Another ADS-B network?

A couple of people have asked me why we are building another ADS-B network when we already have FlightRadar24, FlightAware and others...

The answer is simple - because we want to:

• Learn about the ADS-B protocol and it's latest data formats
• Learn about 1090MHz radio propagation
• Leverage our work on diversity reception and processing data from multiple receivers, developed for other projects
• Learn how to implement multi-lateration to resolve positions from time-of-arrival for aircraft not transmitting their location
• Build a system that works in true real-time, i.e. milli-seconds
• Create a system that is based entirely in the UK (UK soverign)
• Implement business logic to provide added value to a range of potential users
• Provide free data feeds to UK ambulance trusts and Air Ambulance charities
• Provide radio amateurs with 'scatter' data, ie. radio paths reflected off aircraft on the 144MHz-10GHz bands

We are not seeking to compete with FlightRadar24 or FlightAware - these systems are well established and know their audiences. We are building something novel, new and different with an emphasis on experimentation and learning but at the same time providing a stable platform for people that want to use the system for their own ends.

Future road-map

We are planning a range of new applications and APIs based on processing aircraft movement data in real-time - these may include:

• Detection of faulty or mis-programmed ADS-B transponders
• Detection of conflicts between aircraft of various classes
• Detection of aircraft incursions into restricted zones
• Detection of threats to UK air-space from unwanted, un-identified or incorrectly reported traffic through AI and Machine Learning

Our Network

At the time of editing (14th January 2024) our network comprises:

• 61 ADS-B ground station using the 'Radar' feeder protocol
• 11 Beast Peer connections to other networks that have a further 25 receivers around the UK and Europe
• A pair of central servers

ADS-B ground station receivers

Our ADS-B ground station receiver network is based on a mixture of commercial and hobbiest installations ranging from Raspberry Pi with RTL-SDR dongles, dedicated ADS-B receivers through PC based servers with top-of-the-line SDRs. Our receivers are located at strategic locations across the UK where we have sites and good Internet connections.

Some of our receivers are on commecial sites that feed us only only while other receivers feed multiple systems such as FlightRadar24, FlightAware or OV3T as well as 1090MHz UK.

Receiver Status

We now have an ADS-B Receiver Status page with real-time statistics from all of the receivers feeding 1090MHz UK.

Additional receivers

We are planning new receiver sites in the North-West, South-West and East of England but are looking for more ADS-B feeds or receiver sites - especially in North West England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland.

If you know someone that can help with additional ADS-B feeds or hosting decitaed servers please Contact Us.

If you have an ADS-B receiver already feeding FlightRadar24 and/or FlightAware please consider sharing your data with us.

Data Centre

Our central data processing servers are located at a data centre in Worcester that provides business-critical and mission-critical services to business, the emergency services and other government agencies in the UK.

Our BTnet Wholesale Internet connection provides 100% SLA and high performance peering with Telehouse giving us very good connectivity with UK based ISPs to ensure that data is delivered reliably and with minimal delays.

Use Existing Applications

Data output formats are compatible with a wide range of existing applications for Windows, Linux and Mac including Virtual Radar Server and PlanePlotter.

Click the link for more infotrmation on how to use Virtual Radar Server with our service.