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Table of Contents
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Introduction
An OGN tracker is an aircraft tracking device designed to make an aircraft visible through the Open Glider Network. It transmits position and status information that can be received by OGN ground receivers and forwarded to the OGN servers.
OGN trackers are used for live tracking, club fleet monitoring, competitions, automatic logbook services and search-and-rescue support. They can be useful for gliders, paragliders, powered aircraft, drones and other flying objects, depending on local regulations and the installation.
An OGN tracker should be understood primarily as a tracking and electronic conspicuity device. It is not automatically a replacement for certified avionics or collision-avoidance equipment. The exact capabilities depend on the hardware, firmware and manufacturer or project documentation.
The idea in a nutshell
The original goal behind OGN trackers was to create a device that is:
- compatible with the network of OGN ground receivers,
- suitable for gliders, paragliders, drones and other aircraft,
- optimized for position reporting and long reception range,
- affordable enough for clubs and private pilots,
- based on the open OGN tracking protocol (OGNTP),
- open enough for community experimentation and improvement.
Some tracker designs can also receive or forward traffic from nearby aircraft, support local display output, record flights or interoperate with other electronic conspicuity systems. These features are implementation-specific and should be checked in the documentation for the particular device or firmware.
Current hardware choices
OGN trackers can be amateur-built, community-developed or commercially manufactured. This is intentional: the OGN ecosystem includes open hardware and software work, but also ready-made devices for pilots and clubs that do not want to build their own equipment.
For someone who wants to get a functional tracker today, the recommended starting point is normally an off-the-shelf LoRa/GNSS module which can be flashed with OGN-compatible firmware. These modules already include most of the difficult hardware: MCU, radio, GNSS, power circuitry, display or enclosure options.
Older DIY tracker designs are still useful as historical documentation and for people who want to study or experiment with the hardware. They should no longer be presented as the normal path for a new practical tracker.
Flashable tracker modules
Some low-cost off-the-shelf LoRa/GNSS modules can be flashed with suitable firmware and used as a basis for OGN-compatible trackers. This is now the preferred practical route for new builds.
At the moment, the most practical ready-to-flash candidates appear to be Wio Tracker, T-Echo and ThinkNode-M5, with Wio Tracker currently the strongest candidate. HELTEC CubeCell is also a supported platform with its own firmware. Other modules can be useful, but often need additional wiring, enclosure work, hardware adaptation or firmware-target work.
Firmware support, radio band, GNSS performance, antenna connection, battery hardware, enclosure quality and legal use differ between modules. Check the dedicated hardware-platform page before buying parts.
See flashable tracker modules.
Typical technical requirements
A practical tracker should normally:
- have a GNSS receiver for position and time,
- transmit within the legal power and frequency limits for the region,
- have a suitable antenna and installation position,
- be small and lightweight,
- run from internal batteries or aircraft power,
- avoid reflections when mounted near the instrument panel,
- be robust enough for vibration, temperature and normal aircraft use.
Depending on the design, an OGN tracker may also include:
- microSD card logging,
- IGC or other flight-log recording,
- USB charging or data access,
- BLE or Wi-Fi connection to a phone, tablet, PNA or flight computer, including traffic output to applications such as XCSoar or SkyDemon where supported,
- serial input/output such as TTL, RS-232, RJ-12 or RJ-45 wiring,
- barometric pressure sensor,
- accelerometer,
- external switch input, for example transmit-off or mode selection.
Multi-protocol operation and interoperability
The OGN tracker concept has evolved from devices transmitting only OGNTP packets into a wider electronic conspicuity platform. Depending on the hardware and firmware, modern OGN-compatible trackers may transmit or receive several protocols and may provide traffic data to other cockpit devices or applications.
The goal is interoperability: an aircraft should be visible through the OGN network where OGN receivers are present, while also participating in other compatible electronic conspicuity ecosystems where technically and legally possible.
This does not mean that every tracker supports every protocol or communicates directly with every other device. OGNTP, FLARM, FANET, PilotAware, ADS-L and other systems have different packet formats, radio details and operating rules. Capabilities depend on the radio hardware, firmware version, regional frequency rules and the documentation of the specific device.
OGN-Tracker interoperability is achieved in several ways:
- by transmitting more than one packet format where the firmware and local radio rules allow it,
- by listening on selected M-band and O-band channels during different parts of the transmission cycle,
- by using compatible framing and synchronization where this is possible,
- by relaying suitable received traffic toward other trackers or nearby OGN receivers,
- by forwarding decoded traffic into navigation applications through BLE, Wi-Fi or serial interfaces where supported by the hardware.
Even where direct device-to-device compatibility is not available, interoperability can still happen at the network level. OGN ground receivers based on SDR hardware and software processing can receive and decode several systems, then forward the decoded traffic into the OGN network.
Relevant technical documents:
- OGN tracking protocol
- ADS-L, including altitude-based hopping
- OGN-Tracker interoperability document (PDF)
Historical DIY OGN Tracker
The original Build yourself a DIY OGN Tracker project belongs to an earlier phase of OGN tracker development, when ready LoRa/GNSS modules such as T-Beam-style boards, Wio Tracker, T-Echo or ThinkNode-M5 were not available or not mature enough.
That construction is now obsolete for most users who simply want a functional OGN-compatible tracker. It should be kept as a historical record and as useful background for developers, but new users should normally start with flashable tracker modules instead.
I do not want to build one myself. Can I buy one?
Yes. Some community members and companies have offered ready-made OGN trackers. Availability, supported protocols, firmware features and certification status can change, so contact the supplier directly before buying or installing a device.
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A bit of history
Information collected during previous years of OGN tracker development has been moved here.
Frequently Asked Questions
See OGN tracker FAQ.