Beginners guide to setting up a basic windows plane tracking system

[jeallen01]

Chris

Thanks - but steady on my friend because I am only just beginning to dip a very small toe in this very big new "water", and so I don't yet understand some of the terms you used in your last post!

Just need some more time to get basically vaguely familiar with all this !

Cheers.

John

 

[Archive-8]

M-lat or multilateration

Multilateration is a proven technology that has been in use for many decades. It was developed for military purposes to accurately locate aircraft — many of which did not wish to be “seen” — by using a method known as Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA).

Multilateration employs a number of ground stations, which are placed in strategic locations around an airport, its local terminal area or a wider area that covers the larger surrounding airspace.

These units listen for “replies,” typically to interrogation signals transmitted from a local SSR or a multilateration station. Since individual aircraft will be at different distances from each of the ground stations, their replies will be received by each station at fractionally different times. Using advanced computer processing techniques, these individual time differences allow an aircraft’s position to be precisely calculated.

Multilateration requires no additional avionics equipment, as it uses replies from Mode A, C and S transponders, as well as military IFF and ADS-B transponders. Furthermore, while the radar and multilateration “targets” on a controller’s screen are identical in appearance, the very high update rate of the multilateration-derived targets makes them instantly recognizable by their smooth movement across the screen. A screen displaying multilateration information can be set to update as fast as every second, compared with the 4 - 12 second position “jumps” of the radar-derived targets.

 

[Archive-8]

ADS-B or Automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast

ADS-B, which consists of two different services, "ADS-B Out" and "ADS-B In", could replace radar as the primary surveillance method for controlling aircraft worldwide. In the United States, ADS-B is an integral component of the NextGen national airspace strategy for upgrading and enhancing aviation infrastructure and operations. The ADS-B system can also provide traffic- and government-generated graphical weather information through TIS-Band FIS-B applications.

ADS-B enhances safety by making an aircraft visible, realtime, to air traffic control (ATC) and to other appropriately equipped ADS-B aircraft with position and velocity data transmitted every second. ADS-B data can be recorded and downloaded for post-flight analysis. ADS-B also provides the data infrastructure for inexpensive flight tracking, planning, and dispatch.

"ADS-B Out" periodically broadcasts information about each aircraft, such as identification, current position, altitude, and velocity, through an onboard transmitter. ADS-B Out provides air traffic controllers with real-time position information that is, in most cases, more accurate than the information available with current radar-based systems. With more accurate information, ATC will be able to position and separate aircraft with improved precision and timing.

 

[jeallen01]

Chris

Thanks for the last 2 messages, but please hang on a bit until I get various other basic setup problems sorted out.

For example, when I downloaded and setup Virtual Radar, I got a "UPnP support has not been enabled" message at the top of the screen - and yet, via the Control Panel I confirmed that media streaming is enabled for this PC and in the ASUS Router status & config menus, under the USB tab, it shows that DNLA is enabled with the Router as the Media Server Name (but not having really tried any media streaming, I'm now fumbling a bit - more!). Edited: found and fixed that in the VRS Tools menu, but now it's giving a "the webserver is not on the Inter

Still having a go with various short antennas on the dongle - should get "something" as we are only 5 miles from Heathrow!

 

[Archive-8]

when I downloaded and setup Virtual Radar, I got a "UPnP support has not been enabled" message at the top of the screen - and yet, via the Control Panel I confirmed that media streaming is enabled for this PC and in the ASUS Router status & config menus, under the USB tab, it shows that DNLA is enabled with the Router as the Media Server Name (but not having really tried any media streaming, I'm now fumbling a bit - more!).

Have you got dump1090 running?

 

[jeallen01]

Chris

Was wondering about that anyway , and, no, I had not because the instructions for downloading that are in another thread, and it was not totally clear reading this thread that I had to download it separately (see what I said about the total newbie!).

However, having now found your thread on downloading it, then that's what I've just done - and then you said "locate the Windows Batch file and double left-click to run", but I can't see a .bat file in the unzipped lists of 1090 files. Have I downloaded the "wrong version" of Dump1090 because it was not too clear from Malcolm Robb's page if there might be several - but I followed the download link on the RHS to get what I now have unzipped?

 

[Archive-8]

Delete the files you have and download this

Dropbox - dump1090-win.1.10.3010.14.zip

It's just the windows version, and not all the versions in one zip.

 

[jeallen01]

Chris

Thanks - done that, and actually getting some signals showing up with a little antenna stuck on top of the TM Rx sat right next to the PC!

Anyway, going back to relative basics, the instructions for installing the Mlat Client end by saying that you should create a desktop shortcut and then copy the "instruction" to the Window Start Up folder (haven't done that yet but I will when everything else seems sorted), and so I assume I need to do the same thing with the Dump1090 shortcut so that both applications start up when the machine boots?

What about the Virtual Radar Server - same thing?

