Mode-S Beast:Important Notes

Using a Preamplifier

The Mode-S Beast when using its integrated receiver (and not an external miniADSB) is a very sensitive device since its receiver concept is different than the one from other comparable units. Also, the internal design is made for maximum sensitivity. If you are using a mast mounted preamplifier that has significantly more gain than your cable loss, you may need an additional attenuator in order to lower down the signal level. Remember that the preamplfiier then still makes sense because it does what it should do: improving the noise figure of the total system. My own system - and you know the screenshots - consists of the G7RGQ antenna, 3dB cable loss through 25m 1/2" foam cable (LDF or HCF 1/2") and the Mode-S Beast. Nothing else. High Frame Rate

I want to be a fair player and note already here that the high number of frames partly comes from the fact that the Mode-S Beast transparently decodes ALL Mode-S frame types and provides them on the interface to the PC. Planeplotter uses all of them for updating the currently observed aircrafts, and so it counts them as useful frames. If you compare the frame rate with other available receiver/decoders, you have to use a tool that pre-filters the frames to a common set, such as ModeSCompare from Jetvision.de, such as I also show it on the performance page. Delivering performance data and screenshots

Quite often users of the Mode-S beast make screenshots of Planeplotter's results. Please, when doing so, be aware that there is a long term integration done in Planeplotter, which is by default 5 minutes. This is a little bit unfair, the Mode-S beast does not need such. Instead, lower down the integration to 1 min. Go into the menu "Chart Settings", and enter 1.00 into "Omit aircraft after..." and "Delete Aircraft after...". Maybe you even switch of the prediction completly by unchecking the box at "Predict positions over...". A screenshot of the suggested chart settings is shown on the Planeplotter configuration page.