Radio Telemetry Tracker Drone Ground Control Station (GCS)

The Radio Telemetry Tracker Drone Ground Control Station (GCS) is a desktop application designed to interface with the Radio Telemetry Tracker Drone Field Device Software (FDS) for wildlife radio tracking. Using this GCS, users can configure radio parameters, send start/stop commands, track GPS data, visualize pings on a map, and control drone operations in real-time or via a built-in simulator.

Table of Contents

• Radio Telemetry Tracker Drone Ground Control Station (GCS)
  • Table of Contents
  • System Requirements
  • Installation
    • Option 1: Install from Release (Recommended)
    • Option 2: Build from Source
  • Development
    • Setting Up Development Environment
    • Development Commands
  • Troubleshooting
    • Common Issues
• License

System Requirements

• Operating System: Windows 10/11, Ubuntu 22.04+ (or similar)
• Python: 3.13+ (required for all installation methods)
• Additional Build Requirements (only if building from source):
  • Poetry 2.0+
  • Node.js 22+
  • npm 10+

Installation

Option 1: Install from Release (Recommended)

1. Install using pip:

# Replace [version] with the version number you want to install
pip install https://github.com/UCSD-E4E/radio-telemetry-tracker-drone-gcs/releases/download/v[version]/radio_telemetry_tracker_drone_gcs-[version]-py3-none-any.whl

2. Run the application:

rtt-drone-gcs

Option 2: Build from Source

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/UCSD-E4E/radio-telemetry-tracker-drone-gcs.git

cd radio-telemetry-tracker-drone-gcs

2. Install Python dependencies:

poetry install

3. Build and install frontend:

cd frontend
npm install
npm run build
cd ..

4. Copy frontend dist to package directory:

mkdir -p radio_telemetry_tracker_drone_gcs/frontend_dist
cp -r frontend/dist/ radio_telemetry_tracker_drone_gcs/frontend_dist/

5. Run the application:

poetry run rtt-drone-gcs

Development

Setting Up Development Environment

1. Follow the "Build from Source" steps 1-3 above (no need to manually copy frontend dist)
2. Install additional development dependencies:

poetry install --dev

Development Commands

• Run with automatic frontend building (Recommended for development):

poetry run rtt-drone-gcs-dev

• Run without automatic frontend building (Useful for testing):

poetry run rtt-drone-gcs

his command will automatically build the frontend and copy it to the correct location before running the app.

• Run with pre-built frontend (Faster, but requires manual frontend updates):

poetry run rtt-drone-gcs

⚠️ Remember to rebuild and copy the frontend files when making frontend changes!

• Run tests:

poetry run pytest

• Run linter:

poetry run ruff check .

• Run frontend tests:

cd frontend
npm run test

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Frontend Not Found Error

   • If using rtt-drone-gcs, ensure you've:
     1. Built the frontend (npm run build in frontend directory)
     2. Copied the build to radio_telemetry_tracker_drone_gcs/frontend_dist
   • Alternatively, use rtt-drone-gcs-dev which handles this automatically
   • Try reinstalling the package

2. Connection Issues

   • Verify FDS is running and accessible
   • Check COM port settings
   • Look for connection timeout messages in logs

3. Map Display Problems

   • Ensure you have an internet connection for initial tile loading
   • Check if offline tile cache is properly configured
   • Verify WebEngine is working (may need graphics driver update)

4. Build Errors

   • Verify Python 3.13+ is installed and active
   • Ensure all dependencies are installed (poetry install)
   • Check Node.js version (22+) if building frontend
   • Make sure frontend dist is in the correct location

For more detailed troubleshooting, check the application logs or open an issue on GitHub.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.