# Akashlipi

> Akashlipi (आकाशलिपि, “sky script”) is a Linux app that keeps an enriched, running log of every aircraft an RTL-SDR radio dongle receives, with a live radar, owner and operator details, flight numbers, routes, weather, fuel estimates and decoded aircraft messages. Made by Ajit Nathaniel (https://ajitnathaniel.com). Current version: 2.5.2. Website: https://akashlipi.com

## What it is

Akashlipi listens to ADS-B, the position reports aircraft broadcast on 1090 MHz, through an inexpensive RTL-SDR USB dongle. Every aircraft that passes is written to a log with:

- callsign, and the IATA flight number derived from it (for example 6E 5203), never guessed;
- registration and aircraft type, from the tar1090-db aircraft database, with corrections;
- owner, lessor and operator for Indian (VT-) aircraft, from India’s DGCA register of civil aircraft and list of non-scheduled operators, kept offline and refreshed every 30 days;
- route (VRS standing data, OurAirports) and the METAR weather at both ends;
- winds and autopilot data the aircraft broadcasts;
- fuel and CO₂ estimates, calculated locally with OpenAP from TU Delft.

A second dongle with a VHF dipole of about 110 cm adds aircraft text messages (ACARS and VDL2), decoded into plain English and linked to each aircraft’s pass.

## Names

The product is called Akashlipi. The Linux package and terminal command are `adsb-logger`, and the app appears as “ADS-B Logger” in the menu of version 2.5.2. Earlier names: ADS-B Logger, SkyLogger. आकाश (ākāśa) means sky; लिपि (lipi) means script or writing.

## Platforms

Linux only: .deb packages for Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Kali and Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit); .rpm packages for Fedora, RHEL, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux 9+ and openSUSE; an AppImage for other x86_64 Linux. Builds for x86_64 and arm64. Needs glibc 2.31 or newer (Ubuntu 20.04, Debian 11 or later).

## Included

readsb (ADS-B decoder), the RTL-SDR Blog driver tools (librtlsdr), dumpvdl2 and libacars, acarsdec, a click-through setup, a watchdog that restarts a stalled receiver, dongle serial-number management, a handheld layout for 640×480 screens, offline map tiles, opt-in MLAT, GPS mobile mode and scheduled export.

## Links

- Download: https://akashlipi.com/download/
- Setup and user guide: https://akashlipi.com/guide/
- Questions and answers: https://akashlipi.com/faq/
- Release notes: https://akashlipi.com/changelog/