The AirTrafficObserver (ATO in short) is a traffic receiver to get other traffic visual on your navigation device like SkyDemon, Foreflight and EasyVFR. It will show you traffic from ADS-B, FLARM, Mode-S and many more. Designed for private pilots who wants to know who else is flying in the vicinity.

Screenshots; SkyDemon and EasyVFR

AirTrafficObserver in black and white (size 7,5 x 7,5 x 3 cm)

What will it receive ?

This receiver has an onboard ADS-B antenna and processing unit to receive other aircraft directly. All received traffic will be send via the standaard GDL90 protocol to your navigation device.

Not all aircraft will broadcast their position via ADS-B. To display other traffic that uses a MODE-S transponder, FLARM, other ATO’s, OGN trackers and many more, you have to setup a Wifi hotspot with a cellular phone that has access to the internet. Then, the ATO connects via your phone to the internet to retreive all traffic that is heard in your vicinity.

Do I need a tablet with onboard GPS?

No, the GPS receiver inside the ATO will determine your position, speed and heading. Your navigation device will use this information to know your position.
To determine your altitude and difference towards other traffic it will use the onboard pressure sensor. The pressure is used to calculate your pressure altitude (QNE).

How many navigation devices can i connect to the receiver?

A maximum of 4 navigation devices can be connected to the ATO at the same time. This allows you to get the same traffic information on the navigation device of your co-pilot and/or passengers.

Low power consumption

The receiver has a very low power consumption. It is powered through a USB-C connector at 5V. The power consumption is less than 1,2 Watt. This means you can work approx. 24 hours with a 6000 mAh USB powerbank.

Light and compact; The receiver is less than 8 cm in width and depth. The height is about 3 cm. It weighs only 72 gram. The antenna’s are built into this device.

Manage your settings

You can set your own ICAO HEX code of your transponder and and type of aircraft into the receiver. This information is primarily used to filter out your aircraft as traffic. This will prevent unnecessary traffic alerts from yourself. The type of aircraft (airplane, helicopter, glider etc) is used when your position is sent to other ATO users so they know what kind of traffic to expect.

Management is done via our portal on the web or via a user interface that can be accessed via your browser, even without an internet connection.

Sharing your position

Your position is also shared across our network. This means that you will see other ATO users in your navigation app as well. E.g. if more people in your aeroclub is using this receiver, all aircraft will be shown very accurate on your navigation device. Even if they fly without a transponder at all.

We also share your position with other networks like the OGN network ( https://www.glidernet.org/ ). If you register your ICAO-HEX address on this network, your position will also be visible on various tracking websites that uses this network. They have a connection to FlightRadar24, SAR and many more (see their website for more information).

Hardware specifications

• ADS-B receiver to directly receive extended squitter of other ADS-B traffic;
• GPS & BDS GNSS receiver to track your own position, speed and heading;
• Pressure sensor for measuring your pressure altitude (QNE);
• Wifi accespoint to connect your navigation device to this receiver;
• Wifi cliënt to connect to your cellular phone acting as an internet-hotspot;
• Dual core 240MHz processor for processing all the data;
• Dimensions: 7 x 7 x 3 cm, 72 gram;
• Power consumption: 5V 0.24A (1.2 Watt) USB-C.

Free updates

When a new firmware is released, you can update your receiver by connecting it to an internet hotspot. Login to the portal and start the updating process.
Note: This way of updating is available for versions above x.28 and higher.

How to order

At first, the receiver was developed for personal use. Due to the interest of many other pilots, I build them on request and have some directly available. The price of the receiver without suction cup is 159,- euro. With suction cup 165 euro. USB cable for powering the device included.
Please send a message to sales@airtrafficobserver.com if you want to order one.