PBlink3 Manual

Database Location
On first opening the program the location of the Basestation database (Basestation.sqb) is set
to the default c:\program files\kinetic\basestation directory and is displayed at the top of the
panel. This may be changed via the Change button, locate the file and it will be stored. The
BS Default option returns the location to the default directory. A User Path can be set for
quick changes to a regularly used location via the Actions menu.
Be aware that the basestation.sqb may reside in a virtual folder, in which case do a search
for Basestation.sqb in My Computer. You can avoid this virtual issue by installing SBS
outside the Program Files folder.

Main Screen

On start up the program lists HEX codes in the Basestation.sqb database that do not have an
associated aircraft type. This should equate to the Hex being unknown. The Type, rather
than the Reg, is used as a reference as PlanePlotter calculates some registrations from the
Hex and adds them to the database even though no other details are known.

Side Panel
Software Selection
Choose between SBS BaseStation and PlanePlotter as the software in use.

Update Unknowns
This option works through the list of unknown HEX codes, searching the PlaneBaseNG
databases for the code and if it is found the BaseStation database is populated with
Registration, Aircraft type, Construction number, Operator, Operator ICAO, Type ICAO and
Constructor. Any codes tied up will be shown in the second Added list.

The operator ICAO is placed in the operatorflagcode field which is used for displaying flags.
If the Mark Interested option is ticked, any tie-ups found will be searched in the PlaneBase
logs. If no logged information is found the Interested field in Basestation will be marked Yes.
In Registration mode, should the frame have been seen but the registration not seen then the
usertag field will also be annotated with an R.
If the Options > Add seen details to usernotes option is selected the reg/location and date
seen will be added to the usernotes field.
The Auto Update option will cause the Unknown Update to work through the list after the
time period selected in Options>Refresh Rate (15/30/60 secs) and populate any new tie-ups
found.

Monitor ON
Selecting this option lists the registrations of all aircraft currently being received, subject to the
remove after settings set in SBS or PlanePotter. The list is updated every 15-60 seconds as
selected. An indicator shows green when a refresh has occurred, changing to yellow at half
the interval selected.
Should a HEX tie up be unknown the HEX code will be listed. Several options are available
during the monitoring process:
Types / Flight ID / Opr
Displays extra details. To increase the width of the list, select the > button and viceversa
Show Int. Only
Only aircraft marked as Interested are displayed
Highlight Int.
Aircraft in the Monitor list marked as interested will be displayed with an asterix suffix.
Auto Update
Any unknown HEX codes will automatically be searched for in the PlaneBase databases.
If details are found the main fields will be entered into the BaseStation database. If Mark
Interested is selected the log search process also takes place. The BaseStation display
will be refreshed to display any changes if the option has been selected in Options.
A list of aircraft updated in the current session is displayed in the added list..
Show Drop Down
If the userstring5 column has been populated with section codes (via the Update menu),
this option will allow a choice between displaying all records, or just Exec, Airliners,
Military or GenAv etc. Any unknown records will be displayed in all options.
An additional option is Helicopters. This is not a PlaneBase code but the section code
may be changed to H to display only helicopters using this option. The field may be bulk
populated via the Update panel.
Select Opr prompts for an operator ICAO code to be entered. If the operatorflagcode
field is populated the list is filtered by the operator code.
Sort By
The Monitor display may be sorted by various options in the drop down
Highlight Int.
Any Interested aircraft in the monitor list will be highlighted with an asterisk. This does
not affect the database entry.

