docker-dump978

Containerized dump978 for decoding 978 MHz UAT ADS-B with RTL-SDR or SoapySDR on Linux.

Sponsored and maintained by Blackout Secure.

Important

This repository is not an official LinuxServer.io image release.

Overview

This project packages upstream flightaware/dump978 into a containerized build for decoding 978 MHz UAT ADS-B with RTL-SDR or SoapySDR on Linux.

Quick links:

Docker Hub listing: blackoutsecure/dump978
Balena block listing: dump978 block on Balena Hub
GitHub repository: blackoutsecure/docker-dump978
Upstream application: flightaware/dump978

Quick Start

docker run -d \
--name=dump978 \
--restart unless-stopped \
-e TZ=Etc/UTC \
-e DUMP978_SDR=driver=rtlsdr \
-e DUMP978_LAT=47.6062 \
-e DUMP978_LON=-122.3321 \
-p 8978:8978 \
-p 30978:30978 \
-p 30979:30979 \
-v dump978-config:/config \
-v /run/dump978-fa:/run/dump978-fa \
--device /dev/bus/usb:/dev/bus/usb \
blackoutsecure/dump978:latest

Access the SkyAware978 web UI at http://<host-ip>:8978/.

For compose files, balena, and more examples, see Usage below.

Image Availability

Docker Hub (Recommended):

All images published to Docker Hub
Simple pull command: docker pull blackoutsecure/dump978:latest
Multi-arch support: amd64, arm64
No registry prefix needed (defaults to Docker Hub)

# Pull latest
docker pull blackoutsecure/dump978
# Pull specific version
docker pull blackoutsecure/dump978:10.2
# Pull architecture-specific (rarely needed)
docker pull blackoutsecure/dump978:latest@amd64

About The dump978 Application

dump978-fa is FlightAware's 978 MHz UAT (Universal Access Transceiver) decoder. It demodulates UAT signals from an RTL-SDR or other SoapySDR-compatible receiver and provides decoded ADS-B data as raw messages or JSON-formatted output on network ports. The companion skyaware978 writes JSON files suitable for the SkyAware web map.

Author and maintenance credits (upstream):

Primary upstream maintainer: FlightAware
Original implementation: mutability/dump978
Upstream repository and documentation: flightaware/dump978

Supported Architectures

This image is published as a multi-arch manifest. Pulling blackoutsecure/dump978:latest retrieves the correct image for your host architecture.

The architectures supported by this image are:

Architecture	Tag
x86-64	amd64-latest
arm64	arm64v8-latest

Usage

docker-compose (recommended, click here for more info)

---
services:
dump978:
image: blackoutsecure/dump978:latestcontainer_name: dump978environment:
- TZ=Etc/UTC
- DUMP978_SDR=driver=rtlsdrvolumes:
- config:/config
- dump978-run:/run/dump978-faports:
- 8978:8978# SkyAware978 Web UI (HTTP)
- 30978:30978# Raw UAT messages
- 30979:30979# Decoded JSON messagesdevices:
- /dev/bus/usb:/dev/bus/usbcap_drop:
- ALLcap_add:
- CHOWN
- DAC_OVERRIDE
- FOWNER
- SETUID
- SETGIDsecurity_opt:
- no-new-privileges:truetmpfs:
- /tmp
- /run:execrestart: unless-stoppedvolumes:
config:
dump978-run:

docker-compose paired with readsb

---
services:
readsb:
image: blackoutsecure/readsb:latestcontainer_name: readsbenvironment:
- TZ=Etc/UTCvolumes:
- readsb-config:/config
- readsb-run:/run/readsbdevices:
- /dev/bus/usb:/dev/bus/usbtmpfs:
- /tmp
- /run:execrestart: unless-stoppeddump978:
image: blackoutsecure/dump978:latestcontainer_name: dump978environment:
- TZ=Etc/UTC
- DUMP978_SDR=driver=rtlsdrvolumes:
- dump978-config:/config
- dump978-run:/run/dump978-faports:
- 8978:8978
- 30978:30978
- 30979:30979devices:
- /dev/bus/usb:/dev/bus/usbcap_drop:
- ALLcap_add:
- CHOWN
- DAC_OVERRIDE
- FOWNER
- SETUID
- SETGIDsecurity_opt:
- no-new-privileges:truetmpfs:
- /tmp
- /run:execrestart: unless-stoppedvolumes:
readsb-config:
readsb-run:
dump978-config:
dump978-run:

