By Jeremy Cook
At an airport, you’re likely to see one or more radar dishes either on top of the control tower, or at other strategically located positions for aircraft tracking. Such systems have been in place for many decades, and, along with highly trained personnel, have made flying remarkably safe.
Beyond radar, satellite-based ADS-B tracking (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) presents an opportunity for faster and more accurate positioning of aircraft, without the need for land-based radar setups. The FAA has implemented ADS-B into the NextGen air traffic control system.
How Does ADS-B Work?
In the ADS-B flight tracker setup, each aircraft operating in the designated airspaces receives a GPS signal, and then broadcasts its position and other data via the 1090 or 978 MHz frequency. With each aircraft transmitting coordinates, an accurate picture of the immediate airspace can be obtained. Aircraft can also be equipped with receiver hardware, which gives them the same aircraft dashboard data as air traffic controllers, and even allows for weather updates.
Benefits of such a system include more accurate aircraft tracking for better flight coordination and efficient operation, plus expanded coverage zones. Costs are also reduced, as installing a ground station is extremely simple when compared to a full radar setup. Many regions beyond the United states’ FAA jurisdiction have adopted this standard as well, making it the de facto standard for aerial navigation worldwide.
While this system normally works extremely well, if GPS signals are obstructed, then aircraft tracking becomes a problem. For example, in 2012, the FCC investigated a New Jersey man who used a GPS jamming device to subvert the GPS location device in his company vehicle. This, in turn, interfered with the Newark Liberty International Airport’s tracking system.
In this case, the interference perpetrator was fined, and there was some apparent hassle for the airport. If satellite signals were disrupted on a larger scale, it could present a major problem.
You Can Increase ADS-B Tracking Coverage
You might not be able to rectify satellite signals, and you may not even have your pilot’s license, but you can get involved with ADS-B fairly easily, by running a ground tracking station. ADS-B signals are sent unencrypted, so anyone with a software defined radio (SDR) and an antenna can pick up them up.
If you’d like to get involved, systems such as FlightAware, ADS-B Exchange, and others can be installed on a Raspberry Pi with minimal fuss. Collected data can then be viewed and sent into a central database like FlightAware or ADS-B Exchange in order to make ground tracking more robust, especially for rural areas.
If you just want to browse, right now you can log onto their websites to see aircraft flying overhead based on ADS-B information. It’s actually pretty interesting to be able to hear an aircraft from your window, and then be able to see more information about it with just a few clicks of your mouse!
