AvioADSB

Hardware Guide

You do not need specialist equipment to start contributing. A basic ADS-B setup requires only an inexpensive RTL-SDR dongle and a simple antenna.

You do not need specialist equipment to start contributing. A basic ADS-B setup requires only an inexpensive RTL-SDR dongle and a simple antenna.

ADS-B — Start here

What you need:

  • RTL-SDR USB dongle (~$25) — any RTL2832U-based dongle works. The RTL-SDR Blog V4 is a popular, well-supported option.
  • 1090 MHz antenna — included with most RTL-SDR kits, or buy a dedicated ADS-B antenna (~$20–40) for better range.
  • A PC or Raspberry Pi to run the decoder.

Decoder software:

  • Linux/macOS: dump1090-fa (FlightAware fork) or readsb
  • Windows: dump1090 or ADSBScope
# Install on Debian/Ubuntu/Raspberry Pi
sudo apt install dump1090-fa
# Starts automatically, SBS output on port 30003

This is all you need to contribute ADS-B data and get a contributor API key.

MLAT — locate aircraft that have no ADS-B position

Not every aircraft transmits its own position. MLAT (multilateration) works those out anyway, from the tiny differences in when several nearby stations each hear the same Mode S reply.

What you need (in addition to ADS-B):

  • Beast output on port 30005. MLAT needs the raw, timestamped Mode S stream in Beast format. Both readsb and dump1090-fa provide it by default.
  • A GPS-disciplined receiver or a well-synced system clock (NTP is normally enough) — the whole technique depends on comparing arrival times across stations.
  • mlat-client, running alongside your existing feeder: 
    sudo apt install mlat-client

Enable MLAT for a station from its card on the dashboard: enter its coordinates, and the exact mlat-client command is generated for you, pointed at AvioADSB's MLAT server.

MLAT positions are computed from several stations after the fact, not received directly by yours, so they don't go through the radio-horizon and kinematic checks a station's own reception does. They are marked "type": "mlat" in the API and shown distinctly on the live map. Running MLAT doesn't change your key's tier; sharing ADS-B does.

AvioADSB's MLAT server is an unmodified deployment of wiedehopf/mlat-server, which is AGPLv3-licensed — the server itself discloses this and links its source to every mlat-client that connects.

Getting Started — Feed ADS-B and Get an API Key

From zero to a feeding AvioADSB station and a contributor API key: add one connector line to readsb or ultrafeeder, claim your station, create your key.

ADS-B

ADS-B is a surveillance technology in which aircraft determine their own position using GPS and broadcast it, along with other flight data, on 1090 MHz.

On this page

ADS-B — Start hereMLAT — locate aircraft that have no ADS-B positionRelated