Flightradar24 decoder/feeder BETA testing (Win/RPi/Linux/OSX)

[Keithj]

Emboldened by the comments above, I tried to update my FR24 software. I'm using an R820T dongle with RTL1090 software. My old fr24feed.exe was version 1.2.3.2 dated 13/04/2014. I downloaded the latest package which included fr24feed.exe version 1.0.11.6 dated 29/01/2015. There was no "installer/updater", so I copied across all the files that were newer than what I had installed.

Odd, I thought, that the new version was 1.0... when the old one was 1.2... but on I went.

The new software wasn't happy. It asked for my key, which I gave it. Then it complained about mr-dump1090.exe not working, so I copied that across and started it. It asked some more questions and then seemed happy. However, nothing was being uploaded and the "button" in RTL1090 that previously turned pink when stuff was being uploaded stayed blank.

I removed the new and put back the old, and it's all working fine - or seems to be.

Do I need to update, or is the "old" software (1.2.3.2) doing the job it should?

[eddm_muc]

Do I need to update, or is the "old" software (1.2.3.2) doing the job it should?

try this thread, as the software was changed..

http://forum.flightradar24.com/threads/7563-Flightradar24-decoder-feeder-BETA-testing-%28Win-RPi-Linux-OSX%29

the latest version however is not 11-6 as in the thread, but this one, since version 6 was faulty:

http://feed.flightradar24.com/windows/fr24feed_win32-1.0.11-7.zip

you MUST unzip into a brand new folder and not copy anything into it.
this new folder contains the executable feed file fr24feed.exe that you have to start
on the first start it will ask you about all data, including your feeder ID.
once finished, start the fr24feed.exe file preferably in admin mode!
(right click on the file and select run as admin or change it permanently to start it as admin in the file settings or attributes)

[Keithj]

Well, I did all that, exactly as you and the PDF say, but it didn't work.

Windows/generic/i386/1.0.11-6 is running, showing two green panels, but not uploading anything. Meanwhile, the dongle is working fine and tells me it has 18 aircraft in sight, of which most show * in the column under G*456^ The pink button on the dongle display that used to tell me it was working isn't there.

There is a DOS-type panel labelled "fr24feed" which tells me a whole load of stuff about starting, and then [feed] [n] ping and an increasing series of numbers. That sits in the main taskbar at the bottom of the screen. if I close it, the two-green-panels icon in the right-hand tray also goes away. I'd want to get rid of that because it takes up screen space that I use for other things.

If I click on "Feeder status" on the two-green-panels in the right-hand tray, I see this:
FR24 Link: Connected via UDP
FR24 Radar Code: T-EGXH14
Aircraft Tracked (ModeS & ADS-B): 0
Aircraft Uploaded: N/A
Receiver: dvbt, Connected

For now, I've stopped that (but left it in position) and restarted the old version, which is once again happily feeding information to FR24.

I checked that libusbK.dll is present. It is, version 3.0.5.16 in c:\usb_driver\x86 and in c:\usb_driver\amd64 (where there is also a libusbK_x86.dll).

Curiously, while I had the new version running but not feeding, the "More Information" link was present in https://www.flightradar24.com/premium/ and showed "Nothing" for the past week or two. Now that I'm back to the old version, the "More Information" link has disappeared, but the page shows that data are being uploaded.

Very strange!

[eddm_muc]

Windows/generic/i386/1.0.11-6 is running,

Thats the faulty version
download version 7


don't close the dos window but click on the yellow green icon on the right side and select toggle console to put the DOS in the background...

the "more information" on FR24 is present, because the new software provides certain information.even if you are not uploading any aircrafts...

but I think you should deinstall all your zadig drivers and start from sratch..seems something wrong in your setup and the software can not get any data from your DVBT stick

[donde1]

I'm using the Raspberry Pi method of receiving FR24 traffic. This is written to /var/log as fr24feed.log
I would like an LED to flash each time an entry is made to this file. I have been looking all over the file fr24feed in
/etc/init.d trying to find a spot to insert a few lines of code to flash the LED. But, it seems this file is not the right place.
The LED will flash on and then off with my half second delay, but only once. My new code is within start(). I don't think this is the main loop of the program. Any help?

[Keithj]

I downloaded version 7, and it behaves exactly the same. I have aircraft giving SSR and ADS-B information on my DVBT screen, but the information is not being uploaded to FR24.
There is a message in the DOS window about "Detected --net argument for dump1090, disabling internal RAW feed / internal BS feed." I can't see anything in the instructions that tells me whether or not those should be running.

I don't want to uninstall all the Zadig drivers, because I had enough problems installing them in the first place. They are used by two other dongles running other software. All three coexisted happily with the previous version of FR24 software. I prefer to sort the dump1090 issue first.

[eddm_muc]

Well I have the feeling that you have selected the wrong device in the software...

may be you should contact Fr24 support with this issue

[Keithj]

That could well be, since I didn't select ANY device in the FR software. However, the one running rtl1090 was the only one set to port 30003. I've e-mailed support.

