Building and installing a PilotAware ATOM Station to detect and re-transmit glider and
Mode-S MLAT locations and provide Virtual RADAR SERVER December 2020.
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Introduction
There are many reasons to install an ATOM Ground station.
I.
In doing so you will be helping the General Aviation Communities (Foot-launched,
Gliding, Microlights and Powered Aircraft) in the UK and Europe to improve the
interoperability of the various Electronic Conspicuity systems available today. These
are ADSB, FLARM, PilotAware, Mode- S and ADSB.
II.
By installing an ATOM Ground station at your location (Club or House) you will be
contributing to the ground network that will assist the interoperability between
systems by up-linking situational awareness data to PilotAware equipped aircraft.
III.
Installing an ATOM Ground station will provide you or your club with a
comprehensive Virtual RADAR Server that will show all aircraft detected in your
neighbourhood and beyond. This will include aircraft transmitting PilotAware,
Flarm, ADSB (1090MHz) and Mode-S using MLAT. No other ground station provides
this amount of information.
IV.
You will be provided with real time METARS for your club members to see before
flight
V.
You will provide real time METARS in flight to anyone who has an inexpensive
PilotAware installed in their aircraft.
VI.
Its great fun and also inexpensive to build yourself.
However, w
e don’t expect you to do it all alone.
At suitable locations PilotAware will provide
you with the electronics (Raspberry Pi, Radio Bridge SD card software and case) free of
charge for the ATOM ground based station. You will provide the rest, as described in this
document, which you can do for less than £230-300 depending on your location and the
installation.
A PilotAware Ground based station will provide about a 30-60Km area of coverage to help
aviation safety around your site. It will also provide you with a Virtual RADAR feed that will
allow your monitor screen or TV to see all aircraft, ADSB, FLARM, PilotAware around the site
in real time and also Mode-S with a nominal MLAT delay of up to 10 seconds.
From 2020 all stations will be connected to other local stations using the PilotAware
Neighbour Service to increase range and functionality.
For more information please see the following videos on You Tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8TtscFCRKo&t=0s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1imxhjG8ds&t=0s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCjRKH3F_Wo&t=0s