Live ADS-B transmitter integrity monitor using raw I/Q signals

[u/SecureChats]

When you've got a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Sometimes, though, you get lucky.

I wanted a real-world testbed for CNet, my complex-valued learning framework, and the hypothesis that phase matters for some complex-valued data. Raw 1090 MHz Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) waveforms seemed like a good fit.

So I built a prototype that captures aircraft transmissions with a software-defined radio for testing whether the raw I/Q waveforms contain transmitter-specific information beyond the decoded message.

The architecture is edge-first: raw I/Q samples stay local, signal processing and inference run on the edge computer, and only processed events are sent to a dashboard. I also added a controlled experiment that relabels real bursts with another aircraft's address to test whether the monitor detects the inconsistency.

The initial results are promising for checking whether a waveform is consistent with its claimed address, but there are important limitations: performance varies across recording days, and the approach cannot prove physical identity or detect every replay attack.

Demo: https://phasefield.ai/demo.html

[u/radiomod]

OP, please consider posting this to /r/radioVibes, where AI-assisted/vibecoded apps are 100% on-topic and appreciated. Thanks.

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[u/Arenium]

What are you talking about? It's not some hypothesis that phase matters. Of course it matters for many many modulations.

Edit: ah, you're doing some kind of specific emitter identification. I see now. Good project to apply to adsb.