[Johan_D]

2015-04-07 13:00:18 | [main][i]FR24 Feeder/Decoder [0x02117000]
2015-04-07 13:00:18 | [main][i]Version: 1.0.12-3/generic
2015-04-07 13:00:18 | [main][i]Built on 20150209-1316 (r:master-0a6ad34.git/Linux/armv6l)
2015-04-07 13:00:18 | [main][i]Copyright 2008-2015 (c) Piotr Pawluczuk
2015-04-07 13:00:18 | [main][i]Flightradar24 AB([url]http://flightradar24.com[/url])
2015-04-07 13:00:18 | [main][i]DNS mode: LIBC
2015-04-07 13:00:18 | ERROR
[B]2015-04-07 13:00:18 | [w]Detected --net argument for dump1090, disabling internal RAW feed!
2015-04-07 13:00:18 | [w]Detected --net argument for dump1090, disabling internal BS feed![/B]
2015-04-07 13:00:18 | [main][i]Reader 0 started
2015-04-07 13:00:18 | [time][i]Synchronizing time via NTP
2015-04-07 13:00:18 | [reader][i][0]Initializing reader
2015-04-07 13:00:18 | [reader][i][0]Connecting to Generic receiver via (exe:///usr/lib/fr24/mr-dump1090  --raw)
2015-04-07 13:00:18 | [reader][i][0]Connected to the receiver, authenticating
2015-04-07 13:00:18 | [httpd][i]Server started, listening on 0.0.0.0:8754
2015-04-07 13:00:18 | [master][i]Starting processing thread
2015-04-07 13:00:18 | [reader][i][0]Authenticated, processing messages

How do i get it to feed to Virtual Radar Server again? Cant connect to 30003, 30002 or 30334

Running fully updated and upgraded raspi with latest http://feed.flightradar24.com/raspbe...12-3_armhf.deb


FIXED: For some reason it worked when i added --net-http-port 8080

[Keithj]

I've not heard from support, but have tried a variety of actions. None seem to get any data reported to FR24. If I go back to the old software, it seems to work. This is a screengrab of the RTL and the FR24feed panels. Can anyone tell me if that means it's working, or am I assuming too much?

[Sovereign]

Good Evening people!

Im trying to get a grip of this method of setting up a feed with a raspberry Pi and i have a question about the 'all in one package' build for the raspberry. what does it contain exactly ? I mean, ok i get it in the SD card set it up with the wizard etc..but..does it contain a striped down version of an OS so that it does WELL only the flight radar stuff it is supposed to do? or it can work as a regular Pi OS? Will i be able to run other stuff as well at the same time ? and more importantly, will i be able to add/install in it a WiFi dongle ?(compatible with most raspberry pi operating systems) .The need fore wifi networking is a must ,because i cant drill a hole on my wall just for an Ethernet cable.

thanks in advance!

[Johan_D]

#1: You WILL need a powered USB hub for this. The wifi stick + RTL-SDR stick is way to much for the pi to muster on its on.

#2: Just download raspian from raspberrypi´s site, set it up and when booted up and ready either open a console window on the pi or ssh in (default user pass is pi/raspberry) and do a sudo apt-get update and then sudo apt-get upgrade followed by a sudo reboot.

There, now you have a updated and primed os.

#3: SSH back in and do a wget http://feed.flightradar24.com/raspbe...12-3_armhf.deb

Install it with sudo dpkg -i fr24feed_1.0.12-3_armhf.deb and configure it (if you already have a fr24 sharingkey) with sudo fr24feed --reconfigure --fr24key=0123456789ABCDEF
Lastly do a sudo service fr24feed start

Reboot and open a terminal and do a service fr24feed status

If everything checks out (6 ok´s) then you have a fully normal linuxos running your tracker and you should be able to do everything else you want todo.

I am running this setup with a pi ordered on launchday, so only 256mb of ram so it is slugish for other things, but it works.

[Sovereign]

WOW, Johan_D

Thank you SO much for the detailed info! you deserve a golden statue here!
I Think that a detailed post like that you made, should be sticky on this forum somewhere so anyone with little programming (or no) experience can get started quickly.
I will soon set it up on mu PC first to get the feeding key and then start the whole proccess on the Raspberry + a custom antenna.

and again, thank you so much!

[Sovereign]

Is it possible to have a raspberry pi configured for MLAT too ? with some usb GPS and some program to time sync all this together?

[rodeo]

Is it possible to have a raspberry pi configured for MLAT too ? with some usb GPS and some program to time sync all this together?

I was wondering the same thing - as I had intended to run a GPS on the Pi to allow ntpd (network time protocol daemon) to sync to the GPS and its 1PPS pulses - ie down to 1uS accuracy. If I could get the pi doing both things (ntpd and ADSB/MLAT) I'd be really happy !!