New to ADS-B feeding?

Build a receiver and start watching your sky.

You do not need radio experience. A small computer, a USB radio, an antenna, and a microSD card are enough to receive aircraft broadcasts and contribute them to adsb.win.

A beginner feeder kit starts at around $100—and can cost less if you already have a supported Raspberry Pi or similar computer ↗.

Choose your hardware ↓ ADSB.im install guide ↗

The short version

Four pieces. About an hour. No soldering.

1

Small computer

Runs the feeder software continuously.

2

microSD card

Stores the operating system and settings.

3

USB radio

Decodes aircraft broadcasts on 1090 MHz.

4

Antenna

Receives signals; placement matters most.

Step 1

Choose where you want to shop.

Pick your region to see a concise, compatible starter kit. Both paths lead to the same ADSB.im setup steps.

Pick a small computer.

Both choices are actively tested by ADSB.im. The Pi is easiest to find help for; the Orange Pi trades some ecosystem familiarity for a lower price.

Safest choice

Most supported

Raspberry Pi 4 · 2 GB

The standard option with the largest community and the easiest troubleshooting. ADSB.im says even a 1 GB Pi 4 is sufficient.

Amazon US ↗

Best value

Orange Pi Zero 3

Inexpensive, compact, and powerful enough for the full stack. ADSB.im calls it a favorite for price/performance.

Amazon US ↗

Buying in Europe or the UK?

Stock varies by country. Start with an approved Raspberry Pi reseller, or use a regional marketplace search for the exact board name.

Raspberry Pi resellers ↗ Amazon Germany ↗ Amazon UK ↗

Finish the kit

Add storage, radio, antenna, and power.

A proper power supply

Power problems cause mysterious crashes and corrupt cards. Pi 4 owners need a quality USB-C supply capable of a stable 5V/3A; for other boards, follow the maker’s exact voltage and connector specification.

CanaKit USB-C supply · Amazon US ↗

USB card reader

If needed

You need a way to connect the microSD card to the computer doing the flashing. Skip this if your computer already has a microSD or full-size SD slot that works with the card’s included adapter.

UGREEN USB card reader · Amazon US ↗

Product links are examples, not endorsements or guarantees of price, stock, or compatibility with every bundle revision. adsb.win does not currently receive a commission from these links.

Steps 2–5

Flash it, assemble it, place it.

  1. 1

    Download and flash ADSB.im

    Download the image for your exact board. Do not use a Raspberry Pi image on an Orange Pi.

    Download the correct ADSB.im image ↗
    Flash from Windows
    1. Download and install balenaEtcher for Windows.
    2. Insert the microSD card and open Etcher.
    3. Click Flash from file and select the downloaded ADSB.im .img.xz file.
    4. Click Select target, choose the microSD card, carefully verify its capacity, then click Flash and approve the administrator prompt.
    Get balenaEtcher ↗
    Flash from macOS
    1. Download balenaEtcher for macOS, open the download, and place Etcher in Applications.
    2. Connect the microSD card with a card reader and open Etcher.
    3. Click Flash from file and select the downloaded ADSB.im .img.xz file.
    4. Click Select target, choose the microSD card, carefully verify its capacity, then click Flash and approve the write with your Mac password.
    Get balenaEtcher ↗
    Flash from Linux
    1. Download balenaEtcher for Linux or install its package for your distribution.
    2. Insert the microSD card and open Etcher with permission to access removable drives.
    3. Click Flash from file and select the downloaded ADSB.im .img.xz file.
    4. Click Select target, choose the microSD card, carefully verify the device and capacity, then click Flash.
    Get balenaEtcher ↗
    Writing the image erases the selected card. Double-check its name and capacity before confirming. You do not need to decompress the .img.xz file first.
  2. 2

    Connect the radio before powering on

    Attach the antenna to the USB radio, plug the radio into the board, insert the flashed microSD card, then connect power. Connect an Ethernet cable now if you plan to use wired networking.

  3. 3

    Connect the feeder to Wi-Fi

    If the feeder boots without working Ethernet or configured Wi-Fi, ADSB.im automatically starts hotspot mode.

    1. Wait for the adsb.im-feeder Wi-Fi network to appear; startup can take a few minutes.
    2. Join that network. It does not require a password.
    3. If the setup page does not open automatically, visit http://adsb.im.
    4. Select your home Wi-Fi network, enter its password, and choose Connect.
    5. The hotspot will disappear while the feeder restarts. Rejoin your home Wi-Fi, wait about a minute, then open http://adsb-feeder.local.

    Using Ethernet? If the wired connection works, hotspot mode will not start and you can skip this step.

    Official ADSB.im hotspot guide ↗
  4. 4

    Enter an accurate receiver location

    Latitude, longitude, and antenna height are essential for MLAT. Do not guess the altitude; include the antenna’s height above ground.

    Find your ground elevation ↗
  5. 5

    Put the antenna where it can see the horizon

    A window is fine for a first test. Higher and outdoors usually produces the biggest improvement. Keep it away from metal screens and thick masonry.

Final step

Connect it to adsb.win.

Once ADSB.im shows aircraft, open Data Sharing, enable adsb.win near the bottom of the aggregator list, copy the UUID shown there, and apply the configuration. Paste that UUID into your adsb.win dashboard to claim the feeder.

Create an account and connect →Feed without an account