Aviation, Data, Software Development, Stratux, Technology

Monitor local Aircraft (for baiscally free) using Stratux

23 April 2017 David Leave a comment

An ADS-B listening station has long been on my list of things to build.

Our current residence is located right under the domestic approach to San Francisco International Airport (see picture), so I believed there should be plenty of data for testing and tuning.

What is Stratux

So, what are we talking about here? It’s Stratux, and Open Source complete software package that leverages inexpensive SDRs (Software Defined Radios).

“Stratux is a homebuilt ADS-B In receiver for pilots. It’s easy to assemble from inexpensive, off-the-shelf hardware, and probably already works with your electronic flight bag (EFB) of choice. Even better, if you’re so inclined, the software is open-source and hackable so you can build the system that’s right for you. “

This is some powerful stuff!

The Raspberry Pi 3 (revision b)

After completing a proof-of-concept residential IP space data acquisition project for a client, I found myself with a Raspberry Pi just sitting on shelf.

The Raspberry Pi 3b is a neat little device. A full Linux computer in a form factor the size of a pack of card, including a graphics chip that drives and HDMI output making it a real (compact and low power) desktop project computer.

SoC: Broadcom BCM2837
CPU: Quad-core ARM Cortex-A53, 1.2GHz
GPU: Broadcom VideoCore IV 3D graphics
RAM: 1GB LPDDR2 (900 MHz)
Networking: 10/100 Ethernet, 2.4GHz 802.11n wireless
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.1 Classic, Bluetooth Low Energy
Storage: microSD
GPIO: 40-pin header, populated
Ports: HDMI, 3.5mm analogue audio-video jack, 4× USB 2.0, Ethernet, Camera Serial Interface (CSI), Display Serial Interface (DSI)

My first Raspberry Pi purchase (as requested by the client) was a complete kit that cost me about $75 [ link to super size kit ], but you can certainly get the bare Raspberry Pi for under $40 (assuming you have some spare things like a micro-USB cable and a micro SD card).

Adding ADS-B radios

Adding ADS-B radios to the Raspberry Pi was as easy as ordering a kit form Amazon for under $40. [ Dual-Band ADS-B (978MHz UAT & 1090MHz 1090ES) Bundle For Stratux ]. For some reason, I’d debating buying the radios and building a kit. There are several complete kits with the computer, radios, specialized case, memory card etc. Prices vary between $120 to $250 depending on what parts you want. When I found this little kits with 2 sets of antennas, radios and coax for under $40.. it was just too easy to pull the trigger. So far they have been well worth the very inexpensive purchase!

Assembling the Sysetm

Being a proof of concept, I didn’t feel like dropping another $20 on a specialized case such as this one (right), because I wasn’t sure if I’d be happy with this project.

The previous projects housing was too small (in my opinion) to provide what I wanted, which was a single item housing all the parts. Again, wanting to minimize costs while building project, I opted to re-purpose an small plastic ammo can into a make-shift housing. The unfortunate side effect of that decisions is that the final product looks like some sort of nefarious device (see final photos somewhere below).

Using the drill press / mill I have setup for another project, I quickly milled some vents to the plastic box to vent out the heat created by the Pi and the two nano radios. And believe me, this is something you want to do. Using the Stratux software, I’m typically seeing CPU temperatures around 140F (toasty), and the radio run a lot hotter.

Hot enough to blacken the decals I’d put on the bottoms of the radios (this is what they looked like before they were cooked).

Once I had all the milling completed I installed the radios, Pi and coax into the box. The coax are reasonable flexible but still barely looped around inside the box. This photo was before I added another port for an Ethernet cable (that hack to be discussed in a subsequent post). It might not look pretty, but it does work!

Making it all work

Once the physical construction was done, the last step was to download the software, burn it to a little MicroSD card and fire it up!

UPDATED: 14-MAY-2017 — I have a new setup procedure documented in this newer article: STRATUX – Hacking together a WiFi connected Ground Station.

What does it look like?

Once you have connected to the ad-hoc stratux WiFi network, navigate to this IP address: http://192.168.10.1 . If your system is up and running you’ll see a page that looks like this:

If you have some aircraft overhead (as I almost always do), you should see them listed on the ‘Traffic’ page. This is what mine looked like just a few minutes before writing this article:

Now that you have this up and running, it can provide a GDL 90 data feed to variety of flight planning / monitoring software, including some free apps for iOS and Android. The full current list of software supported on the Stratux main page. Here is a snapshot of software support at this time:

travel

Contemplations of Relocation (pt. 1)

12 February 2017 David Leave a comment

Where to go…..

We need warm.
We need sun.
We need to be somewhere socks are not even sold.

This is where we’re starting from, Santa Cruz CA:

But can we meet these basic criteria??

