Bake a Pi

[abcd567]

dirkpitt

Please confirm which Option you have installed?
I can guide you only if you tell me what you have installed.

To feed flightaware, you need (1) dump1090-fa (2) piaware data feeder.

If you have installed OPTION-3 (piaware image)then both dump1090-fa and flightaware's data feeder (piaware) is installed automatically with it. With dump1090-fa installed, the rbfeeder setting "network_mode=false" is wrong. Change it to "network_mode=true"

[dirkpitt]

i think i used a combination of 1 and the blog post of how to get radarbox24 working
https://www.radarbox24.com/blog/radarbox24-raspberry-pi-client
i had issues trying to get MLAT working  so support helped me get that going today  at one time i was able to see that both FA and mutable were on my pi

[abcd567]

Please post output of following 4 commands:

Code: [Select]

apt-cache policy dump1090-fa

apt-cache policy dump1090-mutability

apt-cache policy piaware

cat /etc/os_release


NOTE
With dump1090-fa installed, the rbfeeder setting "network_mode=false" is wrong. Change it to "network_mode=true".

[dirkpitt]

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ apt-cache policy dump1090-fa
dump1090-fa:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 3.7.1
  Version table:
     3.7.1 500
        500 http://flightaware.com/adsb/piaware/files/packages stretch/piaware armhf Packages
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ apt-cache policy dump1090-mutability
dump1090-mutability:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 1.15~20180310.4a16df3+dfsg-6
  Version table:
     1.15~20180310.4a16df3+dfsg-6 500
        500 http://raspbian.raspberrypi.org/raspbian buster/main armhf Packages

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ apt-cache policy piaware
piaware:
  Installed: 3.7.1
  Candidate: 3.7.1
  Version table:
 *** 3.7.1 500
        500 http://flightaware.com/adsb/piaware/files/packages stretch/piaware armhf Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ cat /etc/os_release
cat: /etc/os_release: No such file or directory


 network_mode  is now true

[abcd567]

You dont have dump1090-fa installed. Please do this:

Code: [Select]

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install dump1090-fa

sudo reboot

After reboot, check

Code: [Select]

sudo systemctl status dump1090-fa
sudo systemctl status piaware
sudo systemctl status rbfeeder


[dirkpitt]

thank you   its all working now .
Im not sure what i did to it earlier today  to loose the dump1090-fa   it was running earlier today
thank you again

[dirkpitt]

looks like i have 2 accounts of flight aware  running now when i check the stats , ?????

[abcd567]

looks like i have 2 accounts of flight aware  running now when i check the stats , ?????

What is your Flightaware stats page address?
For example my flightaware user name is abcd567, and I check my stats at:
https://flightaware.com/adsb/stats/user/abcd567

[GlynH]

**NB** Please read my own reply below this post before taking the time to answer my questions and save yourself a lot of time & trouble! :)


Thanks for the great posts Ingo and others but I have read many threads in various places on setting up a Raspberry Pi and am still confused.

I already have a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 4GB/32GB running Pi-hole so have a little experience with Pi and so have already installed NOOBS/Buster on an identical device and this has been fully updated & soak tested for a couple of weeks now and all is good.

So now to set it up with a 1090 FlightStick and VHF FlightStick to achieve the following;

1. Full accessibility on my LAN using RadarBox v6.02.003 locally.

2. Feed RadarBox network including MLAT

3. Feed FR24 network including MLAT

4. Listen to ATC from the VHF FlightStick

Ideally I would like to do this one step at a time to keep things as simple(!) as possible and learn/understand as I go along as although knowledgable in computers/networking working with Raspberry Pi/Linux is all new to me.

I understand I can input the Raspberry Pi IP Address in the RadarBox 6.02.003 software but am unsure whether I would then be able to access locally without any other steps such as installing the rbfeeder software and feeding the RadarBox network at the outset?

Also reading up do I need dump1090-fa or mutability? Guessing mutability but not 100% sure. Which is the best & why?

Then I guess I would have to install the Buster MLAT Client from your Github page Ingo as I would not want to get my hands dirty compiling and enter my lat, lon & elevation somewhere?

Once it is working locally I would then want to add the rbfeeder software (unless I have already had to pre-install to get this far or is rbfeeder used instead of dump1090?) figure out how to get my key/code and go to my RadarBox station page and enter co-ords & elevation to activate MLAT.

