4 image::altosui.png[width="4.6in"]
6 The AltosUI program provides a graphical user interface for
7 interacting with the Altus Metrum product family. AltosUI can
8 monitor telemetry data, configure devices and many other
9 tasks. The primary interface window provides a selection of
10 buttons, one for each major activity in the system. This
11 chapter is split into sections, each of which documents one of
12 the tasks provided from the top-level toolbar.
16 <subtitle>Receive, Record and Display Telemetry Data</subtitle>
19 Selecting this item brings up a dialog box listing all
20 of the connected TeleDongle devices. When you choose
21 one of these, AltosUI will create a window to display
22 telemetry data as received by the selected TeleDongle
25 .Device Selection Dialog
26 image::device-selection.png[width="3.1in"]
28 All telemetry data received are automatically recorded
29 in suitable log files. The name of the files includes
30 the current date and rocket serial and flight numbers.
32 The radio frequency being monitored by the TeleDongle
33 device is displayed at the top of the window. You can
34 configure the frequency by clicking on the frequency
35 box and selecting the desired frequency. AltosUI
36 remembers the last frequency selected for each
37 TeleDongle and selects that automatically the next
38 time you use that device.
40 Below the TeleDongle frequency selector, the window
41 contains a few significant pieces of information about
42 the altimeter providing the telemetry data stream:
44 * The configured call-sign
46 * The device serial number
48 * The flight number. Each altimeter remembers how
49 many times it has flown.
51 * The rocket flight state. Each flight passes through
52 several states including Pad, Boost, Fast, Coast,
53 Drogue, Main and Landed.
55 * The Received Signal Strength Indicator value. This
56 lets you know how strong a signal TeleDongle is
57 receiving. At the default data rate, 38400 bps, in
58 bench testing, the radio inside TeleDongle v0.2
59 operates down to about -106dBm, while the v3 radio
60 works down to about -111dBm. Weaker signals, or an
61 environment with radio noise may cause the data to
62 not be received. The packet link uses error
63 detection and correction techniques which prevent
64 incorrect data from being reported.
66 * The age of the displayed data, in seconds since the
67 last successfully received telemetry packet. In
68 normal operation this will stay in the low single
69 digits. If the number starts counting up, then you
70 are no longer receiving data over the radio link
71 from the flight computer.
73 Finally, the largest portion of the window contains a
74 set of tabs, each of which contain some information
75 about the rocket. They're arranged in 'flight order'
76 so that as the flight progresses, the selected tab
77 automatically switches to display data relevant to the
78 current state of the flight. You can select other tabs
79 at any time. The final 'table' tab displays all of the
80 raw telemetry values in one place in a
81 spreadsheet-like format.
85 .Monitor Flight Launch Pad View
86 image::launch-pad.png[width="5.5in"]
88 The 'Launch Pad' tab shows information used to decide when the
89 rocket is ready for flight. The first elements include red/green
90 indicators, if any of these is red, you'll want to evaluate
91 whether the rocket is ready to launch:
94 This indicates whether the Li-Po battery powering the
95 flight computer has sufficient charge to last for
96 the duration of the flight. A value of more than
97 3.8V is required for a 'GO' status.
99 Apogee Igniter Voltage::
100 This indicates whether the apogee
101 igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
102 resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
103 to the Li-Po battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
104 required for a 'GO' status.
106 Main Igniter Voltage::
107 This indicates whether the main
108 igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
109 resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
110 to the Li-Po battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
111 required for a 'GO' status.
113 On-board Data Logging::
114 This indicates whether there is space remaining
115 on-board to store flight data for the upcoming
116 flight. If you've downloaded data, but failed to erase
117 flights, there may not be any space left. Most of our
118 flight computers can store multiple flights, depending
119 on the configured maximum flight log size. TeleMini
120 v1.0 stores only a single flight, so it will need to
121 be downloaded and erased after each flight to capture
122 data. This only affects on-board flight logging; the
123 altimeter will still transmit telemetry and fire
124 ejection charges at the proper times even if the
125 flight data storage is full.
