Introduction
BharatRadar is a community-driven flight tracking network that aggregates ADS-B data from volunteer feeders around the world.
How It Works
Aircraft broadcast their position, altitude, speed, and other data via ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast) on 1090 MHz. Anyone with a cheap USB radio (SDR) and an antenna can receive these signals and feed them to the network.
Aircraft ──1090 MHz──► Your SDR ──Internet──► BharatRadar ──► Live Map
Your feeder sends raw beast-format data to our ingest servers. We aggregate data from all feeders, run MLAT calculations for aircraft that only transmit position via other means, and display everything on the live map.
Why Feed?
- See your local airspace — Get a personal map showing every aircraft your receiver picks up
- Help build a free, open network — All data is open (ODbL 1.0) for researchers, enthusiasts, and developers
- Join a community — Connect with other feeders, share tips, and improve reception
- It’s free — No cost to feed, no data cap, no strings attached
What You Need
| Item | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Computer | Raspberry Pi 3 / old laptop | Raspberry Pi 4 / Pi 5 |
| SDR | RTL-SDR Blog V3 (~$30) | Airspy Mini (~$99) |
| Antenna | Simple dipole (included) | Dedicated ADS-B antenna |
| Connection | WiFi (basic) | Ethernet (stable) |
Quick Start
New to ADS-B? Follow the Become a Feeder guide — one command installs everything.
Already running a receiver? See Bare Metal setup to add BharatRadar alongside your existing feeders.
Network Features
- Live Map — Real-time aircraft positions with no filtering
- MLAT — Multilateration for aircraft without ADS-B out
- My Map — Personal dashboard showing only aircraft your feeder sees
- Open Data — Historical data dumps and REST API
- No Filter — We show everything, including military and special interest aircraft