sdrTAK — Full System Installation Guide

Welcome. This guide takes you from a bare Raspberry Pi to a complete, self-contained TAK field system — no cell service, no internet, no existing network required. When you're done you'll have one Pi running three pieces that work together:

#	Product	What it gives you
1	netTAK	The network: a Wi-Fi access point your ATAK/WinTAK devices join, plus local DNS/DHCP and a GPS-disciplined clock. Free with sdrTAK.
2	adminTAK	One admin panel to manage your sdrTAK product from a phone or laptop.
3	sdrTAK	The bridge: turns a software-defined radio into live TAK contacts — aircraft (ADS-B 1090 MHz + UAT 978 MHz) and ships (AIS 162 MHz) become map markers.

The payoff: connect your ATAK devices to the Pi's Wi-Fi, plug an SDR into the Pi, and the aircraft around you appear on every connected device's map — all managed from one panel, entirely off-grid.

New to Linux / the Raspberry Pi? Follow the steps exactly in order. Every command is complete — copy and paste each line as-is. The only things you change are the values in <angle brackets> (your Pi's address, your login, your chosen node name).

Install the three parts in order — netTAK first (it lays down the network), then adminTAK, then sdrTAK.

What you need

A Raspberry Pi 4B with a microSD card running Raspberry Pi OS 64-bit (Bookworm).
The Pi connected to your network by its wired Ethernet port (you install over the wire), and its IP address on that network.
The Pi's login — the username and password you set when imaging the card.
One or more SDR dongles (USB) for sdrTAK — an RTL-SDR (Blog v3/v4) and/or an AirSpy. One dongle per band you run (aircraft on 1090/978 MHz, ships on 162 MHz AIS). (You can install without one and attach it later.) A band-appropriate antenna (1090/978 MHz for aircraft, 162 MHz for AIS) for real range.
A way to copy files to the Pi and run commands on it:
Windows: WinSCP (free file copy — winscp.net) and PuTTY or Windows PowerShell (to run commands).
macOS / Linux: the built-in Terminal (scp and ssh).
Optional: a serial GPS receiver for precise, offline time.

Download everything up front from the xTAK download page at activate.xtak.ai, onto your computer (they land in Downloads):

nettak-install-*-arm64.tar.gz + SHA256SUMS*.txt — netTAK
adminTAK-*-linux-arm64.tar.gz — the admin panel
cot_sdr-*.tar.gz — sdrTAK

You only need internet to download these to your computer — everything you run on the Pi is fully offline.

Part 1 · netTAK — the network foundation

netTAK turns the Pi into a self-contained TAK network: a Wi-Fi AP, local DNS/DHCP, and a GPS-disciplined clock. This guide installs the standalone node — a single self-contained unit, which is free and needs no extra radio.

1.1 Copy netTAK onto the Pi

Copy the file into the Pi's home folder.

Windows (WinSCP): open WinSCP → File protocol SCP, Host name = your Pi's IP, User name / Password = your Pi login → Login. Drag nettak-install-*-arm64.tar.gz and SHA256SUMS*.txt from your Downloads (left pane) into the Pi's home folder (right pane).

macOS / Linux (Terminal):

scp ~/Downloads/nettak-install-*-arm64.tar.gz ~/Downloads/SHA256SUMS*.txt <user>@<pi-ip>:~/

1.2 Connect to the Pi and verify the download

Open a command session on the Pi: - Windows: open PuTTY and log in, or in PowerShell run ssh <user>@<pi-ip>. - macOS / Linux: ssh <user>@<pi-ip>.

Confirm the bundle arrived intact, then unpack it:

cd ~
      sha256sum --ignore-missing -c ~/SHA256SUMS*.txt        # must print: nettak-install-*-arm64.tar.gz: OK
      tar xzf ~/nettak-install-*-arm64.tar.gz

If it does not say OK, delete the file and copy it again (step 1.1).

1.3 Run the netTAK installer

Pick a node name ending in a number (e.g. node01) — the node's network address is derived from it (node01 → 10.1.1.1).

sudo ~/nettak-install-*-arm64/install.sh <node-name> --mode=standalone
      sudo reboot

Optional flags (add after the node name): --ap-ssid=<name> (Wi-Fi name), --ap-password=<pw> (Wi-Fi passphrase, ≥ 8 chars — default password, change it), --nogps (no GPS receiver attached).

1.4 First access

After the reboot, the node broadcasts its Wi-Fi AP. Open https://<pi-ip>:5103/ (accept the one-time self-signed-cert warning). Log in with admin / password and change both defaults immediately: the admin password (Admin & security) and the Wi-Fi passphrase (AP). The built-in manual is at /help.

Standalone netTAK is free — no license required. (netTAK's licensed mesh feature, linking multiple nodes over long-range HaLow radio, has its own guide.)

✅ You now have a working TAK network. Reconnect to the Pi over SSH (its wired IP is unchanged) and continue.

Part 2 · adminTAK — the management panel

adminTAK is the single web panel you'll use to manage sdrTAK. It's one static program — nothing to download at install time, works fully offline.

2.1 Copy adminTAK onto the Pi

WinSCP: drag adminTAK-*-linux-arm64.tar.gz into the Pi's home folder.
Terminal: scp ~/Downloads/adminTAK-*-linux-arm64.tar.gz <user>@<pi-ip>:~/

2.2 Install

On the Pi:

cd ~
      tar xzf adminTAK-*-linux-arm64.tar.gz
      cd adminTAK-*-linux-arm64
      sudo bash install.sh

This installs the panel to /opt/adminTAK and starts it on port 8443.

