Decoding ACARS on VHF with your SDR Radio - Monitoring Aviation Communications Ep 5

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This video shows most of the kinds of messages you will receive if you set up an SDR radio to decode ACARS transmissions in the VHF air band.
I used the following 2 SDRs in the making of this video :
RTL-SDR v3 - amzn.to/2NIGGGZ
NooElec NESDR SMArt - amzn.to/2YKlh6p
To see a review of these 2 budget SDRs you can watch my Budget SDR Shootout at • 2020 SDR Guide Ep 3 : ...
Of course you can use any SDR that covers the VHF airband to decode ACARS transmissions.
The scanner I use most for airband is the Uniden Bearcat BCT15X which you can find at amzn.to/2RcalNE
Software used :
acarsdec - github.com/TLeconte/acarsdec
Black Cat ACARS - blackcatsystems.com/software/b...
AcarSdeco2 - xdeco.org/
If you are new to the world of SDR, check out the 2020/2021 SDR Guide videos which will help you discover what your Software Defined Radio is capable of!
As always, thanks for watching the Frugal Radio (FR) channel :-)

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30 апр 2021

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Комментарии : 88

@scellyyt 3 года назад

I love your channel so much. All info and help on how to do things, no waffle or time wasted. Keep up the good work.

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

Thanks @Scelly. I'm pleased to hear you're enjoying the channel!

@karlkarlsson6635 3 года назад

Thank you :) I have also been using various WEBSDR to decode HF Acars

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

Excellent. That's also how I got started with ACARS!

@cranefly23 3 года назад

Very comprehensive. Thank you.

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

You're welcome Perry.

@sunsetcoastswl6988 3 года назад

Wow...at least for me watching this video and trying to digest the information is like trying to drink from a fire hose...tremendous amount of good information described. I will have to rewatch this video many times! I suspect the content of this video could be easily broken into multiple videos. Good video, sir!

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

Yes, lots to take in for sure. Enjoy your ACARS decoding!

@sunsetcoastswl6988 3 года назад

Frugal Radio...the topics you covered are "graduate-level" subject material :-) I think eventually Ill get there in 4 years study! :-) You must work in the communications profession to understand this subject matter as well as you do. Very good content!

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

Well I'm glad you're enjoying the topics. Once you've spent some more time in the hobby, more will make sense!

@danedewaard8215 3 года назад

Very interesting, thanks for all of this information!!!

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

I agree Dan, it is very interesting!

@sirac19 3 года назад

really extremely informative, thanks

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

Good. I always hope people can learn something from my videos. Thanks for your comment.

@zazugee Год назад

I'm impressed by how far those ACARS messages go over VHF. like today one coordinate was like 286km away while using same setup (RTL SDR v3 with stock dipole) range is 150km on ADS-B, and VHF voice is similar like 100km would be understandable so it makes sense why ACARS messaging is a more reliable mean of communicating

@FrugalRadio Год назад

High flying aircraft transmit a very long way on VHF. The higher the altitude, the greater the distance you can receive it from.

@vmvbeng 3 года назад

Thank you very much. Good useful tutorials..

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

I'm glad they are useful. Thanks for commenting.

@AlHearn 3 года назад

I had been searching for information for a couple of weeks regarding VHR ACARS, frequencies, software, and message interpretation and was having very little luck. Just bits and pieces, and old outdated information. Then on that very day, your new video popped up with everything I needed all in one neat package. Thank you VERY much. All your videos are well done, informative, and timely. Keep them coming. BTW, what Windows software do you recommend for satellite ACARS? I've been trying JAERO but wish there was something better.

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

Thanks for the kind comments Al. I'm glad the video was a timely find for you. With regards to satellite ACARS, Jaero is the only piece of software I know of that decodes it. Perhaps MultiPSK does too - for sure it does VHF ACARS, so it might be worth checking.

