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Variometer

Adjust the built-in variometer, thermal assist, thresholds, and responsiveness for the current recorder experience.

Variometer

Record > Recorder Settings > Variometer

Gaggle includes a built-in variometer that can provide climb and sink audio without external hardware. The current Variometer settings page is split into clear sections so you can tune the sound for free-flight, powered flying, and thermal hunting.

Variometer Settings

Toggles

The Toggles section currently includes:

  • Free-Flight
  • Powered Flight
  • Only In Flight
  • Use With External Vario

These settings control when Gaggle should make vario sounds and whether it should still play when you also have an external variometer connected.

Thermal Assist

The Thermal Assist section has its own Enabled toggle. When this is turned on, Gaggle can automatically show the thermal-assistant dialog while thermalling so you can quickly check climb and wind information without leaving the recorder.

Volume

Use the Volume slider to control Gaggle’s vario output. Your phone’s media volume still affects the final loudness, so if the tones are too soft you may need to raise both.

Thresholds

The Thresholds section lets you decide when climb and sink tones should start:

  • Climb
  • Sink

Lower climb thresholds make Gaggle react to weaker lift. More aggressive sink thresholds warn sooner when the air turns bad.

Responsiveness

The Responsiveness slider changes how quickly the built-in vario reacts to altitude changes. A faster setting gives you more immediate feedback, while a calmer setting smooths the response.

Accelerometer support

The current page also includes Use Accelerometer. On supported devices this can improve how quickly Gaggle reacts to movement, especially if the hardware barometer data is limited or noisy.

Tips

  • Keep Only In Flight enabled if you do not want tones while standing on launch or handling your glider on the ground.
  • Turn on Powered Flight only if vario audio is useful for your engine flying setup.
  • If you prefer your external variometer, leave Use With External Vario disabled.