FA Pro Stick + FA ADS-B Bandpass Filter vs. FA Pro Stick Plus

FlightAware ADS-B Flight Tracking
1

For over a year, I’ve been using the FlightAware Pro Stick (orange model) and with the FlightAware bandpass filter. They have been performing very well. During weekdays, I get daytime message rates around 800-900 messages/second, according to the stats in PiAware Skyview.

I thought I’d replace the orange Pro Stick and filter combo with the newer FlightAware Pro Stick Plus, which is supposedly the same as the Pro Stick, but with an ADS-B bandpass filter integrated into it (I’m assuming this is correct.)

The problem is that the new Plus model has terrible reception, giving me 200 messages/second (or less). I can disconnect it, replace it with my previous setup (the older orange Pro Stick with the FA bandpass filter), and I’m back up to 800-900 messages/second.

What gives? I change nothing else and performance with the new Plus model is horrible compared to the Pro Stick with external BP filter. Do gain settings in PiAware need to be set manually different for the Plus model? I even tried adding on the external FA bandpass filter ahead of the new Plus model and it doesn’t seem to help.

I’m at a loss for why the new and improved Plus model seems terrible compared to the previous model. Can anyone shed some light on my dismay?

2

Try the Plus with the external bandpass filter. The filter in the Plus is after the first LNA.

(edit: ah, you tried that. Check your connections again? RF is a fickle beast)

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3

I went back and tried the Plus with the external BP filter again, and now it works as expected. I guess something wasn’t making a good connection the first time I tried it.

My local RF environment is such that I definitely need the bandpass filter inline before the LNA. Thanks for your advice that prompted me to try it again with the external BP filter.