2.3 First access

Open https://<pi-ip>:8443/ (accept the self-signed-cert warning). First login is admin / password, and you're required to set a new password right away. Do it now. The panel will show "no products yet" — that's expected; sdrTAK is next, and it will appear here automatically.

✅ Your management panel is live.

Part 3 · sdrTAK — the SDR ↔ TAK bridge

This is your bridge product. It installs fully offline — every dependency (the SDR drivers, SoapySDR modules, and the ADS-B / UAT / AIS decoders) ships inside the bundle.

3.1 Copy sdrTAK onto the Pi

WinSCP: drag cot_sdr-*.tar.gz into the Pi's home folder.
Terminal: scp ~/Downloads/cot_sdr-*.tar.gz <user>@<pi-ip>:~/

3.2 Install

On the Pi, unpack straight into the system folder and run the installer:

sudo tar xzf ~/cot_sdr-*.tar.gz -C /opt/
      cd /opt/cot_sdr
      sudo bash install.sh

The installer — with no internet — installs sdrTAK's SDR software from its bundled packages, tunes the Pi's USB for concurrent dongles, starts the cot-sdr service, and refreshes the adminTAK panel so sdrTAK shows up right away. It also prints your Hardware ID and starts the 30-day trial (see 3.4).

3.3 Connect your SDR(s) & configure — all in the panel

Plug in your SDR dongle(s) (USB) and connect an antenna.
Open https://<pi-ip>:8443/, select sdrTAK, and for each band you want: - ADS-B (1090 MHz) — set Enabled, pick your dongle under SDR Device (the dropdown lists what's plugged in), and set Gain (RTL-SDR 0–49.6, AirSpy 0–21). - UAT (978 MHz) — same, on its own dongle. (US low-altitude aircraft.) - AIS (162 MHz) — ship & vessel tracking; same setup on its own dongle. (Maritime — needs a 162 MHz antenna and ships within VHF range.)
Save. The panel applies the settings and restarts the bridge for you.

The Decoders status pill turns green and Emitted starts climbing once aircraft are decoded.

Running both bands at once? On a Pi 4B all USB ports share one bus. Two RTL-SDRs (one per band) are light and coexist cleanly — the recommended dual-band setup. An AirSpy gives better 1090 range but streams ~6× heavier; paired with a second SDR on the same bus it can crowd the other one (sdrTAK auto-recovers, but for uninterrupted dual-band prefer two RTLs, or give the AirSpy its own USB controller). See the sdrTAK User Manual → Choosing your SDR.

3.4 Activate your license

sdrTAK includes a 30-day trial — it works immediately, nothing to do. The panel's License pill shows the trial and days remaining. When the trial ends, the decoders stop (the panel stays up so you can activate) and the pill reads ACTIVATE.

To license the device at any time: 1. In the panel, open sdrTAK and note the Hardware ID shown in the status strip. 2. Get an sdrTAK activation token for that Hardware ID (from your xTAK licensing contact / activate.xtak.ai). 3. Open sdrTAK → License → paste the token into License Token → Save.

The pill flips to Licensed (this device) and the decoders run normally. Licenses are hardware-tied and verified offline — no internet in the field.

✅ Your SDR bridge is live and licensed.

Verify the full system

Network: the netTAK admin (https://<pi-ip>:5103/) Dashboard shows the node online, and an ATAK device can join the Pi's Wi-Fi and get an address.
Management: the adminTAK panel (https://<pi-ip>:8443/) lists sdrTAK with a green Decoders pill, a climbing Emitted count, and a Licensed status.
The bridge, end to end: on an ATAK/WinTAK device connected to the netTAK Wi-Fi, aircraft within range of your antenna appear as map markers with callsign, altitude, and heading.

That's the whole system: radio in → TAK map out, on a self-contained, off-grid network, managed from one panel.

Updating & uninstalling

Each part updates the same way it installed — copy the newer bundle over and re-run its installer; your settings (and sdrTAK's license) are preserved.

Product	Update	Uninstall
netTAK	re-run `install.sh <same-node-name>`	`sudo ~/nettak-install-*-arm64/uninstall.sh`
adminTAK	re-run `sudo bash install.sh`	`sudo bash /opt/adminTAK/uninstall.sh`
sdrTAK	re-extract to `/opt/` + `sudo bash install.sh`	`sudo bash /opt/cot_sdr/uninstall.sh` (add `--wipe` to also remove settings + SDR drivers)

If something's not right

Symptom	Fix
Can't reach a panel after reboot	Reconnect to the Pi's wired IP; the AP address (`10.1.x.1`) is separate. Accept the self-signed-cert warning.
adminTAK panel doesn't list sdrTAK	`sudo systemctl restart adminTAK` (sdrTAK's installer normally does this for you).
sdrTAK Decoders pill idle	No SDR selected/plugged. Plug it in, set SDR Device per band in the panel, Save. Run `SoapySDRUtil --find` on the Pi to see connected dongles.
Both bands, one keeps dropping	Two heavy SDRs on the Pi's shared USB bus. Use two RTL dongles, or give the AirSpy its own USB controller. It auto-recovers meanwhile.
License pill says ACTIVATE	Trial ended — paste a token on the License page (step 3.4). The panel stays reachable so you can.
Aircraft don't appear in ATAK	Check the antenna + that ATAK is on the netTAK Wi-Fi. `multicast_ttl` must be `32` (LAN-wide), not `0`.

Live bridge log, any time: sudo journalctl -u cot-sdr -f

sdrTAK · adminTAK · netTAK (standalone). A product suite of xTAK — www.xtak.ai.

sdrTAK is a product of xTAK (Altay Corporation). Support & licensing: Support.

sdrTAKInstall Guide.