Passenger counts, cargo weights, and gate assignments.
: Once the program is running in the command prompt, open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost:8080 to see the live decoding feed. Common Frequencies to Monitor
: Ensure you have the Zadig WinUSB drivers installed for your RTL-SDR dongle, as the software communicates directly with the hardware. Installation and Setup
Frequency is off, or gain is too low. Solution: ACARS signals are narrow-band FM. Set gain between 30 and 45. Ensure your antenna is indoors near a window; ACARS is generally strong, but basement setups won't work. Acarsdeco2 Windows Download
When you try to launch acarsdeco2.exe , you may see error messages like:
Acarsdeco2 is a popular multi-channel console program designed to decode Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) messages directly from RTL-SDR dongles
: Ensure your RTL-SDR is using the correct WinUSB driver. Most users use the utility to swap the default Windows driver. Configuration Passenger counts, cargo weights, and gate assignments
Most other ACARS decoders are limited to a single frequency, which means you might miss messages sent on other channels. Acarsdeco2 uses the bandwidth of a typical RTL‑SDR dongle (up to about 2.4 MHz) to listen to . This gives you a much more complete picture of aviation traffic in your area.
The Windows binaries are typically maintained on the official GitHub repository or mirrored on popular SDR forums (like RTL-SDR.com or FlightAware discussions).
Features a modern, map-based web interface that plots tracked aircraft positions and messages in real-time. Installation and Setup Frequency is off, or gain
The most critical setting is --freq-correction . RTL-SDR dongles typically use cheap crystals that don't operate at exactly 28.8 MHz, resulting in frequency drift. To determine your dongle's correction value:
: While it runs as a command-line program, it includes a built-in web server that generates a browser-based display of received messages, complete with aircraft registration and flight details. Data Integration : It can export decoded data to other platforms like PlanePlotter Virtual Radar Server (VRS) to display aircraft positions and images. Downloading and Installation on Windows
Ensure the driver selected on the right is , and click Replace Driver . Step 3: Configure Acarsdeco2