The first step is to download and install the latest version of the AIR³ XCT add-on. This can be done easily through the latest version of the AIR³ Upgrader.

During installation, you will be asked if you want to enable the acoustic variometer feature. Doing so will automatically set up everything needed to use this new feature within the AIR³ XCT add-on. Make sure you have the latest version of XCTrack (version 0.9.12.11.3 or later is required to communicate with the AIR³ XCT add-on). XCTrack will communicate with the add-on when you take off and land to start or stop the acoustic variometer.

Remember to turn off the acoustic vario in XCTrack to avoid playing two different sounds at the same time.

Finally, in the settings of AIR³ Manager, make sure to start the AIR³ XCT add-on on boot, so that AIR³ XCT Addon will always start when you start AIR³ for your next flight.

Note that you can start or stop the acoustic variometer at any time by tapping on the AIR³ XCT add-on notification.

The post How to use the new acoustic vario with Weak Lift and Instant Lift features? appeared first on AIR³.

To access the internet, you can either use a SIM card or set up your phone as a hotspot. However, note that using your phone as a hotspot can result in an unstable connection and drain your phone’s battery, which can be stressful before taking off. Therefore, we strongly recommend using a SIM card.

Depending on how you use AIR³, you may only need a small amount of data. For example, if you only download airspaces and use Livetracking, you will need less than 1 GB per year.

Some operators offer a second SIM card as part of your existing plan. Others offer prepaid SIM cards with no time limit, such as BNESIM. Check your region and click on ‘Lifetime data’.

You can also get an eSIM card from eSIM.me to add eSIM features to your AIR³. Once you have this card, you can purchase any eSIM plan.

The post Which is better: using a SIM card or using my phone as a hotspot? appeared first on AIR³.

• Are events being sent correctly from XCTrack to the AIR³ XCT add-on?
  • First, check that XCTrack is correctly sending events to the AIR³ XCT add-on. The simplest way to do this is to:
    • Create a new row in the AIR³ XCT add-on and select ‘Takeoff’ as the XCTrack event.
    • Click on ‘Select Task’ and then select ‘Sound’. Select a sound and click “Confirm”.
    • In the new row, click on the triangle to play the sound.
    • Open XCTrack and go to Menu > Preferences > Testing & Debug > Others. Click on ‘Manual takeoff’. You should immediately hear the sound you have just configured.
  • The simplest way to check whether you can catch a widget click event is to:
    • Open the AIR³ XCT Add-on menu (three dots), then go to Settings > Add a new trigger event > Add a new XCTrack event. Select the ‘Others’ category, then type ‘TEST’ (capital letters) in the ‘Event Name’ field and click ‘Confirm’.
    • Check that you have a ‘TEST (Others)’ event configured in the ‘Added XCTrack Events’ list.
    • Go back to the main AIR³ XCT add-on page, create a new row, select the ‘TEST’ event in the ‘Others’ category, select ‘Task’ and select a sound as you did to test the XCTrack take-off event.
    • Open XCTrack and go to Menu > Customise > Add widget > Intent launcher (in Action buttons). Open it to check that the event is ‘TEST’ (org.xcontest.XCTrack.Event.TEST).
    • Go back to the normal XCTrack interface. Long-press the widget. You should hear the sound. Note that you can deactivate “Long click to activate” in the widget configuration menu if you want to activate with a simple click.
  • To check whether you can catch a button click event, the simplest way is to:
    • Open the AIR³ XCT Add-on menu (three dots), then go to Settings > Add a new trigger event > Add a new XCTrack event. Type ‘KeyEvent’ (this is case sensitive) in the ‘Event Name’ field, then click ‘Confirm’.
    • Check that you have a ‘KeyEvent (Zello)’ event configured in the ‘Added XCTrack Events’ list. Note that creating a new “KeyEvent” event will go to the Zello category, as the main goal is to use a button with Zello. You can use a button for other reasons.
    • Go back to the main AIR³ XCT Add-on page, create a new row, select the ‘KeyEvent’ event in the Zello category, select ‘Task’ and select a sound as you did to test the XCTrack Take-off event.
    • Open XCTrack and go to Menu > Preferences > Key bindings. Click on Launch Android Intent and press the button you want to associate.
    • Go back to the normal XCTrack interface. Click on the button. You should hear the sound. Note that ‘long click’ and ‘short click’ are two different button codes for Android in most cases. If you configure the button to make a long click, You should only make a long click to trigger the event. If you are using a Bluetooth button, make sure you have paired it with the AIR³ correctly before proceeding.

These initial tests will enable you to verify that XCTrack can communicate with the XCT add-on via various methods, such as automatic events, widget events and button events.

