If you’re interested in airplanes or just want to know where planes are going to or coming from overhead, setting up an ADS-B receiver can be a fun and interesting project.
What you’ll need
We’ll be using a Raspberry Pi in this tutorial, but any computer with ethernet or Wi-Fi and at least one USB port is necessary.
- Raspberry Pi 3B or Raspberry Pi 4B
- Micro SD card
- Micro SD card reader (if your computer doesn’t have one built-in)
- Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Dongle and Outdoor 1090MHz Antenna
What is ADS-B?
ADS-B stands for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast. Airplanes outfitted with ADS-B transponders transmit accurate GPS and avionics data (e.g. altitude and ground speed) over radio. You can set up a ground receiver that listens to and visualizes the ADS-B data that’s in your area. Many ADS-B receiver operators choose to publish their real time data to sites such as FlightAware and FlightRadar24. In return, these services will provide you with a premium subscription free of charge.
Getting Started: Flash PiAware to USB
PiAware is a distribution that comes with all the necessary software for an ADS-B receiver preinstalled, so we’ll be using this for simplicity.
First, you should download the PiAware image as well as balenaEtcher.
After inserting the Pi’s MicroSD Card, use balenaEtcher to flash the image to your Pi’s Micro SD card.
Enabling SSH
PiAware’s image disables SSH for security by default, however enabling SSH is recommended should you need to remotely administer your Pi in the future. It is also required if you want to add data outputs other than FlightAware.
You will need to unplug and plug your SD card in again once Etcher finishes flashing since it automatically ejects the disk.
In the file explorer, create an empty file called ssh in the /boot partition.
If you need to connect your Pi to Wi-Fi, this is a good time to enter the configuration. Refer to this FlightAware forum post for more information.
Setting up ADS-B Receiver
You’re now ready to set up your ADS-B ground station. Insert the Micro SD card into your Pi and connect the ethernet (if not using Wi-Fi), and power it on.
While your Pi is booting up, attach the coaxial cable from your antenna to your SDR dongle. You may need to attach a ground plane to your antenna for optimal performance. Insert the SDR dongle into your Pi.
Now, load your Pi’s IP address in your web browser using HTTP. If you are unsure of the IP address, you may need to check your router’s DHCP server for the lease information.
Once you click “Go to SkyAware Map”, you will need to scroll to your location, and you should see planes!
Register with FlightAware Account
FlightAware and competing providers maintain a database of ADS-B operators to act as a dashboard and sort of a leaderboard to see who is collecting the most information. You will often need to sign up to these leaderboards to receive your free premium subscription data. To do this in PiAware, click Claim this feeder to associate it with your FlightAware account on the homepage and follow the prompts.
Optional: Support additional providers
To get the most out of your new ADS-B receiver, you might want to supply your data not just to FlightAware, but other providers like FlightRadar24 and planefinder.
Both of these providers have guides on how to adapt your ADS-B receiver to send data to multiple providers.
Congratulations! As long as your ADS-B receiver stays online, it will listen for information from planes over radio and publish it to the internet for all to see.
