Stratux Europe Edition 1.6r1-eu022

Just in time for the holidays, there is a new Stratux project for everyone! Extend your Stratux with transmit capabilities, to not only see, but also be seen.

New build variants and guides

• The Wiki now features 3 build guides, including one of them that implements transmit capabilities for various 868Mhz protocols
• A new 3D-printable and customizable case has been designed to accommodate the transmit hardware (don't have a 3D printer? there are plenty of 3D printing services that can print the case for you for ~15-25€). The case has been designed in OpenSCAD and is therefore very easy to customize to fit your needs. It offers enough space to also include a TTGO T-Beam device (see build guide 3)
• If you decide to equip your Stratux with an OGN tracker, you will even be able to receive more traffic as well: When a PilotAware ground station sees you transmitting the PilotAware protocol (which the OGN tracker will do), it will re-transmit Mode-S target positions that have been determined by Mlat
• See here for more information: https://github.com/b3nn0/stratux/wiki/Building-Stratux-Europe-Edition

You can - of course - help extending the coverage of PilotAware base station by hosting one yourself at home. Check the PilotAware website or contact them for more information.

This probably makes Stratux Europe Edition the most capable traffic awareness device available - at extremely affordable cost.

New features, improvements and fixes

• Implemented first-class support for connecting a TTGO T-Beam based OGN Tracker, including configuration from the Stratux web interface
• Improved parsing of NMEA traffic message from external devices providing them
• Added support for MPU9255 IMU
• Several improvements to 868Mhz reception and protocol handling
• Improvements to UBlox GPS chip configurations (mainly enablement of SBAS (WAAS, Egnos)
• Bugfixes to Fancontrol daemon
• Possibility to set the minimum fan speed manually. This way, you can now set the fan to a speed where it just starts turning to have a constant mild airflow over your SDRs and CPU (requires Stratux AHRS module)
• Fixes to GPS NMEA parsing in general and SV numbering (thanks to @VirusPilot)
• Included Stratux-compatible OGN Tracker firmware in the images, with an easy way of installing it directly from your Stratux, see here
• Fixed detection of Stratux UAT Radio
• Corrected ID conflict handling between ICAO and non-ICAO aircraft IDs
• Multiple minor bug and crash fixes all over the place
• Some minor improvements to the web interface
• Improved logging: if the Stratux service ever crashes, it will now write information to the log file that helps in finding the cause of the crash

Known issues

• OGN Tracker configuration for "Pilot Name" may not contain any whitespaces for now
• Due to the nature of the many changes, there might be issues related to the new features. However, regarding the old features, I expect this version to be more stable than previous versions
• If you want to install OGN Tracker Firmware directly from your Stratux, you must install this version by re-imaging the SD card. If you use the update-*.sh, you will not be able to install the firmware.

PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CLEAR YOUR BROWSER CACHE AFTER INSTALLING THIS VERSION

OGN Tracker and fan speed configuration

Stratux build with transmit capabilities

Stratux Europe Edition 1.6r1-eu021

Quite a large release this time around, with user facing and structural changes:

• OGN Receiver now has a status page on http://192.168.10.1:8082 with detailed information
• Stratux now accepts NMEA on port 30011. This can be used to wirelessly connect an ESP32 OGN Tracker and use it as a traffic/location source
• Extended the main Status page to include information about OGN noise level and a link to a spectrogram (see screenshot below).
  The OGN Noise bar switches color from green to red, depending on the noise level. Reception range decreases by 50% for each 6dB of noise, which is shows as the "range loss factor". Please note that, in order to optimize noise, you have to test in the aircraft while flying. Noise varies widely depending on your surroundings. To proof that, e.g. look at the noise levels with your Stratux beside your desk with a PC vs. going outside with a power bank. This can easily cause a drop of 15dB.
• Stratux now contains a "Map" page which shows all received traffic on a map. See details and screenshot below
• Switched from ancient Stratux/dump1090 to actively maintained Flightaware/dump1090 for ADS-B reception
• Added identity decoding also for AltitudeReplies (by TomBric)
• Small fix to NMEA PFLAA output, which could cause SkyDemon to not show a specific traffic aircraft in rare instances

Please make sure to clear your browser cache after installing the update.

