XC-TRACKER II Flarm Mini IV GPS User Manual

: June 6, 2024
: XC-TRACKER

User Manual XC Tracer II Farm

Quick Start Guide:

XC Tracer II Flarm is a high-precision solar variometer with GPS and integrated collision warning system FLARM. XC Tracer II FLARM transmits your position twice per second and also your estimated trajectory for the next 20 seconds. Any other FLARM devices in the vicinity can use this information to assess any possible risk of collision. If another FLARM device determines that a collision is possible, it will warn the pilot of the other aircraft. XC Tracer II Flarm itself does not warn of possible collisions with other aircraft.
Many pilots use an XC Tracer variometer for long XC flights and competitions. The video has a lag-free indication of lift/sink rate that makes it much easier to find and core thermals than when using a conventional variometer. Data like airspeed, altitude, climb, course, etc can be sent via Bluetooth Low Energy 4.0 and/or over USB to a mobile phone, tablet, or e-reader.
Attach the XC Tracer II Flarm to the cockpit or thigh with the supplied velcro (Important: do not attach to the helmet or hang it around your neck with a leash!). Align the variometer as best you can so that the sun shines on the solar cell during flight. Turn your XC Tracer II Flarm on before take-off (or during flight) by pressing the red button until you hear a “beep-beep”, then release the button. The GPS will now search for a fix, and as soon as it has a fix the Vario makes a beep-beep-beep, and the white LED starts flashing every 2-3 seconds.
The video will remain silent whilst you’re still on the ground, but as soon as you take off it will start beeping. The XC Tracer II Flarm has 4 volume levels: silent, quiet, medium, and loud. The volume can be changed by briefly pressing the red button in the following order silent- quiet- medium – loud – silent – quiet- etc.
After landing, turn the XC Tracer II Flarm off by pressing and holding the red button until you hear a beep-beep in descending order, then release the button. The white LED stops flashing, indicating that it’s now off. If you forget to turn it off it will turn itself off automatically if it detects no movement for 1 minute (assuming the flight was longer than an hour)
Please note that XC Tracer II Harm was developed for paraglider and hang glider pilots flying in Europe – an FCC certification is not planned.

WARNING: If necessary, charge the battery with the USB cable on the PC or on a 5V charger. Only a 5V connection/charger may be used, do not use Fast Charge / Quick Charge / Super Charge / Turbo Power or whatever. If a voltage higher than 5V is used while charging, the electronics will be destroyed.
We accept no responsibility for damage that occurs when not using the correct voltage for charging!

Introduction

Mounting:

XC Tracer II Flarm uses data from a 9-DOF IMU (9 Degrees Of Freedom Inertial Measurement Unit), and from a pressure sensor and a GPS, to compute the real- time climb rate and altitude, avoiding the undesired time lag that conventional variometers suffer from (due to data filtering). For this reason, mount your XC Tracer in such a way that it moves as little as possible whilst you’re flying.
Important to make sure the XC Tracer II Harm is t dangling from a cord or attached to your helmet. The best approach is to attach XC Tracer to your cockpit, or on the shoulder strap of your harness, or on your thigh.
But when attaching XC Tracer II Flarm, please remember that it needs to have the best possible view of the sun in order to maximize solar charging.

Switch On/Switch Off:

Turn XC Tracer II Flarm on by pressing and holding the red button until you hear beep-beep. Next, the battery charge status is indicated by a series of beeps (this feature is described further below). It will then take a further 10-120 seconds for the GPS to get a fix. XC Tracer II Flarm will then make a beep-beep-beep and it’s now ready for flight.
Turning XC Tracer II Flarm off is just the same – press and hold the red button until you hear beep-beep. XC Tracer II Flarm will write the log file to the SD card and switch it off.

Battery Indicator:

After switching the device on the battery charge status is indicated by a sequence of short beeps:
5x Beep means that the battery is charged 95% or more.
4x Beep means that the battery is charged 75% or more.
3x Beep means that the battery is charged 55% or more.
2x Beep means that the battery is charged 35% or more.
lx Beep means that the battery is charged 15% or more.

When the battery is less than 15% charged you will hear a constant beep for one second after switching the device on.
After indicating the battery charge XC Tracer II Flarm’s GPS now searches for a fix. A beep-beep-beekeeper indicates that the device is now ready for flight.

Energy Management:

Normally the energy of the solar cell is sufficient to power the XC Tracer II Flarm and to charge the lithium polymer battery during a flight. However, it is possible that due to unfavorable conditions such as mounting the vario in the pilot’s shadow, low sun position, cloudy sky, etc., not enough energy is supplied by the solar cell to operate the variometer and charge the battery at the same time. In this case, the battery may slowly discharge during the flight. During the next flight, it can be different again and the energy is sufficient to operate the vario and recharge the battery at the same time. After landing the vario should be switched off immediately to save energy.