docker-cli (click here for more info)

docker run -d \
--name=dump978 \
-e TZ=Etc/UTC \
-e DUMP978_SDR=driver=rtlsdr \
-p 8978:8978 \
-p 30978:30978 \
-p 30979:30979 \
-v /path/to/dump978/config:/config \
-v /run/dump978-fa:/run/dump978-fa \
--device /dev/bus/usb:/dev/bus/usb \
--restart unless-stopped \
blackoutsecure/dump978:latest

Balena Deployment

This image can be deployed to Balena-powered IoT devices using the included docker-compose.yml file (which contains the required Balena labels):

Balena block listing: https://hub.balena.io/blocks/dump978

balena push <your-app-slug>

For deployment via the web interface, use the deploy button in this repository. See Balena documentation for details.

Parameters

Ports

Parameter	Function
`-p 8978:8978`	SkyAware978 Web UI (HTTP)
`-p 30978:30978`	Raw UAT messages
`-p 30979:30979`	Decoded JSON messages

Environment Variables

Feed Profile

Parameter	Function	Required
`-e DUMP978_PROFILE=adsbexchange`	Feed profile: `flightaware` or `adsbexchange`. Controls default branding, feeder behavior, and TIS-B filtering. See Feed Profiles.	Optional
`-e DUMP978_TISB_FILTER=`	Filter out TIS-B traffic. Default depends on profile: `false` for `flightaware`, `true` for `adsbexchange`.	Optional
`-e DUMP978_ENABLE_FAUP978=`	Enable faup978 FlightAware reporter. Default depends on profile: `true` for `flightaware`, `false` for `adsbexchange`.	Optional

Core Settings

Parameter	Function	Required
`-e TZ=Etc/UTC`	Timezone (TZ database)	Optional
`-e DUMP978_SDR=driver=rtlsdr`	SoapySDR device string for the SDR receiver	Optional
`-e DUMP978_SDR_GAIN=`	Manual SDR gain setting (overrides auto-gain if set)	Optional
`-e DUMP978_SDR_AUTO_GAIN=true`	Enable automatic gain control (`true`/`false`)	Optional
`-e DUMP978_RAW_PORT=30978`	TCP port for raw UAT messages	Optional
`-e DUMP978_JSON_PORT=30979`	TCP port for decoded JSON messages	Optional
`-e DUMP978_EXTRA_ARGS=`	Additional arguments passed to dump978-fa	Optional
`-e DUMP978_WEB_PORT=8978`	HTTP port for the SkyAware978 web UI	Optional
`-e DUMP978_USER=abc`	Runtime user	Optional
`-e PUID=911`	User ID for file ownership	Optional
`-e PGID=911`	Group ID for file ownership	Optional

SDR Advanced Tuning

Parameter	Function	Required
`-e DUMP978_SDR_PPM=`	Frequency correction in PPM (critical for many RTL-SDR dongles)	Optional
`-e DUMP978_SDR_ANTENNA=`	SDR antenna name (for multi-antenna devices)	Optional
`-e DUMP978_SDR_DEVICE_SETTINGS=`	SoapySDR device key-value settings	Optional
`-e DUMP978_SDR_STREAM_SETTINGS=`	SoapySDR stream key-value settings	Optional
`-e DUMP978_FORMAT=`	Sample format: `CU8`, `CS8`, `CS16H`, `CF32H`	Optional
`-e DUMP978_RAW_LEGACY_PORT=`	TCP port for raw messages without metadata header (legacy clients)	Optional
`-e DUMP978_STRATUX=`	Stratux v3 serial device path (e.g. `/dev/ttyUSB0`); replaces SDR input	Optional

