Radarspotting

Hi there,


Up until recently I had been using Active Display but updates and activity on this project have been nil over the last 18 months or so.


I had to make a choice between it and Plane Base, which I now use, because I like the regular updates. One thing however is missing. We have available a wonderful array of logos to suit all tastes but one can only see the ones relating to aircraft on the current sessions activity in Plane Plotter or Base Station. Active Display had an additional ability to look at the whole of your sqb file and showed the actual logos/flags rather than just the file names, for every entry, even allowing selection of  a grouping such as Mil, helecopters, etc. It was invaluable for detecting any missing or incorrect entries next to a particular frame. Up until my licence ran out I still used this facility to look at my sqb file, but did jot allow it to update any entries as over the development of PB the database has become incompatible with running AD at the same time.


Are there any others of you out there that would also like to see the current flag/logo next to every entry in their database?


My programming skills are zero but I wondered if their was anyone out there that could create such an add-on that would work with the Basestation.sqb as used by so many of us in this hobby. it would not need too complex, effectively just a database with a few picture columns inbuilt for logo and country flag and maybe logo.


Best regards


Mike

Hi Mike,

Have you approached the Planebase team to see if it's something they could build into PBLink?


Cheers
Steve

Not yet but it is an avenue I will try.


Is it something you would also like top see. I know you make some great logos, and it is a pity we can only "see" them wen that particular frame is in our coverage area?


Thanks for the suggestion


Mike

Hi Mike,

To be honest I wasn't aware of the capability within AD.  However it's certainly something I would use if it could be implemented by the PB team!

If you do get in touch with them, feel free to mention me as well :-)

Thanks for the kind words re' the logos  8)



Cheers
Steve

 I know it is four years now since I first mentioned this subject, but I had hoped to use the program Nic from PB was working on called SQB Commander. However, that has disappeared and we are still left with no program that will allow us to use the great item from the old Active Display system. I do know of the resurrection of the AD program, but that, if it still used the original AD programming for the SQB file, is no good for Plane Base users.

Is there anyone who has the skills that could create a programme that would allow us to select the fields that we would like to see in the SQB, and unite it with the details from the .bmp files for the country and logo fields in pictorial form, plu maybe any photo entries for the aircraft. It would make it so much easier to check on those entries within a database that do not have a valid .bnp file attached.

Yours sincerely

Mike Downes

Hi Mike

Can I check I understand what I think you're looking for?

I'm assuming you want to view the BaseStation.sqb database and visualise the OperatorFlag data to look for invalid (or mismatched?) codes.  Ones that don't match the files in the associated OperatorFlags folder and/or the aircraft record?

If I understand part of the requirement, one could export the OperatorFlag data from the sqb file and compare that to the files on the OperatorFlags folder.  That, at least, should indicate data that doesn't have a matching OperatorFlag .bmp file.  But it won't allow you to view the database, looking for a visual comparison of the .bmp file and aircraft record.

Mike,
The full AD program enabled you to look at your full database list. It also allowed you to see the actual picture for the .bmp logos allocated by you to a specific aircraft. This made it easy to find those that need amending or logo adding. With the size of most .sqb files these days and the number of entries in it, plus the number of logos available, the current way I do it is either wait for an aeroplane to appear in the list without a logo, or manually trudge through every entry in my OperatorFlags file to see if there are any that don't have a type logo or company logo allocated to them. I then try and find it from in the wonderful array of logos available. Nic's idea was a program that could show info such as I am looking for and had a website one could look to see what the end result could be. It was great idea but seems to have disappeared from the website.

I don't know if the guys now trying to bring AD back to life would be able to resurrect this option and allow more customizing of which fields one asks to see, as that would avoid the incompatabiltiy between the BaseStation .sqb as it stands and the use made of some of the fields solely within PB. If they could I would certainly be on board for a copy.

Regards Mike

Quote from: Roadrunner on April 02, 2021, 10:10:14 AM
I don't know if the guys now trying to bring AD back to life would be able to resurrect this option and allow more customizing of which fields one asks to see, as that would avoid the incompatabiltiy between the BaseStation .sqb as it stands and the use made of some of the fields solely within PB. If they could I would certainly be on board for a copy.

Thanks Mike, understood.

If Dutchradar.nl has any plans to resurrect Active Display, it first needs to work on improving the database for use with SBS-1 Populate.

There's still no manufacturer and the ICAO Type codes are often "made up" and don't comply with ICAO DOC 8643.  The GAS database was in much better shape.

