Installation¶
datalink is currently easiest to install with Cargo. Packaged builds for common platforms will be added later.
Install with Cargo¶
From a checkout of this repository:
Or from the registry:
Usage¶
| Subcommand | Purpose |
|---|---|
| vhf | Classic VHF ACARS frontend |
| vdl2 | VDL Mode 2 frontend for I/Q and SDR inputs |
| hfdl | HF Data Link frontend |
| decode | Decode standalone payloads or frames |
| airframes | Decode airframes.io websocket feed |
Get started!
The easiest path to get some data is to start with the VHF or VDL2 subcommands:
Then check Sources for source URL syntax, or Configuration for datalink --config datalink.toml.
Features¶
The default build includes the common receiver features:
| Feature | Purpose | Default |
|---|---|---|
rtlsdr |
Native RTL-SDR input | ☑ |
airspy |
Native Airspy input | ☑ |
hackrf |
Native HackRF input | ☑ |
websocket |
Airframes.io websocket ingestion | ☑ |
soapy |
Optional SoapySDR input |
SDR tools¶
If you use native SDR input, it may be good practice to install and test the vendor tools first:
- RTL-SDR:
rtl_test,rtl_eeprom - Airspy:
airspy_info - HackRF:
hackrf_info - SoapySDR:
SoapySDRUtil --find
If you only use Airframes.io, standalone decode commands, or file captures, you can start without SDR hardware.