ACARS Software

thebullet · #1 (**permalink**) 06-08-2009, 04:35 PM

Can anyone suggest any free ACARS software, I have tried ACARSD but it does not work for me. If that is the best can someone please give me some instructions to set it up please.

Thanks.

qc · #2 (**permalink**) 06-08-2009, 05:05 PM

Hi, here a good site on ACARS ACARS : Software: ACARS and http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/ACARS

thebullet · #3 (**permalink**) 06-08-2009, 05:23 PM

Thanks for that, I have been on them once before and found that most I tried do not work.

I would like to get ACARSD to work but not sure how.

Thanks.

FoeHammer · #4 (**permalink**) 06-08-2009, 05:42 PM

I have had acarsd working , but havent figured out how to get the mapping to plot properly
but mapping may not be important to you if you can use FlightAware > Live Flight Tracker > Windsor Airport (Windsor, ) [CYQG/YQG]
basically you just have to be on the correct frequency for your area , tun off the squelch , and the tricky part is the volume has to be just right usually betwwen 15 & 19 for me , real low,...make sure you can just barely hear the static coming from your pc (patched from your scanner) you will see the volume indicator in the bottom right area of the acarsd program (you may have to make the window smaller)..

Bill_White · #5 (**permalink**) 06-08-2009, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebullet

Thanks for that, I have been on them once before and found that most I tried do not work.

I would like to get ACARSD to work but not sure how.
Thanks.

What are you trying to set up, client or server?

thebullet · #6 (**permalink**) 06-08-2009, 06:05 PM

A client I think, So I can plug my scanner in and start and recieving acars from my own scanner.

thanks.

Bill_White · #7 (**permalink**) 06-08-2009, 07:19 PM

The client software does not do any decoding.
It collects data from one or more servers and displays it in real time on your screen.

The server will decode ACARS transmissions,
But will not connect to other servers.
Running it as a server or web server is optional.

What is the name of the file you downloaded?

Traffic above me,
WNYacarsd (Western New York) server.
Web server @
http://67.247.182.207:8081/
Subject to change

ka3jjz · #8 (**permalink**) 06-08-2009, 07:21 PM

Check this article out...

ACARS - The RadioReference Wiki

Insofar as setting ACARSD up, as Bill is implying in his response, you'll have to be a lot more specific about what you had problems with setting up. Precisely what is your problem? In addition there is an ACARSD Yahoo group where it's possible you might find additional help. 73 Mike

[edit] Y'know come to think of it, this is the second or third such comment I've heard about setting up ACARSD. This might be a good wiki topic (hint hint)

thebullet · #9 (**permalink**) 06-09-2009, 02:52 AM

It is ACARSD 1.60 and All I did was open the installer, create the directory and install it I did nothing else to it, so should I set up a server?

thebullet · #10 (**permalink**) 06-09-2009, 04:29 PM

Server is now on but I still do not get any messages even thought I can still here the beeps thats are meant to be decoded when I unplug it. My specific problem is that it will not even decode any messages.

ianduke · #11 (**permalink**) 06-10-2009, 12:44 PM

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.162 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/107)

My favourite was the Airnav Suite software.

The ACARSD was peoblematic for me, but their website is great for archival searching of registrations or flight numbers.

thebullet · #12 (**permalink**) 06-10-2009, 02:27 PM

Ah yes the airnav is the best I just dont have the money to buy it :/ but I have tried the demo.

ka3jjz · #13 (**permalink**) 06-10-2009, 03:40 PM

bullet did you leave your squelch completely off? You should hear noise in the speakers. There's a sync tone, I believe, set at 100ms, and many consumer grade scanners cannot open up that fast. If you listen to a raw ACARS signal carefully you will hear it. The software - no matter what you use- also has to hear it.

73 Mike

thebullet · #14 (**permalink**) 06-10-2009, 03:45 PM

Yes the squelch is fully open and I can hear the beeps from the ACARS. I mean when I was using the airnav one on the demo before it ran out I was getting over 70 different flights in a few hours and i am using the same scanner and data cable. I do not hear noise in my speakers as the cable is plugged into the mic socket.

Bill_White · #15 (**permalink**) 06-12-2009, 09:49 AM

Sounds like you pretty much got it set up..
As mentioned before the volume setting is critical.
It must be a lot lower than it has to be for airnav.
Log on to acarsd yahoo group.
In the files section, download the file meters.zip.
Extract one of the meters into your acarsd directory.
They are the same meters, one is horizontal the other vertical.
Turn the volume on your scanner about half way up.
Using the microphone volume slider in the recording control,
adjust the volume so the level on the meters hovers between -30 and -20 db.
If that was you using the Acer Aspire One…
The default recording input is the Stereo Mix aka built in microphone.
Make sure Mic Volume is selected in the recording control.

thebullet · #16 (**permalink**) 06-12-2009, 10:14 AM

Thank you so much that is really helpfull. I have to set the recording volume to 10 because the it wont even go down to zero before it reaches between 20 and 30. But it is really tricky because I hold onto the scanner and set it perfectly but when i let go of it, it goes really quiet again. So setting it at the recording volume at volume 1 it is at 20 and at 0 its under 30 I cant get it inbetween. But at 20 the volume on acars reads 9.

thebullet · #17 (**permalink**) 06-12-2009, 10:24 AM

Right I am getting the beeps and I see on the audio meter when i get one it shoots right up, I also notice this on the AcarsD volume level but they are still not being decoded.

Bill_White · #18 (**permalink**) 06-12-2009, 10:49 AM

It’s hard to get the volume set right on a busy frequency with the meters bouncing around..
Tune the scanner to another, quite, frequency say 121.500, to set the volume.
The volume on my scanners, two into one sound card, is halfway.
In the recording control, the input volume is between the second and third marks on the slider.
Meters hover at a hair over -30db and the volume reading in the taskbar of acarsd is between 8 & 10 with just static coming in.

thebullet · #19 (**permalink**) 06-12-2009, 10:55 AM

I have vista so it is a little different I think. Well, what I have done is gone down to 1 on the recording volume setting on the computer and then reduced the volume on the scanner to about 1/4 and its sitting on 30db now and bouncing a little into 20 and when there is an acars sound it shoots all the way up to the end and back down again, but still nothing being decoded. Is it some settings that need to be changed? At the start I get in red "no MySQL Settings defined" and stuff like "Your ACARS database contains 0 entries". I restarted ACARS and now the volume level has gone. hmm. Thanks for the help.

Bill_White · #20 (**permalink**) 06-12-2009, 11:06 AM

Instead of going over all the settings here in this fourm…
Would you be willing to email me a copy of your acarsd.ini so I can take a look at it?