ADSBexchange vs planefinder "touch & go tracks" and infering feed providers general locations

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spacellamaman

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so right off, pardon the ignorance here.

at my local airport tonight watched OTIS22 do some pattern work, touch and go's etc. back home i checked both adsbexchange and planefinder tracks as OTIS22 headed back home east. rather surprisingly the tracks on adsbexchange are continuous, as in no gaps, planefinder however loses the tracks at low altitudes as expected (though i only recently noticed they carry many mil flights these days, beside the point).

so considering the adsbexchange tracks, is it safe to assume there is a feed provider somewhere near the airport? just curious. if there is, i certainly do appreciate it :)

screen shots for clarity below:

OTIS PATTERN WORK TAC ABEAMS2.jpg

OTIS PATTERN WORK TAC ABEAMS3.jpg

OTIS PLANE FINDER.jpg
 

vagrant

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The quick answer is your assumption is correct. There is probably a feeder, perhaps more, near that airport due to the coverage at low altitude via the tracks.

- There are over 20 feed providers to ADSBx near that location which also share their general location.
- The closest visible feeder is about 30 miles away. There is almost certainly at least one who's location is not made available that is closer to the airport.
- Most of the visible feeders are in an arch from Charlotte to Raleigh to Fayetteville.
- The combined efforts of all feeders, hidden or not, work together in providing an improved MLAT coverage. (Why you see more military aircraft.)

Still, I could be wrong, but probably not.
 

spacellamaman

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The quick answer is your assumption is correct. There is probably a feeder, perhaps more, near that airport due to the coverage at low altitude via the tracks.

- There are over 20 feed providers to ADSBx near that location which also share their general location.
- The closest visible feeder is about 30 miles away. There is almost certainly at least one who's location is not made available that is closer to the airport.
- Most of the visible feeders are in an arch from Charlotte to Raleigh to Fayetteville.
- The combined efforts of all feeders, hidden or not, work together in providing an improved MLAT coverage. (Why you see more military aircraft.)

Still, I could be wrong, but probably not.

thanks alot for the reply, that covered all the bases and more. it would have taken me forever to come up with that plowing thru the weeds to find it. it only dawned on me last night that it was significant the tracks were continuous, tho they usually are and have been for some time, i just am a bit dense.

it just hit me tho that there must be at least one other nut..er...enthusiast in the area due to that. but i have never seen anyone other than me, aside from casual passerby and parents bringing their kids out, and rarely even then. thanks again
 

vagrant

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It takes time to figure that stuff out, so keep at it. Observers actually at the airport are probably not providing a feed. Someone has an ADSB receiver setup at their home/apartment and feeds it to ADSBx, so others can enjoy. A thing I like is using the Planefinder app on my phone and aim it at a plane in the sky. It helps me to improve my ability of estimating the altitude of aircraft. Next part is altitude + speed estimating.

For the last 10 years my office window has a direct view of the local airport. I have enjoyed various military, Coast Guard, Fire, Air Force One, etc. fly in and out, as well practice touch and go.
 
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