As for guides. It's a pretty big community so just use the keywords from above [RTL-SDR, ADSB, DUMP1090] and you should get a lot of guides on tracking aircraft.
As a newbie to all this radio fun, I setup my little rig using antirez's dump1090...Why? ...Because on github the antirez repo actually has instructions on usage (not only installation/setup). Also - and likely more important - upon conducting online searching for dump1090 setups, the search engines point to (or at least did back a few months ago when i first set my rig up) tutorials that used/referenced antirez's software. Sure, those tutorials might be a little dated...but hey, at least they helped me - again, a newb with all this - to get going. I don't mean any offense to the flightaware folks, but if they included usage instructions (and other info) that might go a long way with other newbies like myself. (The irony is not lost on me that all of this software is free, and I'm politely asking for "more info"...but hey ;-)
The forks are functionally better but missed the point. Dump1090 created this large community because the code was well written. Forks have a lot of mess inside. Anyway I updated my code a few weeks ago to switch to open street maps.
Although it out date I was amazed, after using the original dump1090 after work for a few years, that is 'the' antirez, the author of redis that I used during work. :)
You can also pick up a flightaware dongle, they have extra hardware inside of them that lets you pick up aircraft a bit further out/with more information. Benefit if you pick up one of those normal sdr kits from nooelec is that it comes with antennas. Easiest way to start is to take one of the antenna and trim it down to 14cm and stick the magnetic base on the roof of a car.
I use a raspberry pi, a couple cheap USB radio receivers, and use it with my tablet to show the weather and nearby traffic in the air. On android, you can link the flight data via wifi (from the pi) to a tablet running Avare (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ds.avare&h...) or some of the other flight tools on a moving map. Super helpful, as when flight following says there is someone somewhere, you stand a chance of being able to find them faster. It also pulls weather information in the air... which with moving map near real time is fantastic.
This site has a getting started section: https://www.adsbexchange.com/how-to-feed/ but I want to know the hardware to buy, the right place to put the receiver etc. Last time I did this (broadcasting police radio to broadcastify) it was a lot of forum searching and I'm hoping to avoid that this time.
ADS-B Exchange has a very active Discord channel where they will help you pick the right equipment and walk you though the setup process. https://discord.gg/JJ6QC4c
