New radar app for Droid

[joe.jurecka]

Joe -- Are there plans to incorporate placefile-like features in PYKL3? I'm thinking of something like the capabilities of the GRx applications, where users can load various data files for display. If so, I could probably modify my Tornado Central GRx placefile scripts for the proper PYKL3 format. I know memory management is an issue, so perhaps it's not possible to make such an addition, though.

I'll be delving more into placefile like things once I get the new radar rendering engine going and have more memory to play with. At this point, you can certainly place markers on the display via the user.points file (see the V2 transition guide on the pykl3radar web page). What other things would you like to see?
Joe

 

[joe.jurecka]

The only issue I'm running into now is this: if I open PYKL once, use it, and then "quit" (necessary for those of us on limited data plans), it will *always* force-close the next time I try to open it. After force-closing on this initial second opening of the app, it will work properly on the next try.

Sounds like your device is not allowing the app to fully close for some reason. Anymore, the only errors that are being reported by the Automated crash reporting system are out of memory issues. Memory is being worked on at present via a new radar rendering engine. Just trying to get OpenGL to do what I need it to.
Joe

 

[joe.jurecka]

I did the software update just as soon as it came out last week, so this puts me on version Android 2.2.1. I have used Pykl on a Moto X and it is very smooth. I would think as beefy as the Thunderbolt is with ram and processor speed, it would run fine. There has to be some fix so that I can run some of the features. As Jeff said, it is impossible to pan or zoom in or out because of the delay. You have no idea where you are going to end up. I love the program, I just wish it would perform to a level that is was useful on the Thunderbolt.

Clarence, I hear you loud and clear. I continue to research the issue but haven't found much other than generic complaints about performance. I can say this though, I wrote the program to render as fast as possible since my device is a HTC Hero 2.1. This is 2 year old technology. I wanted to make something that was usable on any device 2.1 and up and thus wrote very clean (but a bit memory hoggish) code as a tradeoff. It may very well be that when I get the new radar rendering engine going, you'll see some decent performance improvements, but we'll just have to see when I get that working.
Joe

 

[joe.jurecka]

If there are any Thunderbolt users out there with poor performance who would be willing to test a couple of things in an effort to improve performance, please email me directly to pykl3radar.att
Joe

 

[mmichaels]

Thunderbolt

Joe...I have a Thunderbolt and I downloaded your latest demo a couple of weeks ago. I'll shoot you an email here soon.

I have noticed the same issues with the panning and zooming being very sluggish (as mentioned before), along with problems getting the images to display.

If there are any Thunderbolt users out there with poor performance who would be willing to test a couple of things in an effort to improve performance, please email me directly to pykl3radar.att
Joe

 

[Kevin Franz]

I am possibly picking up this phone and was curious about Joe's application. I wonder if there is anyone out there that has an HTC phone that this has worked well on? Could be related to HTC Sense somehow. I'm not sure what else could be causing the issue. It doesn't have Gingerbread yet so it's not the OS. It's not a dual-core, so that shouldn't be an issue. Maybe it's something to do with the LTE radios and how the application receives data?

Just making some stabs in the dark here. I'm a bit of an android nut and follow everything related pretty closely. What android devices have worked well when using this application? Maybe you should compile a device compatibility list.

 

[Shane Reichert]

I am possibly picking up this phone and was curious about Joe's application. I wonder if there is anyone out there that has an HTC phone that this has worked well on? Could be related to HTC Sense somehow. I'm not sure what else could be causing the issue. It doesn't have Gingerbread yet so it's not the OS. It's not a dual-core, so that shouldn't be an issue. Maybe it's something to do with the LTE radios and how the application receives data?

Just making some stabs in the dark here. I'm a bit of an android nut and follow everything related pretty closely. What android devices have worked well when using this application? Maybe you should compile a device compatibility list.

I have an HTC Incredible with Sense on it and pykl3 works pretty much perfectly on it. Only issue was the gps staying on when closing (which has since been fixed) and sometimes I get a force close message but only when I'm trying to exit the application so I don't care.

 

[Kevin Franz]

I have an HTC Incredible with Sense on it and pykl3 works pretty much perfectly on it. Only issue was the gps staying on when closing (which has since been fixed) and sometimes I get a force close message but only when I'm trying to exit the application so I don't care.

I believe the same version of Sense is on the Thunderbolt as the Incredible 1. I believe the Incredible 2 has an updated version. So that should rule out Sense as the culprit.

 

[joe.jurecka]

I believe the same version of Sense is on the Thunderbolt as the Incredible 1. I believe the Incredible 2 has an updated version. So that should rule out Sense as the culprit.

The program is reported to work well on any device that doesn't use the Adreno 205 Graphics Processor (You can look them up on glbenchmarks.com) I'm still working on resolving that issue. The program still works on the 205 series, it just draws quite slow.
Joe

 

[Dave Gallaher]

Joe, I copied this account from another thread I posted in:

"Today, 5/22, I hadn't even looked at weather. Church, then reload and depart for a gig in Birmingham about 90 minutes away. When I was barely outside of Huntsville, I found myself facing a long wall cloud with a pronounced inflow tube from the north. Couldn't believe it, so I whipped out the phone and clicked PKL3. Yep, big cell with two white hail markers in place. As I drove west on I-565 toward it, the wall cloud cleaved; the southern part became a shelf and the northern became a lowered bowl shape. At this point I switched to velocity on PKL3 and spotted the rotation right in my path, so I pulled over. One minute later a tor warning was issued for the cell. My GPS on PKL3 showed me to be right in the hook, so I stayed my ground and the wall 'globe' went just north of me, pulling up scud but not rotating visibly."

Upshot is that the PKL3 was excellent today on my Droid X. Loads were quick and images/GPS location made it easy to make a snap decision that allowed me a good view--on a totally unplanned 'chase.' Version 2.04 is really working out well for me.

Unrelated: my camera and video camera in the Droid X both refused to operate, giving me a 'searching for location' tab that I've not seen previously. So I captured no images of this encounter. Gotta get to a forum and find out what that's all about.

 

[joe.jurecka]

Joe, I copied this account from another thread I posted in:
Upshot is that the PKL3 was excellent today on my Droid X. Loads were quick and images/GPS location made it easy to make a snap decision that allowed me a good view--on a totally unplanned 'chase.' Version 2.04 is really working out well for me.

Dave,
Thanks for the great feedback. This is what keeps me motivated to keep working!
Joe

 

[Bryan_Knitter]

Joe, I was using PYKL3 on my EVO this past weekend, and noticed that it wasn't tracking my GPS location. I have the option checked to follow my location and send it to spotter network. It seems to only show my true location if I close and re-open it.

I'm using Cyanogen mod 7.

 

[Kevin Franz]

I'm using Cyanogen mod 7.

How many of those that have used this application are rooted?

 

[joe.jurecka]

Joe, I was using PYKL3 on my EVO this past weekend, and noticed that it wasn't tracking my GPS location. I have the option checked to follow my location and send it to spotter network. It seems to only show my true location if I close and re-open it.

I'm using Cyanogen mod 7.

Were you seeing the GPS icon pop in periodically? I assume you had Send Spotter Network Position reports AND the GPS button (under Location) checked?
If you go back and look at your Spotter Network position history, was it tracking you correctly?
Joe

 

[Bryan_Knitter]

Were you seeing the GPS icon pop in periodically? I assume you had Send Spotter Network Position reports AND the GPS button (under Location) checked?
If you go back and look at your Spotter Network position history, was it tracking you correctly?
Joe

Just checked my position history on SN. It was NOT tracking me correctly. The GPS icon was on the whole time too.