Once readsb and tar1090 are running, your Raspberry Pi becomes a live local aircraft viewer. Open it from a phone, tablet or computer on the same network and watch the ADS-B traffic your own antenna is receiving.
YL-ABC 8,250 ft · 214 kt
N123AB 12,400 ft · 287 kt
BTX42 3,100 ft · 146 kt
LOCAL TAR1090 · LIVE DATA
1
Open tar1090 on your network
Use the Raspberry Pi's LAN address from any device that can reach the Pi.
On the Raspberry Pi:
Find the Pi address
hostname -I
If the Pi address is 192.168.1.50, open:
Browser address
http://192.168.1.50/tar1090/
Bookmark this address. If your router gives the Pi a different IP later, reserve a fixed DHCP address for the Pi in the router.
2
What “local radar” really means
The receiver and decoded aircraft data are on your own Raspberry Pi.
Aircraft reception is localYour antenna and SDR receive 1090 MHz signals directly from aircraft within range.
Decoding is localreadsb decodes the received messages on the Raspberry Pi.
Live aircraft data is localtar1090 reads the station's own aircraft data. No AircraftTraffic account is required.
The browser can stay on your LANNo public port forwarding is needed to use the station around your local network.
One distinction: aircraft data and the tar1090 web interface can be local, but background map tiles may come from an internet map provider depending on your configuration. Without internet, live aircraft can still be received; the basemap may be incomplete unless you configure local/offline map tiles.
3
Understand the aircraft information
Different aircraft transmit different fields, so not every target will show every value.
Callsign / flight IDThe identifier broadcast by the aircraft when available.
ICAO hex addressA 24-bit aircraft address shown as six hexadecimal characters.
AltitudeUsually barometric altitude when broadcast. Some targets may also provide geometric/GNSS altitude.
Ground speedThe aircraft's speed over the ground, normally displayed in knots.
TrackThe direction of movement over the ground. Track is not always the same as heading.
Vertical rateShows climb or descent rate when available.
SquawkThe transponder code selected by the crew / assigned by ATC.
Position / message ageUseful for seeing whether target data is fresh or has stopped updating.
A missing callsign, altitude, speed or position does not automatically mean your receiver is faulty. The aircraft may simply not be broadcasting that field at that moment.
4
Your coverage is created by radio conditions
The circle around your station is not a fixed “radar range.” Reception changes by direction and altitude.
Antenna height matters1090 MHz is strongly line-of-sight. A higher, clearer antenna often improves range.
Aircraft altitude mattersHigh aircraft can often be heard much farther away than aircraft close to the ground.
Buildings and terrain matterStructures, hills, metalwork and other obstructions can create weaker directions.
Cable loss mattersLong or poor coaxial cable can reduce weak 1090 MHz signals before they reach the SDR.
Let the station run for hours or days and observe where tracks repeatedly appear. That shape is your real reception footprint.
5
Keep the local station local
You do not need to expose tar1090 to the public internet.
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Use tar1090 from devices on the same trusted LAN or Wi-Fi.
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Do not add router port-forwarding rules just to use tar1090 locally.
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Do not enable a public feed unless you intentionally decide to join a network.
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Joining AircraftTraffic later will use an outbound station feed; it does not require making your Pi publicly reachable.
6
If the map is empty
An empty map can mean no nearby traffic, weak reception, or a software/service issue.
First check readsb
Service status
systemctl status readsb --no-pager
Then check whether aircraft JSON is updating
Live decoder output
ls -lah /run/readsb/aircraft.json
cat /run/readsb/aircraft.json | head
Check the SDR if readsb cannot receive
USB receiver
lsusb
Important: do not run rtl_test while readsb is actively using the same SDR unless you stop readsb first. Only one process can normally control the RTL-SDR device at a time.
7
Quick station health check
These three checks answer most “is my local radar alive?” questions.
Three quick checks
systemctl is-active readsb
ls -lh /run/readsb/aircraft.json
hostname -I
A healthy local station is simple.
readsb is active, aircraft.json keeps updating, and tar1090 opens from another device on your network. Everything beyond that—coverage statistics, remote access and community sharing—is optional.
8
Next: optionally join the network
Your local station is already complete. The next AircraftTraffic step is only for owners who want to share.