Tag: ADSB

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Virtual Radar Server – Installed

Up in the dim warm loft of my house is a Raspberry Pi connected to an aerial. I’ve written about this a lot before, the thing tracks specific aircraft signals and then send those data off to a website for them to use to send to the world. I spent a little time yesterday adding the Virtual Radar Server software to the Pi so now I can see what my Pi sees in a useful format. I also have enabled this to be seen anywhere around the world using the brilliantness of the internet and such technologies. This picture shows you the UI and a long range view:

ADSB Receiver Range
ADSB Receiver Range

I think the aerial was picking up about 90 aircraft when I grabbed this screenshot. I still think that’s pretty impressive. Here’s a more local view:

ADSB - Local Details
ADSB – Local Details

I know I have some issues with range detection aligned with how my terraces rooves are arranged along with a bit of a block to the north of the North Downs, but still, I think it’s impressive.

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Hidden In The Loft

It has been years since I wrote a communication about my aircraft tracker that’s installed in the loft. I have an aerial connected to a by-pass filter and amplifier connected to a Raspberry Pi which decodes the semi-automatic radio signals sent by aircraft and plots them into a map for me. I also upload the data to a website which anyone can access for a small annual fee. I used to regularly put a “splat” on this site which shows a map of aircraft coverage over a period of time. I have stopped using that part of the software – although I might reinstall it, will have to think about that. Without the virtual radar server all I can do is get a map output of which aircraft are currently being tracked. This was the map I got a few moments ago:

Not A Splat
Not A Splat

It still impresses me how far the aerial can “see”. It would be cool if I could raise the height a little more and have the aerial outside but that would require professional installation so maybe sometime in the future.

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Bored In The Sky

Just browsing my favourite aircraft tracking website and decided you should know that air-to-air refuelling gets practised off the Norfolk coast. See this Voyager aircraft enjoying the baking weather in this country.

Refuelling
Refuelling

The green box is the area they are allowed to practise. The red planes are military planes, not all of them, but those transmitting ADS-B. I would expect that some Typhoons are over the sea taking on fuel from the Voyager.

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Practise Refuelling

I’ve written here quite a bit about ADS-B and stuff along with tracking aircraft and multi-lateration. Well, I was looking at the aircraft tracking website 360 Radar this evening and spotted an amusing thing.

Almost A Penis
Almost A Penis

The route shown on the picture is that taken by an RAF Voyager aircraft over the North Sea. The plane took off from RAF Brize Norton and headed out over the Scottish area of the North Sea. The green area is rain and the purple highlights are RAF airfields along with the blue highlights showing civilian airports. What particularly struck me about this picture was the almost-penis drawn as the second area of activity. I think they should have tried a little harder [but would probably get “moved” assignment].

Let’s put this thing into some perspective by adding recognised Danger Areas in red and refuelling training areas in green.

AAR Ranges
AAR Ranges

Now we can see that the Voyager has maneuvered beautifully through the danger areas and maintained some lovely flight paths in the AAR areas. The plane is currently at 16,000ft and moving at 330 kts. Pretty standard stuff.

It’s amazing to see that this is practiced and practiced to make sure that when it comes to doing this in a real theatre everyone knows exactly what they are doing and it all goes to plan.

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NOTAM

In a previous communication about Tattershall I said that I had heard that the RAF Typhoon display pilot was going to practice his display. This sort of information is publicly available through NOTAMS, Notices To Airmen. There are websites that give this information in map form. Basically if a crane is erected or there are runway issues or events coming up that might affect flying then information about that thing is posted to NATS.

Typhoon NOTAM
Typhoon NOTAM

This is the Typhoon NOTAM with information about where and when. That way, if you are planning to fly there you can avoid CGY.

Here’s what the pilot had to say about his display:

He went up in a two seater so I wonder if he was being assessed. I remember being at Linton-On-Ouse when the Tucano display pilot was having his assessment to get his display ticket for the season, you could hear the engine pulling the plane in high-g turns just above the airfield. It was very impressive.

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Single Heavy Downpour

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Lonely Cloud
Lonely Cloud

It’s interesting, the level of science and technology we have and use daily without thought far far surpasses that of any previous generation and yet we take it all for granted and have little care for how that technology works.

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Not A Great View

I was tracking a VW Group jet into Biggen Hill Airport in south east London and noticed that the waiting pattern was out over the North Sea.

Waiting For Biggen
Waiting For Biggen

I decided that the views out there can’t be that great. I’m also curious as to whether there is a beacon somewhere in the middle there. I don’t really know a great deal about the navigation of planes. VFR is easy, but other than that I need to read up about it all. Maybe I need another visit to Pooley’s?

Here’s a closer look at the waiting room:

Nothing To See
Nothing To See

This Embraer has left a beautiful track for us to see. This is the waiting area for London City and Biggen Hill.

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Not Splatted For A While

I am currently working on the Raspberry Pi I have installed in the loft as a web server and aircraft spotter. It’s been a while since I mentioned it here. I thought I’d just chuck up some images.

Aircraft Tracked
Aircraft Tracked

This picture gives an idea of how many aircraft can be tracked at once. Be aware this was early on a Sunday morning.

Radar Splat
Radar Splat

This splat shows how far away aircraft are detected. Please note I am not where the blue dot is, that would be quite weird. The smallest locus is up to 9,999 ft, the green is 10,000 to 19,999 ft, the purple is the 20,000s and the red is above FL300.

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What A Dump

This is the output from my radar server. If you want a better view then you can ask me for the details.

Hmm, there are page formatting issues. Not sure I care enough to fix them.

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