Should it ever be necessary you can charge XC Tracer II Flarm using a Micro USB cable. It takes approximately 5 hours to fully charge the battery so it’s best to leave it charging overnight.

WARNING: attempting to charge your XC Tracer II Flarm by placing it in hot sunshine when not flying may result in it overheating and damaging the battery any other components!
WARNING: If necessary, charge the battery with the USB cable on the PC or on a 5V charger. Only a 5V connection/charger may be used, do not use Fast Charge / Quick Charge / Super Charge / Turbo Power or whatever. If a voltage higher than 5V is used while charging, the electronics will be destroyed.
We accept no responsibility for damage that occurs when not using the correct voltage for charging!

Automatic Switch-Off:
The automatic switch-off is disabled during the first 60 minutes after switching XC Tracer II Flarm on, however, after that, it will turn itself off if it hasn’t detected lift or sink for 1 minute – ie. after you’ve landed and you no longer move. In addition, low-voltage detection will switch the device off if the battery voltage drops below 3.3V. (NB. The log file is written to the SD card before the device turns off).

Adjusting The Volume:
XC Tracer II Flarm has 4 volume settings: Silent, quiet, medium, and loud. You can change the volume setting with a short push of the red button, always from mute – gentle – medium – loud -mute – quiet, etc.

XC Tracer II Rarm Configuration File:

Connect XC Tracer II Flarm to a computer using a Micro USB Cable and once connected, switch the device on by briefly pressing the red button until you hear a beep-beep-beep. XC Tracer II Flarm is now running in USB-MSD (Mass Storage Device) mode. XC Tracer II Flarm’s internal Micro SD Card will appear as an external drive in Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder. You will find a PDF copy of the user manual on the SD card, and also the XC_Tracer_II_FLARM.TXT configuration file. Editing this file in Notepad (Windows) or Text Editor (Mac) allows you to adjust XC Tracer II Flarm’s settings. The various options are described below:

XC Tracer II FLARM configuration File senalNumber=6042CE915601

A serial number of the XC Tracer II Flarm is used for the IGC logger. firmwareVersion=XC
Tracer_II_Flarm_RO1 Indicates the device’s firmware version. reset=no
Setting reset=yes resets XC Tracer II Flarm to the factory default settings. Reset=no is the default setting. After a reset reset=no will automatically be set in the config file.

supported protocols are None, XCTR4CER, LKSEX1, LXWPO or LXWPW

Select the BLE to protocol here. NB. Only one protocol can be selected at once. Please check at www.xctracer.com which protocol to choose for your app. LXWPW is the same as LXWPO, but with the information of the calculated wind. stringToSend=LXWPO
In this case, the LXWPO protocol will be used.

name of BLE service bleName=XC-Tracer

A name for the BLE service can be assigned here, up to 14 numbers and letters are possible.

supported connections are BLE, USB, BOTH, or NONE sendDataOver=BLE

You can choose if data will be sent, and you can also choose the interface over which the data will be sent. NONE will transfer any data, with BOTH XC Tracer will send data over BLE and USB.

power on USB connector can be ON or OFF powerUSB=OFF

powerUSB=OFF is the factory setting. If you want to connect a Kobo without an external battery you have to set powerUSB=ON. XC Tracer II Flarm will then internally produce 5V that is necessary to switch on the USB port of the Kobo. Please be aware that setting powerUSB=ON leads to higher power consumption, and it may be possible that the internal battery of the XC Tracer II Flarm is going to discharge slowly during a flight.

logger configuration

IGC and KML files are logged in parallel. IGC is logged with 1Hz, and KML is logged with 5Hz, meaning that position and altitude will be logged 5x per second.

logOn4/When&ing=yes

When logOn4/WhenF4fing=yes is set then a log file will be recorded once the GPS has recorded a speed greater than 4m/s. The logging will get stopped when you have landed. When you make a top landing the log file will be stopped, and a new log file will get created when you take off again. When logOn4/Whenqiing=no is set then the log file will be recorded as soon as you switch on XC Tracer, and the logging will only be stopped when you switch off the device.
pilot name—Koni Scha froth
Enter your name here. Please don’t use accidentally use any tabs as they will invalidate the IGC file. Spaces are fine. passengerName=
You can enter the name of a tandem passenger here if you like. gliderType=Gin Explorer
Enter your glider make and model here. gliderld=14049 Enter the matriculation number (if you have one) of your glider here.

create your own vario tone settings below

beepOnlyWhenFlyng=yes

When this is set XC Tracer II Flarm will be silent before takeoff. This is very helpful when you have configured some kind of thermal sniffer. With beepOnlyVVhenFlythg=yes the variometer will be silent until XC Tracer II Flarm detects a horizontal velocity of 4m/s or more during 1-2 seconds. With beepOnlyWhenFlying=no the variometer will beep not only in flight but also when you walk or move.
setVolume=2

There are four volume settings, 0-3. With this option, you set the volume that the vario will use for beeping. When beepOn4/WhenFlying=yes is set then the vario will be silent until you fly. Once you’re flying the vario will beep with the volume that you have set. Remember though, that you can change the volume during flight with a short press of the red button. dampingFactor=0.00

Here you can set a damping factor from 0 up to max 10. As soon as you set a damping factor then the vario will react slower to changes in altitude.

