FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions - ADS-B Exchange (2024)

Q: Why does the map use non-latin characters (ie. Chinese, Thai, Cyrillic) in certain areas?

A: The default map layer comes from OpenStreetMap. To see a map using Latin characters, from the overlay menu, choose the “CARTO.com English” option

Q: I live in XYZ, can you use another feeder there? Where can I see if you need more coverage in my area? Etc.

A: The answer is simple. If you live on planet earth, yes, ADSBexchange.com could use a feeder at your location. The map may look like you see aircraft in your area, but the truth is you can’t see what you can’t see. Detecting an aircraft at 30,000 ft. can be done from a hundred miles away, but lower flying aircraft require the feeder to be much closer. To detect aircraft with MLAT, we need a minimum of 4 feeders to receive data and the more receivers see it the better the MLAT accuracy. If an aircraft is low altitude, feeders may have to be within a few miles.

Q: Why can’t I see a certain aircraft or aircraft in a certain area?

A: ADS-B Exchange uses ADS-B and MLAT data. MLAT is derived from multiple receivers receiving Mode S messages from the same aircraft. Mode S is somewhat of a precursor technology to ADS-B and includes the six hexadecimal digit “ICAO” code assigned to the aircraft, but does not include the lat/lon coordinates or other information. We calculate these coordinates for MLAT targets by timing when the signal arrives at the various participating receivers. The even older “Mode C” transponder technology does not incorporate the uniquely identifiable ICAO hex code, so Mode C only aircraft will not show up. Fortunately, ADS-B is required in a large (and growing) amount of airspace, so more aircraft show up everyday. In fact, in most US and European airspace, ADSB transponders are mandatory.

Note that transponders can sometimes be misconfigured and transmit the wrong hex code due to human error. Military planes sometimes on purpose use a bogus/invalid/unassigned hex id.

Thousands of people all over the world have installed a small SDR and an antenna to receive 1090 MHz and feed the data into our project. The received data is collected and correlated to create MLAT positions. As we need to see an aircraft with 4 feeders to be able to find its location with MLAT the best way to expand coverage is to install your own feeder, even if there are already some in your area, or help us arrange to place one in the area of bad coverage.

Q: Why should I feed ADS-B Exchange? What’s in it for me?

A: ADS-B Exchange started as (and still is) a group of aviation enthusiasts pooling their feeder data to provide the most complete picture of air traffic possible without the censorship present on the “large, commercial networks”.

ADSBx prefers to allow “free” access to as many features as possible.

Of course, if you enjoy using our site features, the community here would appreciate it if you shared your data. There some features, such as enhanced map layers that incur extra cost, so are only available to feeders or subscribers.

Q: How is ADS-B Exchange different than “other” flight tracking sites?

A: ADS-B Exchange operates a bit differently from other flight tracking sites. As a group of aviation enthusiasts, our primary goal is to answer the question of “what’s up there” rather than “is grandma’s flight on-time”.

  • You’ll never see an aircraft censored or “blocked” from our site. If one of our feeders is receiving it, the data will be there. This includes military, and other aircraft that attempt to be “unlisted”. Hint: to see some of the planes not shown by other sites, from the map page, right-hand column, Filters -> LADD -> Filter. This primarily applies to US registered aircraft.
  • We don’t “estimate” or “interpolate” positions. Every time you see an aircraft move on ADS-B Exchange it is based on actual data received and not an estimate of where the aircraft “should” be. Look at the unnatural movement of aircraft on some of the other sites – you’ll see what we mean. If we are receiving the data, we’ll update positions as often as once per second… with _real_ data. (2x per second via the Enterprise API).

Q: Is there any way to get my flight/aircraft removed from your website?

A: No, ADS-B Exchange does not accept owner and operator requests to filter flights, aircraft, or fleets. ADS-B Exchange displays unmanipulated flight activity and information of all aircraft that broadcast ADS-B or Mode S.

Operators and owners looking to limit the display of their flight activity may apply to the FAA’s Privacy ICAO Aircraft Address (PIA) program, which will assign aircraft temporary ICAO aircraft addresses that will display on ADS-B Exchange instead of the permanently assigned address. Operators of aircraft flying sensitive government missions should coordinate with the FAA perFAA 14 CFR Section 91.225(f).

Q: Isn’t this a security risk?

A: No. If aircraft do not want to be seen, (such as military or law enforcement aircraft on a mission) they can always turn their transponders “off”, or over to “Mode C”. The position data shown by ADS-B Exchange is available to anyone who can spend $50 on Amazon and put the parts together. It’s not secret. Air Traffic Control voice comms are not encrypted either, and contain similar (or more) information.

Q: I’m building a project for my company but we aren’t making money off of it, can I get a free API key?

A: Any project for a commercial entity regardless of if the end results are being sold or used internally requires a commercial API license. In very limited situations ADSBexchange.com may choose to allow non-profit, research, or educational entities access to the historical data or API at reduced fee, in these situations such entities must meet all other requirements including hosting a feeder. ADSBexchange.com API pricing is a significant value compared to the cost of ADS-B data available elsewhere.

Q: The photo shown for the airplane selected is incorrect, can you fix it?

A: The photos shown on ADS-B Exchange are not provided by ADS-B Exchange, rather they are hosted and provided by planespotters.net. PlaneSpotters.net is showing the latest available photo in the database for the selected hex and registration, which may not always be perfect. You can help ensure that the database is up to date with photos by submitting photos/corrections to planespotters.net.

Q: Why is there no photo for the selected aircraft and just a silhouette?

A: In the event that no photo is found in the planespotters.net database for the selected photo, ADS-B Exchange shows a silhouette instead to provide a visual for the selected aircraft. Alternatively, if there is no silhouette available in the ADS-B Exchange library, or the type of the aircraft is unknown, then no photo will be shown.

Q: Does ADS-B Exchange support the use of third-party applications or extensions?

A: ADS-B Exchange does not support the use of any third-party applications or extensions at this time, to prioritize the security, stability, and compatibility of our systems and services. Integrating third-party software can introduce risks that we have not vetted and cannot guarantee or control. Therefore, we advise against using any unauthorized third-party tools with our products and platforms.

Q: What is ADS-B Exchange’s data use policy?

A: Except as explicitly authorized by ADS-B Exchange, users are prohibited from broadcasting, sharing, disseminating, reverse engineering, disassembling, decompiling, modifying, copying, or making derivative works from the data obtained through the product to the public or any unauthorized third parties. ADS-B Exchange’s complete Terms of Use can be found here.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions - ADS-B Exchange (2024)

FAQs

How accurate is ADS-B Exchange? ›

Unlike traditional radar systems that require an external signal to locate an aircraft, and expensive ground equipment, ADS-B relies on the aircraft's onboard navigation/GPS systems, making it more accurate and reliable for air traffic control and other monitoring purposes.

What do the colors mean on ADS-B Exchange? ›

Planes are colored in a gradient of orange to purple then red that give a visual representation of the aircraft's altitude. Gray aircraft are on the ground and their ADS-B transponder is transmitting in ground mode.

Can I fly under class C without ADS-B? ›

ADS-B is required in Class A, B and C airspace within U.S. domestic airspace and all land mass regions of the U.S. as defined in 14 CFR 1.1 and it includes the states (contiguous and non-contiguous), U.S. possessions, or territories.

Is ADS-B Exchange real time? ›

ADS-B Exchange not only delivers real-time data through our Enterprise API but also maintains an extensive archive of historical flight data. Since March 2020, we have captured aircraft positions and all related ADS-B/MLAT/Mode S parameters worldwide at five-second intervals.

What are the disadvantages of ADS-B? ›

One problem with Automatic Dependent Surveillance- Broadcast systems is that they are not secure. An ADS-B system could be easily hacked by hackers or worse terrorists.

What happened to ADS-B Exchange? ›

ADS-B Exchange, beloved for resisting censorship, was sold to a company owned by private equity—and now even its biggest fans are bailing. A major independent flight tracking platform, which has made enemies of the Saudi royal family and Elon Musk, has been sold to a subsidiary of a private equity firm.

What is the dotted line on ADS-B? ›

Dotted lines indicate a estimated flight-path based on historical data, in case of a dotted line your receiver is not in contact with the aircraft at that point in time.

How do I know if my ADS-B out is working? ›

If a flight with matching identification can be located on the requested date, a Public ADS-B Performance Report will be sent to the supplied email address. PAPR reports are typically delivered within 30 minutes. Successful report processing depends on the accuracy of the information provided.

Can you turn off ADS-B out? ›

Per 14 CFR 91.227 and 91.225, each person operating an aircraft equipped with ADS-B Out must operate this equipment in the transmit mode at all times, unless authorized by the FAA or directed by air traffic control (ATC).

What can ATC see with ADS-B? ›

ADS-B Out works by broadcasting information about an aircraft's GPS location, altitude, ground speed and other data to ground stations and other aircraft, once per second.

Does ADS-B replace transponders? ›

An ADS-B Out device is the most advanced identification and position reporting system available. If an aircraft is outfitted with ADS-B Out, the equipment needed for that setup will more than meet the requirements for airspace in which no transponders or just a Mode C transponder are required.

Does ADS-B require WAAS? ›

Two things are required for ADS-B Out capability: an approved position source—generally a Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)-approved GPS receiver—and an ADS-B transceiver.

Can ADS-B be spoofed? ›

Systems based on satellite positioning techniques, such as the GPS and the ADS-B, can be the target of various attacks, including the so-called spoofing attacks - a sophisticated form of RF interference (RFI) which makes the receiver believe it is at a false location.

How often is ADS-B weather updated? ›

CONUS radar images, transmitted over Hi- and Medium-Altitude tier ADS-B towers for the lower 48 states, are updated every 5 minutes.

What are the ADS-B rules? ›

Here is a breakdown of the ADS-B requirements for airspace types in the US: Class A: ADS-B is required at all altitudes. Class B: Required from the surface to 10,000 feet Mean Sea Level (MSL), including airspace from Class Bravo that extends beyond the Mode C Veil up to 10,000 feet MSL (such as at LAX and LAS).

Is the ads exchange real or fake? ›

An ad exchange is technology used in programmatic advertising that facilitates the buying and selling of digital inventory using real-time bidding (RTB).

What is ADS-B accuracy based on? ›

The IM speed control algorithm relies upon ADS-B position and velocity measurements broadcasted by the target aircraft, where the position accuracy depends upon the Global Positioning System (GPS) measurement errors including a bias and an instantaneous jitter.

Does the military use ADS-B? ›

Military aircraft routinely broadcast their ADS-B data, but have the option of turning it off when necessary.

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