Mike,

You could just use my SQB and Operator Flags.  They are up to date and totally aligned, so no wrong flags and no flags in the folder that are not used.  I also have a file that I run every month to tell me what is missing  8)


Cheers,
Steve

Quote from: s92driver on April 02, 2021, 10:36:35 AM
You could just use my SQB and Operator Flags.  They are up to date and totally aligned, so no wrong flags and no flags in the folder that are not used.

Unless I'm mistaken, this replaces the existing database and all previous flight Sessions are lost?

Steve, thanks for the offer but I prefer to make my own sqb file from scratch every couple of years and let PB use the Operator ICAO and Type codes to populate everything. I can then add or delete as necessary. My BaseStationFlag folder is retained with maintenance on demise of companies or types. etc., but I do miss the ability to see the individual logo next to the entry in my sqb file as was available with Active Display

I used to use the full AD programme and I liked the way it displayed the operator flags along with the information on the SQB. I now use Planebase and PBlink and it serves its purpose for me, just a shame it doesn't display like AD did. I know not everybody uses Virtual Radar but there is a way to see the flags and the information on the SQB by using the report feature on Virtual Radar. It can be a bit long winded but you can choose "Yesterday" or "Todays" flights, I don't run the reports every day but when I do it can show me if any flags are missing or need changing and if anything needs amending I then do it on BaseStation Reporter or PBlink.

Peter

Quote from: Anmer on April 02, 2021, 10:42:53 AM

Quote from: s92driver on April 02, 2021, 10:36:35 AM
You could just use my SQB and Operator Flags.  They are up to date and totally aligned, so no wrong flags and no flags in the folder that are not used.

Unless I'm mistaken, this replaces the existing database and all previous flight Sessions are lost?

I can simply update an existing sqb.  I just don't want to advertise the fact as I'm not sure I want to spend all my spare time updating sqb's  8)

Don't tell anyone  :P

I have written "Mode-S Tweaker" it is a Windows application for the maintenance of the Aircraft table in the BaseStation.sqb SQLite database. The app allows you to query the Aircraft records and it displays the country flag, type and operator code image logos.

You can download the install of the application from here:- http://aerofred.juice.org.uk/other/ (http://aerofred.juice.org.uk/other/)

Create a temporary folder, save the "MS_Tweaker_v1.0.zip" source file in this folder and then extract all the files within the .zip into this folder. Do not run the setup (ModeStweaker-1.0.exe) from directly within the zip file.

For further install instructions refer to the "Application Install" section of the ReadMe.pdf

I suggest you take a copy of your BaseStation.sqb and point to that copy whilst checking that you are happy with the app.

Cheers
egnx

Thanks egnx for sharing your new app.

It looks very useful.  However it keeps crashing whenever I try to run the "List" option on a smallish sqb file - 71MB.  My main sqb is over 2GB.

Installing the app generates lots of anti-virus warnings though they all tested OK.  Setting the database path could be made a lot simpler but it works, albeit a bit "labour intensive".

Unfortunately, my main issue is the app stops responding as soon as I hit "List". I hope there's a solution as the app could be very useful.

Hi egnx,

Thank you for sending the new app., as ANMER has said it looks good and I have got it to open and set up the locations etc. However, I am getting an error  message:-

                   "Column Image Key is constructed to be unique. Value 'FTL' is already present in the fn_DT_AddimagesGeneric"

I must say that I am a user on an SBS3 with data updates etc., done by PlaneBase, which I know does use a modified version of the standard Kinetic database. Will this be the cause of the error.

Best regards Mike

I don't think it is the size of the db that is the problem, it is more related to the number of rows in the Aircraft table being returned to the displayed grid.

Try filtering the records down with a Mode-S filter such as like 407%

Quote from: egnx on April 21, 2021, 09:38:20 AM
Try filtering the records down with a Mode-S filter such as like 407%

Great, that fixed it.

I'll take a thorough look later.  As I said, looks a very useful app.

Roadrunner, Is the error occuring when it is loading logos, if so which set, country flags or Type logos ?

I'm not sure how you would achieve this but it sounds like a duplicate file name maybe one as a jpg and one as a bmp ??

egnx

Quote from: egnx on April 21, 2021, 10:36:00 AM
Roadrunner, Is the error occuring when it is loading logos, if so which set, country flags or Type logos ?
I'm not sure how you would achieve this but it sounds like a duplicate file name maybe one as a jpg and one as a bmp ??

Maybe run BMPCHK against the OperatorFlags folder?  And the BMPFlags folder too.  It will highlight any unexpected files formats.

