I’ve been playing around with Raspberry Pis for a while now and am amazed at how much computing power is packed into such a small form factor (compared with the computer I had in college, for example). My latest experiment was putting together an ADS-B receiver.
There are some good tutorials online so I wont go into the set up here. Instead, here’s an overview of how I got it up and running.
My Feed
You can view my feed here on OpenSky Network and see stats on FlightAware here. My FlightAware feed is also available on my local network which makes it easy for me to see at home.
Overview
Basically, the setup is a Raspberry Pi 4 with a wireless connection to the internet. I installed a GPS to manage time and position settings for this and other uses. I know I could have build a collinear antenna or whatever, but it was easy enough to buy one off the shelf, mount it on the roof and route cable to the shack. I installed a bandpass filter to help improve signal to noise. I may raise the antenna up somewhat, but I also want to keep the installation fairly inconspicuous and not look like some cold war listening post.
Parts List
Outdoor ADS-B 1090 MHz antenna
ADS-B 1090 MHz Bandpass Filter
AG7WI is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
The setup instructions can be found here:
GPS on Rasperry Pi Using GPSD
Lots of good Raspberry Pi and Amateur radio instructions here. The instructions for the GPS worked great. Next I plan on setting up the Pi to do APRS via bluetooth with my D74 HT.
ADS-B set up
Instructions were based on this post. I used the dump1090-fa package and followed instructions from FlightAware on building a PiAware receiver. I am also feeding data to the OpenSky Network. I can view my feed on my internal network as well which is a plus.
Let me know what you think
Any tips, suggestions, comments? Please let me know. I am always looking to improve my knowledge base and practical application of technology (whether it’s relevant or not is another question).
73