Because open data belongs to everyone.
Just for fun do it yourself -
ADS-B: Tracking Planes Over My House with readsb + tar1090
What is ADS-B?
ADS-B stands for Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast.
Every commercial aircraft and most general aviation planes broadcast their position, altitude, speed, callsign, and squawk code every second. They do this on 1090 MHz. No encryption. No authentication. Just open data sent out for anyone to receive. Anyone with a $30 USB dongle can listen.
No licenses. No fees. Just open society.
In many countries, flight data is locked behind paywalls or government portals. You want live positions? Pay a subscription. You want historical tracks? That'll cost you.
But the signals are literally flying over your head. For free.
The only thing standing between you and that data is a receiver. And the software to decode it.
What's my stack:
- SDR: RTL-SDR Blog V4
- Antenna: Random 1090 MHz whip on the roof 😅
- Host: WalnutPi (Debian)
- Software: readsb (decoder) + tar1090 (web map)
Installation in 10 Minutes
bash# Install decoder and map
sudo apt install readsb tar1090
# Enable auto-start
sudo systemctl enable readsb
sudo systemctl start readsb
That's it. Open http://your-pi-ip:8080/tar1090/ and watch planes appear.d
Feed the World (Optional, But Cool)
My local setup doesn't just track planes for me—it shares live navigation data with the world. You can see my station's feed right now on the My local setup doesn't just track planes for me—it shares live navigation data with the world. You can see my station's feed right now on the global ADS-B Exchange map: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?feed=32Bve9xAe35w. Millions of users can click on it and see exactly what this tiny antenna picks up.: . Millions of users can click on it and see exactly what this tiny antenna picks up.