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AirScout latest news
2024-03-04: The OpenSky Plane feed has changed its URL recently. Thats the
reason why a lot of users had a non-functional AirScout during the March contest.
Remember that we do no have a primary status there and changes can happen
at every time without notice. I've made an updated OpenSky plugin which will
be loaded automatically on next AirScout startup.
I recommend to make a donation to OV3T's web service and get an account there
for an exclusive access. Please respect that Thomas has a lot of work with this so
sometimes the registration is down for a while.
2024-03-03: Some users report a sudden loss of VRS Web Server settings during
AirScout operation resulting in a permanent, non-functional feed. The reason for
this is still not found but you can download a demo feed with all server URLs for
OV3T's web service here. Simply right click on the link and choose "link save as"
to save it in a file of your choice. Go to "Options/Planes" and choose "Import" to
import the settings to your VRS Web Server plugin. The open the settings and set
your usernme an password. Once your are done use the "Export" button to save
your personal settings for further use.
2024-01-14: A new version V1.4.3.0 of AirScout is now ready for download!
Use this version to get rid of permanent "There are news on the website" popups.
The documentation (English version) is also updated to V1.4.0.0. Have fun!
2023-10-26: Good news! Thomas, OV3T, has decided to keep his service free for
all AirScout users for now. This is the result of united efforts of AirScout key users
and developers. Please remeber:
- his feed is the only remaining reliable source for AirScout users at the moment
- he invests a lot of spare time in keeping the systems up and in supporting you
- his both web servers are not running for free
I strongly recommend you to consider a donation and to keep direct support requests
as low as possible! Please do anything to secure a continued operation in 2024!
2023-10-11: Thomas, OV3T, informed me that he is planning to charge users,
who are not feeding ADS-B positions to our community. This not for making profit,
but for covering the costs of the servers and support. Details are not fixed yet, stay
tuned on:
In order to keep this service free for all users you should think about a donation to him!
2023-04-15: Our own ADS-B coverage is building! See a recent screenshot of the
Central Europe region above. Thanks to Thomas, OV3T, and with the help of lots of volunteers
we are able to provide an exclusive and reliable plane feed for AirScout users a least in
Europe. There are several ways to contact Thomas and get access to the feed:
2023-01-29: I've fixed two serious bugs in extended plane feed plausibility checks causing
a lot of errors when using the VRS Web Server feed. You can either:
- disable extended plausibility check in Options/Planes or
- download AirScout version >= V1.4.2.x which is now available in the Download section
2023-01-04: LET'S DO IT OURSELVES!!!
After loosing more and more plane feeds in the past, a group of enthusiastic hams started
to create own ADS-B networks dedicated exclusively to ham radio and AirScout users.
First one in operation is managed by Thomas, OV3T, which already has a reasonable
coverage across Europe. It is based on cascaded Virtual Radar Servers to aggregate feeds
from different sources. I've developed a dedicated plane feed called "VRS Web Server"
to interact with this type of servers. It is working for both V1.3.xx and V1.4.x.x and will
be available automatically on next start of AirScout.
Please visit this Facebook site to get the connection details and register your call!
This is only the beginning. Another powerful server is already in the commisioning
process. This one could be the basis for a new "World Feed" very soon.
WELL DONE!
Please note that www.airscout.eu does not operate those feeds but will promote it
in each possible way! Please support these activities by become a feeder or consider
to make a donation to cover the operation costs!
2023-01-03: A lot of users (including myself) experiencing troubles while downloading V1.3.3.7.
Windows 10 reports a virus and is trying to quarantine or even erase the file.
This is a false alarm!
I've checked the Zip-file: it is unmodified and clean. You can verify it here: VirusTotal Check
So please ignore the warning or define an exceptionin the Windows Defender settings.
2022-09-13: AirScout throws an exception when checking the news page. This is because the new CMS is
creating a new "Last Modified" timestamp each time the site is fetched. I had to do some CMS kernel hack
to change this behavoir. Problem should be fixed now.
2022-09-11: My webhoster is starting to demand an extra fee for using a website builder for hosting the
AirScout homepage. As I am not willing to pay for this I had to move the whole website immediately into a
new content management system.
The new website is basically online but some articles are still a bit malformatted and most of the previous used
links are becoming invalid.
Sorry for the inconvenience!
2022-09-04: OpenSky service is back to operation now. Please respect that this is a free service
and outages can happen at any time (even at IARU contests). Consider your own contribution to keep this service
running as a free, reliable and rich source of information. We are doing our best to get some additional services
working to have more redundancy in feeds but this will sure take some time.
2022-09-03: OpenSky webfeed is offline at the moment. There is no legal webfeed left, sri.
2022-08-29: A new AirScout view client is available for download, a small and lightweight alternative to full AirScout
installations. It can be used in a multi-client setup with only one AirScout server necessary. Be aware that this software
is still experimental and limited in functionality.
