its also against the window (Cessna Caravan) to locate signal/satalites (as I usually forgot to turn it on beforehand).

Cost me 5 bucks, and no rigging needed at all. Also use it for (just) logging on solo jumps, without headphones (as I like jumping without a helmet). Mounted on the arm, its oriented perfect in flight.
JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

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Ive seen some other GPSes get weird/corrupted from being mounted on GoPros/cameras. Dont know if the camera itself of the battery caused the weird spikes in data. But mounting it 'clean' seems to be best regardless.


From what I know GPS signal is so weak, you would not be able to even see it's there unless you knew exactly what you were looking for.
The GPS signal strength measured at the surface of the Earth is about –160dBw (1 x 10–16 watts), which is roughly equivalent to viewing a 25-watt light bulb from a distance of 10,000 miles. link
So every little bit of signal producing equipment can easily corrupt your data (on receiver side) or even cause GPS to loose lock.

Therefore Thou Shalt Not Put Thy GPS Near Other Electronic Gizmos. Thou Shalt Keep It Turned Towards Heaven.
I understand the need for conformity. Without a concise set of rules to follow we would probably all have to resort to common sense. -David Thorne

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Ha, that's funny. i rediscovered an old arm band mp3 thingy along the same lines as your ipod one at work today and thought 'hmmm, that might work', and it does. logged in and you've done the same already. So simple eh? but effective :)

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From what I know GPS signal is so weak, you would not be able to even see it's there unless you knew exactly what you were looking for.



The GPS signal is about 20 dB below the thermal noise floor at the receiving end. This means the signal is about 100 times weaker than the signal generated just because the things around us are warm. As you say, the receiver is only able to use this information because it knows precisely what it's looking for.

Michael

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I think it's using the Universal time as provided by the GPS satellites for the time, don't think the device has a clock. I assume you want to adjust the time/date used in the file names? If so an offset could probably be added to the settings file but it would be easier and more efficient to continue using Universal Time on the device and convert to local time in whatever software you are using to look at the data.

It should be possible for the software to automatically pick up the timezone and daylight saving offset using a web-service e.g.
http://www.askgeo.com/
http://www.geonames.org/export/web-services.html#timezone
http://www.earthtools.org/webservices.htm#timezone

Para-log already does something similar to look up place names, so it should be fairly easy to add this.

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Para-log already does something similar to look up place names, so it should be fairly easy to add this.

So if you download flysight log into paralog it will look in GPS data for TZ and then convert reported UTC into local time?
I understand the need for conformity. Without a concise set of rules to follow we would probably all have to resort to common sense. -David Thorne

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The altitude reported by GPS is not relative to ground level. Flysight cannot work out your height AGL on it's own. It could be done by adding a way to set the ground level but another factor is the accuracy of the altitude reported by GPS and consequences should it loose GPS signal for any reason. From a safety point of view barometric pressure audibles are more reliable.

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Pardon me for being thick headed, but I can't help but wonder the following. If the flysight knows how fast Im descending, and what altitude I am at why can't it act as an audible altimeter as well?



I mounted the device on the back of my helmet. And when I did some backflying, there were moments when the FlySight lost his (or her?) fix.

Ergo, I experienced a common situation where it wouldn't work and would be unsafe.
"The 'perfect' parachute jump was thought to be one where the opening shock and touchdown were simultaneous" -Lyle Cameron, ~1965
---
Falling-With-Style.com

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...moments when the FlySight lost his (or her?) fix.
Ergo, I experienced a common situation where it wouldn't work and would be unsafe.



its fix

If you consider loosing the GPS fix as a safetyproblem during wingsuiting, please explain why it is a problem?


I believe he was replying to a guy who suggested using flysight as an audible altimeter.
I understand the need for conformity. Without a concise set of rules to follow we would probably all have to resort to common sense. -David Thorne

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its fix


Thank you!

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Ive seen you backfly...Id say thats more dangerous by itself than the flysight not having a signal:P


So true :D:)
"The 'perfect' parachute jump was thought to be one where the opening shock and touchdown were simultaneous" -Lyle Cameron, ~1965
---
Falling-With-Style.com

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