@ icarusflyer,
PilotAware supplies Mode-S and ADSB data to 360Radar from our network of ground stations as part of an agreement, in exchange for which 360Radar then add this to their own data (collected from their significantly higher number of UK ground stations) then use it to calculate accurate time-stamped MLAT positions for these Mode-S aircraft by Multilateration (triangulation). These are then supplied back to PilotAware (free of charge) via a high speed link, so that we can route them to PilotAware-equipped aircraft via our own secure high speed network - to provide accurate positional information for Mode-S aircraft via Ground uplink, iGRID or SkyGRID air to air relay.
To maintain security of our network and preclude interference or modification. the ATOM software is ‘closed source’. Likewise, the software which FR24 use to collect data from ‘their’ ground station network contains elements designed to protect ‘their’ network and data from other ‘competing’ commercial companies such as 360Radar. The two systems are therefore completely incompatible. Supplying data from our equipment to FR24 would also be in direct contravention with our agreement with 360Radar and - even if feasible - would lead to loss of our Mode-S/3D service and provide no useful benefit to PilotAware. Any attempt to interfere with or add additional software to the Ground Station would result in the unit ceasing to operate as intended and (unless immediately reverted to standard) being automatically excluded from our network.
If you want to supply data to FR24 (or any other flight tracking sites), you are of course free to do so, but you need to use a completely separate set of equipment - a fairly basic Raspberry Pi (or equivalent processing device), plus an SDR dongle and 1090 antenna, cabling, power supply, internet connection and the appropriate (usually free) software.
I hope this helps explain the position.
Best Regards
Peter
