Plane Plotter

[Rey Ramon]

So part of my new computer build was also buying a $20 usb ADS dongle. I finally got around to messing with it today. It's kind of sweet. Just knowing I'm able to, in real time, pick up flights around me. Couple of pictures included. One picture is the first of when I first got it work. The other picture is Air France 55 flying just East of my house..an A380. I compared what I was picking up against flightaware.com. My data is definitely showing up ahead of flight aware's data. I was able to just walk out and lookk in the general direction and see it's strobe's to my east at FL318. Sweet.

[Rey Ramon]

You can pick up Messages planes are transmitting...such as ACARS, ADS-D...and I think HF too...using different equipment. Recently it's been discovered you can use TV usb Dongles(RTL2832U) to receive ADS message. You then take these messages and run them thru a decoder...which give you position, plane type, alt, direction, speeds. This messages are overlayed on a map..in essence give you a virtual radar of the aircraft around you. I am using a $20 donlge I got on Amazon...seen here http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009U7 ... UTF8&psc=1
Flightradar24.com and other wedsites are based on this concept, and depends on users to share their data to display traffic. Not all aircraft are transmitting this data....but I hear they are moving this direction. It's part of the next generation radar system. Safer why...Those planes dropping off radar during 9/11....wouldn't have dropped off the radar using this system. Here is more info on ADS from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_ ... -broadcast

Any how, after getting the USB ADS receiver, you then download a program like planeplotter that will decipher codes and display them on a map. You will also install a program that will install the drivers for the usb reciever and tune it for you to 1090MHz..like RTL1090. You will basically set up a server between the two and it some how magically works. I just followed instructions. here are the sites I used.
http://nicstorey.co.uk/planeplotter/ he ha videos for step by step installation. very helpful.

planeplotter's site is here
http://www.coaa.co.uk/planeplotter.htm

I did have some problems initially, but Steve at New England Military Air on Facebook helped me out a lot, as he's recently gotten into it too. I am now picking up traffic up to about 90 miles away. I'm looking into upgrading my antenna to increase my coverage. Comes at a price. but I may be hooked on this for some reason. especially since i live about 20minutes south of KPHl, an hour from KBWI, KJFK< KEWR, and KJFK. I pick up inbound flights over head into NYC, and departures from BWI, DCA,IAD. Just kind of cool.

[Michael Blakely]

I often wonder about some of the planes flying over my house that look like they're headed straight out to sea at high altitude. I may have to try this.

[Rey Ramon]

Same here. Late at night(around 1030pm est for me haha) I was tracking so many International flights out of DC and Philly...all going to Europe.
And today was fun today. KPHL ops was landing north east earlier today, which means approach is right over my house. We would see them on planeplotter, and then would open the back door and watch them fly by. A couple of heavies from Europe fly right over. My little girl loves it! It is surprising to see how accurate it really is.