Location & Statistics

Parameter	Function	Required
`-e DUMP978_LAT=`	Receiver latitude (e.g. `47.6062`) — enables site marker and range rings	Optional
`-e DUMP978_LON=`	Receiver longitude (e.g. `-122.3321`) — enables site marker and range rings	Optional
`-e DUMP978_AUTO_LOCATION=true`	Auto-detect location via IP geolocation when LAT/LON not set	Optional
`-e DUMP978_FA_STATS_URL=`	FlightAware stats page URL (e.g. `https://flightaware.com/adsb/stats/user/yourname`). Used when profile is `flightaware`.	Optional
`-e DUMP978_ADSBX_STATS_URL=`	ADS-B Exchange stats page URL (e.g. `https://www.adsbexchange.com/myip/`). Used when profile is `adsbexchange`.	Optional
`-e DUMP978_STATS_URL=`	Generic stats URL fallback — used if the profile-specific URL above is empty	Optional

faup978 FlightAware Reporter

Parameter	Function	Required
`-e DUMP978_ENABLE_FAUP978=`	Enable faup978 FlightAware UAT data reporter (`true`/`false`). Default depends on profile.	Optional
`-e FAUP978_CONNECT=`	Override host:port to connect to (default: `localhost:30978`)	Optional

skyaware978 Tuning

Parameter	Function	Required
`-e SKYAWARE978_RECONNECT_INTERVAL=30`	Seconds to wait before reconnecting on connection failure	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE978_HISTORY_COUNT=120`	Number of history JSON files to maintain	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE978_HISTORY_INTERVAL=30`	Seconds between history file captures	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE978_CONNECT=`	Override host:port to connect to (default: `localhost:30978`)	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE978_WRITE_DIR=`	Override JSON output directory (default: `/run/skyaware978`)	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE978_EXTRA_ARGS=`	Additional arguments passed to skyaware978	Optional

SkyAware Web UI Customization

Settings can be configured via environment variables, or by placing a complete custom config.js file at /config/skyaware978-config.js (takes priority over env vars). The active feed profile sets default values for SKYAWARE_PAGE_NAME and SKYAWARE_SITE_NAME; explicit env vars override them.

Parameter	Function	Required
`-e SKYAWARE_PAGE_NAME=`	Browser title and page header. Default: `SkyAware978` (FlightAware) or `ADS-B Exchange UAT` (ADSBx)	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE_SITE_NAME=`	Tooltip text for the site marker. Default: `FlightAware UAT` or `ADS-B Exchange`	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE_DISPLAY_UNITS=`	Default units: `nautical`, `metric`, or `imperial`	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE_DEFAULT_CENTER_LAT=`	Default map center latitude	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE_DEFAULT_CENTER_LON=`	Default map center longitude	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE_DEFAULT_ZOOM=`	Default map zoom level (0–16)	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE_SITE_CIRCLES=`	Show range rings (`true`/`false`)	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE_SITE_CIRCLES_COUNT=`	Number of range rings (default: `3`)	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE_SITE_CIRCLES_BASE=`	Base distance for first ring	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE_SITE_CIRCLES_INTERVAL=`	Distance between rings	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE_SHOW_FLAGS=`	Show country flags (`true`/`false`)	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE_CHARTBUNDLE=`	Enable ChartBundle US sectional chart layers (`true`/`false`)	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE_BING_API_KEY=`	Bing Maps API key for satellite imagery	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE_EXTENDED_DATA=`	Show extended Mode S EHS / ADS-B v2 data (`true`/`false`)	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE_PLANE_COUNT_IN_TITLE=`	Show aircraft count in page title (`true`/`false`)	Optional
`-e SKYAWARE_MSG_RATE_IN_TITLE=`	Show message rate in page title (`true`/`false`)	Optional

Storage Mounts

Parameter	Function	Required
`-v /config`	Persistent configuration	Recommended
`-v /run/dump978-fa`	Decoder output directory	Recommended

Volume Details

The container uses two volumes:

`/config` — Configuration & Persistence

Purpose: Stores persistent configuration files (dump978-fa, skyaware978)
Example: -v /path/to/dump978/config:/config or -v dump978-config:/config

`/run/dump978-fa` — Decoder Output

Purpose: Runtime output directory for dump978-fa data accessible by other containers
Example: -v /run/dump978-fa:/run/dump978-fa or -v dump978-run:/run/dump978-fa

Configuration

Environment variables are set using -e flags in docker run or the environment: section in docker-compose.