@eightspoons Год назад

Brilliant video Rob, thank you for the great content. Is there a way to extract purely OOOI data and can you filter by airline?

@FrugalRadio Год назад

Hi Carl. It depends on what software you're using to decode. Some people run a node-red instance on the network. All data is sent to node red which then parses and filters all messages. Using this method you can discard or view any information you want. Have a look at the Bald Geek pages for more info on that thebaldgeek.github.io/

@eightspoons Год назад

@@FrugalRadio Thanks a lot for your response Rob, it's really appreciated. I'll check their Github and see what I can find. Hope you have a great day and keep up the awesome work!

@timvlismas4578 3 года назад

Thank you for another very interesting video. I use PC-HFDL to decode ACARS as it has a VHF ACARS option as well as a HF one. I think I'll need to view this video a few times as well in order to extract all the good info in it. Do you have many instances of military aircraft using VHF ACARS?

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

I haven't spotted any military on VHF, but my area doesn't get a lot of military activity. I see them on satellite ACARS though.

@timvlismas4578 3 года назад

@@FrugalRadio I seem to remember seeing a USN C-40 on VHF ACARS ages ago, but as you say, I see a lot more military (USAF transports and tankers) on Inmarsat channels too.

@whatthe6620 3 года назад

Thanks for all videos! Could you review about miniwhip antenna with rtl-sdr?

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

Maybe. I've never owned a miniwhip. Is there a particular one you are interested in?

@whatthe6620 3 года назад

@@FrugalRadio I'm interested in the product in ebay www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-Whip-HF-VLF-active-RX-antenna-10kHz-to-30MHz-SO-239-/201735806231?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286 and www.ebay.com/itm/MiniWhip-10KHz-30MHz-2Pcs-Medium-Shortwave-RTL-SDR-Active-Antenna-Radio-Rec-A6G0-/203441960077?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286. The former has profitable coax on my rtl sdr, but I eye catching at the latter, but latter's antenna coax is not fit in my rtl sdr. That makes my head hert lol.

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

Could be interesting to try those. I don't expect I'll be getting one any time soon though, so maybe you can pick one up and run some tests then report back.

@andybolderson325 2 года назад

Hi im in Great site, but admit a lot of this is way over my head, Would love to get into this and get started as a hobby . I would like to be able to monitor the vhf bands and Acars for civil aviation. Q. Do i need a scanner like the Bearcat BCT15x or will the BC125AT work with using this SDR gizmo. Or do you just use a computor, Also could you recommend any training courses somewhere near Surrey BC, I searched for radio clubs near me but not sure if they go into this section enough. I just would like to listen and monitor Thanks Andy

@rider275 4 месяца назад

I have an RTL-SDR v3 with the antenna kit that comes with the device. Would I be able to use this antenna or should I purchase an antenna specific for ACARS? The videos are really informative! I am looking forwarding to figuring out how to listen to air traffic in my area of southern California. Thanks!

@FrugalRadio 4 месяца назад

A lot will depend on your location. Outdoor antennas will generally offer better performance, providing it doesn't overload with other strong signals nearby.

@rider275 4 месяца назад

@@FrugalRadio Thank you. I watched a video from Tech Minds for an indoor active loop antenna for shortwave as well as the desktop discone from Moonraker. Thanks for the reply and the suggestion!

@markh3684 3 года назад

@Frugal Radio Do you have a video detailing why you use the RTL-SDR on Windows and the NooElec on Linux? I'm curious to the reasoning behind those particular HW/OS combinations.. thanks

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

Great question Mark! However the Linux machine is actually powering both an RTL-SDR and a NooElec device. It just so happened that I used whichever was closer to hand. I have not experienced any difference in signal strength or quality from one OS to the other. Performance on the receivers should be the same, no matter if using Linux or Windows. I also use the NooElec sticks on Windows too.

