modes_rx
Gnuradio Mode-S/ADS-B receiver
root@kali:~# man modes_rx
MODES_RX:(1) User Commands MODES_RX:(1)
NAME
modes_rx: - Gnuradio Mode-S/ADS-B receiver
SYNOPSIS
modes_rx [options] [options]
OPTIONS
-h, --help
show this help message and exit
-l LOCATION, --location=LOCATION
GPS coordinates of receiving station in format xx.xxxxx,xx.xxxxx
-a REMOTE, --remote=REMOTE
specify additional servers from which to take data in format
tcp://x.x.x.x:y,tcp://....
-n, --no-print
disable printing decoded packets to stdout
-K KML, --kml=KML
filename for Google Earth KML output
-P, --sbs1
open an SBS-1-compatible server on port 30003
-m MULTIPLAYER, --multiplayer=MULTIPLAYER
FlightGear server to send aircraft data, in format host:port
Receiver setup options:
-s SOURCE, --source=SOURCE
Choose source: uhd, osmocom, <filename>, or <ip:port> [default=uhd]
-t PORT, --tcp=PORT
Open a TCP server on this port to publish reports
-R SUBDEV, --subdev=SUBDEV
select USRP Rx side A or B
-A ANTENNA, --antenna=ANTENNA
select which antenna to use on daughterboard
-D ARGS, --args=ARGS
arguments to pass to radio constructor
-f FREQ, --freq=FREQ
set receive frequency in Hz [default=1090000000.0]
-g dB, --gain=dB
set RF gain
-r RATE, --rate=RATE
set sample rate [default=4000000.0]
-T THRESHOLD, --threshold=THRESHOLD
set pulse detection threshold above noise in dB [default=7.0]
-p, --pmf
Use pulse matched filtering [default=False]
-d, --dcblock
Use a DC blocking filter (best for HackRF Jawbreaker) [de-
fault=False]
DESCRIPTION
A Qt Graphical User Interface to display positions and status messages of
aircraft as reported on 1090 MHz.
gr-air-modes implements a software-defined radio receiver for Mode S
transponder signals, including ADS-B reports from equipped aircraft.
Mode S is the transponder protocol used in modern commercial aircraft. A
Mode S-equipped aircraft replies to radar interrogation by either ground
radar (secondary surveillance) or other aircraft ("Traffic Collision
Avoidance System", or TCAS). The protocol is an extended version of the
Mode A/C protocol used in transponders since the 1940s. Mode S reports
include a unique airframe identifier (referred to as the "ICAO number")
and altitude (to facilitate separation control). This receiver listens to
the 1090MHz downlink channel; interrogation requests at 1030MHz are not
received or decoded by this program.
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is a communication pro-
tocol using the Extended Squitter capability of the Mode S transport
layer. There are other implementations (VDL Mode 2 and UAT, for instance)
but Mode S remains the primary ADS-B transport for commercial use. The
protocol is:
* Automatic: it requires no pilot input
* Dependent: it is dependent on altimeter, GPS, and other aircraft
instrumentation for information
* Surveillance: it provides current information about the transmitting
aircraft
* Broadcast: it is one-way, broadcast to all receivers within range.
ADS-B-equipped aircraft broadcast ("squitter") their position, velocity,
flight number, and other interesting information to any receiver within
range of the aircraft. Position reports are typically generated once per
second and flight indentification every five seconds.
Implementation of ADS-B is mandatory in European airspace as well as in
Australia. North American implementation is still voluntary, with a man-
date arriving in 2020 via the FAA's "NextGen" program.
The receiver modes_rx is written for use with Ettus Research USRP devices,
although the "RTLSDR" receivers are also supported via the Osmocom driver.
In theory, any receiver which outputs complex samples at at least 2Msps
should work via the file input or UDP input options, or by means of a Gnu-
radio interface. Multiple output formats are supported:
* Raw (or minimally processed) output of packet data
* Parsed text
* SQLite database
* KML for use with Google Earth
* SBS-1-compatible output for use with e.g. PlanePlotter or Virtual
Radar Server
* FlightGear multiplayer interface for real-time display of traffic
within the simulator
Most of the common ADS-B reports are fully decoded per specification.
Those that are not are generally ones which are not commonly used.
Should you receive a large number of reports which result in "not imple-
mented" or "No handler" messages, please use the -w option to save raw
data and forward it to the author. To save time, note that receiving a
small number of spurious reports is expected; false reports can be ex-
cluded by looking for multiple reports from the same aircraft (i.e., the
same ICAO 6-digit hexadecimal number).
REQUIRES
A GNU Radio supported receiver for RF capable of 2 Mbits/second sample
rate and tuning to 1090 MHz. (Or captured data file or network connection
to a data source.)
SEE ALSO
The X GUI application modes_gui
modes_gui(1)
modes_rx October 2013 MODES_RX:(1)