128 For a TeleMetrum or TeleMega device, this indicates
129 whether the GPS receiver is currently able to compute
130 position information. GPS requires at least 4
131 satellites to compute an accurate position.
135 For a TeleMetrum or TeleMega device, this indicates
136 whether GPS has reported at least 10 consecutive
137 positions without losing lock. This ensures that the
138 GPS receiver has reliable reception from the
141 The Launchpad tab also shows the computed launch pad
142 position and altitude, averaging many reported
143 positions to improve the accuracy of the fix.
147 .Monitor Flight Ascent View
148 image::ascent.png[width="5.5in"]
150 This tab is shown during Boost, Fast and Coast
151 phases. The information displayed here helps monitor the
152 rocket as it heads towards apogee.
154 The height, speed, acceleration and tilt are shown along
155 with the maximum values for each of them. This allows you to
156 quickly answer the most commonly asked questions you'll hear
159 The current latitude and longitude reported by the GPS are
160 also shown. Note that under high acceleration, these values
161 may not get updated as the GPS receiver loses position
162 fix. Once the rocket starts coasting, the receiver should
163 start reporting position again.
165 Finally, the current igniter voltages are reported as in the
166 Launch Pad tab. This can help diagnose deployment failures
167 caused by wiring which comes loose under high acceleration.
171 .Monitor Flight Descent View
172 image::descent.png[width="5.5in"]
174 Once the rocket has reached apogee and (we hope)
175 activated the apogee charge, attention switches to
176 tracking the rocket on the way back to the ground, and
177 for dual-deploy flights, waiting for the main charge
180 To monitor whether the apogee charge operated
181 correctly, the current descent rate is reported along
182 with the current height. Good descent rates vary based
183 on the choice of recovery components, but generally
184 range from 15-30m/s on drogue and should be below
185 10m/s when under the main parachute in a dual-deploy
188 With GPS-equipped flight computers, you can locate the
189 rocket in the sky using the elevation and bearing
190 information to figure out where to look. Elevation is
191 in degrees above the horizon. Bearing is reported in
192 degrees relative to true north. Range can help figure
193 out how big the rocket will appear. Ground Distance
194 shows how far it is to a point directly under the
195 rocket and can help figure out where the rocket is
196 likely to land. Note that all of these values are
197 relative to the pad location. If the elevation is near
198 90°, the rocket is over the pad, not over you.
200 Finally, the igniter voltages are reported in this tab
201 as well, both to monitor the main charge as well as to
202 see what the status of the apogee charge is. Note
203 that some commercial e-matches are designed to retain
204 continuity even after being fired, and will continue
205 to show as green or return from red to green after
210 .Monitor Flight Landed View
211 image::landed.png[width="5.5in"]
213 Once the rocket is on the ground, attention switches
214 to recovery. While the radio signal is often lost once
215 the rocket is on the ground, the last reported GPS
216 position is generally within a short distance of the
217 actual landing location.
219 The last reported GPS position is reported both by
220 latitude and longitude as well as a bearing and
221 distance from the launch pad. The distance should give
222 you a good idea of whether to walk or hitch a ride.
223 Take the reported latitude and longitude and enter
224 them into your hand-held GPS unit and have that
225 compute a track to the landing location.
227 Our flight computers will continue to transmit RDF
228 tones after landing, allowing you to locate the rocket
229 by following the radio signal if necessary. You may
230 need to get away from the clutter of the flight line,
231 or even get up on a hill (or your neighbor's RV roof)
232 to receive the RDF signal.
234 The maximum height, speed and acceleration reported
235 during the flight are displayed for your admiring
236 observers. The accuracy of these immediate values
237 depends on the quality of your radio link and how many
238 packets were received. Recovering the on-board data
239 after flight may yield more precise results.
241 To get more detailed information about the flight, you
242 can click on the 'Graph Flight' button which will
243 bring up a graph window for the current flight.
