GPS Setup

SkyTracker needs to know where your station is so it can compute aircraft bearings, distances, and coverage maps. You have three ways to tell it.

Option 1: USB GPS dongle (recommended for portable stations)

The installer sets up gpsd automatically. Plug a USB GPS receiver in before running the installer and it'll be picked up on boot. SkyTracker will read position from gpsd on localhost:2947 continuously.

Any receiver recognized by gpsd works, including:

  • u-blox 7 / 8 USB dongles
  • GlobalSat BU-353-S4
  • Most generic NMEA-over-USB devices

Verify the receiver is producing a fix: 

cgps -s
# or
gpspipe -w -n 5

You should see $GPGGA / $GPRMC sentences and, once locked, a mode: 3 (3D fix) in cgps.

Option 2: Fixed coordinates (recommended for rooftop stations)

If your station doesn't move, a GPS dongle is overkill. Pin coordinates at install time: 

SKYTRACKER_LAT=37.7749 \
SKYTRACKER_LON=-122.4194 \
  curl -sSL https://get.skytracker.ai | sudo -E bash

Or edit /etc/skytracker/config.yaml after install: 

station:
  location:
    lat: 37.7749
    lon: -122.4194
    altitude_m: 22   # height above ground level, in meters (optional)

Restart the agent after edits: 

sudo systemctl restart skytracker

Option 3: IP geolocation (default fallback)

If neither a GPS dongle nor fixed coordinates are provided, SkyTracker falls back to IP-based geolocation at install time. This is accurate to the ISP's city, which is usually fine for hobbyist tracking but not precise enough for coverage comparison between nearby stations. You can replace it with real coordinates at any time via the config file.

Coexistence with other feeders

SkyTracker is a read-only gpsd client. If piaware, fr24feed, or another service is already reading from gpsd, adding SkyTracker is safe — gpsd multiplexes clients natively. See Running Alongside Other Feeders.

Troubleshooting

No fix after 10 minutes

  • GPS receivers need a clear view of the sky. Indoor placement near a window usually works; behind walls or in a basement usually doesn't.
  • Cold-start times of 30–60 seconds are normal; first-ever powerup can take several minutes.
  • Confirm gpsd can see the device: ls -l /dev/ttyUSB* /dev/ttyACM*.

Position jumps around

A dongle indoors with weak signal will produce wandering positions. Either move the receiver to a window or switch to fixed coordinates (Option 2).

gpsd not reachable

sudo systemctl status gpsd
sudo systemctl status gpsd.socket

Both should be active. If not: 

sudo systemctl enable --now gpsd.socket