ACARS

Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS)

ACARS data is used to send messages to and from commercial airlines' aircraft. A good explanation can be found here.
The frequencies used in the United States for ACARS are:

129.125
129.350
129.525  
130.025  
130.450  
130.825
131.125 
131.425 
131.550
131.725  
131.850
136.575  
136.650 
136.700 
136.750 
136.800  
136.850 

These frequencies may be used in some areas:

136.675 Delta and Jet Blue
136.725 Delta 
136.775 Air Canada, Air Transat, American, Delta, JetBlue, United

• For ACARS questions, please post them on the Aircraft Monitoring Forum.
• Rockwell Collins/ARINC ACARS page

Operating Tips

• In general, all that is necessary to hook up a receiver and PC to receive ACARS is a good shielded connection from the speaker or earphone of the scanner to the soundcard. A discriminator tap is not required, since it is not involved in AM reception
• There's a brief sync tone sent before each transmission; if the software doesn't receive it, no decoding will occur. Most scanners' squelch cannot open up fast enough, so keep the squelch off. There are, however, a few scanners that do open up fast enough; these include:
  • Win108
  • Yupiteru VT-125/150
  • Yupiteru VT-225/MVT-3100
  • Yupiteru MVT-7100/7200

Decoding Solutions

Links in bold are known to be compatible with certain SDRs such as the RTL-SDR, either directly or piping audio via applications like Virtual Audio Cable

For other RTL-SDR solutions, see the Big List of RTL-SDR Supported Software. Some of the packages listed here may work with other SDRs

• ACARSdec
• ACARS Pad For Iphone, Ipad or IPod Touch
• acarsd
• Airnav
• Hoka Code 3-32
• KG-ACARS
• MultiMode (MAC systems)
• MultiPSK
• PDW
• PlanePlotter
• rtl_acars_ng
• SkySpy
• Sorcerer
• Winradio Digital Suite
• Winradio Advanced Digital Suite

