{"id":24542,"date":"2017-03-12T09:19:34","date_gmt":"2017-03-12T13:19:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=24542"},"modified":"2017-03-12T09:19:34","modified_gmt":"2017-03-12T13:19:34","slug":"making-a-flightaware-ads-b-feeder-with-a-raspberry-pi-3-and-rtl-sdr-dongle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/making-a-flightaware-ads-b-feeder-with-a-raspberry-pi-3-and-rtl-sdr-dongle\/","title":{"rendered":"Making a FlightAware ADS-B feeder with a Raspberry Pi 3 and RTL-SDR dongle"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It’s been nearly a year since I acquired both the RTL-SDR<\/a>\u00a0(above) and Rasperry Pi 3<\/a>\u00a0(below)r.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Remember when I made a plea for Pi 3 projects just last year\u2013\u2013?<\/a><\/p>\n

Although many of you suggested some great projects, I never actually got around to doing<\/em> any of them. Now, don’t get me wrong\u2013\u2013I wanted<\/em> to, of course, but simply got involved\u00a0with reviews, NPOTA, two months of travel…and,\u00a0well,\u00a0life.<\/p>\n

Then, last week at the Winter SWL Fest<\/a>, a\u00a0common theme emerged in both presentations and discussions: \u00a0the numerous applications of the super-cheap, and thus super-ubiquitous, RTL-SDR<\/a> dongle. In their engaging presentations, both\u00a0Dan Srebnick and Mark Fahey\u2013\u2013SWLing Post<\/em> contributors and good friends\u2013\u2013focused on the power of the RTL-SDR, expounding upon\u00a0some simple, inexpensive applications in their forums. It was inspiring. Also, buddy Eddie Muro showed me just how easily an ADS-B receiver could be set up using an Android phone.<\/p>\n

Back to the Pi. Though I was already aware the Pi 3 and RTL-SDR could be united to make an ADS-B receiver<\/a>, watching Mark Fahey talk about how simply one could feed the FlightAware network<\/a> with ADS-B data finally hooked me. \u00a0Why not, indeed? Here was fun to be had!<\/p>\n

<\/a>

Mark preparing to woo his captive audience at the Winter SWL Fest!<\/p><\/div>\n

I couldn’t get the idea out of my head, so\u00a0Tuesday, the day following\u00a0my return, I set the afternoon aside. \u00a0I rolled up my sleeves, and with my long-neglected Pi 3 and RTL-SDR, got ready to cook up a flight sensor.<\/p>\n

I figured I was probably missing a component or two, and fully expected the process to be complicated, but decided I wouldn’t let this deter me. And guess what? I was wrong on both counts!<\/p>\n

FlightAware ADS-B feeder recipe<\/h2>\n

Ingredients:<\/h3>\n