Status page

Map

• Aircraft become transparent when they are not received for some time, so the more intensity the color has, the more recent its position reception is
• Aircraft are colored depending on their protocol as usual (blue for ADS-B, green for OGN and brown for UAT)
• A ~5nm track line is shown for each aircraft
• You can choose between a low-res offline OpenStreetMap background, a high-res online one, and OpenAIP (also online)
• To make use of the online layers, the client device (phone/tablet/PC) needs to have an internet connection. If it doesn't, only the low-res map is usable
  

Stratux Europe Edition 1.6r1-eu020

• Added Mode-S identity reply decoding to more successfully resolve the callsign of Mode-S targets
• Fixed relative bearing computation in NMEA PFLAU traffic messages
• Removed Stratux OLED status display support for now, as nobody seems to use it and it doesn't work on python 3 any more [help wanted]
• Improvement to Mode-S bearingless target distance estimation
• Changed "Bearingless target" option to only affect GDL90 bearingless emulation with the 8 fake-targets, not NMEA output.
• Improvements to "Radar" page
• Minor fixes to "Traffic" page
• Favor GNSS over Baro altitude for OGN targets, as some trackers transmit invalid baro alt
• "Show traffic source in callsign" option now distinguishes between the individual OGN protocols

Included the following updates from mainline Stratux:

• Added support for new Stratux AHRS Module (untested, as I don't have such a module. Feel free to report back)
• Added Dark Mode to web interface

Please make sure to clear your browser cache after installing the update.

Stratux Europe Edition 1.6r1-eu019

This is mainly a bug fix release with some follow-ups to the newly introduced features in eu016/eu018. If you feel that you are not affected by those bugs, you may as well skip this version.
Changes:

• Emitter category (aircraft type) can now be displayed on the traffic page
• Fixed emitter category detection for PAW and FANET targets
• Fixed baud rate handling for connected TTGO T-Beam with SoftRF (fixes potential "Not communicating" issue)
• Allow hotplugging of Stratux UAT Radio
• Some minor improvements to the Radar screen
• More robust NMEA parsing to handle it gracefully if SoftRF is accidentally configured to output NMEA AND GDL90
• Fixed altitude reporting for OGN Trackers that are equipped with a baro module/report barometric altitude
• Fixed not being able to set baud rate in some cases for NMEA-Out via serial
• Added better user feedback when installing an update.sh file via the web interface

Please make sure to clear your browser cache after installing.

Stratux Europe Edition 1.6r1-eu018

Warning. There has been a critical issue in release eu017. If you have already installed it, please upgrade to eu018 with the provided update file.

For the rest:

1. After installation, please make sure to clear your browser cache.
2. The provided update file is ONLY suitable to upgrade from eu016 experimental to eu017. Upgrading from eu015 will require a complete re-flashing of the SD card.

Changes since eu015:

• Better support for SoftRF dongle - we will now be able to show GPS statistics and can use the barometric information if your dongle is equipped with a pressure sensor (BMP280). This can be used to replace the Stratux AHRS module if you don't mind the missing fan control and AHRS capabilities.
• Better support for SoftRF T-Beam - pressure information will be used as described above. No GPS statistics though.
• An ESP32 based OGN tracker (thus TTGO LoRa, T-Beam or Heltec boards) can be used as source of GPS and barometric pressure (if equipped with the sensor) as well as a position beacon making the aircraft visible to other Stratux users and to the OGN network. This spares the dedicated GPS and pressure sensor.
• Support for replacing your GPS with an ESP32 based OGN Tracker - including reading of barometric altitude if available [for now, only TTGO T-Beam with OGN Tracker firmware is tested. Other ESP32 based devices should work as well].
• An updated world map with fixed water areas on the GPS page (thanks to @Ulli71)
• A couple of smaller bugfixes in Stratux and dump1090
• OGN reception is now extended by two protocols: FANET and PilotAware, thus making the paragliders and airplanes equipped with those systems visible. reception latency is as well very much reduced.
• Prediction of traffic position based on track and speed for up to 20 seconds if the signal drops.
• More useful traffic reporting when your Stratux is not equipped with a barometric pressure sensor. For information on how this works, refer to https://github.com/b3nn0/stratux/wiki/Altitudes-in-Stratux-EU (especially sections "How to get my own pressure altitude" and "Conclusions"
• Implemented OGN reception logs that are stored in your Stratux for SAR use. If you happen to be flying in the vicinity of a crash, your Stratux can be analyzed to potentially find the wreck
• Compatibility with Raspberry PI 3B+ and 4B
• Upgraded to latest RaspiOS image

Additionally, since the last experimental eu016:

• Some tweaks to the radar screen
• Much more robust Mode-S bearingless reception and display in radar screen and in what is sent to EFB
• Tweaks to OGN reception: Only aircraft that are available in the OGN device database will now receive a tail number. The aircraft ID will not be written as tail number any more. Stratux will show [--N/A--] if the target is not in the DDB.
• Bugfix to U-Blox 6/7 handling: those chips were configured to only send at 1Hz and GNGGA every 0.1Hz. This is now changed back to 10Hz/1Hz.
• It is now possible to have Flarm-NMEA out via serial port. This allows connecting Stratux to some PFDs via serial connection. See here for more information: https://github.com/b3nn0/stratux/wiki/Stratux-Serial-output-for-EFIS's-that-support-GDL90-or-Flarm-NMEA-over-serial
• Fixed PilotAware reception
• A few other minor bug fixes here and there

Stratux Europe Edition 1.6r1-eu016 EXPERIMENTAL

This is a huge release and therefore marked as EXPERIMENTAL. Only install if you feel adventurous and feel free to report issues.
Because of the significant changes, it is not possible to upgrade via the web interface. Reflashing the SD card is required.