247 .Monitor Flight Table View
248 image::table.png[width="5.5in"]
250 The table view shows all of the data available from the
251 flight computer. Probably the most useful data on
252 this tab is the detailed GPS information, which includes
253 horizontal dilution of precision information, and
254 information about the signal being received from the satellites.
258 .Monitor Flight Site Map View
259 image::site-map.png[width="5.5in"]
261 When the TeleMetrum has a GPS fix, the Site Map tab
262 will map the rocket's position to make it easier for
263 you to locate the rocket, both while it is in the air,
264 and when it has landed. The rocket's state is
265 indicated by color: white for pad, red for boost, pink
266 for fast, yellow for coast, light blue for drogue,
267 dark blue for main, and black for landed.
269 The map's default scale is approximately 3m (10ft) per
270 pixel. The map can be dragged using the left mouse
271 button. The map will attempt to keep the rocket
272 roughly centered while data is being received.
274 You can adjust the style of map and the zoom level
275 with buttons on the right side of the map window. You
276 can draw a line on the map by moving the mouse over
277 the map with a button other than the left one pressed,
278 or by pressing the left button while also holding down
279 the shift key. The length of the line in real-world
280 units will be shown at the start of the line.
282 Images are fetched automatically via the Google Maps
283 Static API, and cached on disk for reuse. If map
284 images cannot be downloaded, the rocket's path will be
285 traced on a dark gray background instead.
287 You can pre-load images for your favorite launch sites
288 before you leave home; check out the 'Preload Maps'
293 .Monitor Flight Additional Igniter View
294 image::ignitor.png[width="5.5in"]
296 TeleMega includes four additional programmable pyro
297 channels. The Ignitor tab shows whether each of them has
298 continuity. If an ignitor has a low resistance, then the
299 voltage measured here will be close to the pyro battery
300 voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is required for a 'GO'
305 The altimeter records flight data to its internal
306 flash memory. TeleMetrum data is recorded at a much
307 higher rate than the telemetry system can handle, and
308 is not subject to radio drop-outs. As such, it
309 provides a more complete and precise record of the
310 flight. The 'Save Flight Data' button allows you to
311 read the flash memory and write it to disk.
313 Clicking on the 'Save Flight Data' button brings up a
314 list of connected flight computers and TeleDongle
315 devices. If you select a flight computer, the flight
316 data will be downloaded from that device directly. If
317 you select a TeleDongle device, flight data will be
318 downloaded from a flight computer over radio link via
319 the specified TeleDongle. See the chapter on
320 Controlling An Altimeter Over The Radio Link for more
323 After the device has been selected, a dialog showing
324 the flight data saved in the device will be shown
325 allowing you to select which flights to download and
326 which to delete. With version 0.9 or newer firmware,
327 you must erase flights in order for the space they
328 consume to be reused by another flight. This prevents
329 accidentally losing flight data if you neglect to
330 download data before flying again. Note that if there
331 is no more space available in the device, then no data
332 will be recorded during the next flight.
334 The file name for each flight log is computed
335 automatically from the recorded flight date, altimeter
336 serial number and flight number information.
340 Select this button and you are prompted to select a flight
341 record file, either a .telem file recording telemetry data or a
342 .eeprom file containing flight data saved from the altimeter
345 Once a flight record is selected, the flight monitor interface
346 is displayed and the flight is re-enacted in real time. Check
347 the Monitor Flight chapter above to learn how this window operates.
351 Select this button and you are prompted to select a flight
352 record file, either a .telem file recording telemetry data or a
353 .eeprom file containing flight data saved from
356 Note that telemetry files will generally produce poor graphs
357 due to the lower sampling rate and missed telemetry packets.
358 Use saved flight data in .eeprom files for graphing where possible.
360 Once a flight record is selected, a window with multiple tabs is
365 image::graph.png[width="5.5in"]
367 By default, the graph contains acceleration (blue),
368 velocity (green) and altitude (red).