ClimbToneOnThreshold=0.2

With this setting, the vario will begin to beep when the climb rate is higher than 0.2m/s. When you want to use a thermal sniffer then you can set ClimbToneOnThreshold=-0.5 for example. In this case, the vario will begin to beep when the sink rate is less than -0.5m/s. In this way, you can adjust the beeping tone so that you know when you’re flying in lifting air, despite the fact that you’re actually sinking gently. This can be helpful to find and core thermals in weak conditions.
aimbroneOffThreshold=0.1

With this setting, the vario will stop beeping when the climb rate is below 0.1 m/s. You can also use negative values here, for example, -0.51 m/s when you use a thermal sniffer.
SinkToneOnThreshold-3.0
The sink tone will be activated when the sink rate is below -3m/s. 5
SinkToneOnThreshold=-3.0
The sink tone will be deactivated when the sink rate is less than -3m/s.
tone=-1 0.00,200,100,100
tone=-3.00,280,100,100 tone-0.51,300,500,100
tone=-0.50,200,800,5
tone-0.09,400,600,10
tone=07040060050
tone=1.16,550,552,52
tone=267,763,483,55
tone-4.24,985,412,58
tone=6.00,1234,332,62
tone=8.00,1517,241,66
tone=10.00,1800,150,70
You must define exactly 12 tones. Additional tones will be deleted from the configuration file, and missing tones will be complemented with values stored in the EEPROM. The tones must be defined ascending from tone 1 of -10m/s to tone 10m/s of tone 12.
Important: Please avoid using exactly the same climb rate on adjacent tones as it will create problems.

tone=1.16,579,527,50 means that with a climb rate of 1.16m/s the vario will beep with a frequency of 579Hz, that the complete tone interval will last 527ms, and that the tone will be audible for 50% of the tone interval. This is a typical tone that is used when indicating climbing.

tone=-3.00,280,100,100 means that with a sink rate of -3.0m/s a tone of 280Hz will be emitted. As soon as the sink rate changes the tone frequency also changes, depending on the configuration. This creates a nice sink tone (not that a sinking tone is ever nice!)

FLARM device information

FlarmRadioID=200006

The Radio IC) is transmitted with the Harm signal. Have a look at www.nlidertracker.de, where it is possible to track your flight in real-time. You can register your RadiolD at ddb. ghdernetorg and add additional information. The Radio ID will also be used by the apps when it comes to knowing where your buddies are flying.
FlarmSerialNumber=FLATMXCTW-000006
This is the serial number of Flarm, this serial number is required when buying an obstacle database
firmwareVersion=667
Displays the firmware version of Farm
firmwareExpirationDate=1.11.2020
Info until when the Flarm firmware is valid. After this date Harm will not work anymore, a new Flarm firmware should be installed before!
obstacleDatabase=ALPS20190121
Indicates if and which obstacle database is installed.
obstacleDataBaseExpirationDate=2019-03-31
This info indicates whether the obstacle database is still valid. The obstacle database will no longer work after the expiration date.

FLARM glider type is HANGGLIDER or PARAGL►DER

type=PARAGLIDER
Here you can enter either HANGGLIDER or PARAGUDER.
You can create your own tone settings using the tone simulator on www.xctracer.com and then copy and paste them to the configuration file, or you can simply copy and paste other people’s tone settings to the configuration file.
XC Tracer II Flarm doesn’t actually save the new configuration into its internal memory until it starts up in normal flight mode. So, press the red button briefly to unmount/eject the device from your computer, disconnect it from the USB cable, then turn XC Tracer on as normal.
Important: Always close the configuration file before you unmount/ eject XC Tracer II Flarmil!

Harm Firmware / Update:
The Farm firmware must be updated once a year. In the config file, you can see which firmware version is installed and when this firmware is valid.
After this expiration date Harm will not work anymore! An update must be done before this date!
Please check the homepage www.xctracer.com if a new Flarm firmware (*.fw file) is available. These firmware updates are free of charge, the installation is easily done with drag & drop. For instructions on how to do a firmware update see below.