Alerts
This option is only available during Monitor and will show when that option is selected.
Panel Details of alerted aircraft are displayed on the main screen by default. Should
the Panel option be selected a separate, movable window will replace this. The window
will show on screen when an alert is activated. The panel may remain visible and will be
updated as alerts occur, or by selecting Clear the panel will hide in the task bar until the
next alert is triggered.
Stored Alert During Monitor, aircraft set as stored alert will sound an alert and
display a screen notification if they are detected. Once acknowledged, the aircraft will
not alert again during that session. If PBlink is exited and reopened the alert notifications
are reset and will sound again. They may also be reset via the Actions menu.
E-mail stored During Monitor, aircraft set as stored alert will, subject to the mail
options set in the options menu, send an e-mail alert and display a screen notification
the first time that they are detected by SBS. Once acknowledged, the aircraft will not
alert again during that session. If PBlink is exited and reopened the alert notifications are
reset and will be sent again. They may also be reset via the Actions menu.
** If the mail security is set to SSL and the password has not been stored it will need to
be entered on first selection of this option in each session.
All Interested / E-mail All Intrstd as above but all aircraft marked as Interested will
trigger the event.
Alert Unknowns any new unidentified HEX codes will be alerted
Re-Alert clears each alert after the selected number of minutes, consequently it will be
re-alerted if still being received or alerted when received again.
End Run
Halts the current procedure
Freeze/Un-freeze
Should the Options>Freeze Interested option been selected, these buttons will be visible and
will add/delete the currently listed Hex from the Frozen Interested list..
Logged Info
Displays logged details of the registration currently in the Regn box. Click any entry or
Clear to clear
On Top
Subject to other software running at the time , PBLink should retain screen focus with this
option ticked
Refresh SBS / PP
The selected software display will be refreshed to reflect any recent changes to the database.
Print List
The list contents are printed to a text file and displayed
Show Alerted
Displays a list and alerted time of any aircraft that have been alerted in the session, Clicking
the entry will delete it from the list and the entry will re-alert if subsequently received. If the
15m Re-Alert option is selected, the entry will be deleted after 15 minutes of first receipt.
Show Added
Displays a list of entries added since the program opened in a contained list or a moveable
panel (for which distinct colours may be selected)

Unkns Report
Displays a text report of current unknown Hexs with date and level information

Basestation Details Panel

Should a selection be made from the

central lists, the aircraft details held in the
BaseStation.sqb database are displayed
in this panel.
Alternatively the Basestation.sqb
database may be searched via the yellow
Search BS box. Hex code searches
must be prefixed by a hash #, i.e
#4CA1D1.
The Planebase databases may be directly
searched by entering a HEX OR
Registration (Regn) into the relevant
white boxes and selecting Search PB.
(clear the panel before searching)
If found, the details are displayed and may
then be transferred to the Basestation
database by selecting the Update button.
If the HEX does not already exist in the
.sqb a new record will be added.

Displayed details may be edited then stored in the basestation.sqb via Update.
The Section can be edited by clicking the box and selecting from the list.
The current record may be deleted from the sqb using the Delete button
The panel is cleared of text via the Clear button
The callsign data is not editable
The registration or HEX code may be searched in PlaneBaseNG by selecting the
Search PB button. During a Planebase Search, logs are checked and the
Interested box will be set accordingly. If an aircraft is only required as a registration
an R is shown in the User Tag field.
Ignore sets the Monitor function to disregard the entry.
Un-Ignore removes any previous Ignore selection.
Spurious adds the displayed Hex to the spurious list
For SBS users ONLY, Flt History will display the recent flight details of the selected
HEX code in the Basestation details panel. Click the grid to exit.
The entry can be set/unset as a stored alert by ticking the Alert box
The entry may be Retained during all update or deleting procedures by ticking the
Retain option box
PIs displays the previous identities for the selected aircraft
In PlanePlotter monitor mode, a height may be displayed if received
Airliners.net, FlightAware, Flightradar24 and Google Search may be searched for the
currently displayed registration via the Web button
If Options>Supplementary DB is ticked a Supplementary check box will show.
Ticking this shows an Add to Suppl. Button. This will transfer the currently displayed
details into the Supplementary.sqb.

