AR-DV1 ACARS decoding software for Windows

[MikeTheListener]

Hello everyone,
after having had good experiences with decoding HFDL signals on shortwave,
I wanted to try the ACARS signals in the VHF aeronautical radio band.
Unfortunately, I can't find any good software that runs under Windows (preferably WIN 7).
Either these are all so old that they can no longer be installed under WIN 7 or only run under Linux.
Do you have a good tip for me which software for Windows delivers good results? AOR AR-DV 1 or
an ICOM IC-R 8500 are available as RX. The signal would go through the line-out of the RX to the line-in
of the PC and then go through the sound card into the decoder software (that's my idea),

I would be very happy about your tips, thanks in advance.

MIke

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Have you tried multipsk? Other software titles linked in wiki below

ACARS - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

 

[RaleighGuy]

Have you tried multipsk? Other software titles linked in wiki below

ACARS - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

Multipsk does not do "ACARS VHF mode decoding" function, in non-licencied version. Unless I can test it to ensure it works I don't want to pay for a license (if one is even available anymore).

 

[Saint]

Multipsk does not do "ACARS VHF mode decoding" function, in non-licencied version. Unless I can test it to ensure it works I don't want to pay for a license (if one is even available anymore).

ACARS decoder works in Multipsk, you can use it for 5 minutes at a time if you have not bought the program I have the licenced version Of Multipsk and it works flawlessly.
Steve

 

[RaleighGuy]

ACARS decoder works in Multipsk, you can use it for 5 minutes at a time if you have not bought the program I have the licenced version Of Multipsk and it works flawlessly.
Steve

It won't let me use the demo version on ACARS, but thanks for the positive comments about it.

 

[Saint]

Take a look at the video
Steve

 

[morfis]

Seems strange that you say the software won't install with windowsa 7 - most VHF ACARS softweare is OLD and works better with old versions of windows or DOS.

It's a mode that is used less and less - not sure why you'd devote a very expesive communicastions grade receiver or a DV1 to it.

Using a simple rtl device and acarsdeco2 you'd be able to monitor multiple frequencies (if within a couple of meg of each other) on a very basic PC. Lots of oprions for other OS variants cheap too.

These days using something like a raspberrypi and a few rtl devices is the way to go for your aviation data. Relatively small outlay and multiple data streams at the same time with no user intervention needed once running.. Leaving your comms receivers for more interesting stuff.

 

[mciupa]

I use KG-ACARS with a mono cable plugged into the earphone jack. Mostly for the DATA as opposed for the plane plotting on the map. It is hard to obtain a working copy on line, though.

 

[morfis]

Audio from DV1 to onboard sound via stereo cable of unknown origin.

Make of this what you will. I don't use these but thought it would be fun to fire them up again to see what it was like when computers were measured in the number of valves they contained)

PDW:
Free. Seems to have more parity/decoding errors than other software. Even on a clean signal it's missing occasional messages completely



KGACARS:
Free. Incomprehensible interface. Reasonable decoding



Sorceror:
Free. Always found it quite unstable but a handy tool (for other modes never actually tried it on ACARS before). Removes some parts of the messages (maybe operator error but I couldn't see a way to get the complete formatted message)



Multipsk:
Paid: Decodes dozens of modes no-one has seen for 20 years. Horrible (control) GUI. Reasonable ACARS decoding. Apart from that it's not bad and I use it for other things. Will work with audio input or with direct sdr input




I would include screenshots of Airmaster (original DoS and Windoze variants....AEA/Timewave licensed it in the US) but it's running on an old standalone PC at my home (and has been since the 1990s). Isn't it strange that most decoders use 'Airmaster' format for display layout as it's more human readable.

For a more 'modern' comparison but still windows:
A couple of screenshots of acarsdeco2 on windows which is using a cheap dvb-t dongle and monitoring three frequencies simultaneously (the other two here are several MHz away so would need a second dongle). One screenshot of the web-based GUI and one of the CLI display.






The linux route via something simple like a raspberry pi and rtl device opens up a lot of other possibilities and particularly so if you want to combine the monitoring of other ACARS transport layers rather than just old fashioned plain VHF ACARS (which as I said, is slowly being phased out). As that route is more modern there's no shortage of tutorials, goontube carp and mailing lists.

Probably ought to do something my bank manager would consider constructive now

 

[morfis]

or not...

I hadn't bothered looking at the 'new' ACARS decoder plugin for SDRuno. As far as I can see it is based on the open source code of Thierry Leconte (GitHub - TLeconte/acarsdec: ACARS SDR decoder - which is what I use in my home linux data station).
There are two versions of the plugin, one for single frequency and one for multiple frequencies within a couple of MHz bandwidth (why not leverage the full bandwidth available and do all the plain freqs?)

Anyway, a screengrab with the mult-frequency variant plugin in latest SDRuno fed from an RSPduo



(and for reference, all three 'receivers' were fed from the same antenna via a CrossCountryWireless multicoupler with no attempt to optimise or fine tune for performance)