Hi Guys,

Sorry for the long wait for a reply. I tried the BMP check and it showed a couple of errorsa which I fixed and also it mentioned a warning but gave no details?

The message was coming after I had set the paths on the relevant screens (in my case all files are in the C:\Aviation\Kinetic\Basestation folder. and pressed save.

When I selected some entries it did show what I have asked for.

Regards Mike

Sorry, but just for completeness sake, I only tried the app while BaseStation was closed, as I assume that is necessary.

Regards

Thanks Mike.

Have you set the paths to the relevant sub-folders in your C:\Aviation\Kinetic\Basestation folder, see attached. 

[attachment deleted reduce file load]

Quote from: Roadrunner on April 22, 2021, 09:56:00 AM
Sorry, but just for completeness sake, I only tried the app while BaseStation was closed, as I assume that is necessary.

No it works with BaseStation running.

Quote from: Roadrunner on April 22, 2021, 09:53:23 AM
When I selected some entries it did show what I have asked for.

So does that mean it's now working ok for you ?

If not, I suggest using the references page, disable all the Images options, then do a query to see if something is shown and then repeat the process adding in one set of images at a time.

I Have set the paths as per the instructions to the locations menyioned, plus on the main screen set the location of the sqb file to where it is in  my set-up.
.
It is when I have used the OK button on the flags page to ensure my changes have been accepted that I am still getting the message re FTL.

My set up, when run with anything is Not returning any information. However, I will try egnx's last comment.

May not get back today as I am off for my 2nd covid jab later and will have to see if I get the same reaction as i didto the 1st !

Regards Mike

Right,

I started again from scratch this morning.
Loaded the program.
Changed the location of the baseStation.sqb file
Sett-up the locations for the Countries.dat, BMPFlags and OperatorFlags.
Runnin this via pressing SAVE generates the same error message as before which I have to say OK to twice then it clears and seems to run.
I can then select the whole database but the images I have for typeImage is very sparse. With imageType not shown but OperatorFlag is.
However when I sort  the full database of 7,621 records by the ICAO code all those A to F are populated, and everything from G to Z is not populated in the Image code or the OperatorFlag where the code is used for both.
I must have a problem with my OperatorFlag file (which has 4,049 entries)
All entries in the respective folders have the correct types shown and are the correct sizes.
If I close down the system and start again with using the task bar icon to gain access to the program, I have to go through the settings again or else nothing at all will show.

Think that is as thorough as I can be at moment as I need to go out soon.

Hope that is enough info to give a clue (I have also packed my database using the basestation tool for this.

Regards Mike

Hi Mike

Try running on a sub-selection of your database.

For example, set Mode-S to "407%" and select "Like".  See attached.  % is a wild card.  This should return all Mode-S codes beginning with "407".

I did PM egnx with an offer to "deep test" his app but not had a response.

[attachment deleted reduce file load]

Mike,

Back from the jab. I have just tried like AE% and it returns all US Military but anything with a ICAO code for type after F is blank in the typeImage.
However, all those with other than the ICAO type as the OperatorLog have been populated properly.
It is still not working until I have re-run setting after each restart. I have obviously some problem with an image/imagesstarting with the letter G which is precluding the full available images to load. I have no idea how to get round that but the program in genral is great if I am only looking for the OperatorFlag having the correct image in it.

Regards Mike

Thanks Mike.

Try running BMPCHK again and grab a screenshot of the merssages you get and post it here.

Hi Guys,

You know sometimes if you stare at a problem for a long time it sometimes resolves itself and you wonder how you overlooked the B**dy obvious.
The error message gave the answer all the time.
Column Image Key is constructed to be unique. Value 'FTL' is already present in the fn_DT_AddimagesGeneric"
A check of my OperatorFlags folder showed I had to FLT.bmp files, edentical except one had a space before the .bnp Therefore, 2 FTL lines appeared when it needed a unique single value.
Having deleted the one with the space the program loaded properly and every record with a type ICAO Code was populated.

Thanks to both of you  for all your help and the program is really great.

Anmer I can not get BMPCHK to work.

Hi Roadrunner, pleased to hear it is now running ok for you, I hope you find it usefull.

Kelvin (egnx)

Kelvin,

It has already proved very useful and I thank you for sharing it with us.

Best regards

Mike

Quote from: Roadrunner on April 23, 2021, 06:56:01 PM
Anmer I can not get BMPCHK to work.

Hi Mike, can you provide a bit more info?  I use BMPCHK every day.

The Zip includes a User Manual.

Quote from: Anmer on April 24, 2021, 08:11:31 AM

Quote from: Roadrunner on April 23, 2021, 06:56:01 PM
Anmer I can not get BMPCHK to work.

