Featured ADS-B Feeder for November 2023: Alan Johnson (EXTRPI546513)

Alan Johnson, RadarBox ADS-B from Thornlands, Australia

The featured ADS-B feeder of this month goes to Alan Johnson, an IT professional based in Australia with a passion for aviation that extends beyond his work in the technology sector. Despite having an electronics engineering background, Alan chose the path of IT 27 years ago and has been overseeing IT operations for a bank. However, his heart lies in the skies, showcased by his private pilot license earned in South Africa, where he enjoyed flying Cessna 172s for leisure. In his free time, Alan combines his technical prowess with his love for aviation by tinkering with technology, particularly in the RadarBox ADS-B community.

Thornlands, Australia

Thornlands is a coastal residential locality in Redland, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Thornlands had a population of 19,263 people.

Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

ADS-B Setup

Alan's journey into ADS-B began with a humble setup using an SDR antenna, which he modified for testing. Unsatisfied with the initial range of about 40 nautical miles, he delved into research and experimentation. This led him to construct a cost-effective colinear antenna, significantly improving his coverage. Alan's quest for better performance continued as he experimented with a dipole tuned to 1.09GHz and added a cheap ADS-B LNA.

Alan's setup 

In his pursuit of maximizing his setup's capabilities, Alan invested in a high-end LNA, marking a considerable improvement in range.

EXTRPI546513 ADS-B Station Page

Not stopping there, he elevated his ADS-B game by acquiring a Radarbox ADSB antenna, achieving impressive results – even picking up aircraft on the ground at Brisbane Airport from his residence.

Alan's Recommendations

Alan emphasizes the importance of using a high-quality ADS-B LNA and antenna, advising fellow enthusiasts to mount them outside as high as possible for optimal results.

 The pole has 3 antennas: A homemade AIS-tuned dipole on the left, a Radarbox ADSB antenna in the middle, and a homemade ADSB-tuned dipole on the right. The single antenna in the background is my homemade ADSB colinear antenna.

Alan's ADS-B and AIS antennas

Alan's ADS-B and AIS antennas

From his initial tests with a telescopic antenna to the present setup, he has seen his maximum range increase from 40nm to 290nm, with a rise in tracked aircraft count from 20 to around 70 around Brisbane during peak times.

Discovering RadarBox

Alan had known about RadarBox for a while, and it became the last service on his list to share with due to the lack of x86 binaries. He started sharing with RadarBox after rebuilding his ARM architecture system, finding it his preferred platform.

Advantages of being a RadarBox Feeder

According to Alan, the user interface and experience of RadarBox are more polished than other ADS-B services, making it his preferred site. The shift to RadarBox also motivated him to move from x86 to ARM architecture.

RadarBox Store

Discover the AirNav RadarBox store and our ADS-B hardware-focused products by clicking here.

Apply for one of our FREE ADS-B kits or send us data from your receiver and get a FREE Business Account by clicking here. 

Read more about our satellite-based ADS-B by clicking here. 

Do you want to tell us your story?

Please send us an email to: [email protected]