• Is Zello correctly configured?
  • First of all, use the Echo to test your audio and make sure Zello is working correctly.
  • Ensure that you have configured the hardware button correctly, as indicated in the AIR³ XCT Add-on instructions (toggle mode).
  • Ensure that you have enabled Zello in the AIR³ XCT Add-on. Open the AIR³ XCT Add-on menu (three dots), then go to Settings > Zello Configuration and enable Zello.
  • Check that Zello rows have been created in the combination rows.
  • In the new row, click on the triangle to launch the Zello event and hear it. Click a second time to close the communication, as per the Zello hardware button configuration (toggle mode). You should hear your voice.
  • Using the previous instructions, you have checked that the link between the AIR³ XCT Add-on and XCTrack is working correctly. Create a new widget in XCTrack as indicated above, but enter ‘Zello’ as the event action name. Note that if you use the Expert-Zello profile with AIR³ Manager, this widget will be created automatically.
  • Click on the Zello widget in XCTrack to test Zello.
  • Once you have successfully completed the Echo tests, select the Zello group you want to use and make sure you set this group as the default.
  • If you encounter any issues, please refer to the manual for detailed instructions. For example, make sure that you have correctly defined the battery management on Unrestricted.

These tests should enable you to use Zello directly via XCTrack.

• Is the configuration of Telegram correct?
  • First of all, make sure it is working properly on your AIR³. Test by sending a message and your location to a group.
  • Ensure that you have correctly configured a task to send your position or location, as indicated in the instructions.
  • Create a new row in the AIR³ XCT add-on and select ‘Takeoff’ as the XCTrack event.
  • Click on ‘Select Task’ and select the Telegram task that you have configured.
  • In the new row, click on the triangle to check that the Telegram task has been executed.
  • Open XCTrack > Open Menu > Preferences > Testing & Debug > Others. Click on ‘Manual takeoff’. You should immediately see the Telegram task that you have just configured.

The post Why is AIR³ XCT Addon not working? appeared first on AIR³.

If you need more storage, you can use an SD card BUT after you insert the card, you will be asked if you want to use the SD card as phone storage or as portable storage. DO NOT select Phone storage with data migration! Otherwise, the SD card will be considered part of the internal memory and you will have problems with some applications that may not be able to manage the memory correctly. If you remove the SD card, it will be even worse.

You should set up the SD card as portable storage. This will allow you to store your large files on the SD card, but it will not be part of the system.

If you have accidentally selected Phone storage with data migration, go to Settings/Storage and select ‘This device’. Click the 3 dots in the top right hand corner to bring up the menu and select Data migration to revert to the previous state. Then select the SD card, go back to the menu and select ‘Format as portable storage’.

The post Can I extend the memory with an SD card? appeared first on AIR³.

Originally designed for flying, AIR³ is also an ideal tool for many other types of outdoor activities. Based on Android, it can run any Android application. This expands the possible uses without limit. If you need a robust instrument, very readable in direct sunlight, with a large autonomy, waterproof, with a very powerful GPS, etc.. AIR³ will meet your needs perfectly. AIR³ is a mix of GPS, smartphone, tablet, ruggedized for heavy use.

Different brackets have been designed to attach the AIR³ to different supports. For example, the paramotor base can be used to attach the AIR³ to a motorcycle handlebar and use it as a perfect navigation GPS.

Google maps app, OpenStreet maps app (OsmAnd) are for example two very good apps with navigation features and offline maps that will match most of navigation needs.

By default, the free version of OsmAnd allows you to download only 7 offline maps directly from the application. If you need to prepare your trip with more than 7 offline maps, you can either purchase an OsmAnd Pro license, which will allow you to download unlimited maps (and you will benefit from many other very interesting features), or you will need to copy the maps manually. Go to the Maps list on the OsmAnd website, select the map(s) you want to get. Extract the OBF file from the zipped file. Copy this OBF file to the OsmAnd directory: AIR3-7.3/Android/data/net.osmand/files/.

If you want to listen to music while driving, install your favorite music player and connect your headphones to AIR³ via Bluetooth or the 3.5 mm stereo jack.

The post Can I use AIR³ as a GPS system for land navigation? appeared first on AIR³.

Use the app corresponding to your Android version.

The post How to sync contacts? appeared first on AIR³.

However, you will need to use an eSIM card to convert the AIR³ into an eSIM compatible unit.

The eSIM.me solution has been successfully tested, click here.

With such eSIM card, where ever you go, you can easily get an eSIM profile to obtain an internet and/or a local phone number without the need of an additional physical SIM card.

