FlightAware

I participate in FlightAware's network of radio receivers that track aircraft. I have an antenna on a rock in my back yard connected to a Rasbperry Pi with a USB radio receiver. See FlightAware's ADS‑B page for more information on their tracking network.

My username on FlightAware is tom239. I'm happy to compare notes with others operating FlightAware receiver sites; my email address is on my contact page.

I am using:

• Raspberry Pi 3 B+  (kinda old now)
• Raspberry Pi PoE hat  (ditto)
• FlightAware Pro Stick Plus USB ADS‑B receiver
• DPD Productions 1090 MHz antenna
• BV-Tech POE-SW502 Power over Ethernet switch

Flightaware offers USB receivers with and without 1090MHz bandpass filters. The filter is definitely recommended in urban areas; in rural settings the choice depends on how strong various other RF signals are in your area. I tried both and got better results with the filter.

The Ethernet switch I'm using gives the option of either 10 or 100 Mbps on its PoE ports. I chose 10Mbps because that's already more bandwidth than this application needs and 10Base-T is more reliable over long cable runs (in this case, about 70 meters).

The PoE switch draws about 3 watts without the Raspberry Pi connected and about 8 watts with it connected and running.

I'm located between two mountain ranges. Terrain limits reception in most directions, as seen in the lopsided coverage graph on my statistics page.

Tom Ace
Lone Pine, California

return to Tom's home page


update, December 26, 2019: The Raspberry Pi has been unfazed by outdoor temperatures from 15°F to 100°F. The pic below is with the FlightAware 1090 MHz antenna I used for the first five years (since changed to a DPD antenna which gives better reception).