Following ships via GMDSS

         Here's a short demonstration of how i can follow ships using their HF GMDSS signls. I initially use 3 programs (linked via com port) and in this case we are following the MOL KOMATI:

1) HDSDR to receive the signal via my Soft66LC4:

HDSR showing the GMDSS signal (1st on the left)

2) Patrick Lindeckers MultiPSK to decode the signal and send it to:

MultiPSK

3) Mike Simpsons GMDSS Display program:

GMDSS showing vessels and details

           I would say that 99% of vessels out there do not send their position details due to many reasons, security being the main one. However, GMDSS Display has a function whereby pressing the ships code opens a Marine Traffic.com webpage showing not only the vessels details and pictures but also its current position and track:

Marine Traffic.com MOL KOMATI details

MOL KOMATI's position and track

Plane Plotter...My new toy.

                    HF condx have been absolutely appalling recently, so i've kept myself busy in the VHF/UHF parts of the spectrum, particularly ACARS and ADSB. I have been testing 3 ACARS specific decoders to use with my RTL-SDR (i have several programs that do it, but not to the fullest degree).
                    These programs were: ACARSD, KG-ACARS and Plane Plotter. ACARSD is a nice looking bit of software that presents images of the aircraft that are decoded as well as plotting these on a map, which the user must supply and calibrate (a frustrating experience if ever there was one!!). But i persisted and was rewarded with quite a good program....when it decoded. This is the only issue i had with ACARSD....it tended not to be as sensitive when compared against my benchmark software (MultiPSK, Sorcerer and PDW) and it was missing aircraft with very good signals. The user interface and setup are highly configurable and the price is right at zero,nada,zitch.
                    KG-ACARS is also free. However i had 2 main issues. 1) The GUI is in Japanese and fairly minimalist. There is an English instruction document within the download that is fairly good but also is a little ambiguous. I found this to be trickier to set up than the ACARSD map! 2) As the software is intended for use in Japan, we are warned that it may not decode ACARS TX from other international aircraft. A real shame in my books, because i thought this was a very nice program.
                    So we come to COAA's Plane Plotter. I had the free trial of this for a while until i had something to compare it to. I have to say that i LOVE this comprehensive, easy to set up and use, detailed, never skip a beat decoder! AT 25 Euros ($35 AUD) this delivers a lot of bang for your bucks. You don't get the pretty images of aircraft, oh no....this is a decoder for those who like straight forward data and modes. You get all of what the other 3 offer plus much more (but you still have to build and calibrate your own maps of course, after all...it's character building right?). It handles ADS-B, SBS, BEAST, RTL1090 (plus more) and even downloads satellite images for your area and plots them (satellites) at night. I purchased it 2 days ago and haven't stopped using it yet. I have run it alongside my benchmarks as well as watching flightradar24 to see if it was missing any contacts...nope. Money well spent.
                     In summary, there are many aviation programs out there ranging from free to VERY expensive. With the free ones, you get what you pay for and with the expensive ones....well, they're expensive! Plane Plotter sits nicely in between and is by no means average.
                     Here are just a few of the many available details:

Plotting on my (Googles) calibrated map

messages

aircraft view

details

Using the RTL 2382U as an Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) receiver

          Ive been making good use of my RTL to receive ACARS with ACARSD recently and was looking for something a little more technical. Some googling led me to ADSB# which in turn led me to ADSBScope. Well, i spent 6 frustrating and ultimately fruitless hours of my life trying to get ADSB# to work, no matter what i did, even down to uninstalling the drivers, it just would not work. Then i found RTL1090. What a joy this piece of software is to install and use! RTL1090 is the necessary link between the dongle and ADSBScope, tuning to 1090MHz and providing the data for ADSBScope to plot.
         Both programs are well documented on the net and simple to install. At first i was dubious as to whether the dongle would actually work in the GHz range. Anecdotal evidence says it will, but each dongle seems to have its own intricacies. Fortunately,  the RELWITHDEB zip i downloaded contained a test file that indeed showed it could. (how much more can this great little stick achieve?? actually, i have read that it is possible to modify it to receive below 30MHz!!...but thats for another day).
         The following shots are taken just after i got it running and i have spent a very enjoyable day watching my "RADAR".

RTL 1090

ADSBScope

2 aircraft plotting

         

Playing around with SailMail PACTOR 3

Recently there has been some discussion in my UDXF group about the difficulties of decoding SailMail PACTOR 3, so i though i'd give it a shot. Surprisingly, i had no problems . This was decoded on 10474.7kHz using Sorcerer:

PACTOR 3 signal

PACTOR 2 preamble (i assume)

And the decoded PACTOR 3 data

DReaM and Journaline

One of the functions of the excellent free DRM program DReaM (besides digital audio) is its ability to receive Journaline - a digital service ( in this case provided by the Bureau of Meteorology ) containing weather warnings and in the example below, earthquake information for our region. In Australia, the frequency is 5954 kHz.
To begin with, HDSDR sees the DRM like this:

The initial DReaM page

The second page showing active link

The third showing a list of earthquakes

The fourth showing details of the New Britain link

 Not bad for a free program. I'm very greatful to those who take the time and make the effort to produce such a great program.

Utility Monitoring and Decoding

Let me start by stating that i love decoding and utility monitoring. Whether it's chasing numbers stations (of which there are many, considering we live in the age of texting, emails and mobile phones), or decoding something simple like RTTY or Global Wireless or more complex like the STANAG variants. Also on my list fun things are WEFAX, SITOR and the amateur digital modes.

My hardware was basic in the beginning: the small but robust DEGEN 1103. A great little perfomer for a small price. But it wasn't long before i realised that i needed a more substantial receiver to cater to my growing needs.

DEGEN 1103

I had looked around for a while, trying to decide which radio i was going to invest in next. Not suprisingly, many of the shortwave radios that are intended for the serious listener were around the $1000+ mark. Even used radios were $500 - $700. Way too much to even consider. I discussed the matter with a mate, who asked if i had considered Software Defined Radio? "No" i said (having both feet planted firmly in the 20th century). Much Googling and many reviews later, i dragged myself kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Enter the SOFT66LC4. This is my current radio and it's a beauty. Apart from the EXT I/O issue that is now common knowledge amongst SDR users, it is on a par with SDRs 3 or 4 times its price.

The tiny SOFT66LC4

HDSDR locked onto STANAG 4285

It is used in conjunction with Winradio HDSDR and programs such as MultiPSK, FLdigi, DREAM, PC-HFDL and decoding software software such as Ian Wraiths excellent program RIVET. More articles featuring these programs and modes to follow.