@Wayne-Pr 3 года назад

Another great Video, looking forward to the Satellite video. Not sure if you have seen this head line in your part of the world. LONDON CITY QUIETLY CONVERTS TO VIRTUAL ATC OPERATIONS. I would post the URL but I know youtube hates url's. 😢 Rgs Wayne.

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

Morning Wayne. I was aware they were moving towards it, and had read of the decision to do so a few years ago. I also watched a video on the trial they ran. Good to know it's live. The ATCOs I'm sure would get used to it fairly quickly. Only really affects Tower & Ground positions, and they train at Virtual Airports / Towers when gaining their license anyway (at least at NavCanada facilities anyway). At Calgary, the Arrivals position is staffed by a controller 3 hours away in Edmonton! But this 'experiment' at London City is taking remote controlling to a new level!

@gabrielprates8385 Год назад

hi sir. do you have a databe with your messages? I'm a making database just with flight numbers, registration, dep and arr for every day of the past years. But I'm having a hard time finding old data.

@RaptorJesus10 3 года назад

Can you do a video on beginner antennas? This is very interesting but you can't do anything without first picking up the signal. Thanks!

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

Have you watched this episode yet? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZPt9ct4lEYE.html

@stevebarker257 11 месяцев назад

I wondered if there is a written hard copy guide anyway to deciphering CPDLC and its use within Oceanic ATC

@FrugalRadio 11 месяцев назад

Not that I know of. You can download the official manual for pilots though. Just search for "ICAO gold CPDLC" for lots of informative reading.

@christophermanning6976 2 года назад

Just wondering about what antennae is best for this? Thanks - I have both types of hardware dongle and am not sure which antennae is best. Thanks

@FrugalRadio 2 года назад

An outdoor antenna, mounted at / above roof height is going to work well. Many people use a wideband discone, but I prefer an antenna tuned to the airband. If you check out the 2020 SDR Guide episode on antennas you'll see some instructions on how to calculate sizes etc.

@jaym1301 2 года назад

I compiled acarsdec on my Debian desktop PC, connected my NESDR SMArt and an airband dipole upstairs tuned to around 131MHz and it's working. I have a question: can it write both to stdout and also keep a log of messages to refer to later? Edit: figured it out myself. Open a second terminal and run tail -f /path/to/acarsdec/logfile. Now I need a third SDR dongle (one's for ADS-B on Pi) and second VHF airband antenna so I can also monitor voice communications. :)

@FrugalRadio 2 года назад

Glad you figured it out. Well done!

@laminez1920 3 года назад

So if you have a PI runing PIaware using one RTL-SDR then you can run ACARSDEC on the same dongle? how will the SDR monitor 1090mhz and Acars frequencies at the same time?

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

Good question. You can use the same Pi, but it would require 2 dongles. 1 for 1090 MHz, the other for 130 MHz.

@laminez1920 3 года назад

@@FrugalRadio I have been having issue with PC-HFDL decoding ACARS. Do you need to have Channel A and B on VHF? Usually I have SDR# sharp tuned into the ACARS freq. And audio set up on VB Cable but it does not do any decoding. I have soundboard set up for cable output( VB-Audio Virtual) and it does listen but nothing happens. Can you share your set up you have for decoding on that software?

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

PC-HFDL is only for HF ACARS. It won't work for VHF. You would need to use a piece of software mentioned in this episode, or an alternative VHF ACARS decoder.

@414RadioTech Год назад

You know there's some similar data squats like that happening on all 5 license free VHF M u r s frequencies lately it sounds just like that similar and I don't know what the hell it is if I can find a video on it I'll be sure to paste it and put it on the comments at least somebody should be able to decode this on an SDR hopefully and then put it into whatever that is because every time I use that I'm hearing nothing but those data squats on all five frequencies and I hate using PL tones because I like to have my radio in open mode so if somebody's in distress I can actually take action on it and provide assistance

@stephenrammer363 Год назад

I have the SDRplay but I do like the software So I decided to try RTL-SDR dongle because of the software - I can't get it to load up. I've fiddled with it for several days so now have to seek HELP. Does any one reading this know what I am doing wrong. Thank You Steve

@FrugalRadio Год назад

What error are you seeing? Did you install the RTL-SDR drivers? Have you run Zadig? www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-quick-start-guide/

@kh6qmchristophercolquhoun695 3 года назад

Can do a setup one

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

A set up video? About which piece of software?