370 The graph can be zoomed into a particular area by
371 clicking and dragging down and to the right. Once
372 zoomed, the graph can be reset by clicking and
373 dragging up and to the left. Holding down control and
374 clicking and dragging allows the graph to be panned.
375 The right mouse button causes a pop-up menu to be
376 displayed, giving you the option save or print the
381 image::graph-configure.png[width="5.5in"]
383 This selects which graph elements to show, and, at the
384 very bottom, lets you switch between metric and
387 ==== Flight Statistics
389 image::graph-stats.png[width="5.5in"]
391 Shows overall data computed from the flight.
395 image::graph-map.png[width="5.5in"]
397 Shows a satellite image of the flight area overlaid
398 with the path of the flight. The red concentric
399 circles mark the launch pad, the black concentric
400 circles mark the landing location.
404 This tool takes the raw data files and makes them
405 available for external analysis. When you select this
406 button, you are prompted to select a flight data file,
407 which can be either a .eeprom or .telem. The .eeprom
408 files contain higher resolution and more continuous
409 data, while .telem files contain receiver signal
410 strength information. Next, a second dialog appears
411 which is used to select where to write the resulting
412 file. It has a selector to choose between CSV and KML
415 ==== Comma Separated Value Format
417 This is a text file containing the data in a form
418 suitable for import into a spreadsheet or other
419 external data analysis tool. The first few lines of
420 the file contain the version and configuration
421 information from the altimeter, then there is a single
422 header line which labels all of the fields. All of
423 these lines start with a '#' character which many
424 tools can be configured to skip over.
426 The remaining lines of the file contain the data, with
427 each field separated by a comma and at least one
428 space. All of the sensor values are converted to
429 standard units, with the barometric data reported in
430 both pressure, altitude and height above pad units.
432 ==== Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)
434 This is the format used by Google Earth to provide an
435 overlay within that application. With this, you can
436 use Google Earth to see the whole flight path in 3D.
438 === Configure Altimeter
440 image::configure-altimeter.png[width="3.6in"]
442 Select this button and then select either an altimeter or
443 TeleDongle Device from the list provided. Selecting a TeleDongle
444 device will use the radio link to configure a remote altimeter.
446 The first few lines of the dialog provide information about the
447 connected device, including the product name,
448 software version and hardware serial number. Below that are the
449 individual configuration entries.
451 At the bottom of the dialog, there are four buttons:
454 This writes any changes to the configuration parameter
455 block in flash memory. If you don't press this button,
456 any changes you make will be lost.
459 This resets the dialog to the most recently saved
460 values, erasing any changes you have made.
464 This reboots the device. Use this to switch from idle
465 to pad mode by rebooting once the rocket is oriented
466 for flight, or to confirm changes you think you saved
471 This closes the dialog. Any unsaved changes will be
474 The rest of the dialog contains the parameters to be configured.
476 ==== Main Deploy Altitude
478 This sets the altitude (above the recorded pad
479 altitude) at which the 'main' igniter will fire. The
480 drop-down menu shows some common values, but you can
481 edit the text directly and choose whatever you
482 like. If the apogee charge fires below this altitude,
483 then the main charge will fire two seconds after the
488 When flying redundant electronics, it's often
489 important to ensure that multiple apogee charges don't
490 fire at precisely the same time, as that can over
491 pressurize the apogee deployment bay and cause a
492 structural failure of the air-frame. The Apogee Delay
493 parameter tells the flight computer to fire the apogee
494 charge a certain number of seconds after apogee has
499 Apogee lockout is the number of seconds after boost
500 where the flight computer will not fire the apogee
501 charge, even if the rocket appears to be at
502 apogee. This is often called 'Mach Delay', as it is
503 intended to prevent a flight computer from
504 unintentionally firing apogee charges due to the
505 pressure spike that occurrs across a mach
506 transition. Altus Metrum flight computers include a
507 Kalman filter which is not fooled by this sharp
508 pressure increase, and so this setting should be left
509 at the default value of zero to disable it.
