OGNBase - which project to chose ?

[Adam Mościcki]

Hello . I decided to build a ground station for my T-Echo ( I fly PG / PPG ) . Not yet decided to use FLARM or FANET .. but I have a problem to understand what firmware should I use.

I found project OGNBase by moshe-braner https://github.com/moshe-braner/Open-Glider-Network-Groundstation  ... but later I found a discussion here about new versions - MB174 but this is in different repo : https://github.com/moshe-braner/SoftRF.

My simple question : I like to build ground station, what project should I follow ?

https://github.com/moshe-braner/SoftRF or https://github.com/moshe-braner/Open-Glider-Network-Groundstation ?

Looks like SoftRF is alive (MB174) and OGNbase looks like not 

Thanks for help.

Adam, from Poland

[Adam Mościcki]

...or should I follow this "mother" project  https://github.com/lyusupov/SoftRF  to build a ground station ?

[VirusPilot]

Why not simply building an SDR based ground station? It would receive all kinds of protocols and with a second SDR even receive ADS-B.

[Mitja Muženič]

SoftRF is not a ground station firmware, so the dilemma between Linar’s SoftRF and Moshe’s SoftRF is irrelevant for your case. 

Moshe’s OGNbase is still alive, just mature enough it doesn’t change often.

Your choice for ground station is thus Moshe’s OGNbase (using dedicated embedded hardware) or one of  http://wiki.glidernet.org/downloads images (using SDR and Raspberry Pi).

Regards, Mitja

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[Tony Taylor]

Hello Adam

I am no expert but I have built my own Receivers as well as a SoftRF FLARM unit to fly with.  I have experimented with the Raspberry Pi SDR based receiver and also T-Beam receivers (both a receiver and a remote relay station) based on Moshe’s ground station software.  I’ve been testing my ground stations where I fly out in the West of Ireland - WCORK is the Raspberry Pi based receiver and WCORK2B which is the remote relay station.  They don’t see much activity since they are currently both on the west side of a 450m hill facing the Atlantic, but since my partner and I regularly fly paragliders in this area it makes us electronically visible when we are flying - the same airspace is used by a flying school light aircraft, Coastguard and HEMS helicopters and a maintenance helicopter for the local lighthouses, so anything to improve e-conspicuity helps!

I’m offering my advice because since I’m not an expert I understand how confusing all the options and setup can be.  You will find that there is a great community to offer assistance, and once you have a receiver set up it should be reliable and need little updating and maintenance, the various software is pretty reliable.

The simplest and probably cheapest setup is to get a T-Beam with the OLED mini display, add a better quality GNSS antenna, a better main antenna for the appropriate frequency (868 in my case)  and an 18650 battery and put it into a box of some sort for protection.  With a USB solar panel it can be run ‘off grid’ or plugged into a power supply using USB.  

The Raspberry Pi uses software which (I believe - it was some time ago I set it up…) from Stefan, and it has run reliable ever since.  (WCORK).  The Raspberry Pi has to live indoors and needs a better power supply as well as a WiFi connection so it is actually less practical than the T-Beam based receivers, but it was my first project.

The T-Beam receivers use Moshe’s receiver software.  For the remote station I use an antenna from AliExpress, an improved GNSS antenna and a solar panel from a security camera all mounted on a length of galvanised water pipe with an outdoor electrical box made of grey plastic to protect the electronics - that seems to work just fine.The Base Station lives in a shed with access to WiFi and a mains connection for power supply.

I fly with a T-Echo (now fitted with the improved battery back which also seems to improve GNSS reception) which i recently updated to Moshe’s MB 173 which seems to work well.  

As I said, I’m definitely not an expert, but by following the instructions and getting advice from the community when I have been stuck I’ve found it easy enough to build working receivers and an in-flight FLARM beacon.

Hope that helps to give you an idea of how to get started.  

Tony

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/softrf_community/01B33639-4578-42EC-AFD7-A02E6DBC05C2%40muzenic.net.

Tony Taylor

+353 86 082 1732. (Phone & WhatsApp)
tonyem...@gmail.com

[Adam Mościcki]

SDR+rPi ... not good for me. You have to put hardware far away from antena. SDR+rPi is not good choice to mount close to antenna (just 10cm pigtail).

I prefer small esp32+SX12xx very close to antenna(10cm pgtail) - then I get superior reception than SDR+Pi.

OGNbase vs MB174 : I would prefer to have the possibility to receive both FLARM and FANET.  OGNbase is old version with one protocol only.  New version od SoftRF (MB174) looks like enabling reception of both transmissions ( FLARM and FANET ) 

... but MB174 - I can not find bin for T3S3 ... should I compile it myself ? could try but would prefer ready bins  

I also have an idea to build 2 separate stations: one for FANET( lora , BreezedudeGS, Heltec) and second FLARM ( FSK, SoftRF or OGNbase, Lilygo Lora32 v2.1 (SX1276) or Lilygo T3S3 (SX1262) )

[Nigel Bray]

https://github.com/moshe-braner/Open-Glider-Network-Groundstation

can get time over the network and its fixed position can be pre-programmed, instead of installing an extra GPS.

[Lovro Dužević]

Adam... again...

MB147 is SoftRF to fly with... It is NOT ground station.

OGNBase MB144 is ground station.

So for ground you use T3S3 with MB144 OGNBase and NOT MB147 witch is SoftRF.

RaspberryPi with SDR can be also only 10cm away from antena or just use and extra 50ohm coax cable from SDR to antena.