Farm Obstacle Database / Collision Warning:
XC Tracer II FLARM transmits your position twice per second and also your estimated trajectory for the next 20 seconds. Any other FLARM devices in the vicinity can use this information to assess any possible risk of collision. If another FLARM device determines that a collision is possible, it will warn the pilot of the other aircraft. XC Tracer II Flarm itself does not warn of possible collisions with other aircraft.
XC Tracer II FLARM itself does not warn of possible collisions with other aircraft!
XC Tracer II FLARM can receive signals from FLARM devices on paragliders and hang-gliders and transmit the data to a mobile phone, tablet or e-reader. Depending on the app you use, you will know in real-time where your buddies are! During flight tests, signals were received from FLARM devices up to 29 km away.

The FLARM obstacle database can be installed optionally. Equipped with the obstacle database, XC Tracer II Flarm reliably warns against collisions with fixed obstacles such as cables or antennas that are recorded in the database. The database and the collision algorithm enable the processing of complex obstacle types, comprehensively segmented and divided power lines and cable cars into 3 dimensions. The data is extensively checked and optimized using a digital elevation model in order to largely prevent false alarms.

Various obstacle databases are available, information on which version is best for you can be found here https://flarm.com/products/product-extensions /obstacle-databases/. A warning tone sounds approximately 10 seconds before a possible collision. The closer you fly to the obstacle and the more likely a collision is, the more intense the warning tone will be. As soon as you fly away from the obstacle, XC Tracer II Flarm will suppress this warning tone, and XC Tracer II Harm functions as a variometer as usual.
The obstacle database is intended as an additional safety feature, but you must never rely on it alone!!!

XC Tracer II Harm Firmware Update / How to read flight data:
Connect XC Tracer II Flarm to a computer using a Micro USB Cable and once connected, switch the device on by briefly pressing the red button until you hear a beep-beep-beep. XC Tracer II Flarm is now running in USB-MSD (Mass Storage Device) mode. XC Tracer II Flarm’s internal Micro SD Card will appear as an external drive in Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder. Download the newest flight firmware for XC Tracer II Flarm and the newest FLARM firmware from www.xctracer.com and copy the new firmware using drag and drop to the SD card. Now press the red button briefly and the new firmware will start to be installed.

When the XC Tracer II Flarm firmware (*.iap file) is updated, the white LED lights up, after a short time a few ascending beeps sound, the firmware file is deleted from the SD card and the Vario switches off. The new firmware is now installed.

An update of the Flarm firmware takes much longer, after pressing the red button the white LED flashes for a longer time in short intervals. After 1-5 minutes a few ascending beeps will sound, the Flarm firmware file or obstacle database file will be deleted from the SD card and the Vario will turn off. The new firmware is now installed.
Important: The information about the firmware version will only be updated once the device has been started up in normal flight mode.

It’s impossible to install incorrect firmware on the XC Tracer II Flarm – all that happens is that the incompatible firmware will get deleted from the SD card.

Troubleshooting:
In the rare event that XC Tracer II Harm doesn’t respond when you push the red button, you can perform a hard reset by pressing and holding the red button for approximately 1 minute. The battery will then get disconnected from the electronics. After that, you can restart XC Tracer II Harm in flight mode, and the device will be functional again.

Handling:
A variometer is a sensitive device, the sensors and the solar cell can be damaged by strong shocks/impacts. Please only expose the vario to the sun while flying, otherwise, the vario can become very hot. This can lead to an overheating of the battery and destroy the battery and the vario! The solar cell can also be damaged by excessive heat. The vario is not waterproof, so do not use it for safety training over the lake. And also do not wash in the washing machine.

Warranty:
XC Tracer grants a 24-month warranty for material and workmanship. Unsuitable or improper use (for example strong impact, water landing, opened enclosure, software modification, ripped off USB connector, scratched solar cell, etc.) normal wear and tear (battery) are excluded from the guarantee.

Technical Specification:

FLARM beacon / does transmit FLARM signals
FLARM receiver / receive FLARM signals from paragliders and hang gliders
FLARM obstacle database (optional)
Instant indication of climb/sink rate – no time lag
Precise wind estimation
Data transmission to cell phone/tablet/e-reader using BLE 4.2 and/or USB
IGC and KML logger
Many compatible apps for Android/i0S
Scratch-resistant solar panel
User-configurable acoustics/tone setting with tone simulator at www.xctracer.com
Accelerometer/compass/gyro/GPS/BLE/FLARM
Minimum 25-hours runtime without sunshine
Firmware update by drag-and-drop
Size 57.5 x 57.5 x 18.0 mm and 33.5 mm for the antenna
Weight 70g
Swiss made

XC Tracer II Farm
Rev 01 27.3.2019

Documents / Resources

| XC- TRACKER II Flarm Mini IV GPS [pdf] User Manual
II Flarm, Mini IV GPS
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