The post Can I use an eSIM with AIR³? appeared first on AIR³.

• A GPS fix is needed in both devices
• On AIR³, you should enable Fanet/Flarm Module ONLY in XC Guide OR XCTrack but not both. Restart the device if you have enabled the module with the two apps as it may be blocked.
• Both devices need to be considered as flying to transmit.
• When some devices send both Fanet and Flarm, only Fanet is taken into account by the receiving AIR³
• Make sure to use the latest version of firmware and apps.

If you want to make some tests to understand the ins and outs, while not flying, you should first start with XC Guide. XC Guide provides more information about Flarm and Fanet, so that it is more easy to understand the ins and outs.

To test the module with XC Guide:

• Quit XCTrack and/or make sure the Fanet/Flarm module is not enabled in XCTrack (for more details about how to enable or disable the module within XCTrack, check this FAQ).

• Enable the module in XC Guide (for more details about how to enable or disable the module within XCTrack, check this FAQ). Select the right module (V1 or V2)

• Make sure the Flarm/Fanet module is activated and working in the info window of XC Guide

• Make sure to use the latest firmware of the Flarm/Fanet Module. Check here how to update the firmware.

• Activate the “Always in flight mode” in Settings/Connected devices/Fanet&Flarm settings/

• Check that Flarm Rx and Tx is enable in Settings/Connected devices/Fanet&Flarm settings/

• Check that Fanet is set to detect all pilots in Settings/Livetracking/Fanet

• Check in the XC Guide page the other devices detected. In the following screenshot, the following devices have been used for the test: Skytraxx Beacon (Fanet Tx-Rx, Flarm Tx), AIR³ 7.3+ V1 (Fanet Tx-Rx, Flarm Tx), AIR³ 7.3+ V2 ( Fanet Tx-Rx, Flarm Tx-Rx), GXAircom (Set to only receive and transmit Flarm). The screenshot is taken on the AIR³ 7.3+ V2.

Here is an example coming from GXAircom listing the different devices detected (set to only receive Flarm).

Once the tests have been successful with XC Guide, you can disable the module in XC Guide and test with XCTrack. Check this FAQ to know how to disable the module in XC Guide and enable it in XCTrack.

Here are some advices to make sure you are testing it correctly within XCTrack.

• First of all, make sure you have activated the XCTrack livetracking, so that you can easily observe that you are considered as flying when “Live” is green in the status bar.
• In XCTrack, set the landing detection to “No detection” and set the takeoff detection to 1 km/h in Menu/Preferences/Automatic actions.
• Once both units (receiving and transmitting units) are set, move a little bit to activate the takeoff. Use an XCTrack map that displays “nearby pilots”.

Remember that both units have to be considered as flying.

The post How to test the Fanet/Flarm Module? appeared first on AIR³.

As mentioned in the Software upgrade instructions page, you can upgrade apps manually (watch the video), or automatically via Play store. It may happen that the Play store version is not as recent as the version provided on our server. However, some pilots may prefer this process to be done automatically, even if it does not provide the latest version.

For XCTrack, we recommend that you join the beta program of Xcontest to automatically get the latest version of the XCTrack beta channel, so that the version is the closest to the one provided manually.

Joining the beta program of XCTrack

Click on the link here once you have logged into your Xcontest account. Read also below how to join the beta program on Play store.

Configure a Google account on AIR³

Make sure you have set up a Google account on the device. If you haven’t already, click on the Play store icon and sign in.

Once Play store is launched, search for “XCTrack”.

Click on XCTrack to see the details. Scroll down to “Join beta”.

The following instructions are valid both for XCTrack and XC Guide. Replace “XCTrack” by “XC Guide” in the following instructions if you want to apply them for XC Guide.

Enable auto-update

If XCTrack is not the latest version, click on “update” to update the app. Click the 3 dots in the top right and make sure “Enable auto update” is set.

Repeat the same operations for XC Guide to get automatic update of XC Guide.

Make sure General auto update is set

In Play store, click on your icon in the top right, click on settings.

Click on Network preferences. Make sure that “Auto-update apps” is not set on “Don’t auto-update apps”.

You are all set. When a new version of XCTrack or XC Guide becomes available, once AIR³ is connected to internet, the new version will automatically be downloaded and installed.

Note that this automatic update is not available for AIR³ Manager.

The post How do I automatically update my apps via Play Store? appeared first on AIR³.

If you have changed the settings of XCTrack that broke the bigger font display, use AIR³ Manager to reset the settings to their original state. Check more details here.

Villages, towns and cities will now displayed with a larger font.

Default

After

The post How to display cities with bigger font on the map? appeared first on AIR³.