2022-08-27: I've published two new versions V1.3.3.7 and V1.4.1.0 in order to get ready for the IARU contests.
Updating is ONLY necessary if you want to use AirScout in a multi-client environment running one AirScout
instance as AirScout server. Most important changes:
- AirScout can now work as a plane server properly --> getting plane positions from web feed
and distribute it locally
- Basic Linux/Mono functionality is back in both versions (but still with some stability and graphics issues)
- XP is broken for unknown reason.
- Removed all non working feeds from the planefeeds package
- Introducing new AirScoutServer plane feed to get data from another AirScout server instance
The only remaining web feed at the moment is OpenSky. We are working hard on other solutions, stay tuned for updates!
2022-08-13: I've fixed two severe bugs in the OpenSky plane feed. It is many times faster now and seems to be reliable with no
deadlocks anymore.
deadlocks anymore.
The update should run automatically and the current plugin versions should now be V1.3.4.0 or V1.4.1.0. If not, see the hints below.
Please ensure that you access the data from one AirScout instance only and no other consumer is running at the same time
on the same account!
2022-07-30: I've updated the OpenSky plane feed as a temporary workaround for both V1.3.x and V1.4.x.
The update should run automatically when you start AirScout. Please check that the current plugin versions V1.3.3.2 or V1.4.0.1 have
been loaded correctly and you can enter your OpenSky username and password there. If not, go to
C:\Users\<Your User Name>\AppData\Local\DL2ALF\AirScout\Plugin\
and delete all files inside.
Please note the following restrictions: The requests to OpenSky are counted by IP.
The limit of 1000 for registered users should be enough for 24/7 access.
If you are running multiple instances of AirScout behind a router all requests will be summed up!
2022-07-27: If you are planning to use the OpenSky plane feed as an alternative, the amount of anonymous requests from AirScout
is limited to 100/day. If you are a registered user (at no cost as far as I can see) the limit is set to 1000/day, this will roughly be enough
for working with AirScout. I will check this out and will update the OpenSky plane feed so that you can enter your username/password
in the next future.
2022-07-27: I was asked many times how to feed data to ADSBExchange. Here are 3 ways to do this:
1. If you don't collect ADS-B data so far
Buy a ready-to-use kit from here. If you are a more experienced user or if you already own some suitable hardware
like Raspberry Pi / RTL-SDR stick, you can use a Custom Pi image from here.
2. If you already feeding data to other servers
Assuming that you are feeding ADS-B data to other servers, you can easily double your data and send them to ADSBExchange as well.
This will work at least with all Linux setups creating ADS beast data on port 30005 (like dump1090). There is a simple
setup script described here. The script will not break your existing feed.
3. If you are an Amateur Radio Club
There is a nice offer to radio clubs on the ADSBExchange website. Assuming that you have a club home in a exposed location with
internet access: you will get all the hardware and support to setup a feed for free! In return you have to feed the ADS-B data 24/7 to the
ADSBExchange servers.
So I ask each one of you again to consider setting up a feed to possibly get back a free service for all of us!
2022-07-24: The operators of the Virtual Radar Server plane feed had cancelled their free service to the AirScout community.
Bad news, but we are thankful for using this opportunity since many years! Now, we should face the truth that nothing is for free
without giving a return.
So everybody of the AirScout community should consider operating an ADS-B receiver (if it's legal in his country) and feeding the
data to the ADSBExchange servers!
If you already do so, please send me an Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.. A list of all recent feeders could be a good base for negotiations.
This is the only way to get this service back!
2022-07-23: Just returned from holidays and found a lot of feedback in my email inbox that the Virtual Radar Server plane feed is not working anymore.
This is under investigation now and I hope to find a solution as soon as possible.
At the moment, there is no free and reliable plane feed available so that AirScout is quite useless.
Depending on the next steps a new version of AirScout or automatic plane feed update is necessary in the future.
Stay tuned for updates!
2021-12-29: I've produced some coverage maps for each elevation model available in AirScout.
It is easy now to get an overview which model fits your personal needs:
Click on the images to go to the Elevation Data page for details.
2021-12-23: A new bugfix version 1.3.3.6 of AirScout ("X-mas Edition") is available for public download (see download section). It contains two major bugfixes:
- Near field suppression was broken, resulting in strange obstructions and almost no path under some circumstances (see news from 2020-10-11)
- AirScout could not get any plane feed when running with some language settings (at least confirmed for Turkish language)
It is recommended to update your systems. Versions 1.3.3.5 and 1.3.3.6 are co-existent, you can have both on your PC.
SRTM3 upload is also finished, covering latitudes beyond 60deg (see news from 2021-06-12).
