Author Topic: Hey, why not have your own real-time ATC radar at home?  (Read 10565 times)

Offline KSYR-pjr

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Hey, why not have your own real-time ATC radar at home?
« on: April 20, 2006, 10:59:01 AM »
Just saw a blurb about a "virtual" real-time ATC radar for your home PC.  A digital antenna receives mode-S transmissions and sends the data to your PC, which then displays the target on a radar-like screen.  The antenna range is supposedly around 250 miles.   The software will also link with other users to provide you with a bigger picture of the activity in the skies above you and across the region.

See all the aircraft withing 250 miles of your home.   Only US $949.99 (although I saw it for about $100 cheaper at Aircraft Spruce):

http://www.aerflight.com/


Quote
AerFlight VR is a radical breakthrough in airspace technology.  Anyone with an interest in the airspace around them; pilots, ground crews, instructors, civil defense agencies, vital-installations managers - even individual aviation aficionados - now has access to the world-wide infrastructure of aircraft tracking via Mode-S signalling.

AerFlight VR captures the signals emitted by aircraft and presents them in ATC-style views on a Virtual Radar screen on your PC.  The user controls a host of parameters such as range, data displayed, waypoints, geographic outlines and others.  Online databases can provide extensive details for each individual aircraft.  Notes can be ascribed and activity histories stored.  Data can be exchanged with other applications and databases.  The powerful Aerflight VR software can communicate with other users online, providing you with real-time, live airspace views from around the world.




Offline bcrosby

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Hey, why not have your own real-time ATC radar at home?
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2006, 11:47:31 AM »
Too bad it only works with Mode-S transponders.

Offline Lezam

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Hey, why not have your own real-time ATC radar at home?
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2006, 10:33:53 PM »
Quote from: bcrosby
Too bad it only works with Mode-S transponders.


hehe, your funny  :D

To bad it costs a grand lol

Offline Tomato

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Hey, why not have your own real-time ATC radar at home?
« Reply #3 on: April 22, 2006, 01:35:09 AM »
Actually, he wasn't making a joke... this receiver only works with ADS-B/Mode-S transponders.  It doesn't seem there's enough talk here to get into a discussion, so I won't.

It's actually a great product for those in Europe, but something us North Americans won't have much use for at the moment.  The product is actually called the SBS-1, made by Kinetic Avionic Products in Europe.

For those who want to pursue this, I would recommend against looking at AERflight as they really have limited information and bad communication.  I ended up dealing directly with Kinetic themselves in Europe, who seem to be really great people!   8)

Offline Jason

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Hey, why not have your own real-time ATC radar at home?
« Reply #4 on: April 22, 2006, 08:08:38 AM »
You'd be surprised how many aircraft have Mode-S transponders.  The reason that the product interacts wiht ONLY Mode-S is because it is the only way to recieve the callsign (data) off of a target through their mode-S ID/code.

Nice system, but for less money I can just drive to the TRACON or the Tower, heh.

Jason

Offline sean

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Hey, why not have your own real-time ATC radar at home?
« Reply #5 on: April 22, 2006, 08:23:29 AM »
It's kind of funny that this came up on it's own.  We were looking at becoming a dealer for Kinetic a couple of months back, and did a bit of market research.  Time may tell a different story, but the general consensus was that these would never be quite as popular in the US as they are in other countries due to the availability of "live" radar data by a couple dozen different sites, like FlightAware, Passur, and so on.  
While it may not be quite as live as you'd get with the SBS-1, it seems to be enough for the casual hobbyist.  

As for Mode C, in addition to the issue of not knowing the registration number of the aircraft you're receiving as Jason mentioned, there's also no (easy) way for you to tell where it is.  Mode-S has GPS data embedded in it - Mode C doesn't, so you need a big, spinning, PSR antenna on top of your house to determine position.

Offline Jason

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Hey, why not have your own real-time ATC radar at home?
« Reply #6 on: April 22, 2006, 08:35:12 AM »
Quote from: sean
...so you need a big, spinning, PSR antenna on top of your house to determine position.


Now wouldn't that look cool!

Jason

Offline davolijj

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Hey, why not have your own real-time ATC radar at home?
« Reply #7 on: April 22, 2006, 11:59:08 AM »
Quote from: Jason
Quote from: sean
...so you need a big, spinning, PSR antenna on top of your house to determine position.


Now wouldn't that look cool!

Jason


Yeah, I'm sure the cookie-cutter neighborhood compliance types would have no problem with that.  :roll:

Offline Umop3pisdn

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Hey, why not have your own real-time ATC radar at home?
« Reply #8 on: April 22, 2006, 02:44:31 PM »
Well, if you can afford a gaint revolving antena, you could just buy off the nieghbers  :lol:

Offline Tomato

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Hey, why not have your own real-time ATC radar at home?
« Reply #9 on: April 28, 2006, 11:50:04 PM »
I think I might do that tomorrow!  I can use one of those old jumbo satellite dishes, have it on a rotating motor and um - hook in the rest on the back side!   :lol:

On a slightly more serious note... even if somebody were to do this, you might get position and their SSR/sqk code but you probably wouldn't know more than that.

Do you know of any airlines that have MODE-S right now in North America?  Apparently Air Canda does NOT, which is the largest airline in Canada.

Not all of us are priveleged to have access to a TRACON!  :(