Some basic ideas we’ve been tossing around are below:

automotive

2007 Mini Cooper ‘S’ engine overhaul

20 October 2016 David Leave a comment

OH… oh my.. this is not what we want to be doing. I guess the odds might eventually catch up. I never buy new cars, ever; just don’t have any interest in taking that hard of a depreciation hit. So… used it always is…. and generally well used. So, we’ve bought.. 20+ used cars over the years and this is the first to suffer a major failure (in this case, engine has eaten itself).

Article Sections

The Engine Damage
Replacement Short Blocks

The Engine Damage

As you can see.. it’s in pretty bad shape. Cylinder #4 was down 50% on compression, starting to throw warning lights…. but.. honestly.. they car gave no external indication anything was wrong. Ran very strong, sounded fine… but internally is was in seriously bad shape:

So now.. what are our options? We did have an aftermarket warranty that covered up to $3000 for powertrain. This is going to cost A LOT more than that… but I’m trying to minimize the financial damage. So.. some research is in order to try to figure out what we’re going to do.

Replacement Short Blocks

I did find 1 replacement short blocks on the interwebs:

Source	Price	Notes
MiniMania	$2925.00	Factory replacement Engine Block with Crank Gear for the N14B16A engine in the Turbocharged Cooper S.

Mini Mania returned my e-mail this morning with the following information.. so.. this is sounding more and more like what we are considering doing, provided the cylinder head is not junked out:

Thank you for your interest with Mini Mania and our products.

Sorry to hear of your situation with your 2007 Mini Cooper S and I will try to answer your questions accurately as possible.

The replacement engine short block that we offer are units from MINI and includes everything ‘below’ the cylinder head and ‘above’ the oil pan.

Basically, it is the block with the crank and pistons installed. It does not include anything that gets attached to the exterior of the block.

Replacement pistons are available individually from MINI, but only at standard bore. Depending on the condition and mileage of the block, it may be advisable to replace all 4, especially if you plan to keep the car for a while. There are some oversized pistons available from CP Pistons, but only in sets of 4. Mahle offers replacement pistons but only in standard bore.

Main bearings and rod bearings are also available, but the prices will add up quickly if you replace all of them.

If your budget allows, the short block is probably the best way to go as a ‘simpler’ solution and perhaps for longevity.

I hope this helps.

Best regards,
—-

More to come….

photography, Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz Mountains Wildlife Photos (October 2016)

15 October 2016 David Leave a comment

It’s been a very active month of wildlife visitors. Occasionally I get lucky enough to grab the camera and snap off some shots before they see me and scamper off.

Here are a few of the last pics:
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Aviation, Military, photography, travel

Fleet Week 2016 – San Francisco, CA Airshow photos (series 1)

8 October 2016 David Leave a comment

Fleet Week is always one of (if not THE) best Air Show on the West Coast. A large aerobatic box over the San Francisco Bay means a lot more latitude with the types of maneuvers that can be performed.

Here are some of the highlight pics from yesterdays performances.
feeltweek2016-navy_leapfrogs-001

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feeltweek2016-canadian-cf-18-001

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feeltweek2016-breitling-jet-001

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feeltweek2016-f22-raptor-001

feeltweek2016-f22-raptor-002

feeltweek2016-f22-raptor-003

feeltweek2016-f22-raptor-004

feeltweek2016-patriotsjet-001

feeltweek2016-patriotsjet-002

feeltweek2016-patriotsjet-003

feeltweek2016-patriotsjet-004

feeltweek2016-navy-blueangels-001

feeltweek2016-navy-blueangels-002

feeltweek2016-navy-blueangels-003

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TAGIT!
#wearefleetweek #USNAVY #NAVY #breitlingjetteam #blueangels #f22raptor #heritageflight #UnitedAirlines #PatriotsJetTeam #FleetWeekSF

photography, Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz Wildlife – October edition

7 October 2016 David Leave a comment

There have been a few visitors already this week, to the Mountain Home.

These two came by today for a short visit:

Even a little interesting reptile life…

Earlier another buck made an appearance:

Another decided that some of the plants on our hillside were not to it’s liking, and proceeded to rip them out of the ground.

Politics

MemeFarm1 — a bunch of Memes that have come across my desk

6 October 2016 David Leave a comment

Yeah.. it’s memes… lots of memes. Some are pretty old, some are really new and topical (such as the one I’ll start with here):
i-have-hilary-info

Now, here is Gallery #1.

Data Visualization

Deadly Encounters with Police – 2016 [by the numbers]

23 September 2016 David Leave a comment

You’ve likely heard about it on TV, or radio, or read it in a bird cage liner… but there is much ado about the number of police related deaths (people killed during police encounters)… and the riots that are raging around these deaths.