2021-07-21: After a long time I did a major update of the locations & QRV databases available for automatic download from the AirScout website. The data are generated from the AirScout user feedback, qrz.com entries & my own local callsign database. As it is impossible to check all entries for validity there might be errors and differences to previous versions. Some issues were already reported. I'm currently working on refining the algorithm in case of conflicts between different sources. The only workaround at the moment is to correct the entries manually in your local database. Your changes will get a new timestamp and will stay persistent until the next database release. Sorry for the inconvenience!
2021-06-12: Good news for Scandinavian hams! Due to the great work of Jonathan from http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/ I am able to provide SRTM style elevation data beyond 60 deg latitude for the use in AirScout. Most parts of the SRTM3 tiles for Scandinavia are already processed and uploaded. The rest of tiles will follow as soon as they are generated. The download of missing tiles should start automatically. If not: change your covered area in Options/General to force a new checkup. Don't forget to clean up your pre-calculated elevation & propagation paths in Options/Databases after all tiles are downloaded!
2020-10-11: It turned out that, in contrast to previous versions of AirScout, some paths are shown as blocked by obstacles near stations' QTH. This behavior was reported by several users during the IARU - Reg.1 - UHF/SHF contest and is under investigation. Stay tuned for updates!
2020-09-29: New bugfix V1.3.3.5 is availabe for download now. At least one important issue is fixed with chunked HTTPS transport (affected plane feeds: Virtual Radar Server, Open Sky) . See download section for download details.
2020-04-10: New stable release V1.3.3.0 ("Easter Edition") is availabe for download now. Most of the issues reported when running V1.3.x.x on Windows XP are fixed now. See download section for download details.
2020-03-12: Several severe issues reported when running V1.3.x.x on Windows XP making the software mostly unusable. Meanwhile I could fix most of them in the next release. Be aware that (depending on your XP version and patch level) some limitations will persist, especially when using plane feeds (google TLS1.2 for details).
2020-03-01: After processing all user feedback the new stable version V1.3.1.0 of AirScout is out now for public download (see download section)
2020-02-12: New version V1.3.0.7 of AirScout is available for public download
Now, after more than 2 years of development, a new BETA-version V1.3.0.7 of AirScout is available for download (see Downloads section). This version fixes all issues mentioned below and brings a lot of new features. In short:
- Compiled to run native on 32 & 64bit machines on Windows & Linux/Mono operating systems (see readme_linux.txt for details)
- New world-wide 6digit Maidenhead Locator structured elevation database with integrated min/max elevation information ready for download from the AirScout server
(GLOBE, SRTM3, SRTM1 based)
- “Multi-Path” option to manage paths to multiple stations at the same time
- New pre-calculation background service to calculate most probable paths and keep them in the database
- New JSON-interface for servicing multiple view clients (not published yet)
- Fixed issues with Open Street Map and several plane feeds
The older V1.2.x.x and new version are co-existant. You can run both versions on the same PC. The installing of the new version is similar to the older ones, just follow
the Quick-Start Guide:
- download and unzip the file to a folder of your choice
- run AirScout.exe
- follow the instructions of the FirstRunWizard
- simply let AirScout run for a while to update all databases from web (you can see the progress in the status bar in the lower right corner)
- restart AirScout once to get the precalculation service running
- change options to your choice
Right now I am working on a documentation update. Feel free to report bugs and feature requests to Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.
2019-11-20: Trouble with OpenStreetMap provider, Error 403 occuring in map window and/or map tiles not loading
The OpenStreetMap providers has tightened their rules for accessing the free API necessary to fetch map tiles from the server. To reduce the abuse of map service, unknown/fake
user agents/referrers in the web request are not allowed anymore. To say it clearly, the problem is on AirScout's side. But it requires changes in code to fix this. At the moment,
the only workaround is to choose another Map Provider in "Options/Maps". Remember, this may cause legal issues. Do this on your own risk!
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2019-05-02: Virtual Radar Server plane feed workaround found
The website owners kindly provided me an API key for the use with AirScout. We all should be very thankful that they keep this service open and free for us. Unfortunately the handling of this API key would require changes in code and cna be done only in future versions of AirScout. Meanwhile there is a workaround available. To bring the Virtual Radar Server feed back to operation, please follow these instructions:
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Run AirScout
Open the “Options/Planes” tab
Select the “Virtual Radar Server” feed (if not already selected)
Click on the “Settings” button on the right of the feed entry
Replace the URL setting as shown below:
Old URL:
http://public-api.adsbexchange.com/VirtualRadar/AircraftList.json?fNBnd=%MAXLAT%&fSBnd=%MINLAT%&fWBnd=%MINLON%&fEBnd=%MAXLON%&fAltL=%MINALTFT%&fAltU=%MAXALTFT%
New URL:
http://www.airscout.eu/downloads/AircraftList.php?fNBnd=%MAXLAT%&fSBnd=%MINLAT%&fWBnd=%MINLON%&fEBnd=%MAXLON%&fAltL=%MINALTFT%&fAltU=%MAXALTFT%
************************************************************
(the changes are marked for better visability only!)