Configuration files are stored in /config inside the container. On first run, default configuration files are created at /config/dump978-fa and /config/skyaware978.

Feed Profiles

Set DUMP978_PROFILE to switch between preconfigured defaults for different ADS-B networks. The profile controls branding, feeder behavior, and filtering — every default can still be overridden with explicit env vars.

	`flightaware`	`adsbexchange` (default)
Web UI page name	SkyAware978	ADS-B Exchange UAT
Site name	FlightAware UAT	ADS-B Exchange
faup978 feeder	Enabled	Disabled
TIS-B filtering	Off (`false`)	On (`true`)
Stats URL source	`DUMP978_FA_STATS_URL`	`DUMP978_ADSBX_STATS_URL`
status.json radio type	`dump978-fa`	`dump978-fa (ADS-B Exchange)`

Example — switch to FlightAware profile:

environment:
DUMP978_PROFILE: "flightaware"DUMP978_FA_STATS_URL: "https://flightaware.com/adsb/stats/user/yourname"

Example — ADS-B Exchange profile (default):

environment:
DUMP978_PROFILE: "adsbexchange"DUMP978_ADSBX_STATS_URL: "https://www.adsbexchange.com/myip/"

You can set both stats URLs and switch profiles at will — only the active profile's URL is used.

dump978-fa Options

Variable	Default	Description
`DUMP978_SDR`	`driver=rtlsdr`	SoapySDR device string
`DUMP978_SDR_GAIN`	(blank)	Manual SDR gain setting (overrides auto-gain if set)
`DUMP978_SDR_AUTO_GAIN`	`true`	Enable automatic gain control
`DUMP978_SDR_PPM`	(blank)	Frequency correction in PPM
`DUMP978_SDR_ANTENNA`	(blank)	SDR antenna name
`DUMP978_SDR_DEVICE_SETTINGS`	(blank)	SoapySDR device key-value settings
`DUMP978_SDR_STREAM_SETTINGS`	(blank)	SoapySDR stream key-value settings
`DUMP978_FORMAT`	(auto-detect)	Sample format: `CU8`, `CS8`, `CS16H`, `CF32H`
`DUMP978_STRATUX`	(blank)	Stratux v3 serial device (replaces SDR input)
`DUMP978_RAW_PORT`	`30978`	TCP port for raw UAT messages
`DUMP978_JSON_PORT`	`30979`	TCP port for decoded JSON messages
`DUMP978_RAW_LEGACY_PORT`	(blank)	TCP port for raw messages without metadata header
`DUMP978_EXTRA_ARGS`	(blank)	Additional dump978-fa command-line arguments

To select a specific RTL-SDR dongle by serial number: DUMP978_SDR=driver=rtlsdr,serial=01234567

skyaware978 Options

Variable	Default	Description
`SKYAWARE978_CONNECT`	`localhost:30978`	dump978-fa raw port to connect to
`SKYAWARE978_WRITE_DIR`	`/run/skyaware978`	Directory for JSON output files
`SKYAWARE978_RECONNECT_INTERVAL`	`30`	Seconds to wait before reconnecting on failure
`SKYAWARE978_HISTORY_COUNT`	`120`	Number of history JSON files to maintain
`SKYAWARE978_HISTORY_INTERVAL`	`30`	Seconds between history file captures
`SKYAWARE978_EXTRA_ARGS`	(blank)	Additional skyaware978 command-line arguments

faup978 Options (FlightAware Reporter)

The faup978 binary re-encodes UAT messages into FlightAware's format for stats collection. It is enabled by default with the flightaware profile and disabled by default with the adsbexchange profile. Override with DUMP978_ENABLE_FAUP978.

