READSB(1)

📦
version 3.16 · 3 versions
, in ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

okay so bestie 💖 you just opened readsb(1), and it lives in the User Commands corner of the manual, which is honestly exactly where it belongs. grab a snack, we're going through the whole thing together, no skimming allowed 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

readsb — the manual page for readsb version 3.16, compiled on 260209. that's the whole name section. short, sweet, main character energy, periodt. 👑

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

viewadsb [OPTIONS...]

okay so notice the docs spell it viewadsb up here and vieadsb down in the description. that's just how it's written, i'm not touching it, we respect the canon 💀

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

vieadsb is a Mode-S/ADSB/TIS commandline viewer. that's the whole vibe: planes broadcast, she listens, she shows you the tea. ✈️

By default, viewadsb will TCP connect to 127.0.0.1:30005 as a data source. typical readsb / dump1090 installs will provide beast data on port 30005. so out of the box she already knows where to look — no setup arc required 🥹

💜 General options: 💜

  • --lat=<lat> — the reference / receiver surface latitude. it's giving "where am i, literally" 📍
  • --lon=<lon> — the reference / receiver surface longitude. her other half 🧭
  • --no-interactive — turn interactive mode off and just print to stdout. no chatting, just data, she's booked and busy ✋
  • --interactive-ttl=<sec> — remove something from the list if it's been idle for <sec> seconds (default: 60). ghosting protection fr fr 💤
  • --modeac — enable decoding of SSR Modes 3/A & 3/C. unlocking a whole extra flavor 🔓
  • --max-range=<dist> — absolute maximum range for position decoding, in nm (default: 300). beyond that she simply does not perceive it, respectfully 🚫
  • --fix — enable CRC single-bit error correction (this is the default, so she's already on, she came ready ✨)
  • --no-fix — disable CRC single-bit error correction. turning it off on purpose, bold of you 🙈
  • --metric — use metric units 📏 (european girlies rise)
  • --show-only=<addr> — only show messages by the given ICAO on stdout. one plane only, everyone else can leave 🙅
  • --filter-DF=<type> — only network forward and display decoded ModeS messages on stdout, and only show this DF type. very "i have one type and it's this one" 🎯
  • --receiver-focus=<receiverId> — only process messages from <receiverId>. loyalty, we love to see it 🫶
  • --cpr-focus=<hex> — show CPR details for this hex. she's getting specific 🔍
  • --quiet — disable output (this is the default). iconic behaviour honestly, saying nothing and meaning it 🤐
  • --debug=<flags> — debug mode (verbose). the flags are: n for network, P for CPR, S for speed check 🐛

🌈 Network options: 🌈

  • --net-connector=<ip,port,protocol> — establish a connection, and yes you can specify it multiple times. the viewadsb default is --net-connector 127.0.0.1,30005,beast_in. important lore: the first usage overrides the default, and the second usage adds another input/output. stack 'em up 🔗

the protocols you can throw in there are:

  • beast_out
  • beast_reduce_out
  • beast_reduce_plus_out
  • beast_in
  • raw_out
  • raw_in
  • sbs_in
  • sbs_in_jaero
  • sbs_out
  • sbs_out_jaero
  • vrs_out
  • json_out
  • gpsd_in
  • uat_in
  • uat_replay_out
  • planefinder_in
  • asterix_in
  • asterix_out

also, one failover ip/address,port can be specified, like this:

primary-address,primary-port,protocol,failover-address,failover-port

and any position in that comma separated list can also be either silent_fail or uuid=<uuid>. so many little slots, she's flexible 💅

🎀 Help options: 🎀

  • --help — give this help list. the classic. the blueprint 📜
  • --usage — give a short usage message. for when you want the tl;dr version ⚡

Credits, because we always give credit where it's due, periodt: antirez (original dump1090), Malcom Robb (work on his dump1090 fork), mutability (forked to dump1090-mutability and further to dump1090-fa), Mictronics (readsb as a fork of dump1090-fa), wiedehopf (this fork of Mictronics readsb). the whole ancestry tree ate and left no crumbs, generational 💖

😭 REPORTING BUGS 😭

found a bug? it's not her fault, but she does want to know. report bugs to Matthias Wirth matthias.wirth@gmail.com 📬

and that's the whole page, bestie! no detail left behind, we kept every flag, every default, every protocol, every comma 🫶 this was readsb version: 3.16 compiled... February 2026 signing off from READSB(1) — footer, date and all. ily, go decode some planes ✈️💖✨

📦 where this page comes from