Setting Up a Flightradar24 Feeder on any Linux Distro
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Becoming an FR24 data contributor unlocks 60+ premium features, which was one of the main reasons I wanted to build my own ADS-B receiver lol.
The official guide only mentions the Raspberry Pi, and the Linux software installation script is for Debian-based distros. In practice, though, the feeder can be set up on any Linux distro.
Requirement
- A RTL2832U + R820T2 based dongle with antenna. I bought it on ebay for 30 bucks.
- A Linux computer. I am using my old laptop as the home server.
BTW, I use Arch
Installation
Download the software on this page, extract the tarball to get the executable fr24feed. Then run this command to configure it:
sudo ./fr24feed --signupEnter the information step by step:
Step 1.3 - Would you like to participate in MLAT calculations? (yes/no)$: Typically we can just enter 'no'.Step 4.1 - Receiver selection: Choose1 - DVBT Stick (USB).Step 4.3 - Enter your additional dump1090 arguments or leave empty: Just leave empty.Step 5.1 - Would you like to enable RAW data feed on port 30002 (yes/*no*)$: No.Step 5.2 - Would you like to enable Basestation data feed on port 30003 (yes/no)$: No.
After that, create the service file manually. Here is the service file I'm using:
[Unit]
Description=Flightradar24 Feeder
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target
[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/path/to/fr24feed --config-file=/etc/fr24feed.ini
Restart=always
RestartSec=5
User=root
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.targetSubstitute the /path/to/fr24feed to the actual one, save it as /etc/systemd/system/fr24feed.service. Then:
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable fr24feed
sudo systemctl start fr24feed
sudo systemctl status fr24feedYou can check the feeder status locally by finding the port number in the line [I] [httpd]Server started, listening on :::port and then visiting 127.0.0.1:port in your browser.
Conclusion
Now you can give Claude Code / Open Code this post and let it configure everything for you :)