FlightAware Pro Stick USB ADS-B Receiver

This is a niche product for those who want to track planes using the ADSB signals most modern planes produce as they fly around the world. In the past you had to use very expensive dedicated hardware or cheap RTLSDR TV tuner USB sticks connected to a PC or a Raspberry P, with a suitable antenna. This unit replaces the RTLSDR tuner in the cheaper setups and does an amazing job.My original setup is a RPi with RTLSDR stick, active amplifier and a home made co-linear antenna. This setup gave me a reasonable range, picking up planes around 140 miles away. Just swapping out the tuner and amplifier with this unit (it has a built in amp) immediately gave me twice the number of signals picked up and a range increase of around 50 miles. I further enhanced this by using a Flightaware Filter ADS-B 1090MHz Band-pass SMA Filter and now get a range of around 230-240 miles. The attached picture shows the increase in messages and tracks after fitting the dongle (I added the filter after the first few hours as I already had it to hand).A benefit you can get with these setups is to submit your tracking information to some of the tracking website (Flightware themselves, PlaneFinder and Flightradar24 to name 3). In return for doing this some of them grant you enhanced access (free business level accounts, access to mobile apps etc).

Replaced an R820T2 usb stick with the flightaware one. Noticed an immediate increase in the range of aircraft picked up at high level (e.g FL300+). I'd estimate the increase was about 50 - 70nm. The PlanePlotter message rate has gone from about 200 to 500 - yes, I live near a major UK airport.I installed an in-line 1000MHz filter with the R820T2 but it didn't make any noticeable difference to the range. The figures for the flightaware stick are without the filter as I need an adaptor for it (ordered) - the R820T2 having a different antenna socket to the flightaware one. We'll see in due course whether the filter will help or not. I mention it as the flightaware stick came with a note warning that it includes an RF amplifier and hence either gain needs to be adjusted or a filter installed.Set up: The flightaware stick is plugged into an RPi2 running the dump1090 program (gain parameter being -10) feeding PlanePlotter, flightaware and a private UK server. I chose this route over a PC as it's low cost on both hardware / software and running costs.

Brought this just to see if the claims of 200 mile range was true. I'm pleased to say they are, although the antenna is mounted on the roof.It seems to perform better than my SBS and puck for range. All in all it does what it says on the tin at a very reasonable price.

A brilliant little gizmo. My previous dongle was giving me a message rate of about 250 per second. This is giving me a rate of just over 500. Max detected range is greater. I'm running Windump1090 with the gain set to -10 (minus 10) and no filter. The only hiccup was that the stick wouldn't work at first, but I had a lightbulb moment and guessed that maybe the Zadiq driver needed to be re-intalled. It did, it was, and Bingo, off she went like a greyhound out of the traps. For the money this has to be a bargain.

Excellent bit of kit, but as to be expected the higher up you are and of course the higher the aril the better signal you'll get, but for me I was picking up aircraft in a 50mile radius with a simple aril siting on the lounge window sill

I recently got my hands on the FlightAware Pro Stick USB ADS-B Receiver, and it has truly transformed my aviation tracking setup.The stick is made out of a plastic casing which provides a solid feel.Pros:Sleek Design: The Pro Stick's compact design seamlessly fits into my setup (Raspberry Pi 3B+) without taking up much space, giving it a clean and unobtrusive appearance.Impressive Performance: It excels at capturing Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) signals, providing accurate and real-time data for tracking aircraft nearby. I am getting a total of 1,050+ planes during a 24 hour period according to my FlightAware stats.Easy Setup: Installing the Pro Stick was a breeze. Its plug-and-play functionality ensured a quick and straightforward setup, even for someone like me with minimal technical expertise.Cons:The Pro Stick can get warm but this is to be expected. I have been using this product for years and can recommend it.

work great

Doesn't come with an antenna. Use something else that includes one.