I would like to start a topic about PlanePlotter, so here it is!
PlanePlotter is a network of users sharing their ADS-B / Mode-S receiver data witch eachother.
So PlanePlotter's coverage does depend on the amount of users sharing their received data.
With PlanePlotter, it is also possible to track military aircraft or in other words, track aircraft that are not sending out position information like civilian aircraft do.
When an aircraft is not sending out position information with the transponder (Mode-S), PlanePlotter can still calculate the position of it and plot it on a chart/map.
This technique is called 'Multilateration' or 'Mlat'.
This sounds very good, but... this function does depend on other PlanePlotter users sharing their data received from their Mode-S / ADSB-B receiver.
As a result, Multilateration doesn't work when nobody is sharing raw receiver data with PlanePlotter!
In Belgium there are at this moment only 4 users providing data to the PlanePlotter network!
As a result, Multilateration is not stable in Belgium.
We need more Ground Stations (data feeders) providing useable Mlat data in Belgium so this system becomes more stable.
I can assure you that this is an 'added value' for spotters, especially for military aircraft.
Systems like Flightradar24 do filter most of 'special' aircraft, this is not the case with PlanePlotter.
Who is already using PlanePlotter? Who is interested?
I hope the Belgian community of PlanePlotter users increases!
Feel free to ask questions, but I am not an expert!
Regards,
T
