I am thinking of buying this usb doggle as it is recommended by a tutorial as a good and cheap one for a raspberry pi (which I will be using to track aircraft).
Here is some information about my location (I know its not an optimal position):
The ground level where I am is about 57m/187ft
I am surrounded on all sides by about 40ft/12m trees
the trees on the northwest side are a bit thinner
the north side has tree line starting about 10ft/9m from the house
west side has about 200ft/61m before the trees start
the south and east have trees starting directly next to the house.
The ground is quite flat for quite a ways around me.
I am wondering what I can expect from these 3 positions in/on my house :
Roof: I know that this is the best choice but it would be complicated and not the easiest to setup due to wires and whatnot. I also am not sure if it would be allowed where I live. The top of my roof would be about 30 feet off the ground (9 meters).
Window: Placing the dongle in a north-facing window (not coted in any substances) (15ft or 4.5m high) would be the easiest setup. I also have a west-facing window at about ground level, but that’s less ideal.
Attic: The attic is about 25ft (7.5m) high and has light insulation with asphalt tiles. Setting it up there would be easier than the roof, but I’m unsure how well the signal would penetrate the roof or if it is worth the extra effort over the window.
Thank you for reading this I have tried to make it as descriptive as possible but if i left anything out that is needed please ask for the information!
Go for the attic. You could test in the window but the attic is likely gonna provide better coverage in all directions while the window might be better in one direction.
Okay thanks I’m not sure if I can get a different SDR as I may be getting it for Christmas but it has free returns so I might be able to return it and get one of the ones you recommended.
Also a question, so my raspberry pi is on my shelf and I am running the raspberry pi connect client (basically a free vnc/ssh provided by the raspberry pi company) and it doesn’t always boot up properly so i have to go connect a screen to the pi and get the screen to turn on. So I would need an extension to go to the attic. would you recommend a coax extension between the doggle and antenna or USB between the pi and the doggle? Also the pi is running some other stuff as a server will that affect anything to do with ads-b?
Is this a antenna you recommend or something else? Sorry for not understanding? Also I have a question for you if you want to answer (you dont have to):
My raspberry pi is on my shelf and I am running the raspberry pi connect client (basically a free vnc/ssh provided by the raspberry pi company) and it doesn’t always boot up properly so i have to go connect a screen to the pi and get the screen to turn on. So I would need an extension to go to the attic. would you recommend a coax extension between the doggle and antenna or USB between the pi and the doggle? Also the pi is running some other stuff as a server will that affect anything to do with ads-b?
I am NOT recommending any antenna.
The Adsbexchange antenna was suggested by @wiedehopf in his post above.
I had a photo of internal of Adsbexchange antenna. When I saw @wiedehopf’s suggestion, I posted it for information only, not as recommendation. I have never used the Adsbexchange antenna, so how can I recommend it when I have no experience of it?
You just want to fix that. Sounds like maybe sd-card or power supply issue?
You shouldn’t need VNC ever for the rpi.
I suppose running other stuff on the rpi complicates things.
If you don’t need to run other stuff you can run adsb.im that does everything automatically and is well tested so it’s hard to misconfigure it.
USB extensions usually drop too much voltage and lead to MLAT issues as the SDR isn’t enough voltage.
Low loss coax is expensive and i wouldn’t even try without a high gain antenna.
Just go with the window for the start until you fix your boot issues.
I have this guide for the software side: https://github.com/wiedehopf/adsb-wiki/wiki/Raspbian-Lite:-ADS-B-receiver
You can also install adsb.im as an app, suppose that might be easier with existing software using ports. The other guide above mainly relies on lighttpd by default which you can change if you’re handy enough with an editor.
Just mentioned a couple options.
Maybe start with the antenna that comes with the nooelec and modify it for ADS-B, possibly you’re happy with 50 nmi range you might get with that. Might even get 100 nmi depending on antenna location.
I would like to clarify my mistake.
I misunderstood that @wiedehopf has suggested the Adsbexchange’s full length 1090 / 978 Mhz antenna and posted photo of its internals.
I have now visited the url given by @wiedehopf and found it is for a much smaller indoor antenna by Adsbexchange, of which I was not aware of.
Well, it is a easy way to get started, especially as you get the receiver and antenna.
If you really get bitten by the “ads-b - bug”, you could always keep it as a secondary receiver, a backup (to keep a streak alive), or as a reference to compare it with different hardware or locations.
And if you are just happy to see planes flying in your area, it is more than good enough.
Quick note, RTL-SDR has two SDR options, V3 and V4. For ADS-B, the V3 version is better and does not require special drivers for the V4. Lots of us have jumped on the V4 and found it complicates getting our systems up and running reliably.
Start in the window and ensure you have a reliability moving it into the attic. See what improvements you get in the attic and then evaluate the expense and hassle of getting a reliable system working outside. Local trees will definitely have an effect on the reception.
About that antenna in the attic, keep it between the rafters as high as you can, and keep it away from any metal parts bracing the roof structure, That metal reduces the signals to the antenna via shielding and detuning.
Have fun, and welcome to an interesting hobby. Never dull.
Okay thanks for the placement recommendations. By V3 and V4 are these different hardware’s or are these different softwares to run with/on the ads-b resiver?
Sorry for not understanding I just thought about doing this a week ago and I know almost nothing other the the bare minimum. (also all antennas for ads-b run 1090MHz right?)
The V3 & V4 use closely related, but different receiver chips.
Strictly, yes, but for those who are stateside, there is also something called UAT which it limited to low flying aircraft. This runs on 978MHz.
There is also something called FLARM primeraly used on sailplanes (gliders). May also be fitted to other aircraft that share the same airspace. FLARM transmits on 868 MHz.
It’s not hard to get the v4 running.
rtl-sdr blog v3 / v4 are only good for 1090 with external LNAs though.
(same applies to all the nooelec SDRs really)
So if you only want to do 1090 you can just get one of the SDRs with builtin filter / LNA.
My antenna has always been outside and above the peak of the house roof. Wondering how the attic antenna users are weighing in the possible effects of all the many hundreds of metal roofing nails that are piercing the roof sheeting and any metal linings that are buried under the roofing materials in any of the roof valleys that may exist in the roof structure. Seems like a radio signal mine field.
