What's included in the Radarbox
The Radarbox is a receiver for Mode-S/ADS-B beacons of commercial airliners, sent on 1090MHz. This beacon transmits data like position, flight level, identification and other information of the aircraft. With the supplied software the received data is displayed on the PC in tabular and graphic format, showing the current traffic situation of the region. The max. distance up to which an aircraft can be monitored is approx. 400km, but is strongly influenced by local circumstances like obstructions etc.
The Radarbox is connected to the PC with an USB cable, i.e. the computer must support USB (1.1 or 2.0). The supplied software works with most Microsoft Windows™ OS from Windows XP and newer. Windows 2000 requires a free patch downloadable from Microsoft. Earlier versions of Windows and other OS (*nix, Mac OS) are not supported at the moment.
The antenna connector on the Radarbox is SMA, the supplied antenna comes with 3m cable. Others antennas can be used as long as they are suitable for 1090MHz, e.g. scanner antennas like discones or active antennas. The supplied magnet base antenna performs best when installed on a metallic surface, a small disc is included for that purpose.
The received data is displayed in tabular and graphical format. The table shows identification, nationality, callsign, position, ground speed, heading, rate of ascend/descend and many more. The graphical map displays the position and tracks of aircraft together with selected data for each a/c. Descents/Ascents are coloured differently, representing an up to date situation of the regional airspace. Various zoom levels allow detailed display of smaller regions, e.g. a nearby airport.
The supplied CD-ROM contains a lot of other geographical informations, like boundaries, waypoints, airports etc. The supplied data cover the entire world and can be easily extended by the user (simple text format).
A very interesting highlight of the Radarbox is the (voluntary) live network of all Radarbox users worldwide. With this network every Radarbox user not only sees the aircraft received by his or her antenna, but also the data of all other users currently online.
This service is free for one year after purchase, after that period it becomes an optional subscription service. The price for this subscription is not set yet.
Supplied with the Radarbox come
The installation is really simple: install USB drivers from CD, attach the Radarbox to PC, attach antenna to Radarbox, install user software from CD - done.
The power supply of the Radarbox is done via the USB connector, ideal for portable use with a notebook.
The major features of the Airnav Radarbox
Why not take a look at the live demo at our premises here at WiMo?
A USB A/B Cable 150cm is included, but if you need an extension please look here.
From time to time we get the question whether the use of this product is legal in various countries.
Of course we ascertained ourselves with the German authorities if there are any concerns regarding the operation of a Mode-S receiver. The reply was that there are no concerns.
Please note that this applies to Germany, the legislation in your country may be different.
A1: The antenna should be installed as high and with as little obstructions as possible. On these frequencies the distance is limited by the line of sight. I.e. obstructions like buildings, woods will limit the reception severely.
A2: The max. reception distance is stringly dependant on the type and position of antenna. With the supplied magnet base antenna, used under optimal circumstances, a max. reach of 80-100nm can be expected, at least with aircraft in upper flight levels. The theoretical maximum of distance is 400km (250nm). Please note that the supplied magnet base antenna works best when installed on a metallic surface.
A3: Any antenna suitable for 1090MHz can be used. This can be a scanner antenna like a discone or an active antenna. See below.
A4: No, only those equipped with an ADS-B transponder, that's about 50% of all aircraft today. Military and GA aircraft are usually not equipped with ADS-B (or is turned off)so these a/c will not be displayed.
A5: The ADS-B beacon usually sends flight level, position, heading, speed over ground, vertical rate, identification and callsign of the aircraft. Please note that some system do not transmit all these informations, in these cases usually only flight level and position are reported. In addition to the data transmitted by the aircraft, Radarbox displays also the start and target airport, a current picture (if available) and some more. These functions require a live internet connection.
A6: Currently the software and documentation is available in english only. We are working on the German translation of the documentation (installation document). But the software is very straightforward and easy to use it can be used also with minimal english knowledge.
Especially for the reception of the ADS-B/Mode-S aircraft beacon we are offering this special antenna. The antenna is protected and weatherproof with a solid glassfibre tube and comes complete with clamps for mast mount. Wall mount is also possible.
This antenna is a narrow band design for secondfary radar (IFF) from 1070 to 1110 MHz. Due to the omnidirectional characteristic and the medium gain the reception is good in any direction, also up. Cable not included.
Technical Data
The AS-1090 is a pre amplifier designed specially for ADS-B receivers. With such an amplifier the reception range of the receiver is considerably extended. The AS-1090 can be used with any passive antenna like the GP-1090 or a discone antenna.
An antenna pre-amp should always be mounted as close to the antenna as possible, not at the end of the (long) cable. If the pre-amp is used at the end of the cable (downstairs) it will still amplify the signal, but also the noise added by the cable. This results in a worse signal to noise ratio (SNR) and thereby in less effective decoding of signals. Another advantage of using the pre-amp right at the antenna is that you can use cheaper cable with higher attenuation for the long downlead to your shack.
Technical Data:
The AS-1090 includes all mountign hardware for mast mount. A Bias-T (DC injector) is not included.
To supply the AS-1090 pre-amp with power the 12V DC voltage is injected over the coaxial cable. This requires a DC injector (Bias-T) at the receiver (downstairs). A suitable Bias-T is the AS-1090BT. The AS-1090BT offers one N female connector (to antenna) and one BNC female connector to the receiver and a connector for 12VDC.
Save a lot of hassle with good cable and improve your reception. Usually scanner antennas use cable like RG-58, this is very unsuitable for this frequency range. Better use cables like Ecoflex-10, Aircom+ or Ecoflex-15. To connect the antenna to the receiver a cable with N connector (to antenna) and SMA connector (to Radarbox) is required.
We offer several cables and adaptors: take the ready to use cable with connectors 40340.10 (10m Ecoflex-10) with two N connectors, additionally take an adaptor 42035 BNC/N-female. Or cable 40340.5 (5m) or cable 40340.8 (8m).
Do you require another length? Then please try our cable configurator (Please note that the cable attenuation mentioned there refers to a frequency of 2.4GHz, so the attenuation on 1090MHz is much lower). Or buy the components and DYI the cable...
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