[ACARS] Final thoughts on KLIA

[Ed Wilson]

Folks

While logging at KLIA on 131.55 I was watching the scanner signal and also 
listening to the 'play-back' from AirNav ACARS on the laptop's internal 
speakers. You can get quite good at recognising ACARS messages and even 
distinguishing between them (sad, isn't, what some folk will do!)

What I did notice was that there were a large number of signals which 
reached maximum on the scanner and which were clearly 'seen' by the sound 
card in that the AirNav signal indicator dipped (as it does with real 
'ACARS' messages), but where nothing at all was audible over the speaker 
other than than the usual hiss with the squelch wide open - not even a 
detectable pause in the hiss

Would this have been a VDF message? Or some other form of interference? I 
assume it must have been at a very high transfer rate to have been inaudible

Any thoughts?

Incidentally no-one seemed to give me any angst about using a PC and scanner 
at KLIA. I kept that scanner in the laptop bag and so there was just the 
cable to the sound card visible. But I got no hassle in the USA in July 
either doing this. One advantage of AirNav over e.g. AirMaster is that you 
don't need the obtrusive 'dongle'. That said I always keep a Word document 
open that can 'cover' the AirNav window whenever I want and can usually keep 
myself amused, and give prying eyes soemthing else to look at, by typing 
some notes of the weather! At KLIA I also plugged a mobile phone in the back 
and dialed by UK service provider to get the KLIA weather data!

Ed

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