ADS-R/UAT question

[below500kc]

I came across a "plane not on the map" situation today. I'm near a small local airport and can watch the 'craft approaching and departing using adbxexchange's tar1090 program with an rtl-sdr with a Linux pc. I can also hear the radio transmissions using a scanner. I was listening to a 'craft doing a "touch-and-go" at the airport, but when I looked at my tar1090 map, the 'craft wasn't visible. I found that quite strange, so I looked on the adbsexchange world map online, zoomed in on my local airport, and sure enough the craft was visible. Looking at world map stats on that particular plane, I noticed that there was a tag of ads-r/uat in the stats.

Is there something I'd have to purchase extra to see those type of planes on my map, or it just an issue of software needed?

 

[737mech]

That aircraft can be tracked on 978 mhz . There’s a way to connect 2 sdr’s to a pi computer and track both adsb and uat with a program called stratux. Others are out there.

 

[Markb]

The ADSBExchange software can do 978 as well, although I haven't tried it in a while.

 

[andy51edge]

You mentioned that you live near a small airport. It could also be that the other aircraft didn't have ADS-B or UAT but instead only had legacy mode c. For some aircraft owners, the cost of ADS-B or UAT wasn't worth the airspace that it opens up. Dangit, this is what I get for half reading the original post. Anyways, some aircraft owners only equipped with 978 MHz UAT. It's cheaper, and meets the rules. Plus, weather is broadcast on 978 for the situational awareness of the pilots. It's pretty snazzy tech.

ADS-B Rule airspace.

 

[below500kc]

Ok on being able to do this with a pi and a couple dongles w/stratus. I'm hoping to keep things simple and cheap using my linux pc and dongle only. Supposedly, the adsb software feed/readsb is able to enable 978 decoding. I have the etc/default/tar1090-adsbx file edited to the "yes" option for 978 decoding. I'm assuming that that's all there was to do. Maybe it's not.
Btw, I'm using a flightaware "stick" antenna that isn't cut for 978 but you'd think that since I was close to the airport (only 7-8 miles away), that I'd have enough signal to receive even with an antenna not designed for 978. Perhaps that's a wrong assumption also. So there's two "variables" in this situation...
It'd be nice to have 978 going since I'm so close to that small airport... I can understand that the smaller 'craft landing there would go for the least expensive 978 option.

 

[737mech]

Stratux is a linux program image you can run it on your pc. Another SDR and 978 antenna is cheap from RTL-SDR.com. But it sounds like you are on the right track. Good luck!

 

[below500kc]

Thanks 737. If I can't get tar1090 to do both, your suggestion sounds like the next step.