[Crash one]

For Flarm and OGN (gliderradar, glideandseek, ... are all different frontend), the situation is summarised at http://wiki.glidernet.org/opt-in-opt-out
You got options in your Flarm setup and in the OGN DB to tweak what is tracked and what details.

An extra point which is not clear on this wiki is that you can setup your Flarm to have a random id everytime it is rebooted.

And what would be the default set up when you first switch on? It should be zero information and unidentified, just GPS position and an icon for display.
I believe you are asked for some ID in order to (set up) can’t remember what.
(PAW)

[Tim Dawson]

Receivers need the hex code of your aircraft in order to distinguish it from other aircraft. Once they have the hex code that can go from that to registration and even owner postal address through publicly-available databases.

Arguably instead of a hex code things could broadcast a random number but that opens up the possibility of duplicates, and also the ship has sailed a long time ago.

[Crash one]

Perhaps the unit serial number, but I take your point.

[PaulisHome]

The gliding world, at least, get a lot of value out of being able to identify people from their Flarm tracks.

It helps with landouts, S&R, and the general question of "how did everyone else get on". Clubs use it for launch and landing logging. At the end of the day you can see who is and isn't home, so there's a real safety benefit.

It's possible to opt out (see previous entries) but few do.

At least on the gliding systems though, we don't make the data publicly available after a day.

Paul

[Flyin'Dutch']

@PaulisHome gone are the days of thinking out a convoluted code to transmit position and progress without alerting the competition *sigh*

[Crash one]

Receivers need the hex code of your aircraft in order to distinguish it from other aircraft. Once they have the hex code that can go from that to registration and even owner postal address through publicly-available databases.

Arguably instead of a hex code things could broadcast a random number but that opens up the possibility of duplicates, and also the ship has sailed a long time ago.

Will an EC unit function correctly if a “random number” or in fact the unit serial number is inserted?
Or will it only recognise an existing/valid hex code?
Regardless of the aircraft type and all other information that is currently broadcast the unit doesn’t know what aircraft it is in, does it?
Whether the ship has sailed or not

[Tim Dawson]

The unit won’t know if you give it a false hex code, if that’s what you’re asking.

[ls8pilot]

@PaulisHome gone are the days of thinking out a convoluted code to transmit position and progress without alerting the competition *sigh*

Yes, but it didn't always go smoothly ! Recalled from one regionals (pilots "other half" was novice crew)

Pilot : Glider xyz, I'm 20km from Alpha

Crew : Wot ?

Pilot: 20Km from ALPHA

Crew : I don't understand you....

Pilot: I'm 20km from the first b*** turnpoint!

Happy days ......

[Dave W]

"Alpha" = the first turnpoint?

Blimey, even Alan Turing would have struggled with that one.

[Crash one]

@Tim Dawson
NO I am certainly NOT asking for any false hex code.
I’m suggesting that if the EC unit serial number is used as an identifier from other aircraft then all other extraneous information is withheld from public availability.
I’m not trying to bend the law or be illegal or devious in any form, and I object to any suggestion of it!

[GrahamB]

@Tim Dawson
NO I am certainly NOT asking for any false hex code.
I’m suggesting that if the EC unit serial number is used as an identifier from other aircraft then all other extraneous information is withheld from public availability.
I’m not trying to bend the law or be illegal or devious in any form, and I object to any suggestion of it!

You'd better write to ICAO (or whoever it is) and tell them that the Mode S and ADS-B specs need rewriting then.

The issue is not the broadcasting of aircraft ID, but the fact that Joe Public now has unfettered access to the personal and semi-personal data which can be linked to it by publication of the registries.

[Tim Dawson]

I’m suggesting that if the EC unit serial number is used as an identifier from other aircraft then all other extraneous information is withheld from public availability.
I’m not trying to bend the law or be illegal or devious in any form, and I object to any suggestion of it!

Unless the serial number is a convenient 24bit number and is part of a unique addressing family known to all receivers, the answer is still no.

[Stu B]

I seem to remember when first setting up my Mode S transponder 14 years ago (no ADSB-out!) I had the choice of setting a fixed aircraft hex-code (linked ot the registration), or of setting it so that a different code could easily be set for each flight - that airlines, etc, use so that their Mode-S identification matched their callsign which in turn would be their airline code and flight number. It should not be beyond the wit of man to provide a system where you log on before engine start and get given a suitably-structured, unique, one-time-use code allocated for your flight. It seems advantageous for the Mode-S identity to match the callsign so that someone picking you up might in some circumstances be able to associate the aircraft with info he has gleaned form its radio transmissions. On the other hand there seems also great merit in the EC signal also coding the aircraft type so that if your EC screen shows a Cessna ahead and you look and see a Piper, you know you have more looking to do!

[PaulSS]

I think the CAA should not publish the names and addresses of the aircraft owners on G-INFO (or any other database where the same can be obtained by Joe Public).

Apart from that, I think some of you are being a bit too precious complaining because someone can see your registration or aircraft type on FR24......and a bit delusional if you think Pandora is going to close her box, especially as it is the way things are done the whole world over.

[Crash one]

I’m suggesting that if the EC unit serial number is used as an identifier from other aircraft then all other extraneous information is withheld from public availability.
I’m not trying to bend the law or be illegal or devious in any form, and I object to any suggestion of it!

Unless the serial number is a convenient 24bit number and is part of a unique addressing family known to all receivers, the answer is still no.

I think this is what I was expecting/meaning when I mentioned an “existing recognised hex number”
Rather like getting the message “please insert a valid email address”. The number has to be a recognisable 24bit hex code rather than a manufacturers serial number, otherwise it won’t work.
So we are forced by the system to divulge the route to the rest for joe Public.
It’s all wrong regardless of how long it’s been going on. We can’t/not allowed to tell someone where we are without telling them who we are as well.