Hi Bob,
No worries re the next visit to Sydney. Just keep in touch
Further investigation into the FR24 network specifically shows we currently have multiple sharers in Central Australia. There's an ADS-B sharer based in Tennant Creek under the code of 'Radar: F-YTNK1', another near Ballera in SW QLD under the code 'Radar: T-YLLE1' and one near Aice Springs as 'Radar: F-YBAS1'.
Both YTNK1 and YBAS1 users are NOT currently uploading their SBS feeds into PlanePlotter or PlaneFinder. So in this instance FlightRadar24 has a complete edge over its competitors in relation to 'available coverage' - So therefore in fact, maybe what you
were seeing last week over Central Australia was not actually predicitons (if you were monitoring FR24), as this map now shows clear coverage across most of the gap.
Who knows whether these particular sharer feeds are maintained 24/7 either, so at other times it
might be predicted aircraft showing (at least in the case of PlaneFinder), but YTNK1 and YBAS1 are definitely showing up and online today.
- The YTNK1 user is sharing to FR24, but NOT PlanePlotter nor PlaneFinder.
- The YBAS1 user is sharing to FR24, but NOT PlanePlotter nor PlaneFinder.
- It appears that the YLLE1 user is sharing to FR24, PlanePlotter and PlaneFinder, which you can see nicely above.
Bob, another thing to note for both FR24 and PlaneFinder, (which I've just noticed) is that both sites are actually capable of overlaying their maps with FAA data feeds (at least the US feeds), and these aircraft currently display on both webistes as the golden, brown or bronze looking aircraft icons.