Known United States VDL2 Ground Stations

 10142A [KIAD Washington Dulles International 38°54'N 077°30'W] [Dulles]
 10146A [KLAX Los Angeles International 33°54'N 118°24'W] [Los Angeles]
 10147A [KALB Albany International 42°44'N 073°49'W] [Albany]  
 1015CA [CALIFORNIA?] [CALIFORNIA?]
 1019AA [CALIFORNIA?] [CALIFORNIA?]
 10204A [KBWI Baltimore/Washington International  39°12'N 076°42'W] [Baltimore]
 10205A [KDEN Denver International 39°54'N 104°42'W] [Denver]
 10207A [CALIFORNIA?] [CALIFORNIA?]
 10208A [KSAN San Diego International 32°42'N 117°12'W] [San Diego]
 10209A [KIND Indianapolis International 39°42'N 086°18'W] [Indianapolis]
 10240A [CALIFORNIA?] [CALIFORNIA?]
 10245A [CALIFORNIA?] [CALIFORNIA?]
 10261A [KSFO San Francisco International 37°36'N 122°24'W] [San Francisco]
 102C8A [PHNL Daniel Inouye International 21°18'N 157°54'W] [Honolulu]
 10315A [CALIFORNIA?] [CALIFORNIA?]
 10316A [CALIFORNIA?] [CALIFORNIA?]
 1031EA [KOAK Oakland International 37°42'N 122°12'W] [Oakland]
 10342A [KPIT Pittsburgh International 40°30'N 080°12'W] [Pittsburgh]
 10345A [KDEN Denver International 39°54'N 104°42'W] [Denver]
 10346A [KLAX Los Angeles International 33°54'N 118°24'W] [Los Angeles]
 1034DA [KBOS Logan International 42°04'N 071°00'W] [Boston]
 10349A [KALB Albany International 42°44'N 073°49'W] [Albany]
 10350A [CALIFORNIA?] [CALIFORNIA?]
 10406A [KSTL St. Louis Lambert International 38°42'N 090°24'W] [St. Louis]
 10412A [KALB Albany International 42°44'N 073°49'W] [Albany]
 10416A [KCHM John Glenn Columbus International 40°00'N 082°54'W] [Columbus]
 10440A [CALIFORNIA?] [CALIFORNIA?]
 10495A [KATL Atlanta International 33°36'N 084°24'W] [Atlanta]
 104D9A [PHNL Daniel Inouye International 21°18'N 157°54'W] [Honolulu]
 10503A [KBOS Logan International 42°04'N 071°00'W] [Boston]
 10507A [KSFO San Francisco International 37°36'N 122°24'W] [San Francisco]
 10509A [KIAD Washington Dulles International 39°00'N 077°30'W] [Dulles]
 1050AA [KDEN Denver International 39°54'N 104°42'W] [Denver]
 10518A [KSMF Sacramento International 38°42'N 121°36'W] [Sacramento]
 10519A [CALIFORNIA?] [CALIFORNIA?]
 10540A [KLAX Los Angeles International 33°54'N 118°24'W] [Los Angeles]
 10543A [KIND Indianapolis International 39°42'N 086°18'W] [Indianapolis]
 10545A [KDCA Regan Washington National 38°54'N 077°00'W] [Arlington]
 1054BA [KBWI Baltimore Washington International  39°12'N 076°42'W] [Baltimore]
 1054CA [KSFO San Francisco International 37°36'N 122°24'W] [San Francisco]
 10553A [KSAN San Diego International 32°42'N 117°12'W] [San Diego]
 10554A [KSTL St. Louis Lambert International 38°42'N 090°24'W] [St. Louis]
 10550A [KATL Atlanta International 33°36'N 084°24'W] [Atlanta]
 1131EA [KOAK Oakland International 37°42'N 122°12'W] [Oakland]
 20D197 [KATL Atlanta International 33°36'N 084°24'W] [Atlanta]
 20D198 [KATL Atlanta International 33°36'N 084°24'W] [Atlanta]
 213E77 [KBOS Logan International 42°04'N 071°00'W] [Boston]
 213E78 [KBOS Logan International 42°04'N 071°00'W] [Boston]  
 220C37 [KDCA Reagan Washington National 38°54'N 077°00'W] [Arlington]
 2215D7 [KDEN Denver International 39°54'N 104°42'W] [Denver]
 2215D8 [KDEN Denver International 39°54'N 104°42'W] [Denver]
 2215D9 [KDEN Denver International 39°54'N 104°42'W] [Denver]
 24B898 [KIND Indianapolis International 39°42'N 086°18'W] [Indianapolis]
 260677 [KLAS McCarran International 36°06'N 115°12'W] [Las Vegas]
 260717 [KLAX Los Angeles International 33°54'N 118°24'W] [Los Angeles]
 260718 [KLAX Los Angeles International 33°54'N 118°24'W] [Los Angeles]
 260719 [KLAX Los Angeles International 33°54'N 118°24'W] [Los Angeles]
 268D37 [KMCI Kansas City International 39°18'N 094°42'W] [Kansas City]
 268DF8 [KMCO Orlando International 28°24'N 081°18'W] [Orlando]
 26CE17 [KMSP Minneapolis-St. Paul International 44°54'N 093°12'W] [Minneapolis]
 278578 [KOAK Oakland International 37°42'N 122°12'W] [Oakland]
 282697 [KPIT Pittsburgh International Airport 40°30'N 080°12'W] [Pittsburgh]
 2939F7 [KRNO Reno/Tahoe International 39°18'N 119°48'W] [Reno]
 2939F8 [CALIFORNIA?] [CALIFORNIA?]
 2985D7 [KSAN San Diego International 32°42'N 117°12'W] [San Diego]
 2985D8 [KSAN San Diego International 32°42'N 117°12'W] [San Diego]
 2999F8 [KSFO San Francisco International 37°36'N 122°24'W] [San Francisco]
 2999F9 [KSFO San Francisco International 37°36'N 122°24'W] [San Francisco]
 29A877 [KSJC San Jose International 37°24'N 121°54'W][San Jose]
 29A878 [KSJC San Jose International 37°24'N 121°54'W] [San Jose]
 29B078 [KSLC Salt Lake City International 40°48'N 112°00'W] [Salt Lake City]
 29B4D8 [KSMF Sacramento International 38°42'N 121°36'W] [Sacramento]
 29D197 [KSTL St. Louis Lambert International 38°42'N 090°24'W] [St. Louis]

Mailing Lists

• acarsd Yahoo group
• ACARS on QTH.Net
• ACARSlogs on QTH.Net