AD Lite Integer Error

[IanH]

Lastly, and sorry for all the questions!, would that not write two entries for each aircraft? One from VRS databasewriter and the other from SBS/ADL?

Anmer is on the right line. The plugin was added to allow VRS to write to an SQB file but it is not entirely compatible with the version written by BaseStation so you would get corruption even without two programs trying to write to the same database! There is a warning with the VRS plugin about all this.

So let BaseStation read and write to its own SQB file and just point VRS to it so that it can read the information. Just had a look at the test PC I set up last night and that is what I did.

I see now that you are using RTL1090. That was once the preferred program but not so sure now. Not sure if the newer ones give more data? But it might also be because people wanted to supply MLAT data for PlanePlotter so they used dump1090. You can decide what you want to use 

I'll try various ModeSMixer command lines later - can't remember how to get RTL1090 data passed on.

[GlaMichael]

Yeah that's what I was thinking, Ian. That could explain why I have two entries per aircraft, both with a slightly (1 second or so) different tracking time. I'll select the checkbox to only allow VRS to write to a database it created - that should solve that one.

Yeah you could be right, I don't really have a preference as long as it works! Would you suggest dump1090 over RTL1090?

Thanks very much, Ian. I appreciate your help!

[GlaMichael]

Ok... Quick update!

I changed my modesmixer.bat file to receive from RTL1090 and output to sbs and beast. I then connected Base station to the sbs feed and then connected ADL to the output of Base station. Then I started VRS and updated the receiver to the beast feed. Started it all up and it was working... For about 20 minutes until the integer error appeared

I then Downloaded modesdeco2 and set that up to receive from the USB Dongle and output to sbs and beast as Ian had advised above. I connected BS, ADL and VRS as above. It a now been running over an hour without the integer error!

The only thing I have noticed, unless it's just my mind playing up, but I feel like I'm getting less range/aircraft tracking this way rather than when using RTL1090. Have you experienced that?

A big thanks to both of you for your help! At last I feel like I'm getting somewhere!

[IanH]

You wrote your reply while I was compiling this! So ignore what is no longer relevant 

All I can say is that I don't really have a preference but ModeSDeco worked for me last night to set up VR and BS/ADL fairly easily.

More importantly it is still running without any problem 22 hours later.

Best way to run ModeSDeco (or dump1090) is as a batch file.{or not if it is working ok for you)

You've already run ModeSMixer so you will probably have installed the vcredist.exe files.

Put this in a text file in the ModeSDeco folder, rename it "start.bat" and that will set up the feeding of source data:

Code Select Expand

@echo off
cmd /c modesdeco2.exe --gain 49.6 --sbs10001 10001 --beast 31001
PAUSE
exit

Then use the previous instructions to get BS/ADL and VRS working.

And this is the warning from the author of VRS:

The database writer plugin is a plugin for Virtual Radar Server that will record flights and aircraft in an SQLite database. The schema of the database matches the schema established by Kinetic for their BaseStation program. Virtual Radar Server uses the records in the database to produce its reports.

Please do NOT install this plugin if you have a Kinetics radio!

If you are using Kinetics' BaseStation program then it will already be maintaining a database for you. If you install this plugin and use it to update the database that BaseStation is also updating then you will ruin your database.

OK so you don't have a Kinetics radio BUT that was written before ModeSMixer, etc enabled people to use BS without an SBS-1/SBS-3. I would really recommend you just have VRS reading not writing the database.

As for range why not use the facility in VRS to show the receiver range - what is called the "polar plot" in some other software.

I'm wondering if RTL1090 is the source of the "integer" problem"?

I might have chance to try RTL1090/dump1090 later but if not, later this week.

[IanH]

And just occurred to me that the range "problem" might be a consequence of my "quick and dirty" setting of the gain parameter - changing that might help.

