What Signals Can ADSB.im Receive Besides Aircraft?

ADSB.im is not limited to aircraft tracking. According to the project's own description, the ADS-B Feeder Image has expanded beyond its original ADS-B purpose to also support AIS (ship tracking), Sonde (weather balloon tracking), and ACARS/VDL2/HFDL (data transmissions between aircraft and ground stations). Each of these areas has its own aggregators and communities, but they share the same setup approach through the Feeder Image.

The Four Signal Types ADSB.im Handles

The project describes itself as "the easiest way to track nearby aircraft, ships, or even weather balloons with your own hardware and share with others." So the scope is deliberately broader than plane spotting alone.

What Each Non-Aircraft Signal Gives You

AIS — Ship Tracking

AIS lets you plot vessels on your own map rather than only aircraft. If you live near a coast, a harbor, or a busy shipping lane, this is the reason to add AIS to your feeder. The same hardware-and-image workflow applies; you are just decoding a different signal.

Sonde — Weather Balloons

Sonde tracking follows weather balloons (radiosondes) as they ascend and drift. This is a niche but active community. It is useful if you want to follow launches in your region and contribute that data, and it runs on the same Feeder Image rather than a separate system.

ACARS / VDL2 / HFDL — Aircraft-to-Ground Data

These are data transmissions sent between aircraft and ground stations, not position broadcasts. Receiving them gives you a different view of aviation activity than ADS-B position data. As with AIS and Sonde, the project notes each area has its own aggregators and communities.

Sharing Your Data

ADSB.im is built around feeding aggregators. The project lists many aircraft-focused destinations, including adsb.lol, Fly Italy Adsb, TheAirTraffic, adsb.fi, sdrmap, 1090MHz UK, ADS-B Exchange, ADSBHub, HPRadar, airplanes.live, AVDelphi, FlightAware, FlightRadar24, OpenSky Network, Plane.watch, Plane Finder, Planespotters.net, AirNav Radar, and Radar Virtuel, among others. The non-aircraft modes (AIS, Sonde, ACARS/VDL2/HFDL) have their own aggregators and communities, which you would select based on which signal you are decoding.

What You Need to Get Started

The setup path is the same regardless of which signal you choose:

1. Start with one of the supported single board computers (Raspberry Pi is the most common; several other boards are supported).
2. Add an SDR radio dongle and an antenna.
3. Download the matching SD-card image and write it to an SD card.
4. Boot the SBC and wait — usually a few minutes, though some models and images can take 15 to 20 minutes.
5. With wired Ethernet, or after configuring WiFi, go to http://adsb-feeder.local, or use my.adsb.im if mDNS is not working on your network, which redirects to your new feeder.
6. If you could not configure WiFi while writing the SD card, the image creates a WiFi hotspot named adsb.im-feeder that you connect to.

The project recommends the Single Board Computer image as the first choice when in doubt, since it is tested the most, is typically easiest to use, and has the fewest pitfalls. DietPi is described as easy, and a plain Linux install as more advanced.

How to Decide Which Signals to Receive

• Already running an ADS-B feeder and want more? Add AIS if you are near water, or Sonde if you want to follow weather balloon launches.
• Interested in aviation communications rather than positions? ACARS/VDL2/HFDL is the relevant mode.
• Just want the simplest start? Begin with the standard ADS-B setup on a supported SBC, then expand to the other signal types once the feeder is running.

Because all four signal types run through the same Feeder Image and the same hardware-and-boot workflow, the choice is mainly about which antenna, dongle, and aggregator match the signal you care about — not about learning a separate installation process for each one.