Alex Kretzschmar writes about building a live aircraft radar using an ESP32-C3 and a 1.28-inch round display to track ADS-B traffic by plotting distance and bearing. He improved the original firmware to include flight context such as origin/destination, descriptive aircraft types, local weather data, and adjustable text sizes via a web interface.
- Firmware supports authenticated OTA updates for wireless installation
- The Makerworld 3D models had tolerances too tight for the author's boards
- A web interface allows modifying coordinates and display settings without resetting Wi-Fi configuration
- Firmware supports authenticated OTA updates for wireless installation
- The Makerworld 3D models had tolerances too tight for the author's boards
- A web interface allows modifying coordinates and display settings without resetting Wi-Fi configuration
Adam Conway writes about constructing a custom aircraft radar using an ESP32-S3 powered WT32-SC01 Plus display. The device fetches live flight data from ADS-B networks to show real-time positions, altitudes, and routes on a 3.5-inch touchscreen interface. To maintain smooth visuals despite five-second data updates, the system uses dead reckoning to predict aircraft movement between polls.
- Employs an 8-bit parallel bus for high bandwidth display rendering
- Uses Douglas-Peucker simplification to compress coastline data into limited flash memory
- Incorporates emergency squawk code detection with visual warnings
- Manages real-time flight information via the adsb.fi and adsbdb APIs
- Employs an 8-bit parallel bus for high bandwidth display rendering
- Uses Douglas-Peucker simplification to compress coastline data into limited flash memory
- Incorporates emergency squawk code detection with visual warnings
- Manages real-time flight information via the adsb.fi and adsbdb APIs
This open-source firmware is designed for the ESP32-C3 Super Mini and a 1.28 inch GC9A01 round display to create a sonar-style aircraft radar. It visualizes live ADS-B data on a circular grid, showing flight paths, detailed aircraft models, altitude, and speed.
- Real-time tracking using adsb.fi for aircraft positions
- Route enrichment through ADSBDB for origin/destination info
- Integrated weather display via Open-Meteo and local time via NTP
- Web-based Wi-Fi setup portal for location and setting configuration
- Support for authenticated OTA firmware updates
- Real-time tracking using adsb.fi for aircraft positions
- Route enrichment through ADSBDB for origin/destination info
- Integrated weather display via Open-Meteo and local time via NTP
- Web-based Wi-Fi setup portal for location and setting configuration
- Support for authenticated OTA firmware updates
A specialized toolset providing graphical data visualizations for ADS-B decoders, including readsb, dump1090-fa, and other dump1090 variants that supply stats.json files. The project includes automated installation scripts and features designed to protect SD card longevity on hardware like the Raspberry Pi by managing how frequently data is written to disk.
Main topics:
- ADS-B decoder graph visualization
- SD card write reduction and optimization
- Automated installation and update processes
- Data backup, restoration, and integration methods
- Configuration for local map URLs and system timezones
Main topics:
- ADS-B decoder graph visualization
- SD card write reduction and optimization
- Automated installation and update processes
- Data backup, restoration, and integration methods
- Configuration for local map URLs and system timezones
This guide provides instructions and scripts for the automatic installation of wiedehopf's readsb decoder on ADS-B receiving systems. It covers features such as easy gain and location adjustments, automatic reconfiguration of fr24feed or rbfeeder to work with the standalone decoder, and the removal of conflicting decoders.
An ADS-B decoder described as a swiss knife for decoding aircraft data. This project is a fork of Mictronics' readsb and supports various Software Defined Radio devices such as RTL-SDR, HackRF, Bladerf, and PlutoSDR. It offers robust networking options including Beast/SBS protocols and JSON output, making it an ideal backend for global flight tracking systems like tar1090.
Main topics:
ADS-B decoding via SDR hardware
Extensive network connectivity support (Beast, SBS, JSON)
Integration with mapping tools like tar1090
Support for multiple SDR device types
Main topics:
ADS-B decoding via SDR hardware
Extensive network connectivity support (Beast, SBS, JSON)
Integration with mapping tools like tar1090
Support for multiple SDR device types
This project transforms the LILYGO T-Display-P4 development board into a multifunctional portable device capable of acting as a 1090 MHz ADS-B receiver and a Meshtastic-compatible mesh radio. By using an RTL-SDR USB dongle for RF reception and an onboard SX1262 LoRa radio, the system provides real-time aircraft tracking via a touchscreen interface and off-grid messaging capabilities. The device also features integrated MP3 playback, GPS time synchronization, and a companion web application called ADS-B Scope for live map viewing through WebSerial.