Hi Mike, can you provide a bit more info?  I use BMPCHK every day.

I thought I would try and run BMPChk - I haven't run it for ages and when I double clicked on the BmpChk.jar file, it opened in WinRAR - wrong file association with the that extension. I proceeded to try and change that using Control panel>>Default programs>>Set your default programs>>Choose different applications by file type>> scrolled down, only to find .jar not listed. I then realised that I didn't actually have Java installed or it wasn't installed correctly. A reinstall of Java and a repeat of the above (click on the WinRAR icon (next to the .jar file extension) and pick Java from the fly out menu) allowed me to swap .jar files from WinRAR to java and now all is working as it should be.

Perhaps that's why Mile can't get BMPChk to run.

Tim

Thanks Tim.

The BMPCHK User Manual, page 2, reads:  ;)

The program is written in Java and runs in its own window. It will run on 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Windows. To run the program you must have the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed on your system. Most systems with internet access will already have it installed as it's needed to run some web sites. To check if you have it installed go to the following web sites:

http://www.java.com

To download and install Java click the "Free Java Download" button. To check if you have Java click the "Do I have Java" link and follow the instructions. This program has been developed with Version 6, Version 5 should be fine, earlier versions may not work.

Hi Guys,

I thought I had loaded Java but it appears that it did not load properly. However, following Triple.7's post I have reloaded again and it is now running well.It says that in OperatorFlags I have 9 errors (all File Length mismatch 5174 5176 for file xxx and 13 warning for unusual dimensions of the .bmp file.
In BMPFlags it says I have warnings for all 432 entries due to unusual file dimensions!

Regards Mike

I've installed the program successfully, but when I click on the grey BaseStation Db button and try to open where my BaseStation.sqb file is located (not in the default folder), I hit a snag and the program crashes. Any suggestions?

Thank you

Quote from: Nigel on April 25, 2021, 10:59:48 AM
I've installed the program successfully

Are you referring to egnx's app or BMPCHK?

Sorry, egnx's app

Thanks

Thanks.

Do you mean this button?  And if you do, does the app crash as soon as you click it?

[attachment deleted reduce file load]

Hi

Yes, when I click on that button it gives me the opportunity to locate and open the BaseStation.sqb in a location other than the default one, but then when I click on Open I get the following error message:

(//)

[attachment deleted reduce file load]

Looks like this is probably a virtual store issue.

Try opening the BaseStation.sqb in your virtual store which should be somewhere in the path like this:-

C:\Users\YOUR USERNAME\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\Kinetic\BaseStation\BaseStation.sqb

Be aware that you need to most likely have hidden files and folders visible to see the whole of this location.

Hi

I've tried opening BaseStation.sqb in the virtual store as suggested but still get the same error message.

Thanks

Try putting a copy of the BaseStation.sqb into a local temporary folder, make sure you heave read/write permission to that folder & file and point the new app to that folder and see what happens.

Quote from: Nigel on April 26, 2021, 09:47:06 AM
I've tried opening BaseStation.sqb in the virtual store as suggested but still get the same error message.

I have BaseStation installed in its own folder, well away from the Virtual Store.  But I get the same error message when setting a new sqb path.  However when I close the error message window, the app sets the new path and I can view the data in the new sqb file.

If I set another new location, I get the same sequence of error messages but the app still manages to set the new path when I close the error message using Close Program.

I've attached screenshots of the sequences and error message.

Note that I start with the sqb file location:

I:\Kinetic BaseStation\basestationPP.sqb

I click on the BaseStation button and am offered the opportunity to locate a new BaseStation.sqb.  I then choose a new sqb, in my case:

I:\Kinetic BaseStation\BaseStationPPTest.sqb

This invokes the error message.  But when I select Close Program, the app remains active and the new sqb is shown the path window.  And if I select List, it finds the records from the new sqb file.

In essence, it sets the new path despite messages to the contrary.

[attachment deleted reduce file load]

Thanks Mike

When I click on 'Close Program' it closes the app. I notice that the program initially reads from your I: drive. How did you get it to do that. When I start the program it defaults to: C:\Program Files\Kinetic\BaseStation\Basestation.sqb

egnx: I've tried putting copies of the BaseStation.sqb in different folders but get the same error when I select to open them.

Thanks

Quote from: Nigel on April 26, 2021, 10:37:30 AM
When I click on 'Close Program' it closes the app. I notice that the program initially reads from your I: drive. How did you get it to do that. When I start the program it defaults to: C:\Program Files\Kinetic\BaseStation\Basestation.sqb

I'll have to start from scratch (which I will be doing to "test" this very useful app for egnx) but, from memory, when I first installed the app I changed the path (as we've been discussing) and closed the error message and Program and found it still worked.

