MLAT

[Runway 31]

Kirill
Try by clicking on Edit next to your location on the right of your MyStation map and enter your exact decimal lat/lot.  This may not work using the data sharer software though and you may need to use the Pi method as detailed by abcd567

Alan

[abcd567]

Like Adsbexchange, Radarbox24 also uses mlat-client, but control & configuration is through its feeder. The only version of RadarBox24 feeder which is mlat capable is the RPi (armv7) version. It wont work on Ubuntu x64.

As the source code is now available, you may try to build Ubuntu version of rbfeeder from source code. Please see this thread:

rbfeeder for x86_64 or i386

[Kirill]

Thank! I am ready to run on ubuntu, but I do not know Linux at all and do not know how to collect packages. Maybe you can collect for me?

[abcd567]

Kirill:
Sorry, I tried, but could not succeed.
Some info needed to compile installation package, but the info is not made public by Radarbox24 software developers.

[abcd567]

Flow Chart




Default Config (Without Mlat)




Config Mlat Enabled

[streety66]

Hi guys,

I have followed the instructions to the letter for for RPi setup - EXTRPI010051

The lat/lon/alt are setup OK in rbfeeder.ini, along with the autostart_mlat=true.

The packages installed OK with no errors - I have restarted the RPi numerous times.

I have edited the site location via the map giving the same co-ordinates as listed in the rbfeeder.

I have stopped the service, waited until all my flights disappear, then restarted.

I just cannot seem to get MLAT working.

I have now run out of ideas and would welcome any input from the experts, please?

Thanks in advance,

Paul.

Edit - sorry - it's a Pi3 running Buster, also feeding FR24, FA, PF and PP.

[Runway 31]

Hi Paul

In addition to the RB feeder software did you install the MLAT client per Reply 1 of this thread

From a message by abcd on the previous page

(A) To enable mlat, you have to do following TWO things:
(1) Install mlat-client
(2) Enter your latitude, longitude and elevation above sea level.

Alan

[streety66]

Hi,

Thanks Alan - I have performed those steps - yes.

My rbfeeder.ini
[client]
network_mode=true
log_file=/var/log/rbfeeder.log

key=Removed
sn=EXTRPI010051
lat=53.1nnnnn
lon=-1.2nnnnn
alt=150

sat_used=0

sat_visible=0

[network]
mode=beast
external_port=30005
external_host=127.0.0.1

[mlat]
autostart_mlat=true
mlat_cmd=/usr/bin/python3.5 /usr/bin/mlat-client

[dump978]
#dump978_enabled=true

Output from sudo systemctl status mlat-client
(is the warning message important?)

mlat-client.service - LSB: Multilateration client
   Loaded: loaded (/etc/init.d/mlat-client; generated)
   Active: active (exited) since Sun 2021-01-03 14:28:32 GMT; 2 days ago
     Docs: man:systemd-sysv-generator(8)
  Process: 349 ExecStart=/etc/init.d/mlat-client start (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)

Jan 03 14:28:29 RPi3ADSB systemd[1]: Starting LSB: Multilateration client...
Jan 03 14:28:32 RPi3ADSB mlat-client[349]: Not starting mlat-client daemon, disabled via /etc/default/mlat-client ... (warning).
Jan 03 14:28:32 RPi3ADSB systemd[1]: Started LSB: Multilateration client.


Many thanks,
Paul.

[streety66]

Further investigation shows this:- (could there be a conflict with the other feeders, FR24, FA, PP and PF?)

pi@RPi3ADSB:/etc/default $ more mlat-client
# mlat-client configuration file
# This is a POSIX shell fragment.
# You can edit this file directly, or use
# "dpkg-reconfigure mlat-client"

# Start the client?
START_CLIENT="no"

# System user to run as.
RUN_AS_USER="mlat"

# User to log into the server as
SERVER_USER=""

# Logfile to log to
LOGFILE="/var/log/mlat-client.log"

# Input receiver type (dump1090, beast, radarcape_12mhz, radarcape_gps, sbs)
INPUT_TYPE="dump1090"

# Input host:port to connect to for Beast-format messages
INPUT_HOSTPORT="localhost:30005"

# Multilateration server host:port to provide data to
SERVER_HOSTPORT="mlat.mutability.co.uk:40147"

# Latitude of the receiver, in decimal degrees
LAT=""

# Longitude of the receiver, in decimal degrees
LON=""

# Altitude of the receiver, in metres
ALT=""

# List of result connections/listeners to establish.
# This should be a space-separated list of values suitable for passing to
# the --results option (see mlat-client --help for syntax)
RESULTS="basestation,listen,31003"

# Other arguments to pass to mlat-client
EXTRA_ARGS=""

[Runway 31]

Paul

Am out of my depth here and will leave it to abcd to come on and work his magic

Alan

[abcd567]

[mlat]
autostart_mlat=true
mlat_cmd=/usr/bin/python3.5 /usr/bin/mlat-client

mlat_cmd=/usr/bin/python3.5 /usr/bin/mlat-client

The cause of failure is wrong version of python in above line of the file  /etc/rbfeeder.ini
The python3.5 was for Raspbian Stretch.
The current version is Buster, which requires python3.7

To fix the problem:
Either change 3.5 to 3.7
mlat_cmd=/usr/bin/python3.7 /usr/bin/mlat-client

OR BETTER

Comment out this line by placing a # at start of line
#mlat_cmd=/usr/bin/python3.5 /usr/bin/mlat-client

Placing a # at start of line will change line's color from white to blue. Please see screenshot below.

After making and Saving changes,  reboot Pi

sudo reboot




.

[abcd567]

Paul

Am out of my depth here and will leave it to abcd to come on and work his magic

Alan

Take the plunge. Buy a RPi and start playing with it.
That is how everybody learns RPi and Linux.
When I purchased my first Pi about 5 years ago, my knowledge of Pi and Linux was ZERO.

[Runway 31]

Am thinking of it

Alan

[streety66]

Mr ABCD567, you Sir, are a true gent - I'm so grateful, thank you.

Now feeding MLAT.

Thanks also to Alan for his assistance.

May I ask what the mlat_cmd= line actually does and the implication of commenting it out? For now, I made the 3.5 to 3.7 change but if commenting the line is better, would like to understand why, please?

Cheers,
Paul.

[abcd567]

The rbfeeder has this line built in, and provides it if this lines is commented out. This command starts the mlat-client

Commenting out is better from possible upgrade of rbfeeder in future which may require changing python3.7 to say python3.8 or 3.9 or 4. Commenting it out will force new version of rbfeeder to use correct version built into it.