For reference only, here is the PlanePlotter Tool Bar (you can click it to access the Website):
Suggested settings for a 'viewer' only (no SBS/RB/ACARS required!) set-up:
Input-Output Settings Chart Settingsv4.9.7: These new features are in version 4.9.7 on the web site now. (Updates are still free to registered users.) I have added an option under the View menu pulldown (View..Aircraft - flagged) to show only those aircraft that also show a flag. Fairly obviously, this only applies if you have defined and enabled flag displays in View..Aircraft by using Options..Flags..Define. The Aircraft button on the toolbar restores the view to the normal one with all aircraft showing, not just flagged ones. This may seem a rather obscure feature but the idea is that if you are only interested in a subset of aircraft (eg mil aircraft), you can create a flag definition file that only shows flags for the hex code ranges that are of interest. The new option then gives you a way to filter out all the aircraft except those that interest you. I have also taken the opportunity to add support for the PageUp and PageDown keys in the View..Messages/Aircraft/Aircraft-flagged displays. This is in addition to the regular scrolling options using the scroll bar. Regards, Bev, COAA. v4.9.5: I have placed version 4.9.5 of Planeplotter on the web site at www.planeplotter.com. As usual, updates are free to registered users. You do not need to uninstall the previous version. More flags I have increased the space for flags from 200 to 500. When I thought that they were just one for each country, it seemed to me that 200 should suffice. However, distinguishing mil flights from civil flights in the same series, or even individual squadrons, requires more flags. Hence the change. There is also a slight cosmetic adjustment to the display of flags to improve the appearance for larger flags and longer registrations. Playback improvements If you playback SBS1 or RadarBox recordings (log files), there is now a control dialog in which you can pause, single step, run at real time, play slowly or quickly, or advance to a specified time. This should make it easier to review specific events. Regards, Bev, COAA.back to top
PlanePlotter is FREE to download from the official website - if you purchased it then you have been conned?! The free download has a one-month free trial for those that have ways of obtain the data (SBS/RadarBox/ACARS etc.) and wish to display that data locally. The registration fee then becomes payable to continue its use. To just view the shared data then you have to pay the one-off registration fee immediately to enable this feature. After paying the one-off registration fee, which is for life, enables free use on any PC you own. If you need a second registration number for a second machine (note for personal use only as the use is monitored!) then go to the main PP website "Registration Section" and, using the orginal Email address you used the first time, enter the new 'Personal' number and wait for the new registration number to be sent to you.back to top
A comprehensive guide to setting-up and using PlanePlotter can be found by clicking the HELP tab on the tool bar!back to top
-1 - ACARS no position (no plot) 0 - ACARS position - red 1 - ACARS ADS 'next estimated position' report - blue 2 - ACARS AMDAR position - green 3 - SBS or RB log file data position - yellow (real-time) or orange (delayed) 4 - HFDL position - cyan 5 - ACARS flight-plan waypoint position - magenta 6 - SBS-1 TCP position delayed - yellow or orange 7 - RadarBox position delayed - yellow or orangeback to top
Refer to the 'Calibrating Chart' tutorial found by clicking the HELP tab on the tool bar.back to top
"Cut & Paste" the three lines below into an active gpx file and replace your co-ords between the quote marks. [e.g. <wpt lat="52.98765" lon="-0.43210">] <wpt lat="**lat**" lon="**lon**"> <name>Home</name> <sym>City</sym>back to top
Yes - your registration payment is a 'lifetime' subscription. Each computer requires a seperate number. To obtain this you need to install the latest version of PP on the new computer and obtain the generated serial number. Then refer to the 'Register PlanePlotter Now' link from the home page and follow the instructions accordingly. When you need a second registration number for a second machine (note for personal use only as the use is monitored!) go to the main PP website "Registration Section" and, using the orginal Email address you used the first time, enter the new 'Personal' number and wait for the new registration number to be sent to you.back to top
There are several possibilities here: 1) Your computers clock may not be correctly adjusted to your time zone? PP uses UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), aka in the aviation world as 'zulu time', so your computer must be set accordingly. 2)back to top
From the tool bar - "Options -- Purge" then reclick the 'Share' button.back to top
A comprehensive range of both calibrated and vector maps can be found at the PlanePlotter user groups file area or the ManTMA PP Support site. By clicking the ManTMA logo at the top of this page will also get you to both!.back to top