@kh6qmchristophercolquhoun695 3 года назад

@@FrugalRadio One you think is the best to use

@sudhanshu.13 3 года назад

Hey i live in india and here we don't have much information about police frequency how can i search them in SDR sharp

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

Hi. Your best bet would be to find some local Amateur Radio hobbyists. They would be aware of the various uses of radio spectrum in your country. Look wherever they tell you! Otherwise, hook up SDR#, and start tuning in 1MHz increments while viewing 2MHz of bandwidth. Stop when you see active frequencies, and remain on them for a while. Save them in the frequency list and write them down in your notes somewhere for further investigation later.

@sudhanshu.13 3 года назад

@@FrugalRadio ok thanks a lot

@drmisfit 3 года назад

thankyou for adding very interesting but its a bit beyond me to try to set up i think ??

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

It depends on what software you're comfortable using. The Black Cat ACARS is very simple to use if you can pipe audio from your software defined radio package (SDR#, SDRUno etc) to a free virtual cable.

@drmisfit 3 года назад

@@FrugalRadio thankyou fir your very prompt reply , I not using any at the moment , I was hoping you was going to post a video on this , I’m currently just started using the RTL sdr dongle with Airspy I downloaded the community package with the scanning option, I believe I have downloaded a virtual audio cable

@FrugalRadio 3 года назад

You're off to a good start then. Maybe I'll do some tutorial videos in the future, giving more details.

@drmisfit 3 года назад

@@FrugalRadio still trying to get to grips with the scanning function in Airspy don’t know what the red line and the other line does that you can adjust up and down , and also it doesn’t seem to rescan after receiving a signal, but thankyou very much for your help stay safe and looking forward to your next videos 😃

@drmisfit 3 года назад

I see they do an phone App which you can just put next to the radio

@zazugee Год назад

i got this earlier over VHF: [#1 (F:131.725 L:-48.0 E:0) 05/05/2023 23:32:20.765 -------------------------------- Mode : E Label : 88 Id : 6 Nak Aircraft reg: 9H-TQY Flight id: 3L0653 No: M08A Reassembly: skipped 3K01 WXRQ 0653/05 LPPT/FNLU .9H-TQY /ACT DNKN/FKKD/FOOL /TAF DNKN/FKKD/FOOL /ATS / / is someone joking or are those some aeronautical jargon i have no clue about? xd

@FrugalRadio Год назад

LPPT/FNLU is the route. Lisbon to the main airport in Angola. The flight ID & aircraft registration are also listed. TAF is a Terminal Area Forecast - so the plane is going to receive a broadcast with the expected aviation weather for the airports listed. There is more info that will follow in other signal blips.

@keukenrol 2 года назад

AcarsDeco2 is now available on github: github.com/abcd567a/ad2

@FrugalRadio 2 года назад

Excellent. Thanks for letting us know!

@jaym1301 Год назад

For you and others who monitor ACARS and/or VDL messages 24x7 please consider feeding them to airframes.io which is a hobbyist ACARS aggregator site, similar to ADS-B aggregators (FlightAware, FlightRadar24, etc.) though it's non-commercial. The dev, Kevin, is also working on incorporating HFDL messages, and the site's currently under very active development. I know that Kevin would appreciate the additional data. Visit the website to learn how to feed and how to chat with Kevin online if you need help or want more information Thanks.

@jaym1301 Год назад

Wee disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with the site, I've just been trying to help Kev by feeding him the data he needs to develop new features (such as HFDL) and providing data from my part of the world (the Philippines.)