Now at this point we could look to run applications locally on the Pi and SDRplay do provide a download for the dump software, which can be used to receive aircraft Mode-S transponder signals that report the identity, position and speed of aircraft. Of course, an appropriate enclosure will be required, e. The RSP1A is the lowest cost version, but for not much more the RSP2 offers an improved noise figure in effect greater sensitivityhas a 2 nd coax input handy if you have more than 1x antenna, e. It is currently available in three versions. Since there are many ways we can set up the software side, with Ethernet offering a robust interface over which to control the radio hardware, while PoE is happy powering equipment over fairly long network cable runs and does this in a safe manner. However, a software-defined radio SDR far more easily lends itself to remote operation and paired with a Power-over-Ethernet PoE powered Raspberry Pi, provides a particularly neat solution.
One neat solution to this is to install the radio alongside the antenna, but traditionally this would mean running dedicated power out and developing some sort of remote control system. So the solution is usually to run a length of coaxial cable from the antenna to the radio hardware, but this introduces loss and quite possibly a noticeable amount of noise also, depending on the environment. To get the best possible performance and avoid having unwieldy obstacles in the way, antennas tend to be installed in more remote and less convenient locations, such as attics, gardens and rooftops.