This is a result of the predictive track setting. Go to the "Chart Options' icon (Green and Blue Spanner on the tool bar). It is suggested that you set the altitude in the 'predict positions over' window to at least 3000 feet and 'Omit a/c after' to 5 minutes. Any changes here must be resaved in the appropriate configuration.back to top
Vector mapping is a dynamic system which allows the user to drag the underlying chart to a specific location , then at the touch of a button, an accurate , calibrated map is drawn. Not only that ...it also allows you to zoom down to any reasonable level without pixelation (Use the zoom tool then refresh the outline button in the tool bar ) The advantage of this is that you can re locate your map to anywhere in the world and bring up an accurate representation of the coastline airways and airfields. In the case of Europe, Eastern Australia and Florida you will be presented with hi resolution data in "near radar head" format. Courtesy of John Locker.back to top
Vector maps can be coloured according to your own taste. In the first instant, the mapping will load using the PP default colours. To make the mapping look more realistic , the colours can be changed quite easily by following this procedure:- 1) Select the line you wish to change ... for example the coastline. 2) Zoom in until you can accurately position your mouse pointer onto the line. 3) Depress the left mouse button whilst holding down the CTRL key ... a colour palette will appear. 4) Select the new colour you wish to use and hit OK and all features having the same mapping colour code will now be changed. 5) Once done, closing down PP will save the changes ... or you can save to one of the four configurations. From the tool bar "File -- Save Config -- A or B or C or D" as required. Courtesy of John Locker.back to top
Yes, GPX overlay files will work with vector mapping. You can load up all the waypoints and in addition using EasyGPS sw you can create your own labels and markers , as required. No more calibrating individual maps and will give you a more professional looking system that will rival any SBS screen! Courtesy of John Locker.back to top
Lots of people use PlanePlotter on Vista. 1. Install it in a user directory, not in the default C:\Program\files\COAA\PlanePlotter\ 2. Download the WinHelp patch to allow the Help system to work (Google "Vista WinHelp" to find it). 3. Make sure you are using the latest version of PlanePlotter. 4. Check the PlanePlotter user group on Yahoo. Some VIsta versions use a filing system that needs some help. David Taylor has written a free utility that fixes that problem which is available from the Yahoo Group file area (FileWakeup.zip). Courtesy of Bev (the Boss).
HELP FILES: A full Help file is included in the current releases. If you are running Windows Vista, you may need this Microsoft Update to allow the Help to work: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=6ebcfad9-d3f5-4365-8070-334cd175d4bb&displaylang=en Courtesy of David Taylor.back to top
It is really very simple and I have tried to explain it more than once (messages 2244 and 2375 on the Yahoo Group, among others). 1. There are no registrations in Mode-S/ADS-B transmissions. A priori all aircraft have the rego ".NO-REG". 2. If you receive messages of your own, you will only see a registration if you have done a Look-Up in this session *or* you have the SQlite database installed and the rego/hex association is in there. 3. If you receive messages by sharing, you will only see a registration if the originator had something from (2) above (so it came by sharing with a rego) *or* you have the SQlite database installed and the rego/hex association is in there. 4. You will have the SQlite database if you have an SBS-1 **or** if you have used the one in the files area of this group following the instructions message 2375 **or** if someone has given you one. 5. The rego will be in your SQlite database if it was there from the beginning *or* if it has been added by some other populating utility *or* if you have done a look up for that airframe and you have enabled the "Update" option in the Mode-S receiver setup. In brief, you only get ".NO-REG" on shared aircraft if neither the originator nor you have got an SQlite database with that hex code in it. You cannot do much about the originator, but there is no reason why you should not install and progessively populate your own SQlite database. See message 2375 of this forum for how to do it. Now do you see why some see them and others don't? Courtesy of Bev (the Boss). ** 02/01/08 - The above may now have been addressed with program updates (from v4.2d onwards)? **back to top
No Mode-S/ABD-B messages have a registration in them. If you see any regs, it means that the person contributing the message to the sharing system has done a look-up, or that you have done a look-up (and you have a BS SQlite database to save them in). [Admin. or get a good quality SQB file from here !] When you see ".NO-REG", right click on the symbol and it will perform a look-up for you. If you don't want to do that next time that you see the same aircraft, install the SQlite database so that the information is saved. It is really your responsibility to build up the database to show you the real regs instead of ".NO-REG". Courtesy of Bev (the Boss).back to top