513 This configures which of the frequencies to use for
514 both telemetry and packet command mode. Note that if
515 you set this value via packet command mode, the
516 TeleDongle frequency will also be automatically
517 reconfigured to match so that communication will
522 The radios in every Altus Metrum device are calibrated
523 at the factory to ensure that they transmit and
524 receive on the specified frequency. If you need to
525 you can adjust the calibration by changing this value.
526 Do not do this without understanding what the value
527 means, read the appendix on calibration and/or the
528 source code for more information. To change a
529 TeleDongle's calibration, you must reprogram the unit
532 ==== Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable
534 Enables the radio for transmission during
535 flight. When disabled, the radio will not
536 transmit anything during flight at all.
538 ==== Telemetry baud rate
540 This sets the modulation bit rate for data
541 transmission for both telemetry and packet
542 link mode. Lower bit rates will increase range
543 while reducing the amount of data that can be
544 sent and increasing battery consumption. All
545 telemetry is done using a rate 1/2 constraint
546 4 convolution code, so the actual data
547 transmission rate is 1/2 of the modulation bit
552 How often to transmit GPS information via APRS
553 (in seconds). When set to zero, APRS
554 transmission is disabled. This option is
555 available on TeleMetrum v2 and TeleMega
556 boards. TeleMetrum v1 boards cannot transmit
557 APRS packets. Note that a single APRS packet
558 takes nearly a full second to transmit, so
559 enabling this option will prevent sending any
560 other telemetry during that time.
564 Which SSID to report in APRS packets. By
565 default, this is set to the last digit of the
566 serial number, but can be configured to any
571 This sets the call sign included in each
572 telemetry packet. Set this as needed to
573 conform to your local radio regulations.
575 ==== Maximum Flight Log Size
577 This sets the space (in kilobytes) allocated
578 for each flight log. The available space will
579 be divided into chunks of this size. A smaller
580 value will allow more flights to be stored, a
581 larger value will record data from longer
584 ==== Ignitor Firing Mode
586 This configuration parameter allows the two standard ignitor
587 channels (Apogee and Main) to be used in different
591 This is the usual mode of operation; the
592 'apogee' channel is fired at apogee and the
593 'main' channel at the height above ground
594 specified by the 'Main Deploy Altitude' during
598 This fires both channels at apogee, the
599 'apogee' channel first followed after a two
600 second delay by the 'main' channel.
603 This fires both channels at the height above
604 ground specified by the Main Deploy Altitude
605 setting during descent. The 'apogee' channel
606 is fired first, followed after a two second
607 delay by the 'main' channel.
611 Because they include accelerometers,
612 TeleMetrum, TeleMega and EasyMega are
613 sensitive to the orientation of the board. By
614 default, they expect the antenna end to point
615 forward. This parameter allows that default to
616 be changed, permitting the board to be mounted
617 with the antenna pointing aft instead.
620 In this mode, the antenna end of the flight
621 computer must point forward, in line with the
622 expected flight path.
625 In this mode, the antenna end of the flight
626 computer must point aft, in line with the
627 expected flight path.
629 ==== Beeper Frequency
631 The beeper on all Altus Metrum flight
632 computers works best at 4000Hz, however if you
633 have more than one flight computer in a single
634 airframe, having all of them sound at the same
635 frequency can be confusing. This parameter
636 lets you adjust the base beeper frequency
639 ==== Configure Pyro Channels
641 image::configure-pyro.png[width="5.5in"]
643 This opens a separate window to configure the
644 additional pyro channels available on TeleMega
645 and EasyMega. One column is presented for
646 each channel. Each row represents a single
647 parameter, if enabled the parameter must meet
648 the specified test for the pyro channel to be
651 Select conditions and set the related value;
652 the pyro channel will be activated when *all*
653 of the conditions are met. Each pyro channel
654 has a separate set of configuration values, so
655 you can use different values for the same
656 condition with different channels.
658 At the bottom of the window, the 'Pyro Firing
659 Time' configuration sets the length of time
660 (in seconds) which each of these pyro channels
663 Once you have selected the appropriate
664 configuration for all of the necessary pyro
665 channels, you can save the pyro configuration
666 along with the rest of the flight computer
667 configuration by pressing the 'Save' button in
668 the main Configure Flight Computer window.