The following changes are included in this release:

• Better support for SoftRF dongle - we will now be able to show GPS statistics and can use the barometric information if your dongle is equipped with a pressure sensor (BMP280). This can be used to replace the Stratux AHRS module if you don't mind the missing fan control and AHRS capabilities.
• Better support for SoftRF T-Beam - pressure information will be used as described above. No GPS statistics though.
• An ESP32 based OGN tracker (thus TTGO LoRa, T-Beam or Heltec boards) can be used as source of GPS and barometric pressure (if equipped with the sensor) as well as a position beacon making the aircraft visible to other Stratux users and to the OGN network. This spares the dedicated GPS and pressure sensor.
• Support for replacing your GPS with an ESP32 based OGN Tracker - including reading of barometric altitude if available [for now, only TTGO T-Beam with OGN Tracker firmware is tested. Other ESP32 based devices should work as well].
• An updated world map with fixed water areas on the GPS page (thanks to @Ulli71)
• A couple of smaller bugfixes in Stratux and dump1090
• OGN reception is now extended by two protocols: FANET and PilotAware, thus making the paragliders and airplanes equipped with those systems visible. reception latency is as well very much reduced.
• Prediction of traffic position based on track and speed for up to 20 seconds if the signal drops.
• More useful traffic reporting when your Stratux is not equipped with a barometric pressure sensor. For information on how this works, refer to https://github.com/b3nn0/stratux/wiki/Altitudes-in-Stratux-EU (especially sections "How to get my own pressure altitude" and "Conclusions"
• Implemented OGN reception logs that are stored in your Stratux for SAR use. If you happen to be flying in the vicinity of a crash, your Stratux can be analyzed to potentially find the wreck
• Compatibility with Raspberry PI 3B+ and 4B
• Upgraded to latest RaspiOS image

This means, that you can now use Stratux as a full blown traffic awareness system.
Build a Stratux with an OGN Tracker as GPS source - this way, Stratux users can see each other. I think it is safe to say that Stratux has now become the most capable traffic device available - while also being one of the cheapest to build.

EDIT: PilotAware reception was buggy and will be fixed in the next version.
EDIT2: After installation, make sure to clear your browser cache.

Stratux Europe Edition 1.6r1-eu015

Hotfix release to fix a bug with Ublox GPS handling:
In the previous version, the GNGGA NMEA sentence was disabled, and therefore, the Geoid Separation was always considered 0.

This means, that the altitude reported to the EFB could be wrong (typically by about 40-50m in Europe).
You can see if you are affected by going to the GPS/AHRS page and check if the two values reported as
"Height Above Mean Sea Level (MSL)" and "Height Above Ellipsoid (HAE)" are equal.
If they are, your version is affected.

This is the only change in this version. If you are using an Ublox based GPS, such as the GPYes dongles, an update is recommended.

Stratux Europe Edition 1.6r1-eu014

Only a minor release:

• Support for X-Plane 11 compatible data output. This makes it experimentally possible to connect with Garmin Pilot. Note that we do not officially support Garmin Pilot, Either it works for you, or it doesn't. To make use of this, you MUST re-image your micro SD card. Online update will not work.
• Some more tweaks to GPS handling by VirusPilot

Stratux Europe Edition 1.6r1-eu013

Changes in this version:

• Added experimental support for Flarm-NMEA in. This means, that you can now connect an official flarm unit to your Stratux and use it as a replacement for your GPS and Flarm-SDR. This gives you a Stratux that can send&receive Flarm.
  Note: to make this work, you need to make sure that the Flarm NMEA Stream is available under /dev/flarm - you have to manually modify /etc/udev/rules.d/10-stratux.rules
  It is also possible to use a SoftRF unit (T-Beam/T-Motion Dongle) to additionally give you the option to send/receive OGNTP, P3I or FANET. Udev rules are preconfigured for SoftRF devices, so it should be a simple plug and play.
• Added experimental support for WiFi-Direct:
  It is now possible to configure the Stratux as a WiFi Direct host instead of a WiFi Access Point.
  Advantage: This makes it possible for Android devices to be connected via WiFi-Direct AND mobile data (or a secondary Wifi AP) in parallel.
  Disadvantage: the connection needs to be manually established every time.
  Setup example:
  

As these are major changes, it is not possible to update to this version via the web interface.
Re-flashing the SD card is required for this update.

Stratux Europe Edition 1.6r1-eu012

Include latest official Stratux feature:

• Smart Wifi to keep 4G connection active on apple devices while connected to Stratux