Supported Hardware
SkyTracker is hardware-agnostic — anything Linux with a USB port and an RTL-SDR dongle will work. This page lists what we test against, what we recommend for best results, and what to avoid.
Single-board computers
| Board | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi 4 / 5 (2 GB+) | Reference | The hardware we develop against. Any model works; 2 GB is plenty. |
| Raspberry Pi 3B / 3B+ | Supported | Works well. USB 2.0 is fine for one RTL-SDR. |
| Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W | Supported | Low-power option. Use a powered USB hub for the SDR. |
| x86_64 mini PC (Intel N100, NUC) | Supported | Great for multi-signal (ADS-B + satellite + ACARS) builds. |
| Raspberry Pi Zero (original), Pi 1 / 2 | Not recommended | CPU too slow for readsb + the agent together. |
Operating system: Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit) or any current Debian / Ubuntu. The installer assumes systemd and apt.
SDR dongles
| Dongle | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RTL-SDR Blog V3 | Reference | Best all-rounder. Stable, well-supported, TCXO. |
| RTL-SDR Blog V4 | Supported | Newer, R828D tuner. Requires the v4-compatible librtlsdr that wiedehopf's installer sets up. |
| FlightAware Pro Stick / Pro Stick Plus | Supported | Integrated 1090 MHz filter — slight SNR edge near broadcast towers. |
| Nooelec NESDR SMArt | Supported | Works fine. TCXO version preferred. |
| Generic DVB-T dongles | Works but not recommended | Drift with temperature. Fine for casual use. |
Antennas
The biggest performance gain you can buy is a better antenna. The stock telescopic whip in most SDR kits will see 30–80 nm. A proper 1090 MHz collinear mounted above the roofline will see 200–400 nm.
- Indoor / quick-start: FlightAware 1090 MHz band-pass antenna — small, works on a window.
- Outdoor / recommended: any 1090 MHz collinear or N-type mount (FlightAware 26 in, DPD Productions, Jetvision A3).
- DIY: a quarter-wave ground-plane antenna cut for 1090 MHz (~68 mm elements) works surprisingly well and costs nothing.
Cable matters: short runs of low-loss coax (LMR-240 / LMR-400) beat long runs of RG-58 every time. A 1090 MHz filter between antenna and SDR is worth it in RF-noisy urban locations.
GPS receivers (optional)
A USB GPS dongle lets SkyTracker auto-detect station position and keep system time accurate. Anything recognized by gpsd works. We've tested:
- u-blox 7 and 8 USB dongles (most common, ~$15).
- GlobalSat BU-353-S4.
- Any NMEA-over-USB receiver.
GPS is optional. If you don't have a dongle, see GPS Setup for the fixed-coordinates path.
Storage
A decent SD card (Class 10 / A1, 16 GB or larger) is enough for ADS-B only. If you plan on running the satellite or ACARS decoders, move to a USB SSD — satellite imagery can accumulate hundreds of MB a day.
Power
Use the official power supply for your Pi model. Underpowered USB adapters are the single most common cause of flaky receivers and intermittent SDR dropouts. If you're powering a second SDR or a GPS dongle off the Pi, use a powered USB hub.