Radio and hardware decoders: OBD-II, MIDI, ADS-B, AIS and CAN
Radio and hardware decoders interpret the messages that physical devices exchange — vehicle diagnostic trouble codes and CAN frames, MIDI events, aircraft ADS-B and ship AIS broadcasts, APRS packets and dial tones — turning raw bytes or codes into the event or value they describe.
Hardware, Radio & Telecom tools
DTMF Touch-Tone Decoder
Decode dual-tone multi-frequency dial tones.
APRS Radio Decoder
Decode APRS position and message packets.
ADS-B Message Decoder
Decode raw Mode-S / ADS-B aircraft telemetry frames.
AIS Vessel Decoder
Decode AIS NMEA 0183 vessel-tracking payloads.
OBD-II Trouble Code Decoder
Look up OBD-II diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs).
CAN Bus Packet Decoder
Decode CAN bus frames and identifiers.
MIDI Message Decoder
Decode MIDI status and data bytes into events.
RS-232 / Serial Decoder
Analyze serial framing, baud and byte values.
Sub-GHz / 433MHz Decoder
Decode 433MHz remote-control signal captures.
Which decoder do I need?
- A check-engine code like P0420 or U0100
- OBD-II Trouble Code
- MIDI bytes like 90 3C 64
- MIDI Message
- A hex Mode-S frame from an SDR receiver
- ADS-B Message
- An !AIVDM NMEA sentence
- AIS Vessel
About hardware, radio & telecom decoding
Hardware protocols pack meaning into very few bits. An OBD-II code such as P0420 identifies a system, a standard or manufacturer-specific code and a specific fault; a three-byte MIDI message carries a note, a channel and a velocity; a 112-bit ADS-B frame carries an aircraft's identity, position or velocity.
The OBD-II trouble-code decoder and the MIDI message decoder are live today. The radio and bus decoders are on the roadmap, and each page already explains the frame format in detail.
Frequently asked questions
What do the letters in an OBD-II code mean?
The first letter is the system: P for powertrain, B for body, C for chassis and U for network. A 0 as the second character marks a generic SAE code; a 1 marks a manufacturer-specific one.
Can I receive ADS-B and AIS signals myself?
Yes. Both are unencrypted broadcasts — ADS-B at 1090 MHz and AIS around 162 MHz — and an inexpensive RTL-SDR dongle with free software can receive them.
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