I have been using the FlightAware Pro Stick Plus dongles since 2017 and I run them 24/7 and in that time one stopped working. The second one ran well for a few years and then stopped receiving any aircraft over fifty miles away, the third one has also recently stopped working.
Am I missing something and there is a fix for this or is it a case that they only have a certain lifespan.
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Have you verified that the USB connection to the FA Pro Stick is getting sufficient power or the physical connection isn’t failing from a contact perspective during operation?
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As far as I can see everything is fine in that area.
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I have the Blue FA Pro Stick on my system that has been running for near to a year and a half and the only change I made was to connect it the Pi USB port with a short USB extension cable to remove the physical connection stresses created by the direct connection of the FA stick to the USB on the Pi 4. Gravity is no longer working against the connections integrity.
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I don’t think there is too much stress on the USB port but that’s a good idea, I will do as you suggest and double check the contact of the dongle and USB port, I have a USB power tester so I’ll have a look at that as well.
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Is it inside or outside?
One of the main reasons for a reduced reception could be a connection issue with the antenna. Outside it’s very likely that there’s a water problem.
Do you have by chance a different antenna for testing? Would be interesting to see if it makes any difference.
In addition it might be a good idea to have graphs1090 installed. If you have it already, you can post the graphs here where the change can be seen.
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My antenna is in the loft so there aren’t any issues there.
I’m going to have a look at the connection of the dongle with the Raspberry Pi.
There are several reasons why an SDR might fail.
- static electricity from thunderstorms
- power ripple or general hot temperatures causing some component of the SDR to fail
Think the FA barrel filter might actually help with the static electricity, not sure though.
I’ve previously removed the plastic from the FA pro plus stick so it runs cooler.
Finally for the RPi i’d generally only run the official power supply as chargers don’t provide reliable power.
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Is your R-Pi in the loft too?
In Florida you shouldn’t have any electronics in the attic spaces. I’m located across the state from you, so our climates are similar. At 3:50pm ET (19:50 UTC) the OAT at my location is 97°F (36°C). The attic temperature is ~130°F (55°C). The temps have another couple of hours to increase before dropping to a morning low of 80°F (27°C).
I’m totally right there with you 549! When Graham said his antenna was in the loft there in England, my thoughts rushed to the horror of the potential heat that we know so well in that environment. May Florida be blessed this year with no intrusions by storms of destruction. Stay safe on all fronts.
No the Pi is in a spare bedroom.
Well done. Close at hand for proper care and feeding!
That’s the approach I use. Antenna, LNA and SDR dongle in attic. RPi in upstairs closet. That way I have easier access to RPi, Also don’t have a lot of hot electronics in attic with possible fire hazard.
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I have my device (either the Jetvision Airsquitter or my Raspberry 4) outside in a small cabinet on my balcony without additional cooling, the third summer now. In summer we have outside temperatures also up to 35°C for several days, combined with a certain level of humidity and never had an issue.
The only thing i need to do from time to time is to clean up the bugs which found their way in the cabinet.
And i was using the blue FA stick and later an Airspy. It turned hotter than you are able to touch it. But it never failed.
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