LIVE ADS-B // AIRCRAFT SCATTER // 10 GHz+

Aircraft Scatter Live Map

Real-time ADS-B aircraft positions overlaid on your path. Identifies which aircraft are geometrically positioned to produce forward scatter between your two stations. Computes scatter azimuth/elevation, path loss, Doppler shift, and QSO window duration for each aircraft.

Live ADS-B / OpenSky Scatter Geometry Bistatic Path Loss Doppler Shift QSO Window Timer 10 / 24 / 47 GHz Auto-Refresh 15s Best Aircraft Ranking
ADS-B: opensky-network.org (free)
Rate: ~400 req/day anonymous
Coverage: global ADS-B network
Refresh: every 15 seconds
Register free for higher limits
Path Setup
Only show AC within ±° of path midpoint
Show all aircraft on map
Highlight best scatter AC
Show path & midpoint
Auto-refresh (15 sec)
Aircraft Scatter Basics
Aircraft fuselage and wings reflect 10 GHz+ signals. Best scatter: large jets at 5–12 km altitude within ±20° of path midpoint. Signal lasts seconds as the aircraft transits the scatter volume. Typical margin: −150 to −170 dBm with 1W + dish.
Enter two grids and click Fetch Live Aircraft
Live ADS-B Aircraft Map
Aircraft Scatter — Technical Reference
Geometry
Optimal scatter when aircraft is within ±20° of path midpoint perpendicular bisector. Bistatic angle θ determines RCS. Fuselage broadside has highest RCS (+20 dBsm), wing-tip is lowest. Altitude 5–12 km gives best elevation angles.
Path Loss
Bistatic: L = FSPL(d1) + FSPL(d2) − G_scatter. Large jet RCS σ ≈ 10–30 dBsm at 10 GHz. Signal lasts only seconds — real-time tracking critical. 10 GHz: typical S/N margin −5 to +15 dB with 1W + 60cm dish.
Doppler & Window
Aircraft at 250 kt produces ±1–5 kHz Doppler at 10 GHz depending on aspect angle. QSO window = time aircraft subtends ±5° beam. Typical: 3–30 seconds. Use CW or digital modes (FT8, MSK144) for best results.
Data: OpenSky Network ADS-B — free anonymous access (~400 req/day). Register free ↗ for 1,000+ req/day and authenticated access. Coverage: global ADS-B receiver network with 5,000+ ground stations.