But for the full info on all that you need to have a read of the source explanations from the author at http://radarspotting.com/forum/index.php/topic,2978.0.html

[GlaMichael]

Ah, sorry

Yeah I'm beginning to think that now too, remove it out the equation and the error disappears. Thanks, I've had a read through that link and the bit that jumps out at me is:

"I think that values --gain and --agc must be chosen experimentally for your receiving conditions and antenna-feeder device. This values is better to do the same as with RTL1090, for example, may be "auto". To do this delete the option --gain from cmd. If you, when working with RTL1090, use automatic gain control in RTL2832 chip, then add the option --agc"

So I guess that means I should remove the --gain 49.6 from the .bat file and make sure --agc is in there?

I guess if I run dump1090 I'd need to use modesmixer again to split the feed to BS and VRS?

Yeah I think that's what was doubling up the entries in my reports - Tgeres a checkbox to stop the writer plugin from writing to a .sqb that it never created - So I've checked that box too

Thanks again, Ian

[IanH]

I've been running RTL1090 on a dongle overnight feeding BS/ADL without any problem.

ModeSMixer batch file is:

Code Select Expand

@echo off
cmd /c modesmixer2.exe --inConnect 127.0.0.1:31001 --outServer sbs10001:10001
PAUSE
exit

Not been running VRS with this set up.

I'm more convinced than ever that writing to basestation.sqb with VRS when running BaseStation is creating bad records that AD Lite doesn't know how to handle and gives the integer error.

I'll try doing that later and see if I can get the error.

[GlaMichael]

Hmm.. Maybe you're right. I've been running modesdeco2 since last night and everything is working as it should.

I'd still like to run a comparisson between RTL1090 and modesdeco2 though and see if I notice an increase in range - However when I tried adding --outserver beast:33001 to my modesmixer2.bat it crashed out. Am I doing something wrong? (Basically using your file in your last post and adding that after your sbs line).

Thanks again for your help, Ian. If there was a points or recommend button on here I'd definately be clicking it!

[IanH]

it doesn't work for me either and I don't know why.

Instead I just used the port 30003 output from BaseStation to feed VRS.

[GlaMichael]

Strange.

Can you feed both VRS and ADL from the one port? That could be another option.

The range issue seems to have died down a little, in fact I'm now tracking some aircraft further than I was with RTL1090! I'll get a few days worth of data in and review again then

Thanks very much for your help again, Ian. Its greatly appreciated!

[IanH]

Yes BaseStation doesn't mind sharing data from port 30003. I've just started srv3003 as well which plots the receiver range from BS.

So I've got ADL, srv3003 and VRS getting data from port 30003

The hardware boxes SBS-1/e/er and SBS-3 will not share output. There was an early piece of software written by the guy who did RTL1090 called MultiEM which I have and works fine to share from the SBS-1e but not the SBS-3.

Hence, amongst the other capabilities,  the importance of ModeSMixer!

And also why ModeSMixer doesn't need to have an SBS30003 output 

[GlaMichael]

That's good, thanks Ian. I thought you could only have one thing pulling from each port.. obviously not!

I've downloaded and got running dump1090 to see how that fares.. my setup is below.

USB Dongle > Dump1090 > modesmixer > Base Station > Both ADL and VRS are feeding from BS:30003.

Seems to be running pretty well just now, no errors and pretty good range. Will see how this goes for a couple of days

Thanks again, Ian. Without your help this would have been much more difficult!

[IanH]

Once things are working ok, experiment to find the best setup.

And the real thanks are to Anmer for setting up this forum so we can exchange information.

Otherwise it is just what each individual knows but no sharing

[Anmer]

And the real thanks are to Anmer for setting up this forum so we can exchange information.

Anyone can set up a forum.  The value is added by those who seek information and, more importantly, those who provide solutions, such as you Ian.

The alternative is a forum dominated by posts with content copied from other websites. 

[GlaMichael]

Yeah, thanks to you both!

So it's now been running for the past 10 days or so. I've swapped around between RTL1090, Dump1090 and modesdeco2. For my setup, the best results were from Dump1090, so my setup is as below:

USB Dongle > Dump1090 > Modesmixer > Base station > VRS
                                                                                    V
                                                                                AD Lite

So base station is feeding VRS and AD Lite. I've not had any "integer errors" for the past 10 days, and I'm getting not bad range too. So that's it... Now just need to start looking at an outdoor antenna to reach even further!

Thanks again for your help, Ian and Anmer - Much appreciated!