Decoding MLAT & UAT

[RaleighGuy]

Today FR24 announced they will now accept UAT feeders on the platform, FA allows feeding MLAT on their's. Looking at ADSB at about 7:30 on a Monday night, nationwide there were about 205 planes showing on MLAT and about 50 showing on UAT.

Just wanted to see what everyone thought, is it really worth it to feed these decodes? And, why do you feel that way?

 

[vagrant]

MLAT = Yes and that is just sharing the info already coming in via 1090 MHz. Those feeders "with accurate clocks" into a shared site helps with tracking. For those that want to know more, here is some info on MLAT.

UAT = Maybe. If one does not have a dual band antenna, a separate coax and antenna will be required along with another dongle. Still, this UAT signal is primarily used by "very few" low flying aircraft like small fixed wing and rotor. Most small aircraft use ADS-B, even small fixed wing and rotor aircraft and ADS-B comes in via 1090 MHz whereas UAT uses 978 MHz.

An advantage to not worrying about UAT is there are inexpensive ADS-B SDR dongles that now include a pre-amp as well as a filter for 1090 MHz which ADS-B uses. A filter and pre-amp improve my range by about 100 NM. YMMV as I have a lot of RFI.

 

[mtindor]

I think it's worth feeding both. Sure there may be less UAT, and it may require a more involved setup to feed UAT. But some of the lack of UAT results in your calculation is simply because not many people are feeding UAT. If everyone feeding ADSB were feeding UAT for their area, there would definitely be more to see.

Even here in podunk Carroll Co Ohio, when I was a position whereby my feed was useful (when I wasn't surrounded by an 80+ foot tall forest of trees and a 100 foot shale wall), I was feeding both for KTSO. There were many small aircraft per day trackable in/out of the airport and around the vicinity. To me it was worth it to feed it. I really wish I had enough of a clear view of the horizon to set up a killer feed system again. I hate DPD 1090 / 978 verticals, preamps, 40ft LMR 400 runs, SAW filters. Now it all just sits here collecting dust.

 

[RaleighGuy]

Now it all just sits here collecting dust.

I'll dust it off for you

 

[mtindor]

I'll dust it off for you

LOL I'm sure you would. Not that it matters, but you already do feed right? I know you are an airplane tracking guy, so I figured you were. If I were to ever have the opportunity to set up a good one again, I'd feed to airplanes.live and FA. I used to feed to FA and ADSBEx. I honestly do have all the stuff here "somewhere". I've never unpacked it since I moved to the new locale in 2020.

 

[RaleighGuy]

LOL I'm sure you would. Not that it matters, but you already do feed right? I know you are an airplane tracking guy, so I figured you were. If I were to ever have the opportunity to set up a good one again, I'd feed to airplanes.live and FA. I used to feed to FA and ADSBEx. I honestly do have all the stuff here "somewhere". I've never unpacked it since I moved to the new locale in 2020.

Yes I'm feeding Airplanes.Live, FA, (both ADSB and MLAT) and FR24 (ADSB & the new UAT they began today). I just upgrade my old tired SDRs with new ones (a 1090 with filter and a 978 without filter, both with preamps) from @AirplanesLive Gear Store and saw a big increase in coverage area. I used to feed ADSBx, but well...