Also, I think I have a problem with the dongle sticking horizontally out of the PC (which is a vertical format unit and so the USB sockets are "vertical" rather than "horizontal") - the weight, especially when the coax cable from the antennas is connected, seems to be partially disengaging it from the USB socket, and so I think I will have mount it separately with a connecting USB lead.

 

[Archive-8]

Chris

Thanks - done that, and actually getting some signals showing up with a little antenna stuck on top of the TM Rx sat right next to the PC!

Anyway, going back to relative basics, the instructions for installing the Mlat Client end by saying that you should create a desktop shortcut and then copy the "instruction" to the Window Start Up folder (haven't done that yet but I will when everything else seems sorted), and so I assume I need to do the same thing with the Dump1090 shortcut so that both applications start up when the machine boots?

Yes, copy the bat file shortcut to the windows startup folder.

And reboot, and if it works ok, it should start up at boot, first thing to sort.

 

[jeallen01]

Chris

Have been having some problems with Dump1090 messages saying that no dongle was recognized - seems a bit hit & miss whether the command line application continues from there .

However, when it did work with the small antenna I got a columned display with a few transponders showing - but now I've connected the cable from the co-linear at the end of the garden I am getting a virtual stream of transponder responses that are rolling up the screen so fast that I can hardly read anything (presumably because the dongle is getting a much stronger signal?)!

And, so, the co-linear, via the duplexer, at the end of the garden DOES appear to work!

Connecting the small antenna back on again resulted in another rolling display, but much more slowly.

Why has the display changed from the columned version to the rolling version as I don't think I changed anything myself?

Also, the dongle seems to be getting rather warm - is that normal?

 

[Analoguesat]

Yes the dongle will get a bit warm - its doing a lot of processing work. If it starts getting too warm you could stick some small cooling fins on it

 

[Archive-8]

Chris

Have been having some problems with Dump1090 messages saying that no dongle was recognized - seems a bit hit & miss whether the command line application continues from there .

However, when it did work with the small antenna I got a columned display with a few transponders showing - but now I've connected the cable from the co-linear at the end of the garden I am getting a virtual stream of transponder responses that are rolling up the screen so fast that I can hardly read anything (presumably because the dongle is getting a much stronger signal?)!

And, so, the co-linear, via the duplexer, at the end of the garden DOES appear to work!

Connecting the small antenna back on again resulted in another rolling display, but much more slowly.

Why has the display changed from the columned version to the rolling version as I don't think I changed anything myself?

Also, the dongle seems to be getting rather warm - is that normal?

If you have the noo elec dongle in the metal case, yes the heat is normal, it's to help keep the chip cool.

the small aerial is only seeing some of the data stream, the "big" outdoor aerial should give you a lot more range.

Now you have dump1090 running, you can add it to virtual radar server.

If you are running the dongle on the same machine as virtual radar server..

Then use this 127.0.0.1 for the IP address and port number 30005.

 

[Archive-8]

Yes the dongle will get a bit warm - its doing a lot of processing work. If it starts getting too warm you could stick some small cooling fins on it

Raspberry Pi heat sink should fit it.

 

[Archive-8]

in virtual radar server look for the receivers option

click the green + to add

 

[Archive-8]

@jeallen01 the rolling version is the same, just with a lot more data.

That's a good thing :-)

 

[jeallen01]

Chris & A/S

Hi again

Thanks for the info about the heat issue - this dongle has a plastic case (didn't know there are metal cased versions).

Any point in trying to fit a heatsink? Otherwise I will have to make sure it is well away from the PC or anything else and has the best possible ventilation (I might try to attach it to a small PC component fan).

PS: still wondering about why the Dump1090 display changed from the columned to the rolling version - any ideas? Edited: posted this one before I read your later post about "that's what happens".

Chris

Will now check my VRS setup and make sure it has the settings you show above - thanks!

 

[Archive-8]

Chris & A/S

Hi again

Thanks for the info about the heat issue - this dongle has a plastic case (didn't know there are metal cased versions).

Any point in trying to fit a heatsink? Otherwise I will have to make sure it is well away from the PC or anything else and has the best possible ventilation (I might try to attach it to a small PC component fan).

PS: still wondering about why the Dump1090 display changed from the columned to the rolling version - any ideas?

Chris

Will now check my VRS setup and make sure it has the settings you show above - thanks!

If you get a problem let us know :-)

 

[jeallen01]

Chris

Hope I won't have to - but I will if I do.

 

[jeallen01]

Chris (and others?)

My VRS screen currently looks like this - it's the same as yours, except for the "Cannot connect" message


And the top-level VRS screen looks like this:


The critical point being the message "The webserver is not on the Internet"

PS: Dump1090 is still running and delivering active data, but saying that no data has been downloaded or uploaded

Any ideas why?

 

[Analoguesat]

You may need to play with the port numbers - I think I use 30005 when Im up and running. (still awaiting new hdd delivery!)

Its working when you get "a connection can be made" or similar message.