PC version of PiAware for field spotting

[biekerc]

@joelwiley

Perhaps I’m missing something here.
Site 3745 [Testbed (Rover)] is my 'portable pi. Goes in the RV, and can go to the airport in the car.
Android phone provides wireless hotspot to send to FA.
Laptop goes along for skyview.
I understand the thought experiment ‘Can I compile piaware on x86’. But, if you are just trying to get from here to there, it seems like there are easier paths. YMMV

In your scenario, a simple WiFi tablet is enough, no need for a laptop.

However, you need an additional rPi, a mobile power supply for it, like a power bank, especially if you are not close to your car.

The idea of just plugging in a FA stick into a laptop and see the coverage on the same device (and power supply) surely has its attractions and practical value, too.

[abcd567]

@biekerc

…The idea of just plugging in a FA stick into a laptop and see the coverage on the same device (and power supply) surely has its attractions and pratical value, too.

Fully agree. See photo below which confirms your statement.

My old Laptop with Intel i3 cpu, on which I have DUAL BOOT (Windows 7 + Ubuntu 16.04 amd64).

[obj]

Kinda related, plug a dongle into your laptop when you’re on a long flight and you can have your own flight map. No antenna required. It’s usually better than the IFE map

[abcd567]

@obj

Kinda related, plug a dongle into your laptop when you’re on a long flight and you can have your own flight map. It’s usually better than the IFE map

Good idea. Now that I have installed all necessary software on my laptop, will try this on my next long haul flight.

No antenna required.

With aircraft’s transponder pumping out 200 Watts of RF power just below/above the body of aircraft, the signal which leaks into cabin through glass windows should be strong enough to create sufficient RF voltage in the copper of dongle’s pcb to make it work without an antenna.

[invergordon]

@obj

Kinda related, plug a dongle into your laptop when you’re on a long flight and you can have your own flight map. No antenna required. It’s usually better than the IFE map

I did this once on a trans-Tasman flight between Melbourne and Auckland but with a stock antenna hidden in my rucksack on the floor. Tracked my flight all the way once at 10,000’. It was mostly ocean but an interesting experiment.

[abcd567]

PERFECT FOR USE ON A FLIGHT - IF THIS DONGLE WORKS
I have ordered this mini DVB-T dongle which plugs directly into phone. Awaiting delivery to test if it works with the FlightScanner App on android phone. The regular generic DVB-T when connected using OTG cable, works perfect with FlightScanner App.

US$9.99 + Free Shipping from China (by a small sail boat, will take 2 months to reach)

ebay.com/itm/201997413467

2 Screenshots of Flight Scanner App on my Android Phone, using REGULAR DVB-T + OTG Cable

.

[MK2wx]

Come on guys, use another Raspberry Pi, but power it from a battery pack. Let’s not over think this!

[abcd567]

@MK2wx

Come on guys, use another Raspberry Pi, but power it from a battery pack. Let’s not over think this!

This is not over thinking. To watch the map (SkyView), a screen is required, which laptop has, but Pi does not have.

[MK2wx]

I thought the idea was to collect planes while the car was parked in the parking lot while folks were at work. Are we suggesting a workplace skive here? I had no idea!

[abcd567]

The method I have uptil now used to have Linux (Ubuntu) on my Windows Laptop was to create a Linux partition on Hard Drive, and install Ubuntu alongwith Windows as “Dual Boot”.

I have now tried to find a method where no installation is done on Laptop’s Hard Drive. I tried following 3 methods, and finally succeded in method 3:

METHOD -1 (FAILURE)

Burned Ubuntu Live Cd iso to USB flash stick. Pluged in the USB stick into laptop, and at boot chose to boot from the USB stick.

This method gives very restricted “apt-get update” and “apt-get upgrade”, and fails to install lot of packages required for installation of dump1090-mut/dump1090-fa and Piaware. Also even those few packages which could be installed, disappeared at reboot.

.

METHOD -2 (FAILURE)

Burned Ubuntu Live CD iso to USB flash, but in persistant mode using tool makeusb

sudo add-apt-repository universe
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mkusb/ppa
sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install mkusb usb-pack-efi

sudo dus
#follow the instructions in dialog box

This method creates an extra partition to store files. It is claimed that by this method installed software can be retained. However since it also has same restricted “apt-get update” and “apt-get upgrade”, installation of dump1090 and Piaware fails.

.

METHOD -3 (SUCCESS)

Full installation of Ubuntu on USB flash stick as follows:

Downloaded Ubuntu 16.0.3 iso, and wrote it to a DVD. Pluged in a blank formatted 32 Gb USB flash stick in laptop. Now iplaced Ubuntu DVD in the DVD drive of Windows laptop, restarted laptop, and booted from DVD into Ubuntu, which at startup gave two options “try” and “install”. Chose “install”. Next it again gave two options “install alongwith Windows” and “Remove windows and install only Ubuntu”. I chose “alongwith Windows”. It again showed Hard Drive and USB flash and asked on which one. I chose USB flash, and installation started, and took a while to complete.

After installtion completed, I removed DVD, but left USB flash stick pluged in. Re started laptop, and at boot chose option to boot from USB flash. Ubuntu started, and I could successfully do “apt-get update” and “apt-get upgrade”,and could indtall all required packages (tools & dependencies), and finally could successfully install dump1090-fa and Piawsre data feeder.

To test persistance of adsb software installed on USB flash, I shutdown laptop, then again booted from the USB flash stick, and found both dump1090-fa and Piaware data feede existing and working normally.