Track ADS-B from within a plane

Looking on the display they suggest it would be fun having this in the aircraft. Maybe a good replacement for all passengers instead of the boring entertainment system :rofl:

SCNR

Yeah, I’d have to agree. I think it depends a lot on the GPS engine as you are moving much faster than it’s designed for so stuggles to get a fix.
Anyone know if your average phone has a dedicated GPS engine or if it’s calculated by the main CPU?
Despite the problems, once you get a fix, a phone can usually maintain it.

1 Like

That’s the same app i am using. You have to move your device close to a window to get a reliable signal. And sometimes even that doesn’t work.

I’ve seen a pilot sitting a row in front of me in one flight on his way home, he had an iPad with a technical map (flight path, airspace geometry, position of navaids etc) to show the own position and the position of others. I assume it’s a device many pilots have in use, but i haven’t asked him about the technology which was used.

That’s a good point that I didn’t think of, I meant more based on the reception inside the plane, but I didn’t think of the fact that with better hardware I may get a better signal (depending on the plane).

That’s what i was suggesting already at the beginning of this thread :innocent:

Mathematicaly, an ADSB receiver will be vastly more reliable than GPS if it tells you what you want to know.
GPS signals operate below the noise floor and it doesn’t take much attenuation to make the signals unreadable.

A passenger liner will have at least one ADSB Tx pumping out 400W only meters from you

Guess which is easier to receive?

I do more than my share of flying (not short flights like JFK - LAX either), so this is one of the ways I keep myself amused.

For anyone who wants to try it, I’d recomend the PCB dipole and some stick tape to attach it to the window. The PCB antenna looks non-threatening going through security and there is nothing to attach a mag base.

1 Like

Sorry if I’m being repetative… But in your experience how reliable is receiving your own plane’s ADS-B signals? I’m seeing conflicting online as to whether it is reliable, spotty, depends on your seat, etc.

I have found ADSB to be 100% reliable (even in a 787).
(for my own plane - not other planes)

Thanks! Exactly what I want to hear.

Do you think I need to put an antenna on the receiver to get the plane’s signals? Because without an antenna its just a USB, but with an antenna it probably looks slightly more shady. For reference this is the one I bought: https://www.amazon.ca/AirNav-RadarBox-FlightStick-Advanced-Receiver/dp/B07K47P7XD?

you can put a single wire of the exact length (i think it’s something of 55-60mm) directly into the antenna socket of the stick. I’ve seen this somewhere here in a forum post.

For getting the signal of the own flight it should work.
@abcd567 built a lot of antennas and he should have the exact dimensions.

EDIT: Maybe you find something usable here:

Optimum length is 67mm, but is not critical to be precise.

https://discussions.flightaware.com/t/dump1090-is-not-producing-data-on-localhost-30005/20183/27

Consider also @geckoVN proposal

1 Like

I’m always concerned about shoving bits of wire in delicate SMA connectors . I used to use an unbent paper clip as an antenna and eventually needed to replace the SMA socket.

I’d rather solder an approximate length as discussed above into an SMA plug and connect that to the receiver.

S

2 Likes

Buy a 20 cm long pigtail with Right Angle SMA-Male at both ends.
Cut it in the middle so you have 2 pieces each 10 cm long
Remove outer covering & braid/shield from 7 cm starting from cut end.
You got 2 numbers 1090MHz antennas
Screw SMA-Male of one of these to the Dongle’s SMA-Female connector.

 

Example supplier.
Search will show lot of suppliers with different prices, shipping cost, and delivery time. Select the one that suits you.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2251832043035493.html

 

 

1 Like

In my first days of feeding i was using a solid copper wire i cut from a power cable which is used flush-mounted. It is stronger and need more force to bend it.

Fits perfectly to the connector

25 cm RG316 Pigtail, Right Angle SMA-Male to Rightangle SMA-Male
Cut into two pieces, 12.5 cm each
Braid / shield removed from top 7 cm

 

 

 

Reception with above pigtail antenna :slight_smile:

 

1 Like

Thanks so much! Originally I forgot about taking off the braid and wasn’t getting a signal, but then I rechecked your instructions and its working great now.

The dump1090 you are using has Google map which is dark & has water marks “For development purposes only”. Seems you are using dump1090 for windows by Malcolm Robb.

Better use the one I have suggested in my following post. It has a much better map.

https://discussions.flightaware.com/t/track-ads-b-from-within-a-plane/97713/16

 

I am using it because I found a guide for installing dump1090 on a Mac, and this is the one that the guy said worked best. Would that version work well on a Mac?

No, it wont work on Mac. The SDRPlay version works only on Windows.

Brows following web page

Installing and Running Dump1090 on MacOS