PiAware or not

FlightAware ADS-B Flight Tracking
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Hi Fellow enthusiast :slight_smile:
I am after some advice regarding switching from windows dump1090 to piaware.
I have been feeding Flightaware from PlanePlotter and others since 17 April 2015 using Windows Dump1090, during this time I have made various modifications to my system I now have a Flightaware global rating of 298 and Uk rating of 35, (see https://flightaware.com/adsb/stats/user/Mancpaul) before my recent modifications it was global rating 685, the mods were—

  1. Changed from 14 element collinear to 16 element, this showed about 50% increase in messages and range. Note for the new 16 element I used RG6u foam with VR of 81% so each half wave length element was 111.4mm
  2. Flightaware Pro Stick Plus, this as shown at least another 50% increase in messages and range.
    Originally I experimented with a 8 element then 10 then 12 etc seeing improvement with each one, incidentally I recently tried the Flightaware ADS-B Antenna this was comparable with the 14 Element Collinear.
    So in summary the most significant improvement was the Flightaware Pro Stick Plus.
    Anyway now the question.
    Apart from adding MLATs to my feed what other advantages would I gain by changing to PiAware, would my reception range increase, could I still feed to PlanePlotter, FR24 etc?
    Although the Raspberry Pi system is more economical I would still be required to run my PC 24/7 therefore no energy savings.
    If I decide to go the PiAware route do I wait for the latest which would work with RPi 3B+? is it best to buy the kit or just buy the bits separately considering I have no experience with RPi?
    Best regards
    Paul
    P.S Please note my UK and global ratings are from RadarBox24 (Manchester - United Kingdom Station - AirNav RadarBox - Global Flight Tracking Intelligence | Live Flight Tracker and Airport Status)
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An older Pi would do as well, currently the Pi 3B+, is only supported via the piaware add-on package, not the image.

Using a good quality power supply like the official RPi model and a quality sdcard from companies like Samsung saves a lot of trouble along the way.

You can use the adsbreceiver script to add feeders. This way, you also get the performance graphs which give you more information about your feeder.

You can use the RPi to feed other programs vrs, so there are lot ways to experiment, and for many people it opened to the door to learn a bit about Linux.

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Since 2013 I was feeding FA with Windows DUMP1090 through PlanePlotter and worked ok except No ELAT data to FA. About 2 months ago I changed that by freeing up my PC by using a PI3 with the FA Image with great results and it was a 69 USD investment. I say go for it.

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Hi Guys :slight_smile:

Thanks for your input, all slowly being assimilated, looks like I will give it a go setting it up through my laptop so as not to interrupt my present feed from desktop.
Am I right in assuming that once setup I can still feed Flightaware, PlanePlotter, FR24, etc without the laptop or desktop? if so can you direct me to the relevant info please.

Best regards

Paul

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@abcd567 has written loads of tutorials and set up guides on this forum. Just search for them.

What you need is the adsbreceiver- script to install other feeders.

Keep in mind, they all run on Linux, so you need a device with a linux os to intstall either a piaware image and then run the script or install a standard installation like Debian or rasparian and add the feeders

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Mancpaul, I strongly recommend what Beikerc has to say. abcd567 has written so much on these opiccs and he is willing to explain.

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Have a look here. It may help:

Bake a Pi

Note:
The version number of Piaware in above thread is 3.5, which is outdated. The current version is 3.5.3. Similarly the Planefjnder feeder version is 3.7.20, while current version is 4.1.1. I cannot update it as the new format of forum (Discourse) blocks editing of posts older than a month or so. :frowning: :rage:

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Thanks guys
Really appreciate your help, nice work abcd567 :smile:
I’m still absorbing all the info, I will probably sort out my shopping list soon.
Presently I am feeding.
PlanePlotter
PlaneFinder
FlightAware
FlightRadar24
RadarBox24
Not sure if I will be able to continue feeding all of them from RPi?
Best regards
Paul

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Not sure about Planeplotter but you can feed all the rest of the sites from the same Pi. As @biekerc mentioned you can use adsbreceiver script to install all these feeders or install them manually, one by one.

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Presently from my RPI Model2, I am successfully feeding:

:white_check_mark: FlightAware
:white_check_mark: PlaneFinder
:white_check_mark: FlightRadar24
:white_check_mark: RadarBox24
:white_check_mark: Opensky-network
:white_check_mark: RadarVirtuel

:x: PlanePlotter (Never tried, but most likely should be possible)

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Go to David Taylor’s guide here:

Scroll down the page to the following section:

Uploading to the Plane Plotter server directly from the Raspberry Pi

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abcd567 Thanks for your help, I’ve ordered RPi 3b+ etc, now ready for the steep learning curve :wink: hopefully less steeper now furnished with the help and guidance from you guys.
Onwards and upwards :slight_smile:
Cheers Guys
Paul

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.
@Mancpaul
SUCCESS
.
ppup1090-rpi

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Thanks abcd567.
Looking forward to receiving the hardware and setting up :slight_smile: