Waypoints
Waypoints are used in Cumulus to support the navigation. When
used in tasks they also serve as turnpoints. Waypoints can be created
or edited inside cumulus or by using KFLog on the Linux desktop, where
you can more easily maintain the waypoint list.
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Waypoint file remarks
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Cumulus works with only one global waypoint file in two different
formats. This file is installed under your selected Data
Directory. The global waypoint file name is hardcoded and its
extension depends on the used format. The format is defined in
Pre-Fight Settings - Waypoints Import. The name for binary storage
is cumulus.kwp, for XML storage cumulus.kflogwp is
used.
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Waypoint import
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Under
Pre-Fight Settings - Waypoints you have the possibility to import
waypoint data from other data files into Cumulus. That is the best
way for your waypoint management. Alternatively you can use KFLog to
prepare a global Cumulus waypoint file.
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Waypoint file transfer
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You can transfer the global Cumlus waypoint file between your desktop
PC and your PDA but notice, that Cumulus is not running during
the file transfer. That can cause a corrupted file.
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Waypoint list display
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To open the waypoint list tipp at the waypoint display, located at
the left upper corner on the map screen. Now you can see all your
known waypoints sorted in alphabetically order. With different
buttons in the window you can modify the waypoint list or do other
things.
- Press one of the filter buttons above the list to navigate
to a certain waypoint.
- Press the plus button to create a new waypoint.
- Press the pencil button to edit the selected waypoint. The
button works only, if one waypoint is selected.
- Press the trash button to remove one or more selected
waypoints.
- Press the cross button to remove all waypoints.
- Press the house button to set the selected waypoint as your
new home position.
- Press the Info button to get displayed the
details of the selected waypoint. The info screen for a waypoint
will close automatically after some seconds. Press the Stop
button to prevent this. The Home button sets this
waypoint as your new home position.
- Press the Select button to make the selected
waypoint to your new target. You may want to use V
after selecting a waypoint to ensure it is visible on the map.
- Press the Show ... button to toggle the
waypoint display according to the waypoint priorities low, normal
and high or to display all.
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Waypoint list filters
- You can narrow down the list of waypoints using the buttons
above the list. These act as a filter. In only a few steps, you can
reduce a list of thousands of items to only a few, making it much
easier to find the waypoint you are looking for.
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Creating a waypoint from the current position
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At any time you can tipp on the baering icon on the map to remember
the current position. A waypoint with the name WPx-HH:MM will
be generated that contains the current coordinates and altitude,
where HH:MM is derived from the current time. The new waypoint
is shown in the map display and can be edited in the waypoint screen
as any other waypoint.
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Waypoint management
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If you want to add, modify or delete waypoints use the buttons at the
right side of the waypoint list. For security reason it is not
recommended to do that in flight! If you press the plus sign or the
pencil button an editor is opened with entry fields for the waypoint
properties.
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Waypoint priority
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The priority property deserves some explanation. To prevent
overcrowding the map with waypoints if you zoom out far, not all
waypoints are drawn at all zoom factors. You can control which
waypoints are to draw by selecting the priority. If you select high
the waypoint will always be drawn. This would be appropriate for your
home site and other important sites. If you select normal the
waypoint will be drawn in normal zoom modes but not if you zoom out
too much and the low prioritized waypoints are only drawn if
you zoom in far enough. The currently selected waypoint is always
visible. In the configuration setup of Map Objects you can the define
the scale borders for every priority property. See here
for more information.
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Waypoint runway directions
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In the wayoint editor you have two combo boxes for runway directions.
The handling of runway directions is a little bit tricky and derived
from the Welt2000 handling. The following possibilities do exist:
- 09/27 means there is one runway with two useable
directions. Note! The difference between the two directions
must be always 18.
- 09/09 means there is one runway with only one
useable direction.
- 09/18 means there are two runways 09/27 and 18/36
with two useable directions. Note! The difference between
the two directions must not be equal 18.
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Waypoint names and extra information
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Via the menu bar entries Toggels/Waypoint lables and Toggels/Extra
labels info you can switch on the display of the waypoint names and
their reachability (distance and arrival altitude) besides their
icons, if a glider is selected. The text labels are drawn at a white
background with black letters. The currently selected waypoint is
drawn revers. If a waypoint is land- and reachable the text is drawn
bold. The extra information distance and arrival altitude are
only displayed, if the landable attribute of the waypoint is set. If
the waypoint is below your safety altitude, the text box frame is
drawn in red color.
The same is valid for airfields,
outlandings and task points.
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Final glide calculations
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Waypoints are also used for final glide calculations. If you plan to
use this feature of cumulus, please make sure that you correctly
enter the position and the elevation of the waypoints! Otherwise you
will get unpredictable results.