Main features include:
* Real-time ADS-B decoding and radar scope visualization with aircraft database enrichment.
* Meshtastic-compatible LoRa mesh networking with encrypted messaging and node discovery.
* Integrated MP3 music player with ID3 tag parsing and cover art display.
* Adaptive RTL-SDR gain control and USB hot-plug support.
* Comprehensive SD card logging for both ADS-B flight data and mesh messages.
* Dual-core ESP32-P4 architecture optimized via a 6-tier FreeRTOS priority scheme.
* WebSerial-based companion app for live mapping, firmware flashing, and file management.
Main features include:
* Real-time ADS-B decoding and radar scope visualization with aircraft database enrichment.
* Meshtastic-compatible LoRa mesh networking with encrypted messaging and node discovery.
* Integrated MP3 music player with ID3 tag parsing and cover art display.
* Adaptive RTL-SDR gain control and USB hot-plug support.
* Comprehensive SD card logging for both ADS-B flight data and mesh messages.
* Dual-core ESP32-P4 architecture optimized via a 6-tier FreeRTOS priority scheme.
* WebSerial-based companion app for live mapping, firmware flashing, and file management.
A specialized ADS-B Software Defined Radio (SDR) kit designed for aircraft tracking using a Raspberry Pi. This blue R820T2 RTL2832U model features high stability with 0.5 PPM TCXO to prevent frequency drift and includes an onboard 1090 MHz filter and amplifier for enhanced signal range. The package comes with a purpose-built 8 inch 5 dBi antenna, an aluminum heat-dissipating case, and industrial-grade microSD software pre-loaded for easy setup via web browser without command line work.
Key features:
- Plug-and-play configuration via WiFi/web browser
- Integrated 1090 MHz filter and amplifier
- High-reliability industrial grade microSD card
- Aluminum case for heat dissipation and interference reduction
- Drop-in replacement for FlightAware Pro Stick Plus
Key features:
- Plug-and-play configuration via WiFi/web browser
- Integrated 1090 MHz filter and amplifier
- High-reliability industrial grade microSD card
- Aluminum case for heat dissipation and interference reduction
- Drop-in replacement for FlightAware Pro Stick Plus
An improved web interface designed for use with ADS-B decoders such as readsb and dump1090-fa. This tool provides an enhanced visual experience for tracking aircraft, featuring adjustable history, faster performance when displaying many planes, multiple map options, and the ability to select multiple aircraft simultaneously.
Key features and capabilities:
- Improved adjustable track history
- Fast "Show All Tracks" functionality
- Map dimming/darkening options
- Aircraft selection and callsign label toggling
- Support for UAT (978 MHz) display integration
- Integration with AIS-catcher for maritime tracking
- Capability to host multiple instances and custom webroots
- Heatmap visualization support when used with compatible readsb forks
Key features and capabilities:
- Improved adjustable track history
- Fast "Show All Tracks" functionality
- Map dimming/darkening options
- Aircraft selection and callsign label toggling
- Support for UAT (978 MHz) display integration
- Integration with AIS-catcher for maritime tracking
- Capability to host multiple instances and custom webroots
- Heatmap visualization support when used with compatible readsb forks
An introduction to ADS-B Scope, an open source firmware project that transforms the LilyGo T-Display-P4 into a standalone, portable aircraft tracking device. By connecting an RTL-SDR dongle, users can view real-time flight data including callsigns, altitude, speed, and position on a 4 inch AMOLED touchscreen without needing a computer or internet connection.
Key features include:
- Real-time aircraft tracking with visual data on an integrated screen.
- A webapp for viewing live maps with aircraft trails and log replays via USB-C.
- Meshtastic-compatible mesh messaging protocol using the built-in LoRa radio.
- SD card logging with GPS timestamps and USB mass storage support.
Key features include:
- Real-time aircraft tracking with visual data on an integrated screen.
- A webapp for viewing live maps with aircraft trails and log replays via USB-C.
- Meshtastic-compatible mesh messaging protocol using the built-in LoRa radio.
- SD card logging with GPS timestamps and USB mass storage support.