I would want to run like this for a while in the interests of sanity before I follow a similar procedure to feed FR24.

Baby steps! :)

Some other questions if I may;

If I installed just rbfeeder instead of dump1090 (or is dump1090 part of rbfeeder?) then am I still able to update the dump1090 part separately going forward?

If as above I install rbfeeder on its own can I still feed FR24 at a later date and if so how?

Are there any drivers needed when plugging in the 1090 FlightStick?

Ditto for the VHF FlightStick?

How would I actually listen to ATC via the VHF FlightStick?

So many questions...

Thanks & kind regards,

-=Glyn=-

[GlynH]

OK...well to answer my own questions after all that worry & procrastination the solution to me was as follows using the info from this very website;

1. Install rbfeeder by typing;
sudo bash -c "$(wget -O - http://apt.rb24.com/inst_rbfeeder.sh)"

2. After the package had installed I typed;
rbfeeder --set-network-mode off --no-start

3. I then installed the compiled 32-bit MLAT package from Ingo abcd567 by typing;
wget https://github.com/abcd567a/mlat-client-package/releases/download/v1/mlat-client_0.2.11_BUSTER_armhf.deb
sudo dpkg -i mlat-client_0.2.11_BUSTER_armhf.deb

4. After it had downloaded it left me at a command prompt ready to just hit <return> to install

5. I then rebooted, plugged in the FlightStick and connected the antenna

6. When the system was up I used RDP/SSH to login remotely to the system as it is headless and typed;
rbfeeder --showkey

7. Going here https://www.radarbox.com/raspberry-pi/claim and using cut & paste I pasted in my sharing key that was shown at Step 6 above

8. I was taken to a page where I input my coordinates, selected exact and show to confirm my location and input my antenna height and BOOM! I was taken to my RadarBox Station page!

At first the MLAT was inactive in red and clicking the green instruction link it told me to do what I had already done with regard to coordinates & antenna height but after a few minutes it came up as MLAT active (230 stations synced) and I was in business!

Coincidentally my Max Range is 230NM...must be my lucky number! :)

And all that worry for nothing. Mind you I was the same when I purchased my first Raspberry Pi to run Pi-hole and it took me a year to actually get round to taking the plunge...

Hope that helps somebody else who might be as nervous as I was...

I guess the only questions I might have left after the dust has settled might be;

1. How to listen to the VHF FlightStick bearing in mind I am in the UK?

2. How to setup a feed to FR24 and possibly others in the future?

3. How to keep the integral dump1090 and indeed everything else updated to the latest versions?

Thanks & kind regards,

-=Glyn=-

[abcd567]

2. How to setup a feed to FR24 and possibly others in the future?

If you are using integral dump1090 of rbfeeder by command "rbfeeder --set-network-mode off --no-start", then in the settings file "/etc/rbfeeder.ini" the setting becomes "network_mode=false". With this setting, the data made available by rbfeeder's dump1090 is as follows, and all other feeders to be configured accordingly:

host = 127.0.0.1
port = 32457
format = Beast



If you install FR24 Feeder this way, it will NOT install dump1090-mutability. It will grab data from the Radarbox24 feeder

Code: [Select]

sudo bash -c "$(wget -O - http://repo.feed.flightradar24.com/install_fr24_rpi.sh)" 

After running for a while, the script will automatically start SIGNUP process.
The signup process will ask you to enter email address, sharing key (leave it blank, you will get it by email), latitude, longitude, height etc etc.
Enter all these details.

After signup is complete, CONFIGURATION will start as follows:
Make sure you enter values shown in RED

Step 4.1 - Receiver selection (in order to run MLAT please use DVB-T stick with dump1090 utility bundled with fr24feed):

Step 4.1 - Receiver selection (in order to run MLAT please use DVB-T stick with dump1090 utility bundled with fr24feed):

1 - DVBT Stick (USB)
-----------------------------------------------------
2 - SBS1/SBS1er (USB/Network)
3 - SBS3 (USB/Network)
4 - ModeS Beast (USB/Network)
5 - AVR Compatible (DVBT over network, etc)
6 - microADSB (USB/Network)
7 - SBSx via Basestation (localhost:30006)

Enter your receiver type (1-7)$: 4

Step 4.2 - Please select connection type:

1 - Network connection
2 - USB directly to this computer

Enter your connection type (1-2)$: 1

Step 4.3A - Please enter your receiver's IP address/hostname
$:127.0.0.1

Step 4.3B - Please enter your receiver's data port number
$:32457

Step 5.1 - Would you like to enable RAW data feed on port 30334 (yes/no)$:no

Step 5.2 - Would you like to enable Basestation data feed on port 30003 (yes/no)$:no

Step 6 - Please select desired logfile mode:
0 - Disabled
1 - 48 hour, 24h rotation
2 - 72 hour, 24h rotation
Select logfile mode (0-2)$:1

Saving settings to /etc/fr24feed.ini...OK
Settings saved, please run "sudo systemctl restart fr24feed" to use new configuration.
Installation and configuration completed!

