Track and scan planes
Use your Raspberry Pi to track aircraft or detect local devices to keep an eye on all kinds of data.
YOU NEED
» Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (2GB)
» 16GB or 32GB microSD card
» 5V PSU
» ADS-B receiver Realtek RTL2832U + R820T2
» USB extension cable
Over the last few years, there has been much talk of software-defined radio (SDR – see LXF273). This is a way for a generic piece of receiver hardware to be repurposed to scan different frequencies or be used for a whole variety of purposes. One example of this is the Realtek RTL2832U+R820T2-based USB stick (around £35), which was originally intended to be used as a TV receiver. For this project, we will briefly introduce how this receiver can be used to receive ADS-B signals from passing aircraft and how this information can be fed into a web service that aggregates signals from many users, from across the globe. The second thing we will discuss is how to use the same receiver to scan for any local devices that send data at 433MHz or 868MHz.