FlightAware ADS-B filters now for sale worldwide

Only initial connection was tight. No need to disconnect. I was stating that the tight initial connection was the only issue I had with the filter.

got mine today and first test showed a decrease of about 5-10%. i think this should be the normal result if there are no lte transmitters near my site. fa specs are about 1,5db loss at 1090mhz. jetvision has one with 0,5 db loss - but costs more than twice and looks a bit awkward: http://shop.jetvision.de/epages/64807909.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/64807909/Products/71010

WOW, that looks like it’s a tuned-cavity filter, a far better design and operation, but IMO not really needed by the hobbyist types.

yeah :slight_smile: i did not think about buying one - just saw it when buying my antenna - which is from their shop. but maybe there are others having real use for a beast like this → so i posted to let them know where it exists …

I have this on the roof of an office building about 200 feet from a cell tower. Took coverage from maybe 20 miles to 150 miles - made a huge difference.

Before I buy this, can someone confirm this is correct?

FA antenna with N male connector → N female connector 25ft LMR400 cable terminating in a N female connector → N male connector pigtail terminating in a SMA male connector → SMA female into FA filter into SMA male connector → SMA female connector pigtail into MCX male connector → dongle

If the above is correct, what cable type do you suggest for the two pigtails/cables to minimize attenuation and transmission loss?

I live near a cell tower, and was only using the bundled RTL antenna, and got the FA filter & antenna. I previously had only four positions 60-120 out, with none beyond that, just in a few hours I’ve picked up 54 at 60-120, and one at 120-180. This is just with the antenna leaning against me window. Once I get it mounted outdoors I suspect the results will be even better yet!

The FA antenna is N female, and cables are typically male to male. See if you can get an N male to SMA male LMR400 cable; not a lot of places will do SMA on LMR400.

Or you could do this:
FA Antenna → SMA Male to N Male Cable → FA filter → SMA Female to MCX Male Adapter → Dongle

Should be as clean as you can get that way.

1090MHz ADS-B Antenna: amazon.com/dp/B00WZL6WPO
SMA Male to N Male Cable: amazon.com/gp/product/B00QZEQ5EA
ADS-B 1090MHz Band-pass SMA Filter: amazon.com/dp/B010GBQXK8
SMA Female to MCX Male Adapter: amazon.com/dp/B00M2JOQCU

EDIT:
Sorry first post before editing it I had the filter flipped around in my head…

I installed the filter 2 weeks ago and the results were instantaneous and fantastic. I saw a 530% increase in daily positions and 245% increase in aircraft seen.

There is a cell site a few hundred feet from the antenna (line of site). It’s also a long run to the roof- maybe 75 feet, using an Adtronix amp.

flightaware.com/adsb/stats/user/adamkaplan

If using an amp in line with the filter then what order should the setup be from the dongle to the antenna?

I have mine hooked up dongle, filter, power inserter, amp, “DC blocker if needed” then antenna.

If your location has strong signals, e.g. from a nearby cell or broadcast tower or amateur radio station, then I would suggest placing the filter between the antenna and the amplifier so it serves as a preselector.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preselector

Otherwise, the interfering signals may overload the amplifier and seriously degrade the performance of your site. The FlightAware filter does not pass DC, so it will also serve as a DC blocker when placed between the antenna and amplifier.

If they were sold from Europe, there is no extra tax payable between countries.

Could the manufacturer sell them direct from Taiwan - there seems to be super cheap snail mail from Asia to Europe.

Almost bought one today (10% off) but read this post as a useful caution. The total for the item plus postage is going to trigger UK customs for VAT and the post office is going to charge for collecting that.

I’ll manage without a filter :frowning:

I have received the Flightfeeder in Nov-2015, can anybody confirm that it has one internally. I am getting very few (single Digit)- 300+ miles positions. I have placed an antenna on roof top, but the nearest GSM cell site is at a distance of 100m. So adding one will it increase the range?

I have multiple towers within 1/4 mile radius. The filter bumped my stats by at least 25%.

Your FlightFeeder has a good internal filter, an external filter won’t help.

The external filters are for PiAware or the older FlightFeeders (serials below ~1200).

When will the FA Antenna & Filter be available in India? International shipping from USA will add 50% to the cost and I’m not sure whether it will reach at all. I’m currently feeding through a Pi and a DIY Collinear. Have requested for a FlightFeeder but my area doesn’t seem to be a priority for FA right now.

Any other options besides Amazon.ca in Canada? They charge huge shipping fees to remote areas of Canada. It would cost me over 30 dollars to ship this item to my location.

Cheers,
Scott.

Hi Guys,

I received mine from Amazon Germany overnight via Prime for 20 EURO.
Now I have just one simple question. Is there a defined IN and OUT of the filter or will it work bidirectional?
I would assume, that reading the text on the filter, the input will be on the left side (SMA female) and the output on the right side (SMA male).

Kind regards
Kai