Now restart fr24feed, wait few minutes, then check status

Code: [Select]

sudo systemctl restart fr24feed

fr24feed-status



3. How to keep the integral dump1090 and indeed everything else updated to the latest versions?

To check if your version is latest or outdated

Code: [Select]

sudo apt update   

apt policy rbfeeder   

apt policy fr24feed   

If outdated, update by following commands

Code: [Select]

sudo apt update 

sudo apt install rbfeeder 

sudo apt install fr24feed   


[abcd567]

If you are using integral dump1090 of rbfeeder by command "rbfeeder --set-network-mode off --no-start", then in the settings file "/etc/rbfeeder.ini" the setting becomes  "network_mode=false". With this setting, the data made available by rbfeeder's dump1090 is as follows, and all other feeders to be configured accordingly:

host = 127.0.0.1
port = 32457 
format = beast 



(1) Configuration of Planefinder feeder:
In your browser go to
IP-of-Pi:30053
Enter share code, latitude longitude.
IP address 127.0.0.1 
Port number 32457   

(2) Configuration of Flightaware piaware feeder:

Code: [Select]

sudo piaware-config receiver-type other   

sudo piaware-config receiver-host 127.0.0.1   

sudo piaware-config receiver-port 32457   

sudo piaware-config mlat-results-format beast,connect,localhost:32004

sudo systemctl restart piaware   


(3) Configuration of FlightRadar24 feeder:
Please see my last post above.



(4) Configure RadarBox Software to View Locally
IP address = Local IP-of-Pi (should be like 198.168.0.21)
Port = 32088

Please see attached two (2) screenshots.

[GlynH]

Hello again Ingo...do you never sleep? :)

Thanks for the full & detailed replies as always...you're a star!

The content of my current /etc/rbfeeder.ini;

[client]
network_mode=false
log_file=/var/log/rbfeeder.log

key=********************************

sn=************

lat=**.******

lon=-*.******

alt=147

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

Are you saying *after* installing FR24 following your instruction above it will change to include;
host = 127.0.0.1
port = 32457
format = Beast

Just so I am sure...and what file is it that starts rbfeeder at boot up?

And last question...how can I tell whether it is dump1090-mutability that is actually installed?

Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

[abcd567]

@GlynH:

Short answer:
Do nothing with config of rbfeeder except following command:
rbfeeder --set-network-mode off --no-start

All other settings to be done in config of other feeders such as fr24feed, piaware, pfclient etc.


Detailed Answer:
There are two config files:

fr24feed.ini
rbfeeder.ini

(1) In the RB feeder's config file "rbfeeder.ini" following part remains unchanged. It is neither changed by fr24feed nor by rbfeeder, nor by user. It is simply ignored by RB24 rbfeeder when it reads "network_mode=false"

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

(2) In the FR24 feeder's config file "fr24feed.ini", the setting are
receiver="beast-tcp"
host="127.0.0.1:32457"

These settings are saved in this file when during installation of FR24 feeder you follow steps shown in my post above.

(3) All the software installed start at boot by systemd service files.

FR24 feeder is started by systemd using file "fr24feed.service"
RB24 feeder is started by systemd using file "rbfeeder.service"

(4) The integral decoder of rbfeeder is encapsuled inside rbfeeder package, and I am not aware of any way to find out if it is dump1090-mutability or dump1090-fa or modeSDeco2 or something else.

[GlynH]

Brilliant!

Thanks for your patience, sharing your knowledge and sticking with me through this.

Very much appreciated.

I'm going to leave my station feeding RadarBox only uninterrupted for the first week (only 3 days in so far) to 'burn it in' and check reliability etc. and sometime after that will add FR24 using the instructions in this thread that is starting to make some sense to me at last! :)

Enjoy your weekend!

Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-