ACARS Queries

[Brian L]

I am relatively new to RB and am still finding my way around it so please forgive me if the answer to the questions that follow are obvious - because they are not to me!

It appears to me that if I want to operate ACARS with RB I have to download it from the website and then pay a recurring 6 monthly 'subscription.'

1. Have I understood this correctly?

2. I do not like recurring subscriptions! There are enough of them hitting my bank account already. Therefore is there an alternative, such as a 'once only' purchase?

Many thanks

Brian

[DaveG]

I maybe wrong, but I think the recurring payment is if you wish to pull networked/internet data down.  Using it for obtaining live ACARS I think is one payment.  As I said "I think"

[AirNav Support]

A bit of confusion:

RadarBox provides a feature which allows you to connect to ACARS Decoder.
RadarBox has a network feature which is a subscription based after the intial free year.

To purchase ACARS Decoder, you will need to take out a subscription but you can cancel at anytime. Those who bough ACARS Decoder before 2005 won't have a subscription and theres is for life.

I hope that helpss.

[Brian L]

Thanks for the replies so far, Dave and Support.

1. If pre-2005 purchasers have got ACARS for life why can't newcomers like me also buy it for life with one payment? From the explanation so far I cannot see any justification for a subscription, though a one-of payment would be fair enough.

This sounds a bit like Manchester Airport where they have recently put up entrance fees to the Aviation Viewing Park to finance a new hanger for Concorde and other developements, thus making the project self financing. But then they will charge the same people who have financed the project again to enter it! I think this is known as a double whammy!

2. IF I go to the website and take out a subscription how do I get it to inter act with RB - or does it do so automatically?

Brian

[Allocator]

A bit of confusion:

RadarBox provides a feature which allows you to connect to ACARS Decoder.
RadarBox has a network feature which is a subscription based after the intial free year.

To purchase ACARS Decoder, you will need to take out a subscription but you can cancel at anytime. Those who bough ACARS Decoder before 2005 won't have a subscription and theres is for life.

I hope that helpss.

I bought ACARS Decoder before 2005, but I purchased it again in error thinking my subcription had expired - now I'm stuck with the 6 monthly charge!

[AirNav Support]

Allocator contact support and we will take a look and get you a refund if posssible.

Brian L:

1.) Version 2 was released which used the AirNav Servers (pictures and acars stations etc..) It was decided that it was too much of strain on the servers (and fiancially) and that the subscription would be introduced as it was ongoing cost for us.

Obviously to those who bought before the subscriptions we did NOT force them to pay again when they had bought knowing they were buying for life.

2.) Start ACAR Decoder first, then RadarBox and then go to ACARS tab and tick the box at the bottom to start the connection.

Any further questions relating to ACARS Decoder please contact support direct as this forum is for RadarBox only.

[Allocator]

Allocator contact support and we will take a look and get you a refund if posssible.

Thanks, I'll dig out my original receipt :-)

[AirNav Support]

We will have the records just send them a mail with your details.

[Marinus]

@Support,

Why not sell Airnav Acars decoder without the Network and picture download
feature ?
Now users are forced to renew their subscriptions in order to be able to
decode Acars messages, and I think lots of people don't like that (including me)
and therefore revert to free acars software like Wacars\Jacars

I for one was very dissapointed to learn that the registration codes that were
handed out to me by Andre Brandao personally ( I was a beta tester) aren't valid
anymore and won't enable me to decode Acars messages thus rendering the software
unusable.....

[Allocator]

We will have the records just send them a mail with your details.

Thanks for your help Support, all sorted now :-)

All the best

Allocator

[cruiser01]

Dear all,

I'm newbie of this forum.
Im' not expert about ACARS, but today I bought my new AirNav radar box and ACARS decoder interface program.
I read something about ACARS so my question is:
if I want to use my ACARS decoder I need to connect the laptop to the Radio Scanner receiver on the audio input. Ok for the real ACARS receiving.
In this case, which frequencies I need to set up on my scanner?
Otherwise I can use the internet connection with the 6 months subscription and I have the ACARS messages from the net. It's ok, but I wish to improve also my real scanning receiver with the ACARS decoder interface, directly from my laptop and/or through the radar box.
Thank you very much for patient and courtesy.
Ciao
Andrea

[Allocator]

Andrea,

Check out the ACARS Decoder Help file, I'm sure that the VHF frequencies are listed there along with instructions for connecting your radio.

[nortonbeak]

The ACARS Decoder help file may not be up to date.

It does not list these "new" frequencies, for instance

136.750   New European frequency
131.850   New European frequency

which are shown at the ACARSD web site.

[cruiser01]

Hi Gents,

thank you very much for your prompt answers and information.
So how is the best method to receive the ACARS? Is better to set the frequencies and activate the scanning mode or select a specific frequency and keep under monitoring only the selected freq.?
Furthermore, wich method is applied from the aircrafts using a specific freq.?
By the company rules, international laws or what?
I.e. living in the north of Italy which freq. are available for this? If i select the 136.750 and/or 131.850 I should be able to receive something?
Tnks again

[nortonbeak]

I get a lot of traffic in UK using 131.725.

My receiver is ICOM PCR1000 which is a little slow to scan all the frequencies.

I suggest that you experiment to find which gives you the best results.