Options Menu

Mode
Select Frames or Registrations depending on requirements

General
Auto Refresh Basestation
If this option is selected, when updates are made to the Basestation database the
BaseStation or PlanePlotter display will be refreshed. Other programs running on the
system ay interfere with this process.
Delete Spurious on Start Up
For SBS users, each time Pblink3 is started, this will delete unknown Hexs that were
received for less than 10 seconds. Additionally any codes set as spurious in Actions >
Spurious Hex List will be deleted.
Delete Unknowns Hourly
This deletes all unknown Hex codes from the database hourly during Monitor
Delete Unknowns on start up
This deletes all unknown Hex codes from the database each time Pblink3 is opened
Exclude Hex in Monitor
This prevents unknown Hex codes from being displayed on the Pblink3 list during Monitor
Freeze Interested
Irrespective of whether seen or not, hex codes may be marked as always interested. The
current Hex may be frozen/Un-frozen by selecting the buttons lower right. A list if frozen
entries may be viewed via Actions>Frozen Interested List

Include FLARM
FLARM codes used by Gliders etc are excluded unless this option is selected.
GA Lower case
Sets the registrations of aircraft in the GenAv database as lower case text to differentiate
them.
Include Mil/GA in searches
Excluding these will speed up PlaneBase database searches
Logging
During the Monitor process this option allows direct logging into PlaneBase. Enter a
location code and notes if required, select Log It and the aircraft currently displayed in the
BaseStation Details box will be logged in the Full log and also the Type log if
appropriate.
Miscode Populating
When selected, if a hex is a known miscode the sqb will be populated with the aircraft
details and the usernotes field marked as miscode
Monitor On Start Up
The program will open direct into the Monitor process
PP Local traffic only
Excludes Pblink3 processing of shared traffic in PlanePlotter mode
Prog Open Check
Enables a warning if the program is already running
Refresh Rate
Option to set the refresh rate to 15, 30 or 60 seconds
Supplementary DB
The supplementary.sqb is a store of details that can be added to any selected sqb, for
example a list of tactical codes that can be added when a new sqb is installed. Entries
may be added via the BaseStation Details panel. The database can be viewed in the
View DB panel and the entries transferred across via the Updates panel.
This option Enables the Supplementary sqb option. A check box will show in the
BaseStation details panel.

List Font
List font size
Select between Small, Default and Large fonts in the list. The choice is not saved.
Bold
Sets the list text to bold, the choice is stored
Font
Select a list font from the change list, the selection is stored. Style and Size options are
not available

SQB Options
Add seen details to User Notes
Adds Reg/Date/Location of sightings to the Usernotes field. Subject to the Mark user tag
seen and Overwrite User Tag settings, Seen will also be added to the User Tag field
Mark Interested
During processing, any HEX codes that are tied up to a registration and are needed will be
automatically marked as Interested in the Basestation database Interested Field.
Mark Unknowns Interested
During processing, any HEX codes that have not been tied up will be automatically marked
as Interested in the Basestation database.
Mark Reg Interested (*)
Interested registrations may be prefixed or suffixed with an assigned character. When
selected, Before and After symbol locations may be selected, as can the symbol itself.
Mark User Tag Seen
If selected, this will set the user tag field to Seen if not interested.
Merge ICAO Opr + Type
During Monitor and Update Unknowns, this option populates the operatorflagcode field
of new entirs with the merged ICAO Operator and Type details, i.e BAWB788
Use Type ICAO if no Opr
Populates the operatorflagcode field with the type ICAO if there is no operator ICAO
present
Use Type ICAO for Execs
The ICAO type will be added to the operatorflagcode for Executive aircraft, rather than any
operator code
Overwrite Flag Code / User Tag
Prevents/allows user defined text being overwritten during updates

Colours
The colours of various areas of the main display may be selected by clicking the boxes

Update Types
Sets the databases that will be updated by the program

Refresh Rate
Sets the refresh rate for auto updating

Actions Menu
Bulk Ignore / Un-Ignore Operator
An operator can be set to be ignored or Un-ignored in the lists by entering its ICAO code at
the prompt.
Delete Flights
This will delete all the flights currently held in the Flights table in the Basestation.sqb.

