The cost of a Pi 4B is typically less than the current cost of a Pi 3B+ so if you are buying a Pi choose the 4, otherwise a 3 or 3b+ will work fine.
- You may even use a Pi Zero W though most premade images do not support it.
Power Supply
Power supply issues are very common when using a Pi based receivers and SDR. The Pi 3B+ requires a good 5V 2.5A power supply. The Pi 4B requires 5.1V 3.5A power supply. Clean power is important in maintaining a stable decode.
If your Pi did not come with a power supply, or if you need to replace it, we highly recommend the following one:
CanaKit Raspberry Pi 4 Power Supply (USB-C): https://amzn.to/2WvVAFX
Pro Tip: We can’t express enough how important providing significant and stable power for the Pi SDR combo is, not only are many of the issues feeders commonly have due to poor power supplies, but even if it works it may not provide enough power for your SDR and LNA for maximum range. If you are running 2 or more SDRs you may even find the use of a powered USB increases range further.
Custom Cooled 3D printed Pi 4 Case
ADSBexchange.com designed a custom case that takes a 30 mm fan and mounts the Pi and SDR in the airflow, STL and a link to purchase the case from the ADSBx store are below.
3D printer STLs (exported from FreeCAD)
Pi 4 Single SDR with 40mm Fan Case
Pi 4 Dual SDR with 30mm Fan Case
STL Link for 3D printing: https://github.com/adsbxchange/pi-4-feeder-case
Link to Purchase from ADSBx Store: https://store.adsbexchange.com/collections/frontpage/products/adsbx-single-1090
SDR Hardware
Use of a good SDR (Software Defined Radio) Receiver and LNA (Low Noise Amplifier) is needed to recieve long range signals, but don’t worry you can get one for around $20!
RTL-SDR w/ bias-t https://amzn.to/2J6wRQN
- Added filter: 1090 LNA powerd by bias-t https://amzn.to/2J60W2I
1090 ProStick (Built in LNA): https://amzn.to/2xgYILy
978 SDR (Built in LNA) : https://amzn.to/3a3XAcx
Antenna
ADSBx sells a very high quality ADS-B Antenna which also happens to be one of the only 1090/978 Combo Antennas available. It is 26″ / 66 cm tall, and use of a Y cable and a second SDR allows you to receive both American Frequencies with a single antenna: https://bit.ly/33yItFH
Coax Cable
Using good quality cable is important in optimizing range and decoding of ADS-B signals. Short runs of 3-5 feet / 1-2 meters can use RG-58 or other ‘poor’ cable. Runs of 10 feet / 3 meters or more require and low loss equivalent cable designed for high frequency.
Pro Tip: Do not underestimate the loss from poor cable and connections, all of the top feeders use LMR400 or better for anything but the shortest runs.