SKYSCOPE SATELLITE

See it run

The Satellite's own drawing code, run on a computer and fed by SkyScope over Chicago O'Hare at 50 miles, once a second as on the board: airspace, runways and every aircraft SkyScope sees.

On the screen

1234

1. 1
   SkyScope's picture

   The same scope your SkyScope shows: aircraft, runways, airspace and departure and arrival routes, with its own sweep.

2. 2
   Nearest aircraft

   The nearest flight, exactly as SkyScope picks it.

3. 3
   The list

   SkyScope's aircraft list, nearest first.

4. 4
   Its address

   This Satellite's small web page, for pointing it at your SkyScope.

How it works

SkyScope gathers the aircraft (from adsb.fi, your own receiver, or both) and works out the picture. Once a second, over your Wi-Fi, each Satellite asks for it and draws it. Change the range, filters or map on SkyScope's settings page and every Satellite follows.

What it does

• The full pictureEverything SkyScope draws: aircraft, runways, airspace, and departure and arrival routes (SIDs and STARs).
• Always in stepChange the range, filters or map once on SkyScope's settings page, and every Satellite follows.
• SmoothFresh positions once a second, with the aircraft gliding between them and its own sweep.
• Your receiver tooIf SkyScope uses your own SDR receiver, the Satellites show it.
• As many as you likeOne in the kitchen, one in the workshop: each one asks SkyScope for the picture on its own.
• Finds SkyScopeName the Pi skyscope and the Satellite finds it by itself. Otherwise, type in the address SkyScope gives you.

What you need

• Display

  Sunton ESP32-8048S043: an ESP32-S3 board with a 4.3″ 800×480 capacitive touch screen.

• Power

  A USB-C data cable and any 5 V USB supply of 1 A or more.

• SkyScope

  SkyScope 1.1 or later running on your network (a Raspberry Pi, Mac or PC), with its settings page on.

• Wi-Fi

  A 2.4 GHz network that SkyScope is on too.

Set it up

1. 1Download

   Get the Satellite firmware (one .bin file) from the Downloads page.

2. 2Program it

   Plug the board in, open Espressif's web flasher in Chrome or Edge, connect, and program the file at address 0x0. Nothing to install.

3. 3Join its Wi-Fi

   From a phone, join SkyScope-Satellite-Setup. Choose your network and enter its password.

4. 4Point it at SkyScope

   Leave the SkyScope address as skyscope.local, or enter the Satellite address from the About tab of SkyScope's settings page. Save: your radar appears.

Hold BOOT for 3 seconds at any time to set up Wi-Fi again. Each Satellite has a small web page at the address on its screen, for changing which SkyScope it follows. The guide (PDF, on the Downloads page) covers every step and what to do if something doesn't work.

The desk console

A free 3D-printable case in the style of an air traffic radar console: the screen tilted back to 65° under a hood, a desk ledge in front and radar rings on the sides. It's 154 mm wide, 102 mm deep and 112 mm tall, and it fits the SkyScope Mini too.

The download has the parts to print (STL), the CAD models (STEP) and a quick fit-test piece, with a parts list: brass M3 heat-set inserts at every screw point, and the screws. Print the fit test first: the board's maker publishes no drawing, so a few sizes are best estimates, and the notes show what to measure.

Download the case files (ZIP, 1 MB)

Mini or Satellite?

Both run on the same board, so you can switch one to the other by programming the other firmware. More about the Mini ›