GATAS documentation
GATAS PULSE Modules
GATAS conspicuity is built around a module structure, and each module performs a specific task. From the web interface some modules can be configured, can be monitored and can be enabled or disabled.
- 👀 -> Monitoring of a module
- 🛠️ -> Configuration of a module
- Ⓧ -> Enable/Disable modules
About monitoring
Each module provides monitoring of various variables. If the variable ends with ‘Err’ then an error occured, something that was not expected as they should stay at zero. However, low values of *Err variables is accepted, all errors are carefully handled, retried etc. It does not mean the system is in error, just that it happened and it was noticed, and processing continued.
Decide if a modules can be enabled or disabled
All modules can be by default be enabled. When enabled, they don’t consume (or hardly consume) any resources from the system, except some memory. The following modules can stay disabled unless you really need them, when you need them you know :)
- ADSBDecoder
- AirConnect
- Bmp280
- Dump1090Client
- GatasConnectUDP — only required when GATAS connects directly to the GATAS server over Wi-Fi
Info
The below information is provided to help you understand how the system works, it is not required to know the below by heart, in the Setup instructions it’s explained what you have to do. Don’t be alarmed, I kept this at a minimal.
Modules
| Name | Function | Usage | Configuration | Monitoring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADSBDecoder | ADS-B decoder module for decoding of ADS-B strings in the form of *A0001718801C7B30A004DFD5B1CA;. | Only enable if other modules like Dump1090 will inject ADSB strings. gatasConnect will not use ADSB strings. | Enabled: Enable/Disable. filterAbove: Filter aircraft above own altitude. filterBelow: Filter aircraft below own altitude. Note: Avoid large ranges for irrelevant aircraft. | ❌ |
| ADSL | Enable encoding/decoding of ADS-L frames. | Usually keep enabled. Transmission depends on aircraft configuration. | N/A | ✅ |
| AirConnect | Provides NMEA sentences to connected devices over TCP. | Enable for EFB NMEA over TCP. Password ignored, all requests allowed. | N/A | ❌ |
| AircraftTracker | Caching and scheduling of tracked aircraft via radio/online. | Mandatory. | DDB: Enable to use DDB for aircraft without callsigns. | ✅ |
| Bluetooth | BLE connectivity (older RFComm WIP). Sends NMEA over Bluetooth. | Must stay enabled. | Device name: Bluetooth advertisement name. | ✅ |
| Bmp280 | Barometric pressure sensor for altitude. | Not currently used, future altitude calculations. | Compensation: Pressure sensor offset. | ✅ |
| Config | Handles storing and retrieving configuration data. | Must stay enabled. | N/A | ✅ |
| DataPort | Generates NMEA messages, PFLAA, forwards GPS to end devices. | Must stay enabled. | N/A | ✅ |
| Dump1090Client | Connects to Dump1090 server for ADS-B data. | Enable if Dump1090 server running. also enable ADSBDecoder. Note: Resource consuming, not advised for normal operation. | IP: Server IP. Port: Server Port. | ❌ |
| Fanet | Send/receive FANET dataframes. | Use when flying in FANET areas. | N/A | ❌ |
| Flarm | Encoding/decoding of FLARM frames. | Usually enabled. Transmission depends on aircraft config. | N/A | ✅ |
| GDLoverUDP | Transmission of GDL data over UDP. | Requires Gdl90Service. | Ports: Up to 2 ports (default 4000). IP/PORT: For external Gdl90Service traffic. Note: Supports ForeFlight extended spec. | ✅ |
| GatasConnect | Creates and processes GATAS Connect protocol messages, then routes them through the available transport. | Keep enabled when using GATAS Connect through either direct UDP or the Bluetooth Companion route. | Pin Code: 0 disables PIN lookup, otherwise use 1000–999999.GDL90 Bridge: Forward GDL90 traffic to GATAS Companion over Bluetooth. | ✅ |
| GatasConnectUDP | Sends and receives GATAS Connect protocol messages over UDP. | Enable when GATAS connects directly to the GATAS server through Wi-Fi or a mobile hotspot. It can stay disabled when using only the Bluetooth Companion route. | Server: Hostname or IP address of the GATAS Connect service. Default: gatas.vantwisk.nl. | ✅ Packets and bytes sent/received, connection state, allocation errors, and send failures. |
| Gdl90Service | Generating GDL90 frames (ForeFlight Extended supported). | Must be enabled for GDLoverUDP. | N/A | ✅ |
| GpsDecoder | Decodes GPS NMEA, provides location/timing (PPS). | Mandatory. | N/A | ✅ Ideal: gpsFixType=DGPS, gpsRatePerSec=2. |
| L76B / UbloxM8N | Enables GPS module (L76B or UbloxM8N) for navigation. | Must be enabled for GPS. Only one active (Pulse=L76B, Full=UbloxM8N). | Soft PPS: IMPORTANT: Only use if PPS pin NOT soldered. HIGHLY recommended to use PPS. | ✅ |
| Ogn1 | Encoding/decoding of OGN radio frames. | Usually enabled. Transmission depends on aircraft config. | N/A | ✅ |
| PicoRtc | Sets/monitors internal timing based on PPS and EPOCH times. | Mandatory. | N/A | ✅ |
| RadioTunerRx | Timings for reception of RADIO frames. | Must be enabled to receive radio frames. | N/A | ✅ |
| RadioTunerTx | Timings for transmission of RADIO frames. | Must be enabled to transmit radio frames. | N/A | ✅ |
| RxDataFrameQueue | Offloads transceiver modules, handles dataframe reception. | Must be enabled to receive radio frames. | N/A | ✅ |
| Sx1262_X | Radio Hardware module for radioframes. | [Usage info] | txEnabled: Enable/Disable transmission (leave enabled unless dev). Receptions stay enabled. | ✅ |
| Webserver | Webserver and webinterface access. | Must be enabled for webinterface. | N/A | ✅ |
| WifiService | WiFi Client/AP mode setup/management. Re-scans if dropped. AP only if no client connection possible. | Enabled by default. | SSID/Password Client: Multiple configurations. SSID/Password AP: Access Point config. | ✅ |