Amateur Radio Club Feeder Program
ADS-B Exchange is looking for Ham Radio Clubs that would be interested in hosting an ADS-B feeder, this can be at a clubhouse, repeater site, or a members house. There is no cost to apply. If you don’t receive a feeder immediately, we will keep your info for future shipments.
If you are selected to receive a feeder, ADSBx will provide your club all needed equipment and technical support to get the feeder running. Feeders receive the RF packets from aircraft on 1090mhz, and relay them over the internet. They do not transmit.
In return, we ask you provide a suitable location to mount the antenna, a reliable Internet connection, and agree to keep the feeder online at all times.
If you are interested, please contact the ADSBx Team through our form below. Please be prepared to provide info about your club and the location you plan to install the equipment.
Why is this important to ADSBx?
Feeder data is used to provide support services to search and rescue, researchers, first responders and other organizations that benefit the public good.
Feeds naturally cluster around population centers, so in many cases, the more rural, the better. International sites outside of the US and Western Europe are especially needed.
ADSBexchange.com can’t do it alone. We need your assistance and generosity!
If demand exceeds supply, priority will be given to clubs in or near the following areas:
- Alabama – Central including Montgomery
- Alaska – All areas including Anchorage and Adak
- Arizona – Flagstaff, Lake Havasu City, and Page
- Arkansas – All Areas
- California – Bakersfield, Visalia, Ridgecrest, and other areas in East Central Area
- Florida – Belle Glades, Naples, Panama City, Apalachicola, Cape Coral/Fort Myers, West Palm Beach, LaBelle, and anywhere in The Keys
- Hawaii – Islands of Oahu and Maui
- Idaho – Lewiston and Twin Falls
- Kansas – Wichita and
- Louisiana – New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and anywhere on the Gulf Coast
- Mississippi – Jackson and Hattiesburg
- Montana – All areas
- Nebraska – Whole State
- Nevada – Central and North
- New Mexico – South East
- North Dakota – All Areas
- Puerto Rico – Central and South
- South Dakota – All Areas including Aberdeen
- Texas – Amarillo and South West
- Washington – Lewiston and Kennewick
- West Virginia – All Areas for low altitude tracking
Civil Air Patrol & Search and Rescue Feeder Program
ADS-B Exchange proudly enhances the life-saving search and rescue operations of the Civil Air Patrol and similar units across the United States through our complimentary feeder program, aimed at bolstering local area coverage. While plane-watching serves as an engaging hobby for many, for organizations like the Civil Air Patrol, access to real-time flight data can be critical, often making the difference between life and death. We are committed to not only offering this invaluable data at no cost but also to supplementing rescue missions by furnishing additional hardware to expand local data coverage.
Furthermore, we are pleased to offer specialized technical assistance, covering both the initial setup of the equipment and guidance on how to effectively use the maps and data to ascertain flight trajectories and pinpoint last known locations.
To get involved, we invite you to reach out to the ADSBx Team via our Contact page, using your unit’s official email address. Please be ready to share details about your unit as well as the location where you intend to deploy the equipment.
Education
Hosting an ADS-B Exchange feeder at an educational institution or school can offer a wealth of educational benefits, serving as a unique, hands-on learning platform. The technology offers students the opportunity to engage with real-world data and applications, thereby enriching courses in STEM fields such as computer science, data analytics, aviation, and geography. It provides a tangible way for students to connect theoretical concepts with practical applications, whether that’s understanding the physics of flight, the intricacies of navigation, or the technologies underpinning real-time data transmission and analytics.
Hosting an ADS-B Exchange feeder also promotes problem-solving and critical thinking in a classroom setting. Teachers can create straightforward projects or lessons based around the data the feeder collects. This allows students to apply what they’re learning in a practical way, such as interpreting flight patterns or understanding the basics of how data transmission works. It’s a useful resource that can enhance lesson plans and provide a hands-on aspect to classroom instruction. The feeder could be utilized by different classes or departments, encouraging a cross-disciplinary approach to learning. Overall, it’s a practical tool that offers a different way to engage students and supplement existing curricula.
Our pre-configured feeders offer complete customization and are built on robust, open-source software, utilizing Raspberry Pi hardware coupled with standard Linux distributions. Each of these feeders comes equipped with a locally accessible REST API, delivering real-time data on all aircraft within range. This JSON-based API serves as a powerful foundation for developing various projects, providing you with a versatile platform for countless applications.