{"id":307,"date":"2017-03-22T12:28:57","date_gmt":"2017-03-22T17:28:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.k2dls.net\/blog\/?p=307"},"modified":"2018-01-31T13:06:29","modified_gmt":"2018-01-31T18:06:29","slug":"monitoring-nextgen-atc-on-the-cheap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.k2ie.net\/blog\/2017\/03\/22\/monitoring-nextgen-atc-on-the-cheap\/","title":{"rendered":"Monitoring NextGen ATC (on the cheap!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is an updated version<\/a> of this article available.<\/p>\n

A key component of next generation air traffic control is Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast<\/a> (ADS-B). The current FAA mandate is for all included aircraft to output ADB-B transmissions no later than January 1, 2020. But you don’t have to wait to receive and map ADS-B. There is a lot of air traffic to be seen.<\/p>\n

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dump1090 as viewed via a remote web browser.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some folks are using complete downloadable images that are set up to feed flight tracking services such as FlightAware<\/a>. If you’re interested in doing this, The SWLing Post<\/a> recently featured an article that you’ll enjoy. I wanted to explore whether I could use some items already on hand to see a map of overhead aircraft on any computer on my home network.<\/p>\n

I pulled out an older Raspberry Pi Model B<\/a> and a 4 GB SD-Card and installed a copy of Raspbian Jessie Lite<\/a>. The Model B has been retroactively called a Raspberry Pi 1 Model B. It is equipped with 512 MB of RAM, two USB ports and a 100mb Ethernet port.<\/p>\n

I decided to use a spare older RTL-SDR<\/a> stick based on the RTL2832U and R820T chips. This USB device comes with a small antenna that I hoped would be good enough to get me started. It is not in any way optimized for the 1090 MHz signals that are used by ADS-B and is roughly 19 parts per million (ppm) off frequency. It cost a bit over $10 at a hamfest a couple of years ago. The designs have improved since the early models were offered. Newer models include a TCXO (thermally compensated crystal oscillator) for stability and accuracy.<\/p>\n

I needed software to take signals from the RTL-SDR stick and plot them on a map. That software is “dump1090”, originally written by Salvatore Sanfilippo. I added an install stanza to the Makefile, along with a systemd service file, for a smooth system install. I also needed to install the RTL-SDR USB drivers. The complete installation runs “headless”, meaning no monitor, keyboard or mouse need be connected. Remote management can be done via ssh.<\/p>\n

First, bring the Raspbian Jessie installation up to date.<\/p>\n

sudo apt-get update
\nsudo apt-get upgrade<\/code><\/p>\n

Add some needed packages.<\/p>\n

sudo apt-get install git cmake libusb-1.0-0-dev<\/code><\/p>\n