Delete Spurious
Hex codes set as spurious will be deleted from the selected sqb database
Frozen Interested List
Hex codes set as Frozen will be listed in the centre right list box
Ignored Hex Codes
Any entries set to be ignored are listed in the right hand list. Selecting one displays it in
the Basestation Details panel. It can then be Un-Ignored using that button.
Logo Path setup
Logos can be displayed for the selected aircraft. Using this option locate any logo in your
logo folder to set up the path. Default paths are:
C:\program files (x86)\Kinetic\Basestation\Operatorflags or
C:\Planeplotter\OperatorLogos.
Mail Setup
This setup should be
performed to permit emailed alerts and reports.
Enter the e-mail settings
plus source and destination
addresses and store.
Having the same source
and destination addresses
may be an issue with ISPs.
A test mail may be sent by
selecting the button, once
the details are stored.
A different destination
address for reports can be
set in that section

Should SSL be selected, the mail password will be required. The password may be
stored by the program if the option is selected. It will be stored in an encrypted format,
however you accept the responsibility of it being stored for use in this program. **
Passwords containing characters other than numbers and letters may cause issues with
the program and should be avoided.
Otherwise, the password will need to be re-entered each time the mail option is selected.
Port numbers vary but 25 with no security and 465 with security are common.
Occasionally 25 with security has worked.

This setup is separate from that in the PlanebaseNG program and different settings
may be used

Pack Database
The selected basestation.sqb will be compacted to reduce its size. No programs such as
SBS or PlanePlotter should be using the database during this process.
Refresh Unknowns
Refreshes the unknown hex code display

Retained HEX codes

Lists the SQB entries currently set as Retained are listed in the right hand list. Selecting
one displays it in the Basestation Details panel. It can then be Un-retained by unticking
the option
Set PlanePlotter Path
A separate path to the BaseStation.sqb used by PlanePlotter can be set. It will be applied
when the PlanePlotter option is selected.
Set User Path
A user BaseStation.sqb path can be set for quick database changes. Locate the file here
and it can then be applied using the User Locn button.
Spurious Hex list
This panel allows display/adding/deleting of codes set as Spurious for use in the actions
> delete spurious on start option. Individual Hexs, a range separated by a dash or
wildcards using ?? can be used, i.e AE2D?? or 123456-987654.

Alerts Menu
Alert on new
Include or exclude various databases from the unknowns alerts, for example if you do not
wish to be alerted to new GA, de-select that option.
Acknowledge Alerts
Enables/Disables the requirement to acknowledge alerts
Disable Visual Alert
Enables/Disables the main alert display
Spoken Alerts

If selected, an alerted registration will be read out phonetically. The Waves

folder must be present and can be downloaded via the Help > Download Waves
menu.
Alert Sound Setup
The alert sound can be changed to any .wav file by selecting from the file list.
Remove Stored Alerts
Clears all stored alerts
Reset Alert Notifications
Resets any alert notifications that may have taken place during the current session.
Alert aircraft will re-alert.
View Stored Alerts
Currently stored alerts are listed (those with the alert box ticked in the Basestation
Details panel)
Test Sound Alert
The alert sound selected in Alert sound setup is played
Test Spoken Alerts
ABC123 will be read to test the setup, preceded by the alert sound

Reports

It is possible to print
reports based on the
flights stored in the
Basestation.sqb
database or from
reports produced by
Planeplotter.
Depending on the
option chosen, various
filters are available.
Reports can be printed
as a text document or to
an Excel spreadsheet.
They can also be
automatically e-mailed

BaseStation Reports
-

The time band is based on the Start Time

Sort the results by the Hex code, Registration, Time or SSR
Level filters set to an equal figure will list all aircraft with a First Level or Last Level
below that figure
To display descending aircraft set the First Alt to a high figure and the Last Alt to a
low figure, preferably higher than zero. For an ascending aircraft use the opposite
settings.
A Registration or prefix may be searched, any length of prefix is allowable.
There is an option to search the whole database for a registration, The contents of
the database depend on the delete options set in SBS. Several filters are not
available with this option selected.
The contents of the ICAOtypecode field may be included in the filter by entering text
in the Opr ICAO box. Depending on personal settings this may be an airline or type
code.
Subject to the Section field being populated, the various sections can be filtered by
selecting from the drop down.
If Print to Excel is selected, the selected fields will be printed to an Excel
spreadsheet, otherwise a text document will be created and displayed. It is
recommended that a monospace font such as Courier New is used for report
formatting.
The field order is selectable. Drag and drop the fields into the white boxes. The
order can be saved for subsequent use. Different orders may be saved for
Basestation and Planeplotter.
Interested Only restricts the filter to those marked as interested.
Include Interested Mark (*) adds an asterisk after the registration if the aircraft is set
as Interested in the database
Reports will be saved as a .txt or .csv file in the Planebase text files folder.