Variable	Default	Description
`DUMP978_ENABLE_FAUP978`	Profile-dependent	Enable faup978 service (`true`/`false`)
`FAUP978_CONNECT`	`localhost:30978`	Override host:port to connect to

Custom Configuration via Volume Mount

You can supply custom config files via volume mounts:

volumes:
- ./my-dump978-config:/config/dump978-fa:ro
- ./my-skyaware978-config:/config/skyaware978:ro
- ./my-skyaware-config.js:/config/skyaware978-config.js:ro

Application Setup

The container runs four services under s6-overlay:

dump978-fa — the main 978 MHz UAT decoder that talks to the SDR hardware via SoapySDR, demodulates UAT data, and provides raw and JSON-decoded messages on TCP ports
skyaware978 — connects to dump978-fa and writes JSON files suitable for the SkyAware web map interface
nginx — serves the SkyAware978 HTML interface and live aircraft JSON data
faup978(optional, profile-dependent) — re-encodes UAT messages and reports to FlightAware for stats collection. Enabled by default with the flightaware profile; override with DUMP978_ENABLE_FAUP978=true

SDR Device Access

The container requires access to the USB SDR device. Pass --device /dev/bus/usb:/dev/bus/usb to grant USB access, or pass only the specific device node.

If using multiple RTL-SDR dongles (e.g., one for 1090 MHz and one for 978 MHz), use the serial number to select the correct dongle:

-e DUMP978_SDR=driver=rtlsdr,serial=978

Assign serial numbers to dongles using rtl_eeprom -s 978.

Troubleshooting

No SDR device found

Verify USB device passthrough is configured:

docker exec dump978 lsusb
docker exec dump978 SoapySDRUtil --find

If the device is not visible:
- Ensure --device /dev/bus/usb:/dev/bus/usb is set
- Check that no other process (e.g., kernel DVB driver) is claiming the device
- Blacklist the kernel DVB driver: echo 'blacklist dvb_usb_rtl28xxu' | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-rtlsdr.conf

No data / empty web UI

Check that dump978-fa is running and connected to the SDR:

docker exec dump978 s6-svstat /run/service/svc-dump978-fa
docker logs dump978 --tail 50

Verify you are in an area with 978 MHz UAT traffic (US only — UAT is not used outside the United States)

Port conflict

Map to different host ports:

docker run ... -p 9978:8978 -p 31978:30978 -p 31979:30979 ...

View logs

docker logs dump978
docker logs dump978 --tail 100 -f

Check service status

docker exec dump978 s6-svstat /run/service/svc-dump978-fa
docker exec dump978 s6-svstat /run/service/svc-skyaware978
docker exec dump978 s6-svstat /run/service/svc-nginx

Getting help

Check upstream dump978 documentation
Review container logs: docker logs -f dump978
Open an issue on GitHub

Release & Versioning

This project uses semantic versioning:

Releases published on GitHub Releases
Multi-arch images (amd64, arm64v8) built automatically
Docker Hub tags: version-specific, latest, and architecture-specific

Update to latest:

docker pull blackoutsecure/dump978:latest
docker-compose up -d # if using compose

Check image version:

docker inspect -f '{{ index .Config.Labels "build_version" }}' blackoutsecure/dump978:latest

Support & Getting Help

Questions:GitHub Issues
Bug Reports: Include Docker version, container logs, and reproduction steps
Upstream Documentation:dump978 on GitHub

Get help:

docker logs dump978 # View container logs
docker exec -it dump978 /bin/bash # Access container shell
docker inspect blackoutsecure/dump978 # Check image details

Sponsor & Credits

Sponsored and maintained by Blackout Secure

Upstream project: flightaware/dump978 Container patterns: LinuxServer.io

References

Project Resources

Resource	Link
Docker Hub	blackoutsecure/dump978
GitHub Issues	Report bugs or request features
GitHub Releases	Download releases

Upstream & Related

Project	Link
dump978	flightaware/dump978
readsb	wiedehopf/readsb
LinuxServer.io	linuxserver.io

Technical Resources

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

The upstream dump978 application is licensed under the BSD 2-Clause License. For more information, see the dump978 repository.

Made with confidence by Blackout Secure

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.devcontainer		.devcontainer
.github		.github
root		root
.dockerignore		.dockerignore
.editorconfig		.editorconfig
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
.hadolint.yaml		.hadolint.yaml
.markdownlint.yaml		.markdownlint.yaml
.shellcheckrc		.shellcheckrc
Dockerfile		Dockerfile
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
bos-launchpad-config.json		bos-launchpad-config.json
docker-compose.yml		docker-compose.yml
logo.png		logo.png

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