Setting up Plane Plotter to show only needed frames

[graham]

Hi all, does anyone here use Plane Plotter on their laptops or desktops please? I have just started to use it again and have it running perfectly on my laptop. I also have PP mobile on my phone and have it set up to only show "interested" frames, i.e. those I need.

I contacted Bev at COAA Plane Plotter to ask if the same could be done with the desktop version and he said that it could and was easy to set up. So, I've buit a SQB file using Planebase, as I did for the mobile, and have copied and pasted that SQB file into C:\Tools\COAA\PlanePlotter. Bev then says to go to your Plane Plotter screen, go to View - Chart Options - Show interested only, tick that box and it should work....

But it doesn't. Is there a specific place within the Plane Plotter files where the SQB has to be saved to?

Thanks for any help

[Jeff]

Your SQB file needs to know what you have seen mate which in turn will make aircraft you have seen becoming not interested

[rh226]

Graham,

I'm not at home until tomorrow, so haven't got access to mine on the desktop.

I do know that you have to point PP to the .SQB database file. You can do this through the menus but, offhand, I can't remember where.....possibly it is in Options/Setup?

Will check tomorrow afternoon (when I am back home) if someone hasn't already done this for you.

Incidentally, if you didn't know, you can use keyboard shortcut "i" (lower case) to turn "show interested only" on and off at will.  Also, interested show up with red lettering.

Cheers

Bob

[graham]

Thanks Bob, Bev did say that you could simply press the "i" to only show interested. I've tried again a couple of times, all I've done is to copy and paste the SQB file built via Planebase into the C:\Tools\COAA\Plane Plotter folder but it's not working so it looks like I've not done that bit correctly.

[rh226]

Hi Graham,

Just back home, so here is what you need to do.

In PP, go to Options/Directories/SQB Aircraft Database (eg basestation.sqb).  Browse to your chosen .SQB file - it may well be already showing - select it and click "Open".

This step may be superfluous, but to be on the safe side, Options/SQB hex database options/SQB hexcode database file (eg basestation.sqb). Browse to your chosen .SQB file - it may well be already showing - select it and click "Open".

That should do the trick and PP now knows the database.

Cheers,

Bob

[graham]

Hi Bob, many thanks for your help, I've followed the instructions you've posted above and PP is still showing everything rather then just needed. Now that PP has my SQB file is there anything else within the settings that I might need to "tick" in order to only see needed frames?

[rh226]

First, go to View/Chart display options and make sure that nothing is checked.  Press lower case "i" on the keyboard and any "interested" should now show up - assuming that any that you need are plotting, of course.

One other test you could try is to go to Options/Chart/Options.  In the LH column near the bottom is the Alert section.  In the top row of that section and in the scrolling bit, click on "interested", then click the "OK" button at bottom right of the whole thing.

This should bring up an extra small window in which any flagged "interested" aircraft will list if they are present on the screen.  Also, the indicated aircraft will have a blue circle round them and their description will be in bold white lettering...........to get rid of this just repeat the whole process, but click on "none" in the scrolling bit.

By the way, have you selected the correct .SQB file, and is it named "basestation.sqb"? Alternative naming may well have made a difference.

If none of these work, I can only suggest that your Planebase-generated .SQB file has not populated with the "interested" flag - or that it is not in the correct position in the record.

I hope that something will work for you.  Failing this, I can only suggest that you get in touch with Bev again.

Good luck,

Bob

[graham]

Thanks again Bob, still not showing needed so I reckon I have saved the SQB to the wrong part of the COAA\Planeplotter folder.

If I go into C:\Tools\COAA it just shows the Planeplotter folder, if I then click to open that folder, I see a long list of sub folders with the top three being CHART FILES, IMAGE FILES and LOG FILES. Does the SQB need to be copied and pasted to the CHART FILES folder and then opened, or do I just copy and paste it into the Planeplotter folder so that to all intents, it sits there by itself rather than being part of another folder?

[rh226]

Graham,

Please see PM.

Bob