I don’t plan to get into the circumstances of these deaths right now… I’m just going to look at some numbers compiled buy some sort of media watchdog that… compiles the news into a fairly handy webpage. The data that I used was located here: ==> http://www.killedbypolice.net/

What did I find? You can draw your own conclusions. I’ve broken the data down in to three main sections:

BY RACE
BY STATE
BY GENDER

Now for the data..

RACE

STATE

GENDER

automotive, photography, racing

McLaren Experience 2016 – Monterey Car Week

19 August 2016 David Leave a comment

What can I say, McLaren knows how to build a car, put on a show and a party. In the past it’s been the 650S and P1 car launches, special events etc; but few things are as fantastic as test driving a McLaren!

Having spent a few days in the amazing MP4-12c (I even rented one for my 50th birthday), then test driving the then brand new 650S around Pebble Beach in 2014, I of course leapt at the chance to get behind the wheel of their latest car, the Sport Series (aka 570).

With an amazing test route loop on the infamous Laurels Grade before me, with great excitement I slipped behind the wheel of the above beauty!

After a quick overview of the vehicle operation, I was off! The first thing I noticed was the steering felt a little more connected to the ground than the MP4-12c, the car was really feeding back information on what was going on. Lucky for me traffic was mostly non-existent as the car rapidly announced that I’d exceeded the road’s speed limit (interesting feature… could really come in handy for those times you sort of get lost in the throttle and didn’t notice a change in the speed limit… for those that care about such things).

It was a spirited ride for certain. On the return leg of the test, I popped the car into auto-mode, and mashed the throttle. I was surprised to watch the tac blast past 8000 RPM as the twin-turbo V8 snarled behind me.. tires complaining… traffic rapidly disappearing behind… I LOVE IT!!

Although the entry-level McLaren.. the 570 is a satisfying drive. And dare I say it.. I think it looks better than it’s “bigger” MP4-12c and 650S family members. I wish I’d had a GoPro with me to capture the experience… but it’s one I won’t soon forget!

If you’re in the market for quarter-million dollar sports cars, give the McLaren Sport Series a drive. With two models (GT and S), you should be able to find what you’re looking for.

Here are 2 more Sport Series, waiting for the next test drivers to take the wheel. I think you can see a little more of an Italian flare in the front design, and I like it!

Quite a lineup here… almost the full family was represented here (I did find an F1 the next day at Laguna Seca).

I’m not much for white cars (which you might get looking at my fleet).. but I think the Sport Series looks pretty good in white. Now.. if one could only graft the GT front end onto the now (relatively) inexpensive MP4-12cs.. it would be a match made in heaven!!

Now.. no experience is complete without the fully off-hook full-tilt boogey P1. Here is one showing off it’s full carbon fiber construction. Just an amazing looking and sounding car. For the limited and fortunate few that were able to purchase one… I can only guess how getting behind the wheel must be akin to driving at ’11’.

The test-drive mule I got to flog.. even in that color I LOVE IT.

Another really interesting color on a 570. Here the nose clip looks vaguely La Ferrarish; which is what make me feel like this model has a little bit of an Italian flare.

Again, the P1. All carbon, all the time.

“The Crew” (most missing Beth, she was busying being part of a documentary McLaren was making that day). Carsten, Shawn, me, Moh. Yeap, we were all having fun driving cars and enjoying the hospitality.

One of Emerson Fittipaldi’s M23A/9 F1 car from the 1980s. Despite being 30 years old.. it still looks the business, and more car than my basic skills could manage.

This M80/4 CanAm car looked like a beast! The velocity stacks on that V8 look like they could swallow a small dog. What a rush it must be to drive something like that… open cockpit, raging V8 right behind you.. mega down force and all the balls you can manage to jam in your driving suit.

Here is “The Gang” again (Beth decided to take a break from being a film star to say hello) in front of Niki Lauda’s MP4-2/2 F1 machine. His teammate that year was Alain Prost, whom lost the championship to Lauda by mere points that year; which of secured McLaren a solid manufactures title as well.

For me, there is just something about a 60’s era open-wheeled car like this M28. It’s like a work of art. 🙂

Unobstructed view of Lauda’s MP4-2/2 F1 machine.

And one more look at the 570. I would be thrilled to put one of these in my garage.

HUGE Thanks to McLaren and Bernardus Lodge and Spa for hosting us for this event during Car Week 2016!!!

Motorcycles, photography, travel

Preview of the Talbot Museum in Carmel Valley, CA

19 July 2016 David Leave a comment

During the US Round of World SuperBike (SBK) Ducati Owners Club, arranged a preview of the Talbot Motorcycle Museum for club members. It was a great, warm and sunny evening in Carmel Valley, amongst some amazing motorcycles!

Here are some photos from the event: