ADS-B explained: data sources & your own receiver

Receiving ACARS messages with an SDR: acarsdec and ACARS Hub

Besides ADS-B, airliners also send short text messages over ACARS. With an SDR stick, an airband antenna, acarsdec and ACARS Hub, you can make this datalink visible – as long as you keep the legal situation in mind.

Build your own 1090 MHz antenna: spider, collinear and ground plane

A good ADS-B antenna costs almost nothing: a piece of wire, a connector, some coax cable. Here are the dimensions for ground plane, spider and coax collinear, the math behind them and the typical build mistakes.

Finding the best antenna location: height, line of sight, cable and loss

The antenna makes the difference between 50 and 400 kilometers of range. How to find the best spot, why height and line of sight are everything, which cable to use and how to keep signal loss under control.

Receiving and sharing ADS-B data: what is allowed in Germany, Austria and Switzerland?

An ADS-B receiver doesn’t transmit anything, it only listens. Still, the question comes up whether you may receive the signals and pass them on to Flightradar24 & Co. This overview shows which laws matter in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where the gray areas are and how to handle the data responsibly as a feeder.

Running an ADS-B receiver outdoors: enclosure, cooling, surge protection and power

When the antenna cable gets too long, the receiver moves outdoors. How to package a Raspberry Pi and SDR stick weatherproof, handle heat and condensation, guard against surges and get the power right.

Build your own ADS-B receiver: Raspberry Pi, stick and antenna

Raspberry Pi, SDR stick, antenna – that is all your own ADS-B receiver needs. Which parts have proven themselves, where the antenna belongs, what software exists and what to watch for legally and technically.

What feeders get in return: free subscriptions from FR24, FlightAware, AirNav Radar and Plane Finder

Your own ADS-B station pays off in subscriptions: Flightradar24, FlightAware, AirNav Radar (formerly RadarBox) and Plane Finder reward feeders differently. The comparison shows what you get, which conditions apply and how to combine all the benefits with one receiver.

Buying an ADS-B receiver instead of building one: ready-made units, kits and costs

Not in the mood for flashing memory cards and Linux? For ADS-B, there are ready-made receivers, complete kits and even free hardware for selected locations. Here you see which routes exist, what they cost and who they are worth it for.

Feeding multiple ADS-B networks at once with Docker and Ultrafeeder

One container decodes, many networks get the data: How to set up the sdr-enthusiasts Ultrafeeder, add community networks via ULTRAFEEDER_CONFIG and attach FlightAware, Flightradar24 and others as their own containers.

Mobile ADS-B at the spot: reception with a smartphone, SDR stick and power bank

Your own radar in the camera bag: with an SDR stick, a smartphone and a power bank you see what is approaching right at the fence – even without a mobile network and without delay. Here is how to put the kit together and avoid the typical mistakes.

ADS-B reception without a Raspberry Pi: Pi Zero, Orange Pi, old PC and Windows

No Raspberry Pi at hand? For an ADS-B receiver, a Pi Zero 2 W, an Orange Pi, a retired laptop or your Windows PC often does the job too. Which alternative suits what, and where the pitfalls are.

Measuring reception performance: graphs1090, polar plots and the Heywhatsthat range forecast

How well does your antenna really hear? With graphs1090, the range outline in tar1090 and Heywhatsthat’s theoretical forecast you measure message rate, signal level and range – and find out where there is still room to improve.

Boosting ADS-B range: LNA, 1090 MHz filter, gain and cable choice

Your station is running, but there is more to get? Here is how to squeeze out the last kilometers with properly set gain, the right 1090 MHz filter, a preamplifier in the right place and the right cable – and avoid typical bad buys.

Feeding ADS-B Exchange and community networks: adsb.fi, adsb.lol, airplanes.live

Your receiver is already running – now the data should land on the unfiltered maps too. Here is how to connect ADS-B Exchange, adsb.fi, adsb.lol and airplanes.live in parallel, set up MLAT and check that everything arrives.

Airspy Mini and R2 with airspy_adsb: maximum ADS-B reception

When an Airspy is worth it over an RTL-SDR stick, how airspy_adsb works with readsb or dump1090-fa, and which settings for sample rate, gain and CPU load really matter.

FLARM and the Open Glider Network: receive and feed gliders yourself

Many gliders, motor gliders and ultralights are missing from classic flight tracker maps. With FLARM, the Open Glider Network and a second SDR stick, you put them on your screen – and share the data with the community.

Setting up fr24feed: the Flightradar24 feeder on a Raspberry Pi

From a Raspberry Pi with an SDR stick to an active Flightradar24 station: install script, signup wizard, sharing key, receiver type, running alongside PiAware and the free account for feeders, step by step.

Receiving HFDL: aircraft positions over shortwave, even in the middle of the Atlantic

Where ADS-B receivers stop at the coast, HFDL is just getting started: the shortwave data link carries ACARS messages and positions for thousands of kilometers. Here is how it works and how to receive it with an SDR and a wire antenna.

PiAware setup: the FlightAware feeder on a Raspberry Pi

From a blank Raspberry Pi to a claimed FlightAware station: flash the SD image or install the package, set up Wi-Fi, claim the feeder ID, set your location for MLAT and fix typical errors.

Install readsb and tar1090: your own local live map for your ADS-B receiver

A Pi, an SDR stick and an antenna become your own live map: how to install the readsb decoder and the tar1090 web interface, set gain and location, use filters, tracks and URL parameters, and fix typical errors.

SDR sticks for ADS-B compared: RTL-SDR Blog, FlightAware, Nooelec, Airspy

From all-round stick to 12-bit receiver: where the RTL-SDR Blog V4, FlightAware Pro Stick (Plus), Nooelec NESDR and Airspy Mini differ technically – and which stick suits which location.

UAT on 978 MHz explained: the second ADS-B system in the US and when you need to receive it

Besides 1090 MHz, the US has a second ADS-B frequency: the Universal Access Transceiver on 978 MHz. What is behind it, who transmits on it, what FIS-B, TIS-B and ADS-R mean and when you need your own UAT receiver as a spotter or feeder.

Receiving VDL Mode 2: dumpvdl2, frequencies and what the data reveals

VDL Mode 2 is the digital successor to classic VHF ACARS. With an SDR stick and the open-source decoder dumpvdl2, you can receive the datalink yourself – here is which frequencies, which settings and which messages to expect.