Upgrading My ADS-B Receiver Setup
It’s been several years since I set up my ADS-B receiver. Back then, I was living in an apartment in Redlands, and my setup was pretty basic—a Rock-Pi, LNA, filters, and an ADS-B antenna perched on the second-story window sill. Despite the limitations of the indoor setup, it worked pretty well!
When my wife and I bought our house, I finally got the chance to move the antennas outside, which was a big improvement. However, I kept the same NEMA box with all the hardware inside my shack. Now, the time has come to make some long-overdue upgrades to my ADS-B system.
The Upgrade Plan
The goal of this upgrade is to improve the overall signal reception by moving the LNA and filters as close to the antennas as possible, which should help cut down on noise and increase the quality of the signals I’m picking up. I’m also exploring the idea of running the software on a virtual machine rather than a Pi-type device, which could make maintenance and updates easier in the long run.
Unfortunately, I don’t have the budget to upgrade everything at once—like the LNA and antennas—but those will come later as part of a longer-term upgrade plan. For now, I’ve ordered two key components: a new Airspy R2 and a FlightAware Pro Stick USB (the orange one) to replace my old receivers. I’m excited to see how much of an improvement these will bring!
What’s Next?
I’m still in the planning stages, ordering the parts I’ll need and figuring out where everything will go. It’s important to carefully plan the placement of the antennas and hardware to optimize the reception. As I go through the process, I’ll be taking pictures and documenting the progress. Keep an eye out for updates as I complete each step of the upgrade!
Stay tuned for more on the ADS-B revamp!