Why doesn't ACARS show Virgin Blue/Virgin Atlantic flights

[Jack B]

seems strange to me?

[Peter Agatsiotis]

These 2 airlines plus a few others (BA/CX included) don't generally use acars.

We might get the odd VS A346 or CX A330 pop up now and then.

[Mark T]

From memory Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific do use ACARS, but both use a different frequency to the usual ACARS frquency used in Australia.

Cheers
Mark

[Dave Parer]

I don't know about Virgin Atlantic as they don't have flights that pass through Nth Qld, but Cathay Pacific certainly do use acars.

The standard acars frequency used in Australia is 131.55, but I pick up Cathay on a regualar basis as they use 131.45. I picked up messages from the A343 flight from Auckland to Hong Kong this morning;

ACARS mode: 2 Aircraft reg: ..B-HXL
Message label: SA Block id: 8 Msg. no: S42A
Flight id: CX0118
Message content:-
0EV002153VS
-------------------------------------[04/11/2008 10:21]

ACARS mode: 2 Aircraft reg: ..B-HXL
Message label: H1 Block id: 9 Msg. no: C24A
Flight id: CX0118
Message content:-
#CFB.1/FLR/FR0811040026 22833406DMC2 1,,,,,,,FMGEC2 (1CA2) BUS FM2 / DMC2 (1WT2),HARD
-------------------------------------[04/11/2008 10:27]

I miss most of the Cathay flights as my scanner is always set on 131.55, it's only when I'm near the scanner and can switch to 131.45 that I pick up Cathay. I must look into purchasing a 'Dual Watch' scanner similar to what Grahame uses for his www.16Right.com website.

In fact, does anyone know if there is such a thing as a 'Triple Watch' as half of the Jetstar fleet now broadcast acars up my way on 136.125, so I am always switching frequencies on my Uniden scanner to catch as much stuff as I can.

[Jamie D]

and then appears on Grahams 16right acars..

First time i seen a DJ on there

VH-ZPI DJ0000 04/11/2008 18:29 Pacific Blue ERJ 190-100 IGW

First time i seen a DJ on there
is zpi going to pac blue?

[John C]

For some reason the 16R acars decoder has DJ flight numbers as Pacific Blue

All the Virgin Blue E Jets are equipped with ACARS

None are going to PB

[Grahame Hutchison]

Jack,

www.16Right.com (http://www.16Right.com) ACARS was receiving transmissions from British Airways however they seemed to stop about 18 months ago and I have not been able to find out the reason. Virgin Atlantic was also beeing received for a while then seems to have vanished. The virgin Blue B737 fleet do not use ACARS however there was one or two of their aircraft that were transmitting for a short period. Cathay B747 freighters and A3300s are received most days.

John & Jamie,

www.15Right.com (http://www.15Right.com) ACARS uses the flight number to determine the airline and I currently have Pacific Blue listed against DJ in my database, can't remember why, maybe some of their B737s are ACARS equipped, where as Virgin Blue are not. I will change is back to Virgin Blue now that the ERJ 190s are operating.

[Ash W]

...but both use a different frequency to the usual ACARS frquency used in Australia.

Cheers
Mark

It goes a bit futher than simply using a different frequency. ACARS needs to be able to get messages from ground receivers to the airline and vice versa. To do this airlines pay a fee to a data link service provider(DSP). The common ACARS frequency used in Australia (131.550) will route the data through the SITA network.

Below is a table of the DSP and what frequencies they use and how many countries they operate. NB as I said in Aust 131.550 is SITA but in a lot of the rest of the world it is ARINC.


DSP Freq COUNTRIES where used
SITA 131.725 SITA’s Main Base Frequency
ARINC 131.725 AEROTHAI (Korea/Taiwan)
ARINC 131.550 ARINC’s Main Base Frequency
SITA 131.550 DECEA-Brazil, Australia/New Zealand, Asia/Pacific, Korea/Taiwan, Russia, Salvador
AVICOM 131.450 AVICOM-Japan’s Main Base Frequency
ARINC 131.450 AEROTHAI, ADCC-China, Salvador
SITA 131.450 (None)

I beleive that Jetstar for example uses ACARS but have set up their own network of receivers, hence becoming a data link service provider in their own right.

As for why BA has stopped appearing it is quite possible that BA for example has changed service providers and/or the method of transmitting data back to base.

[Dave Parer]

Thanks Ash. I notice about 50% of the JQ A320 fleet are transmitting acars on the 136.125 frequency, with the other 50% and all the A330 fleet still transmitting on 131.55 up in my area.

VH-VQR is one that is now transmitting on 136.125, and JQ's own acars network must be Jacars as per a message from VQR last night which states sent by JQ IFDS / JACARS PAGN;

ACARS mode: t Aircraft reg: .VH-VQR
Message label: C1 Block id: E [Uplink]
Message content:-
IND AT 500 FEET 120/25
VIS: GT 10 KM
WX: SH IN AREA
CLD: FEW020 SCT030
TMP: 22
QNH: 1014
SENT BY JQ IFDS / JACARS PAGN
-------------------------------------[04/11/2008 21:27]

[Dave Parer]

The 136.125 frequency sends many messages of JQ aircraft from anywhere in Aust. Now I live in Townsville, yet have just received this message from VH-VQH, who departed Melbourne about an hour ago for Darwin as JQ61;

ACARS mode: t Aircraft reg: .VH-VQH
Message label: C1 Block id: B [Uplink]
Message content:-

JQ IFDS WX REPORT FOR YPAD
--------------------------
TAF YPAD 042226Z 050024
26014KT 9999 FEW030
FM02 23017KT CAVOK
FM09 24008KT CAVOK
FM11 VRB05KT CAVOK
FM15 01005KT 9999 FEW030
FM18 01008KT 9999 FEW015
-------------------------------------[05/11/2008 13:50]

[Grahame Hutchison]

Vigin Atlantic came up again this morning for the first time in a long while.

G-VMEG VS0200 09/11/2008 06:35 Virgin Atlantic A340-642 London-Hong Kong-Sydney

[Grahame Hutchison]

And the return service this afternoon ....

G-VMEG VS0201 09/11/2008 16:08 Virgin Atlantic A340-642 Sydney-Hong Kong- London

[Dave Parer]

Grahame,

I am looking around for a 'dual watch' scanner now I have three acars frequencies to monitor here in Nth Qld. With a dual line-in, I can run 131.55 on one scanner, and 131.45 plus 136.125 on the dual-watch scanner.

Are you happy with the performance of your Icom R-20 and do you recommend a good place to purchase one from?

Thanks,

Dave.

[Grahame Hutchison]

Hi Dave,

I have an ICOM IC-R1, IC-R10 and IC-R20 and they have all been absolutely reliable. The IC-R20 with Dual Watch runs the ACARS, and it has been connected to an AC Adaptor and laptop 24/7 since December 2005 without any problems at all.

I purchased the IC-R20 online through Prestige Communications Australia in WA, and it was $699 including shipping back in 2005 (now down to $519 when I just checked their web site).