Albatross updates for 2023

[mlachow]

The RC Electronics April 2023 newsletter is out.

Check out https://www.rc-electronics.eu/Newsletter_04_2023.pdf

If you visit the Rankings page on RCModelspot https://www.rcmodelspot.com/Rankings you will see a new category. This category is for SoaringLeague. https://www.rcmodelspot.com/Rankings/SoaringLeague

The Soaring League flights are a perfect way to use your GPS gear for recording and measuring your thermal flights any day. SoaringLeague computes a flight points per hour value that is based on the altitude gained in thermals as well as the distance flown during the flight. The flight points are based on those measures but they are scaled somehow with a polynomial that includes airspeed.. There are some really fun flights out there that are an hour or more long and include some pretty impressive thermal height gains and distances flown.

Basically you just need to start up Albatros so you fly without entering any GPS course.

[RickS]

In addition to the changes noted on the attached pdf, flights with a start penalty will not count towards a pilots ranking.

[mlachow]

RCModelspot has had some new updates. The GPS League flights now have a thermal and slope choice. So now 14 or 15 laps in GPS Light in thermal conditions looks decent and the 20 lap slope flights are totaled differently.

[mlachow]

Looks good. But you can also set third party telemetry to 2 and use your powerbox core as secondary back channel according to docs. Phone still powers snipe. Also check your snipe log file to verify version.

[Steve P]

Running 3.5 Albatross. Assuming after fumbling and bumbling around with the Raven side, I got this right...

Device: Raven
Serial Nr: 178275
IGC Sn: 07N
HW: 1.1
Produced: 22.1.2022
FW v: r.1.5.B20
Telemetry Pair key: 168313
3rd party telemetry protocol in use: Not in use
TE Level: -1 %
Filter: 1.5 s
Servo trigger level: 0 %
Servo control input: Bottom connector

[mlachow]

I finished updating all my devices to the latest versions.

[RickS]

Latest version of Albatross is 3.5 and all other devices are now 1.5.B20. Everyone used these versions at the recent contest at SWSS in Maricopa, AZ. No problems were found with these new versions.

BTW the migration of everything to the rcmodelspot.com website was sudden and very expensive. It was originally planned to be done slowly over the next year.

[mlachow]

If you have already done the Snipe update, there is a bug fix. 1.5B1 is the latest. The altitude stuff is supposed to be barometric altitude. And all the classes are supposed to use that now. The fix makes sure that is the altitude announced.

[mlachow]

So much for plans. The Finch and Perfection test worked as planned. When I went to fly the old system, I got the wonderful login screen for older Albatross.

Fortunately the 3.4 app on my backup phone still worked with 1.4 firmware. When I got home I updated all the pieces to 1,5


The upload processing is much, much faster than the old servers.

[mlachow]

I plan on first loading it on a sparrow and my finch and backup phone. Then I can test on my Perfection gps light. I just have to wait for some nice weather. Maybe the 30th.

I did notice uploads work funny on the old stuff yesterday. The rcmodelspot part of the upload is now broken. But the data did load into the old gps triangle league site. That site is supposed to go away year end.

I guess you could keep the old software. You just won't be able to upload results.

[mlachow]

There is a new update from rc-electronics. I think this one will be hard to avoid since the web sites are changing.

Here is a copy.


First of all, RC Electronics team would like to wish you Merry Christmas and all the best in 2023.



We have been working around the clock to finish the project which were planned for 2022.



We are happy to announce that we launched our newly designed online platform www.rcmodelspot.com, where we supported GPS Triangle Euro Contest, League, local events and challenge cups. More rankings / events will be added in 2023.

At this point we would like to thank again to our donators who helped us financially with the project so we could finish it… THANK YOU



As we moved our platform to new / faster servers and made a lot of changes, it is important to know that all users are required to use new Albatross v3.4. With any older version access to rcmodelspot will not work anymore.



Speaking about Albatross 😊 … Yes, we publish new version… version 3.4 and can be downloaded from our website: https://www.rc-electronics.eu/Albatross_v34.apk

In this version we made:

- audio warning for safety zone is working correctly for all types of zones (circular and rectangular)

- faster save to cloud

- zoom out of map when Fly button is pressed is now fixed

- last state of map enable / disable is remembered and will be same on next flight

- Fix RF option is always visible, even for non-competition signed task

- Cloud settings were removed from setup as GPS triangle league server will shut down in 2023

- Upload of flights for GPS triangle league was removed

- Removed email and replay button in logbook

- Faster response when flying

- All GPS triangle classes are now using barometric altitude for a score.



Last line is very important! We have been contacted from GPS Triangle Committee that new rule change will be active for 2023 which will say that barometric altitude is taken for a score of Altitude and not GPS Altitude anymore. Due to this reason, it is important for all pilots to set navbox where they check altitude to Baro Altitude and not GPS altitude as was used now!



Also, it is very important to update the plane unit and ground unit to latest version where this barometric altitude is calculated correctly (auto set to 0m before takeoff) All units have new versions: v1.5.B0 and are published on our website:

https://www.rc-electronics.eu/downloads/firmware/