670 include::pyro-channels.raw[]
672 === Configure AltosUI
674 image:configure-altosui.png[width="2.4in"]
676 This button presents a dialog so that you can
677 configure the AltosUI global settings.
681 AltosUI provides voice announcements during
682 flight so that you can keep your eyes on the
683 sky and still get information about the
684 current flight status. However, sometimes you
685 don't want to hear them.
688 Turns all voice announcements on and off
691 Plays a short message allowing you to verify
692 that the audio system is working and the volume settings
697 AltosUI logs all telemetry data and saves all
698 TeleMetrum flash data to this directory. This
699 directory is also used as the staring point
700 when selecting data files for display or
703 Click on the directory name to bring up a
704 directory choosing dialog, select a new
705 directory and click 'Select Directory' to
706 change where AltosUI reads and writes data
711 This value is transmitted in each command
712 packet sent from TeleDongle and received from
713 an altimeter. It is not used in telemetry
714 mode, as the callsign configured in the
715 altimeter board is included in all telemetry
716 packets. Configure this with the AltosUI
717 operators call sign as needed to comply with
718 your local radio regulations.
720 Note that to successfully command a flight
721 computer over the radio (to configure the
722 altimeter, monitor idle, or fire pyro
723 charges), the callsign configured here must
724 exactly match the callsign configured in the
725 flight computer. This matching is case
730 This switches between metric units (meters)
731 and imperial units (feet and miles). This
732 affects the display of values use during
733 flight monitoring, configuration, data
734 graphing and all of the voice
735 announcements. It does not change the units
736 used when exporting to CSV files, those are
737 always produced in metric units.
741 Selects the set of fonts used in the flight
742 monitor window. Choose between the small,
743 medium and large sets.
747 This causes all communication with a connected
748 device to be dumped to the console from which
749 AltosUI was started. If you've started it from
750 an icon or menu entry, the output will simply
751 be discarded. This mode can be useful to debug
752 various serial communication issues.
754 ==== Manage Frequencies
756 This brings up a dialog where you can
757 configure the set of frequencies shown in the
758 various frequency menus. You can add as many
759 as you like, or even reconfigure the default
760 set. Changing this list does not affect the
761 frequency settings of any devices, it only
762 changes the set of frequencies shown in the
765 === Configure Groundstation
767 image:configure-groundstation.png[width="3.1in"]
769 Select this button and then select a
770 TeleDongle or TeleBT Device from the list
773 The first few lines of the dialog provide
774 information about the connected device,
775 including the product name, software version
776 and hardware serial number. Below that are the
777 individual configuration entries.
779 Note that TeleDongle and TeleBT don't save any
780 configuration data, the settings here are
781 recorded on the local machine in the Java
782 preferences database. Moving the device to
783 another machine, or using a different user
784 account on the same machine will cause
785 settings made here to have no effect.
787 At the bottom of the dialog, there are three
791 This writes any changes to the local Java
792 preferences file. If you don't press this
793 button, any changes you make will be lost.
796 This resets the dialog to the most recently
797 saved values, erasing any changes you have
801 This closes the dialog. Any unsaved changes
804 The rest of the dialog contains the parameters
809 This configures the frequency to use for both
810 telemetry and packet command mode. Set this
811 before starting any operation involving packet
812 command mode so that it will use the right
813 frequency. Telemetry monitoring mode also
814 provides a menu to change the frequency, and
815 that menu also sets the same Java preference
820 The radios in every Altus Metrum device are
821 calibrated at the factory to ensure that they
822 transmit and receive on the specified
823 frequency. To change a TeleDongle or TeleBT's
824 calibration, you must reprogram the unit
825 completely, so this entry simply shows the
826 current value and doesn't allow any changes.
830 This lets you match the telemetry and packet
831 link rate from the transmitter. If they don't
832 match, the device won't receive any data.
