ADS-B feeding: share your receiver’s data
If you run an ADS-B receiver, you can share what it hears with planedata.io alongside any networks you already feed. This page explains how feeding works, which setups are supported, and what you get, with step-by-step guides for each setup.
Add planedata.io to your receiver
How feeding works
Your receiver decodes the 1090 MHz ADS-B messages aircraft broadcast. Feeding sends a copy of those decoded
messages over the internet to an aggregator, which combines them with other stations’ data into one map. Most
community networks, planedata.io included, use the compact beast_reduce_plus format for aircraft data,
plus an optional multilateration (MLAT) connection that helps locate aircraft that don’t broadcast their position.
Adding a feed doesn’t change how your receiver works: your local map and every network you already feed keep running as before, and you can remove the planedata.io entries at any time.
Who can contribute
Anyone who operates their own receiver: a Raspberry Pi or similar computer, an RTL-SDR dongle and a 1090 MHz antenna is the common setup. Rules on receiving aircraft transmissions and sharing the data differ between countries, so check what applies where you live before you start.
Supported setups
| Your setup | How to add planedata.io |
|---|---|
| Docker with Ultrafeeder | Two entries in ULTRAFEEDER_CONFIG:
Ultrafeeder guide |
| adsb.im feeder image | A custom entry under Setup → Expert, “Add additional Ultrafeeder arguments”: feeding page |
| readsb (wiedehopf) without Docker | A --net-connector line plus a separate mlat-client:
readsb section |
| PiAware, fr24feed and other vendor images | A tested guide is in preparation. |
| No receiver yet | Build one with a Raspberry Pi |
What contributors get
- A station page with your aircraft, flights, airlines and aircraft types captured, history graphs, and range tips based on your own coverage.
- A live map of exactly what your station is sending, and its coverage outline, visible only to you.
- A place on the leaderboard, worldwide and by country.
- MLAT results sent back to your own receiver’s map.
- A higher API allowance: 1,200 requests a minute instead of 120, recognised automatically from the address you feed from (API documentation).
You stay in control: the MLAT privacy option keeps your station off all public lists, and stopping is as simple as removing the entries you added. See the privacy policy for how contributed data is used.
Guides
Check it’s working
After adding the feed, open the contributors page from the same network as your receiver. “Am I feeding?” shows your connection, message rate and MLAT status, and links to your station page.