Whats your ACARS setup?

[R1VINCE]

Im interested to see what the community here uses to decode VHF/HF ACARS as far as hardware involved. I think it may help others that may be interested in "how/what to do" when/if they get interested in this sort of thing.


Im only doing VHF for now.
I use a dedicated PRO 2006 with the line out going into the soundcard of an old Sony laptop w/docking port.
I use both Airnav and KGACARS for decode. Im sucessfully getting 200-300+ hits a day(10-12hours) of ACARS messages decoded on Airnav.
My antenna is a Diamond D130J.

Theres mine-whats yours?

 

[kma371]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3GS: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)

I use planeplotter with a non dedicated 996XT. It seems to decode better than the AirNav program.

 

[CalebATC]

I use a Vertex VXA-220 aviation transceiver and a homebrew 1/4 wave, with my main PC decoding it, usually I set it up about 1-5 times a month just to see whats going on. Get about 200 hits in 3 hours, about 5 messages a minute, on one frequency. Works great!

Use Airnav for messeges, and Plane Plotter for position reports. I have tracked planes from Savannah, Georgia to the TN/KY border.

 

[bglatour001]

I just set up an old Panasonic Toughbook CF-27 running AirNav ACARS Decoder 1.0 hooked up to an old Icom IC-A3 airband HT with stock duck antenna. Works pretty good. I'm new at this so I'm still trying to figure out all the codes. Looks like gibberish to me. Lol.

 

[n0nhj]

I've got a dedicated older Pro2026 with the discriminator tapped. I've got a basic 1/4 wave VHF that runs through a commercial antenna multicoupler that feeds several other scanners in addition to this one.

It feeds a desktop that I also use for some ham applications that run 24/7, and is running ACARSD.
I sit in the bottom of a valley so my coverage is a bit limited. But during the winter and summer seasons, gets quite a bit of the traffic going in/out of the resorts.

Chuck
Glenwood Springs, CO

 

[KC8JNV]

Acarsd?

I do like ACARSD cause I can use 5 soundcard inputs including both left and right audio so really i have 10 inputs. I have two dedicated cheapy uniden handies right now that provide a pretty good picture. I actually made an antenna to feed them that is a 1/2 wave made out of 1/2 copper pipe so it has a wide bandwidth which helps considering it's cut for 136.80

 

[KC1UA]

HP 5710 Thin Client running Windows XP Embedded and a Radio Shack PRO-2042. Airnav ACARS Decoder version 2.0 primarily. Didn't have much luck with KGACARS and I find ACARSD to be somewhat flaky. I use an Antennacraft Scantenna primarily.

 

[majoco]

Acarsd, BCT8 and a 20" whip magmounted up on the roof. Works well, although not much traffic down here! No map pins plotted but comparing HF (radio to AKL) with the Acars I'm gettin a good 200nm range to the west and a bit less to the northeast as the US stuff comes in to AKL.

 

[rexgame]

When I still had my equipment, one 350A in the long metal case, one 350A in the short newer shorter case, one 350C with the NASCAR branding and one regular 350C with back of set antennas all feeding one or two instances of ACARSD.

 

[vagrant]

- PlanePlotter
- Uniden 2500XLT Bearcat (Rusty)
- Dell Inspiron 8200 laptop (Crusty)
- RadioShack Discone (20-043) about 35ft up
- I'm getting about 160 mile radius so far.

I've been listening to the scanner for decades and stumbled onto ACARS only just a few days ago, while searching for information on something else entirely. Low and behold I'm pulling in stuff with a 160 mile radius. I'm in Central California (Fresno), so I'm seeing plenty of flights between Los Angeles and San Francisco and from Nevada to the Pacific. I love that PlanePlotter provides the different views, so I can find out that seat 30J on a United flight has loose velcro.

I actually stumbled upon ADSB first, which led me to ACARS. Hopefully there's plenty of ADSB action going on, wherever I may roam as I'm ordering the microadsb device. This is totally fun.

 

[kma371]

- PlanePlotter
- Uniden 2500XLT Bearcat (Rusty)
- Dell Inspiron 8200 laptop (Crusty)
- RadioShack Discone (20-043) about 35ft up
- I'm getting about 160 mile radius so far.

I've been listening to the scanner for decades and stumbled onto ACARS only just a few days ago, while searching for information on something else entirely. Low and behold I'm pulling in stuff with a 160 mile radius. I'm in Central California (Fresno), so I'm seeing plenty of flights between Los Angeles and San Francisco and from Nevada to the Pacific. I love that PlanePlotter provides the different views, so I can find out that seat 30J on a United flight has loose velcro.

I actually stumbled upon ADSB first, which led me to ACARS. Hopefully there's plenty of ADSB action going on, wherever I may roam as I'm ordering the microadsb device. This is totally fun.

Check your email

 

[jmhayes]

I built a box to hold 8 BC350Cs with an active splitter and run the Linux version of ACARSD

 

[kma371]

I built a box to hold 8 BC350Cs with an active splitter and run the Linux version of ACARSD

Are you feeding that to PP?


---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.752126,-121.438045

 

[jmhayes]

Are you feeding that to PP?

Not presently. I've been working with Bev to figure out a way to link ACARSD to PP, but for now I'm utilizing the dual-channel (x4) capability of ACARSD ... PP only does one channel. I'd need 8 computers

 

[kma371]

Not presently. I've been working with Bev to figure out a way to link ACARSD to PP, but for now I'm utilizing the dual-channel (x4) capability of ACARSD ... PP only does one channel. I'd need 8 computers

Yeah that was a dumb question on my part, I didn't read the ACARSD part

I'm hoping to get the "beast" soon



---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.752136,-121.438066

 

[R1VINCE]

I built a box to hold 8 BC350Cs with an active splitter and run the Linux version of ACARSD

thats impressive!

 

[vagrant]

Not presently. I've been working with Bev to figure out a way to link ACARSD to PP, but for now I'm utilizing the dual-channel (x4) capability of ACARSD ... PP only does one channel. I'd need 8 computers

That answers some questions I had about doing the same thing. I'd prefer to use only one, or two computers as well.

Update:
- microadsb is on it's way

 

[home121]

microadsb

That answers some questions I had about doing the same thing. I'd prefer to use only one, or two computers as well.

Update:
- microadsb is on it's way

could you please tell me where did you get that program from and how much, im interested in it ? I just loaded a free one acars, its not to impressive. I do'nt mind buying a good program, Im kind of new at acars but really interested in it. thank's alot.

 

[kma371]

could you please tell me where did you get that program from and how much, im interested in it ? I just loaded a free one acars, its not to impressive. I do'nt mind buying a good program, Im kind of new at acars but really interested in it. thank's alot.

The microadsb is hardware. Go here for more information
www.microadsb.com

If you go here, you can download/purchase software that interfaces with the microadsb
PlanePlotter from COAA