Be careful when replacing the URLs! Each character and each character casing counts and may result in an error!
Best practise is to copy & paste string from this website!
Please be aware that this is a temporary solution and is not guaranteed to be online 24/7.
Hope that helps for the next time!
2019-05-01: Virtual Radar Server plane feed has stopped working.
This most popular plane feed is used by AirScout by default has stopped working recently. In future, an API key is required to access the data. I have just requested such a key to implement it in AirScout. But it is not clear so far, whether this requires a code change or not. However, it is told that the access will still be free for non-commercial purpose. You can still use the "www.planefinder.net" feed instead with some limited coverage. Stay tuned for updates!
2018-09-04: SRTM3 & SRTM1 elevation data repository has moved. Download of files with AirScout not possible anymore.
The repository's URL has changed to http://..... to https://.... and is redirected to some other URL than originally requested.
This happens quite often these days due to security reasons. AirScout, unfortunately, cannot handle this redirect and would require a change in code.
The only way to get SRTM3 elevation data with V1.2.0.5 is to copy them over from another PC or manually download them from the new URL:
Manual donwload procedure:
1. When running AirScout for the first time (inside the First Run Wizard) do not tick "Use SRTM3 data". The installation procedure should run normally with the GLOB elevation model then.
2. While AirScout is running, go to "Options/SRTM3" and find out the path to your local storage of SRTM3 tiles. Should be something like "C:\Users\[Your user name]\AppData\Local\DL2ALF\AirScout\ElevationData\SRTM3" by default.
3. Remember the path and close AirScout.
4. Open a web browser and navigate to: https://dds.cr.usgs.gov/srtm/version2_1/SRTM3/Eurasia/. You will find a directory of all elevation tiles in ZIP-Format there which are sorted on latitude and longitude. Each tile is 1x1 degree.
5. Count out and download the needed files to the directory mentioned above using Right+Click and "Save as" (according to your area of interest).
6. Unzip all files in the directory.
7. Run AirScout and go to "Options/SRTM3". You should already see the magenta area of downloaded tiles. Tick "Use SRTM3 elevation data" and restart AirScout.
8. You're done.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
2018-07-29: Added a Privacy Statement according to GDPR (see Privacy Statement)
2018-02-06: Huge amount of elevation data were uploaded to this site (including SRTM1 data worldwide). This is for the upcoming version of AirScout. Stay tuned for updates.
2017-06-02: There several reports that AirScout is crashing right after startup with an "Unhandled exception" prventing the software from normal operation.
Even new installation does not help in this case. I could reproduce this bug once so far and it seems that the AirScout database has crashed and was loosing some of the tables.
There is no fix but a workaround with a small cleanup tool (go to the download area).
I will upload a new version asap. Sorry for the inconvenience.
2017-01-02: HNY to all. Latest bugfixes available with version V1.2.0.5. Please see download section for details.
2016-12-24: New bugfixed version V1.2.0.4 is online. Please see download section for details.
2016-12-23: New version V1.2.0.3 is online. Please see download section for details. New features:
- new database structure (SQLite)
- 2 new working web feeds
- 1 automatic feed for web resources not yet discovered
- new wizard on first run
- automatic download of elevation tiles
2016-09-16: After a long period of silence new plane feeds discovered. Hoping to release V1.2.0.0 shortly. Stay tuned for updates!
2015-02-25: New problems with plane feed reported. Working on an update.
Recent bugs in V1.1.0.0 and status of next version see below:
- Bugfix: Donate button issue - Program hangs or shows "Script error" while trying to load the website from the server --> fixed (tnx SM6CEN)
- Bugfix: Antenna tracking does not stop when selected AP disappeared, sending "0.0" values for Az/El instead of stop sending data--> fixed
- Bugfix: Planes with category "S" (Superheavy) were shown as "M" sized icons --> fixed
- Bugfix: GLOBE source unusable outside Europe: changed URL, tiles and data format --> not fixed so far (tnx VK2BJP)
- Bugfix: Corrupted lat/lon information in <www.planefinder.net> feed, major amount of planes is dropped --> not fixed so far(tnx W3SZ)
2015-02-08: New Version V1.1.0.0 is online. Please see downloads section. New features:
- new plane feed architecture (including new webfeed and local feeds)
- automatic antenna tracking (experimantal)
- news feed showing this website
Documentation update will follow as soon as possible.
2015-01-25: Latest BETA version V1.0.9.9 with new plane feed delivered to selected users.
2015-01-22: Plane feeds discountinued. Working on a software update.
Stay tuned for news on this website!
73 de Frank, DL2ALF
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