Regards,

Lovro

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/softrf_community/6fe192cc-cdf5-439f-af54-0a3d89d6056dn%40googlegroups.com.

[Mitja Muženič]

Adam,

you need to understand that SoftRF (MB174 or whatever version) is not a ground station receiver. It doesn’t have the functionality. SoftRF is an airborne transmitter and receiver, but it doesn’t have the functionality to send data over internet to the backend server.

So there is no discussion ognbase vs SoftRF (MB174), because they have different roles and purposes. If you want to install a ground station that will send data to internet servers and you don’t want to run SDR+RPi, then your only option is OGNbase on Lilygo hardware. If you want to receive two protocols, your only choice is to run two receivers. Or ask Moshe if it is possible to bring dual-protocol functionality to OGNbase too.

I run 5 ognbase receivers on Lilygo T3S3, but they all recive FLARM v7 only because that is the main protocol in my country (Slovenia) and there isn’t much interest in other protocols yet.

Regards, Mitja

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/softrf_community/6fe192cc-cdf5-439f-af54-0a3d89d6056dn%40googlegroups.com.

[Adam Mościcki]

Thanks Mitja - this explains me a lot !

So my plan is to build 2 receivers ?

And - hope Moshe Brener will update OGNbase to MB174 functionality 

Thanks for explanation

PS: in Slovenia You are not using FANET for paragliding  ?

[Lovro Dužević]

In Slovenia we ha e company developi g and selling special FLARM devices for paragliders.

Regards, Lovro 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/softrf_community/58d86211-0d36-44b1-8bb3-f26b045d6f32n%40googlegroups.com.

[Mitja Muženič]

I must admit that my sphere of knowledge relates only to gliders, and here in Slovenia they use mostly FLARM. I don’t have any contacts in the paragliding community and no idea what they use or if they use anything at all.

However, with the low price of T3S3 it is easy to add additional receivers if needed, and it provides you hardware redundancy. Two of my receivers, LJPO and LJPO2, are identically configured, same location, different antennas - just to make sure we have converage even if one fails.

Regards, Mitja 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/softrf_community/58d86211-0d36-44b1-8bb3-f26b045d6f32n%40googlegroups.com.

[Moshe Braner]

As Mitja said.  If by "ground station" you mean reporting to OGN, OGNbase does that, SoftRF does not.  See the Readme at the OGNbase repo for info on how OGNbase differs from SDR-based ground stations.  At this time OGNbase only receives FLARM (and FLARM-compatible) messages.  I.e., won't work for FANET.   In the next couple of months I hope to release a new version of OGNbase but it will only have some minor improvements.  In the future I could make it listen in the FLARM+ADSL dual mode as SoftRF can now do.  But I don't perceive of a current need for that?

[Moshe Braner]

OGNbase specifically reports the traffic to OGN, the Open Glider Network.  Do paragliders use OGN or do they prefer some other system for tracking (from the ground)?  Do the SDR or other ground stations already report FANET traffic to OGN?

I could modify OGNbase to use the latest ideas from my version of SoftRF to receive FLARM, FANET and even ADSL all "at the same time".  But would that be useful?

BTW credit for the creation of OGNbase goes to Manuel Rossel.  Although he abandoned it years ago, and I kept working on it.

On Friday, January 30, 2026 at 7:41:58 AM UTC-5 adam68....@gmail.com wrote:

Thanks Mitja - this explains me a lot !

So my plan is to build 2 receivers ?

And - hope Moshe Brener will update OGNbase to MB174 functionality 

Thanks for explanation

PS: in Slovenia You are not using FANET for paragliding  ?

piątek, 30 stycznia 2026 o 13:27:34 UTC+1 Mitja Muženič napisał(a):

Adam,

you need to understand that SoftRF (MB174 or whatever version) is not a ground station receiver. It doesn’t have the functionality. SoftRF is an airborne transmitter and receiver, but it doesn’t have the functionality to send data over internet to the backend server.

So there is no discussion ognbase vs SoftRF (MB174), because they have different roles and purposes. If you want to install a ground station that will send data to internet servers and you don’t want to run SDR+RPi, then your only option is OGNbase on Lilygo hardware. If you want to receive two protocols, your only choice is to run two receivers. Or ask Moshe if it is possible to bring dual-protocol functionality to OGNbase too.

I run 5 ognbase receivers on Lilygo T3S3, but they all recive FLARM v7 only because that is the main protocol in my country (Slovenia) and there isn’t much interest in other protocols yet.

Regards, Mitja

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[Moshe Braner]

Correct.  But latest versions are OGNbase MB147 and SoftRF MB174.  I have not made an ESP32-S3 (e.g., T-Beam Supreme) version of SoftRF due to there being not enough flash space.  But SoftRF (used in the air) needs GPS, thus the T3S3 is not usable for it.  OGNbase must be connected to the internet (that is its purpose!) and it can get the time from NTP as Nigel said.

[Adam Mościcki]

Thanks a lot to all - that make me clear explanation. 

Yes - I would love to have one device on ground reporting to OGN : FLARM and FANET

- FLARM ..there are flying some gliders and small planes around my place - and there is no other station reportin this

- FANET - we are flying PPG(paragliders) and using T-Echo 

Thats why I was asking about a groundstation with dual receive capability

For now I will build 2 stations as mentioned above: BreezedudeGS for FANET  and OGNbase fo FLARM ... both of them will report to OGN 

'73

Adam

SQ3PAI