The install sets the BaseStation.sqb to a default location of:

C:\Program Files\Kinetic\BaseStation\Basestation.sqb

This invokes, for me, an error message that the BaseStation db cannot be found, which is correct.  So I then changed the path.

I can understand why the app deafults to a Program Files location but even then it's not going to work for those using X64 bit systems where the default should be Program Files (x86)

This is a very useful app and I'm sure egnx will fix these issues.  I will be doing some deep testing this week and provide direct feedback to egnx.

I have changed the path for mine and it goes to that one on every restart.

I have resorted the file list so that those not needed are at the right hand side and off screen.

I am finding that using User tag (e.g. $T) is the most convenient for me although using a specific type works well also.



[attachment deleted reduce file load]

Quote from: Roadrunner on April 26, 2021, 11:34:28 AM
I have resorted the file list so that those not needed are at the right hand side and off screen.

If you right click on the data grid a context menu is displayed and you can select/deselect which columns are displayed. Make sure when you have chosen the desired columns you scroll to the bottom of the list and click on the RESET option.

Nigel, in the folder where you installed ModeS Tweaker is a file named "MT_Settings.xml"   This is an XML file that holds all the configuration settings you set when using the app, this file must have read/write properties for you.

If you open that file using an XML editor or Notepad, but not Word, you should see that line 6 of that file looks like this:-

  <BaseStationDb>C:\Program Files\Kinetic\BaseStation\Basestation.sqb</BaseStationDb>

Change the location between the tags to match the actual location of your BaseStation.sqb  I would suggest at this point you use one of your copied locations, not the one in the virtual store.

So if you had a copy of your BaseStation.sqb in the same location as Anmer it would look like this:-

  <BaseStationDb>I:\Kinetic BaseStation\BaseStationPPTest.sqb</BaseStationDb>

Save the file, close it and then run the Tweaker app and let us know what happens.

Hi egnx

That seems to have worked. The app has opened with the location of the BaseStation.sqb as I set in the MT_Settings.xml file following your instructions, and I have carried out some data queries successfully.

Many thanks

Nigel

Seems to be a query logic builder.
Saving you from knowing 'select from' sql queries and using things like Sqlite Expert manager. So you may not be able to throw every term at it you can think of, but have to be selective with how much data it's going to pull in one ask (or could break logic :) )

If you have entries without a type field populated using $t, and interested in military. Knowing some of the various military HEX ranges come in handy as they're usually separate from commercial/GA allocation. Can get examples of those from countries.dat

Our member egnx (https://radarspotting.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=845) has just released an updated version of Mode-S Tweaker with a number of improvements.  It's also available for download from the forum's Software download (https://radarspotting.com/forum/index.php?action=tportal;sa=download;dl=item461) section.

Thanks to egnx for developing and sharing this very useful addon for viewing and editing a BaseStation.sqn file.

Having used this very useful tool since its release. I can continue to sing its praises. I am also learning how to use it and get the most of the program.

I must say that I use PlaneBase to record all my data and I believe they use addition al coding in the UserString 4 and 5 columns that may not be available to other users but wanted to make more people aware of how useful the Mode-S Tweaker is.

I have been investigated what some of the columns can give and the ones I use, apart from the obvious ICAO codes, are the User codes $A to $Z,  as used by PlanePlotter. But I was looking to cover, say all the Bizz jets in one go, and this can be done by User String 5 value B. Change the value to G and you get all all General Aviation, to H for all Helicopters, to J for all Jetliners , T all turbos, and P all piston.
Change the UserString to 4 with code M which generates all Military in the database. Other values used in Userstring 4 include E for Jeriner Executives, plus X and V which I have not worked out yet.

Finally I would say that my database only has aircraft picked up by me SBS3 so is not that large, currently having just over 10.000 entries.

I hope some of you may find this interesting and not teaching more computer versed people than me to suck eggs.

Best regards

Mike

Quote from: Roadrunner on June 03, 2021, 08:15:13 PM
I hope some of you may find this interesting and not teaching more computer versed people than me to suck eggs.

Thanks Mike for the helpful feedback which I found useful.

Mode-S Tweaker is a great app for anyone using a BaseStation.sqb file and I thoroughly recommend it, even if just to evaluate its many features.

Download from here (https://radarspotting.com/forum/index.php?action=tportal;sa=download;dl=item461)