PlanePlotter Reports
-

Click in the Locate Report box and navigate to the relevant SQB file that has been
created through PlanePlotter
Select from the available filters and options. Due to the report format, there are less
options available than with BaseStation

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Auto Send E-Mail

Reports based on the selected parameters may be e-mailed at the time of report
compilation. Personal Mail details should be set up via the Actions > Mail Set Up menu.
When Auto Send E-Mail is ticked, a destination adress box will show. Any entered
address may be stored for subsequent use. Multiple addresses may be entered,
separated by a comma.
Should Show Report be de-selected, the report will be mailed without being displayed on
screen.
Enable Timer
A report may be compiled and E-Mailed at a selected time. Auto Send E-Mail should also
be selected if this is required. The Reports panel and Pblink3 must remain open whilst
Enable Timer is selected, however they may be minimised.
Yesterdays Report
A report based on the previous day may be created and E-Mailed automatically at the
selected time. This, plus the above two options need to be selected.
In Planeplotter mode, a report folder location is required. This may be located via the
Change button. Select any file in the folder where Planeplotter reports are stored.

Update DB
See the section below

View DB
See the section below

Downloads Menu

Latest Program Version unzip and double click the downloaded file
Alt Program An auto download for users whose antivirus software allows it
PBLink3 Manual this manual in PDF format
Exec/Airliners & Full Euro Populated SQB pre-populated databases issued on a
regular basis.
Ref_DB database download file if main Planebase program is not used
Bstn.database download if requested by the program
Spoken Waves files for use with spoken alerts

Help Menu
Support Site
Links to www.planebase.biz

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View/Edit Database

The BaseStation.sqb selected in the main screen may be viewed and edited.
Searches

A Single HEX or Registration may be searched. Type it and Enter.

Sort Results by ModesS code or Registration
Display All will list the whole database. Depending on its size this may take a while
HEX prefix or Registration prefix can be searched. Prefix length is variable
Unknowns - Unknown HEX/Registration tie ups will be displayed
Country / Operator / Type ICAO select from the populated lists

Grid Display
The major Basestation fields are displayed. Edit a field by selecting it and entering new text.
To delete an entry, select the hex code and click Delete Record
Delete Record
A database entry may be deleted by selecting a HEX code from the grid Hex column and
selecting the Delete Record option. A hex may also be typed into the delete box.
Supplementary DB
Ticking this option connects to the supplementary sqb. The database can be viewed and
edited as above.

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Update Database
It is recommended that no programs such as SBS or Planeplotter are using the
basestation.sqb during these processes as data may be lost or corrupted.

Delete HEX
Deletes records in the database subject to the chosen parameter. Only unknown
registrations will be deleted if the box is ticked.
The Short Term Unkns option will delete unknown entries where the HEX was received for
less than 10 seconds in the current flights tables. This is restricted to SBS only.
Delete / Close Outstanding Flights
The Monitor option references the Flights table for aircraft with no End Time, if flights have
lost contact but not been closed by SBS they will still show on the monitor screen.
Delete or Close all entries in the Flights table that does not contain an End time using this
option. Close will insert the current date/time as an end time. For SBS users only.
Copy SQB
Make a copy or a back up copy of a current database. An empty database can also be
created.

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Select the source database. Using the Destination panel, navigate to the destination folder.
The path will be displayed in the Create box. Enter a name for the new database in the
create box and select Create.
Any existing files will be overwritten. To create an empty database, tick the box before
selecting Create.
Manage Sessions
Each time SBS is started a new session is created. These are held irrespective of whether
the flights within that session have been deleted. This option displays a list of currently held
sessions.

