Announcing the Pro Stick Plus

[Anmer]

FlightAware's Pro Stick broke new ground with its built-in amplifier and low cost.  The new Pro Stick Plus goes one better by including a built-in filter too.

Filters are not always necessary, particularly in rural ares or those without a source of local RF interference.

But if you need a filter, the Pro Stick Plus represents a cheaper option than the Pro Stick and external filter.  I expect high demand.

Pro Stick Plus

FlightAware is excited to announce the next evolution of USB SDR sticks for ADS-B reception!  The new Pro Stick Plus USB SDR builds on the popular Pro Stick by adding a built-in 1090 MHz bandpass filter.  The built-in filter allows for increased performance and range of reception by 10-20% for installations where filtering is beneficial.  Areas with moderate RF noise, as is typically experienced in most urban areas, generally benefit from filtering.  By integrating the filter into the SDR stick, we are able to reduce the total cost by more than 40% when compared to buying a Pro Stick and an external filter.



Key features

• Higher performance for installations that benefit from filtering
  
• A filter is generally recommended for users in urban environments or with known high power radio transmitters nearby such as cell phone towers. Filtering is generally not recommended for users in rural environments. Filtering benefits may vary and are dependent on the installation location.
  
• Includes the same low noise amplifier as found in the Pro Stick
  
• Native SMA connector allows easy installation
  
• Less expensive than buying a separate external filter (40+% savings)
  
• As with the Pro Stick, the Pro Stick Plus is made available to the ADS-B community at-cost.[/color]

Availability

The Pro Stick Plus is available starting today on Amazon in the USA (USD $20.95).  Amazon Canada and international availability via WiFi Expert on eBay will follow in the next day or two.  Amazon Europe availability is expected in approximately 4 weeks.

Q&A

• Is the original Pro Stick (without a filter) still available?
  Yes, we are making available both products in parallel.
  
• How can I easily distinguish between the Pro Stick and Pro Stick Plus devices? 
  The Pro Stick continues to be manufactured with an orange plastic case.  The Pro Stick Plus is manufactured with a dark blue plastic case.  The product silkscreen labeling also reflects the respective product name, version number and functional parts.
  
• Can the filter on the Pro Stick Plus be turned off? 
  No, the filter is built-in and cannot be disabled.
  
• Will the Pro Stick Plus work for receiving UAT 978 signals? 
  No, the filter is not designed to pass the 978 MHz signal.
  
• If I already have a Pro Stick and external filter, should I upgrade to the Pro Stick Plus? 
  Our testing shows that, in general, you may achieve 10-20% more messages received with a Pro Stick Plus.  This is a personal decision that you may make in order to further tweak and optimize your PiAware setup if you wish.  We cannot guarantee any particular level of performance or performance improvement compared to other configurations.
  
• Do I still need an external filter if I use a Pro Stick Plus? 
  Generally the answer is no.  However, our testing has shown that in rare situations involving high RF environments (with a high noise floor) the external filter may still be beneficial due to strong interference.  Unfortunately there is no easy way to predict in advance the exact performance of a Pro Stick, Pro Stick Plus and/or external filter in your particular environment.[/color]

[Anmer]

Some early feedback on Amazon about the Pro Stick Plus:

https://www.amazon.com/FlightAware-Stick-Receiver-Built-Filter/dp/B01M7REJJW/ref=lp_12022931011_1_4?srs=12022931011&ie=UTF8&qid=1478275904&sr=8-4



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[Bethsalem]

Now officially on Crimbo "Must Have" List! 

[Triple7]

Just received an email indicating Pro Stick Plus is available in the UK from Modmypi:

https://www.modmypi.com/raspberry-pi/breakout-boards/flightaware

Tim

[IanH]

£8 more than I paid from Amazon (ok I had to add somethingelse  to take the total above £20 for free postage but not difficult, e.g., an SDHC card).

And ModMyPi is now the only UK distributor - no more Amazon. Already made my opinion clear about this price hike on the Flightaware forum - apparently retailer decides final price.

Won't be buying another one now. Got a substantial range increase over a RTL-SDR.com dongle but no more aircraft - just seeing the same ones for longer.

[Bethsalem]

Couldn't resist and ordered one as I like hanging on to military traffic crossing the Balearics for as long as possible.

[Anmer]

...as I like hanging on to military traffic crossing the Balearics for as long as possible.

It's a long way down if you let go.   

[Bethsalem]

...as I like hanging on to military traffic crossing the Balearics for as long as possible.

It's a long way down if you let go.   

Can I have a drum roll please!

[Bethsalem]

Mine's now permanently installed as it is giving better results than my presently dormant Beast.

As Ian predicted there is a range improvement. For example, my previous record for tracking an aircraft was 37 minutes. Today using the Pro Stick Plus, I tracked an Air Europa flight from Tel Aviv to Madrid for 44 minutes.

After a few more days I'll post my FlightAware statistics to (hopefully) show there is a real improvement, and that if you're going to buy one ADS-B receiver, it's this one.

[OtNE]

I've had my Pro Stick Plus installed since Dec 26th running under Win10

It needed the very latest Zadig drivers unlike my ordinary Pro Stick which it replaced. According to Flightaware stats, I now average 1036 planes per day. Previously it was only around 700.

Range is easily 250nm plus looking out to sea and the message count from planeplotter has tripled.

I'd recommend one,

Paul

[Bethsalem]

As promised, my FlightAware stats.

If you compare the previous week's 72 hour period when I was only using the ProStick and 1090MHz filter, and this week's 72 hour period using the ProStick Plus on its own, I think it's quite evident that the number of positions reported and number of aircraft have risen.

Also, as I've mentioned, my previous record with the ProStick and filter for longest flight tracked was 37 minutes, well yesterday I tracked a flight for 54 minutes due to an increase of range that this new setup is giving me.

The total cost of getting a ProStick Plus out to me here in the land of San Miguel and Señoritas was 32 pounds sterling, which I think was money well spent.

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[superspotter]

Hey guys; I am considering ditching my old SBS-1 and buying this dongle but being a bit thick about these things, what software is required to run this and where do I get it from?

regards clive.

[IanH]

I'll do a quick reply here but this thread has not been used for two years so might be best to start a fresh thread asking your question again.

Not going into any details since first you need to think about why you want to go with a dongle instead of the SBS?

A dongle is not just turn it on and it works - you need to install some software and learn how to run it - not difficult with people here to help out.

The dongle needs to be plugged into a PC so if you are used to having your SBS in the loft, it needs a PC there as well, That is why it is often connected to a Raspberry Pi. If your SBS is connected directly to a PC via USB, might be able to just do the same with the dongle.

So tell us what you want to do and someone will be able to help. You might also want to read about PiAware and MLAT just in case that is of interest.  Also you don't need to buy the Pro Stick Plus. An AirNav Flightstick might work for you at less cost.