836 This reprograms Altus Metrum devices with new
837 firmware. TeleMetrum v1.x, TeleDongle v0.2, TeleMini
838 and TeleBT are all reprogrammed by using another
839 similar unit as a programming dongle (pair
840 programming). TeleMega, EasyMega, TeleMetrum v2,
841 EasyMini and TeleDongle v3 are all programmed directly
842 over their USB ports (self programming). Please read
843 the directions for flashing devices in the Updating
844 Device Firmware chapter below.
848 image::fire-igniter.png[width="1.2in"]
850 This activates the igniter circuits in the flight
851 computer to help test recovery systems
852 deployment. Because this command can operate over the
853 Packet Command Link, you can prepare the rocket as for
854 flight and then test the recovery system without
855 needing to snake wires inside the air-frame.
857 Selecting the 'Fire Igniter' button brings up the
858 usual device selection dialog. Pick the desired
859 device. This brings up another window which shows the
860 current continuity test status for all of the pyro
863 Next, select the desired igniter to fire. This will
864 enable the 'Arm' button.
866 Select the 'Arm' button. This enables the 'Fire'
867 button. The word 'Arm' is replaced by a countdown
868 timer indicating that you have 10 seconds to press the
869 'Fire' button or the system will deactivate, at which
870 point you start over again at selecting the desired
875 image::scan-channels.png[width="3.2in"]
877 This listens for telemetry packets on all of the
878 configured frequencies, displaying information about
879 each device it receives a packet from. You can select
880 which of the baud rates and telemetry formats should
881 be tried; by default, it only listens at 38400 baud
882 with the standard telemetry format used in v1.0 and
887 image::load-maps.png[width="5.2in"]
889 Before heading out to a new launch site, you can use
890 this to load satellite images in case you don't have
891 internet connectivity at the site.
893 There's a drop-down menu of launch sites we know
894 about; if your favorites aren't there, please let us
895 know the lat/lon and name of the site. The contents of
896 this list are actually downloaded from our server at
897 run-time, so as new sites are sent in, they'll get
898 automatically added to this list. If the launch site
899 isn't in the list, you can manually enter the lat/lon
902 There are four different kinds of maps you can view;
903 you can select which to download by selecting as many
904 as you like from the available types:
907 A combination of satellite imagery and road data. This
911 Just the satellite imagery without any annotation.
914 Roads, political boundaries and a few geographic
918 Contour intervals and shading that show hills and
921 You can specify the range of zoom levels to download;
922 smaller numbers show more area with less
923 resolution. The default level, 0, shows about
924 3m/pixel. One zoom level change doubles or halves that
925 number. Larger zoom levels show more detail, smaller
928 The Map Radius value sets how large an area around the
929 center point to download. Select a value large enough
930 to cover any plausible flight from that site. Be aware
931 that loading a large area with a high maximum zoom
932 level can attempt to download a lot of data. Loading
933 hybrid maps with a 10km radius at a minimum zoom of -2
934 and a maximum zoom of 2 consumes about 120MB of
935 space. Terrain and road maps consume about 1/10 as
936 much space as satellite or hybrid maps.
938 Clicking the 'Load Map' button will fetch images from
939 Google Maps; note that Google limits how many images
940 you can fetch at once, so if you load more than one
941 launch site, you may get some gray areas in the map
942 which indicate that Google is tired of sending data to
943 you. Try again later.
947 image::monitor-idle.png[width="5.2in"]
949 This brings up a dialog similar to the Monitor Flight
950 UI, except it works with the altimeter in “idle” mode
951 by sending query commands to discover the current
952 state rather than listening for telemetry
953 packets. Because this uses command mode, it needs to
954 have the TeleDongle and flight computer callsigns
955 match exactly. If you can receive telemetry, but
956 cannot manage to run Monitor Idle, then it's very
957 likely that your callsigns are different in some way.
959 You can change the frequency and callsign used to
960 communicate with the flight computer; they must both
961 match the configuration in the flight computer