Delete Selected - To delete one or more sessions, select it/them in the X column and
click Delete Selected. This will delete the sessions plus all flights held for those
sessions. It does not affect the aircraft details in the main database.
Delete Empty - Deletes any sessions that have no associated flights
Delete Flights Deletes flight records older than the selected parameter

Reduce
This option creates a compacted copy of the selected database containing only essential
fields, for use in PlanePlotter Mobile. The revised file will be located in the planebase/temp
folder
Remove Interested marks
Subject to the sections selected in the tick boxes below, this option marks the interested field
as No and removes any asterisks from the registration. Subject to the check options it
deletes any text from the user tag and User Notes fields.
Update Interested
Subject to the sections selected in the tick boxes above, this option will search the
PlaneBaseNG logs and update Interested information and the usertag field . There are
options to Mark Unknowns Interested and to Overwrite the user tag field. Also to add seen
details to the User Notes field and mark the User Tag seen, subject to the Overwrite User
Tag option.
Mark ALL Interested sets all entries as Interested
** Update Basestation Fields must have been run at least once to use this option **
Assign Section
Populates the section field of a single ICAO type for use in the Monitor filters. Enter the ICAO
code and select a section.

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Update Countries
Updates the countries in the country field to reflect the Hex code
Merge ICAO Opr/Type
This will merge the ICAO Operator and Type codes into the operatorflagcode field, for
example BAWB744
Helicopter Section
Sets Helicopters to section code H for use in the Monitor filters.
Populate US4
The userstring4 field is used for filtering Military and Executive types during Monitor. This
option populates that field with the required indicator.
Set / Remove Single Type / Opr Name / Opr ICAO Interested
These options set or remove the interested marks of all occurrences of an entered ICAO type,
ICAO operator or Operator name. All can be set interested by unticking the Needed Only
box.
The Opr Name has a % wildcard, i.e enter %Air Force or British% etc.
Process as Registrations/Frames
Select this option subject to personal logging requirements
Update Basestation Fields
Updates the main fields in the Basestation.sqb using information from PlanebaseNG. It is
necessary for the bstn.mdb database to be present in the c:\planebase\pb program files
folder. This can be downloaded via the Help menu on the main screen.
Prior to processing, a dated copy of the sqb is made in the PB backup files folder. There are
four options:

Delete Hex if details not found in PB - Deletes the record the Hex code is not found
in the PlanebaseNG databases as current
Overwrite Current Opr Details - Permits overwriting of the current Operator code, to
avoid overwriting of personalised text
Use Type ICAO if no Opr ICAO - When populating the oprflagcode field (used to
display icons on SBS), if there is no ICAO operator present it will be substituted with
the aircraft type ICAO.
Use Type ICAO for Execs Uses ICAO type code rather than operator code in the
oprflagcode field for executive aircraft

This option will take a while to re-import the data.

Data Check
This option checks the database for duplicated or conflicting hex codes and registrations.
It also compares info with the PB databases and reports on the results.
A report is displayed once complete or can be viewed by selecting Show List.
Delete Single Type
Deletes all examples of an entered ICAO type code in the Basestation.sqb
Reset Column
All data in the chosen table field will be reset to null (deleted)

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U/Case Hex
All Hex codes will be changed to upper case
Export to Access / Import from Access
Exports the main fields of the sqb to the bstn.mdb database, acs_aircraft table. The contents
may be edited and re-imported.
Delete Entire Section
All entries listed under the selected section will be deleted
Copy Type to Opr
Copies the contents of the ICAO type field into the Operatorflagcode field for use where
aircraft type logos are displayed on the SBS grid, rather than airline icons. There is an option
to only copy across when an operator code is unknown.
Convert to Lower/Upper case
The selected sections registration and aircraft type is changed to lower case for use in
displaying on the SBS grid to differentiate between sections. Details can be restored to
Upper case using the Upper Case option.
Individual types may be converted using the Type button and entering the ICAO code.
Append Supplementary Data
Data held in the supplementary.sqb will be transferred to the main database. The entry will
be added or overwritten if it already exists.

th

ML 17 May 2015

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