Multiple software packages exist which allow real-time tracking of aircraft equipped with ADS-B transponders. While not all aircraft are presently equipped with ADS-B equipment, many are, and more are coming on line over time. Using a RTL-SDR broadband receiver dongle and the software package, dump1090, Fitlet can track ADS-B equipped aircraft.
For information on using the RTL-SDR broadband receiver dongle with Fitlet, see:
https://www.fit-pc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=142&t=5717
Theory of Operation
The acronym ADSB stands for Automatic Dependence Surveillance Broadcast. Airborne ADSB systems operate by determining the aircraft's position using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (Galileo, GLONASS,GPS, etc.) and then broadcasting data including items such as position, speed, heading, altitude, flight number, etc. Recipients of ADSB data include ground stations and other aircraft.
ADSB data links operate at either 978 MHz or more commonly at 1090 MHz. We will concentrate on the 1090 MHz broadcasts.
- ADSB_System.jpg (147.94 KiB) Viewed 16482 times
- ADSB_Data.jpg (35.71 KiB) Viewed 16482 times
Hardware
1. Fitlet
2. RTL-SDR USB dongle
3. Antenna
- dump1090_hardware.jpeg (47.3 KiB) Viewed 16482 times
Software
1. rtl-sdr
2. dump1090
Software Installation
1. For rtl-sdr package installation refer to:
ttps://www.fit-pc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=142&t=5717
2. For dump1090 installation, execute the following commands in terminal:
$ mkdir Programs (Here I am creating a directory to contain various programs)
$ cd Programs
$ sudo git clone git://github.com/antirez/dump1090.git
$ cd dump1090/
$ sudo make
If all goes well, you should see something like:
fitlet@fitlet-desktop:~/Programs$ cd dump1090/
fitlet@fitlet-desktop:~/Programs/dump1090$ sudo make
gcc -O2 -g -Wall -W `pkg-config --cflags librtlsdr` -c dump1090.c
gcc -O2 -g -Wall -W `pkg-config --cflags librtlsdr` -c anet.c
gcc -g -o dump1090 dump1090.o anet.o `pkg-config --libs librtlsdr` -lpthread -lm