CPDLC, ACARS

[Erik Wachters]

Hi,

 

Take a look at http://www.hoppie.nl/acars/ . You will find a great ACARS system designed for PS1 but works fine with MSFS and it's open source.

There is a system called CPDLC (Controller Pilot Data Link Communications, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controller_Pilot_Data_Link_Communications ) integraded and I love to see more controllers using it on VATSIM. It is a small program that makes it possible to digitally communicate with pilots that are connected. Take a look here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq8f-nqej0A&feature=search .

 

For planes you have to install a Broker, AcarsAir and the MCDU, request a free logon code and you are ready to go!

You can even, like me install it on a networked PC.

 

And there comes the master question!!! tada......

Because it's open source, there must be some master mind programmer that can make a MSFS gauge to integrate it in any FS9 or FSX cockpit panel..... that would be great!!

 

The man that designed this ACARS system (Hoppie) for World flight is always available for questions.

 

Regards,

 

Erik

[Joshua Black]

Having the CPDLC is something I have always wanted for Gander Oceanic. It would [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ist people so much for getting OCA clearances, requesting step-climbs when there is no air-time on the frequency, getting a position report through if you're having a hard time getting through, etc. It would be amazing if someone could pull this project off/

[Ernesto Alvarez 818262]

it would be cool if VATSIM developed its own.

 

many VA's use theyre own ACARS system so i dont see those using it. BUT if VATSIM developed its own Datalink device, now that may be more widely used, and maybe if they added the option of letting those VA's that do have ACARS systems to be able to implement the datalink directly to theyre own app's itd also help

[Erik Wachters]

Hi,

 

Having the CPDLC is something I have always wanted for Gander Oceanic.

 

Just install the CPDLC program, ask for your free login and you are ready to go!

 

http://www.hoppie.nl/acars/prg/atc/

 

Spread the word about hoppie's ACARS and hopefully many will follow. I can't wait to see the first controller online with some thing like this in his ATIS: "CPDLC available"

 

Next time you see me in Gander Oceanic, I'll be talking to you on datalink

 

Erik

[Nicholas Cavacini]

This something going arround in the Miami ARTCC. It would be used for clearences like the real world. Only our major airports would have it. (not all airports have it IRL) There is talk about possibly implementing this artcc wide.

[Erik Wachters]

Yes that is correct, you can ask for PDC also with it.

 

Erik

[James O Grady 904153]

Having the CPDLC is something I have always wanted for Gander Oceanic.

 

Just install the CPDLC program, ask for your free login and you are ready to go!

 

Thats exactly the downfall of this addon. It has the potential to be widely used by all oceanic controllers and pilots, but that'll never happen as long as there is a requirement to e-mail the author to request a login. If a registration is to be required it should at least be an automatic thing on the website that can be done in the space of a couple of minutes.

[John Golin]

G'day;

 

I know hoppie is working on some enhancements in the background at the moment - I've sent him the link to this thread.

 

CPDLC works really well. It is used a bit in Oceanic in VATOCE - you'll see something like 'CPDLC on YMMM' or such in the controllers info when they are using it...

[Darrol Larrok 1140797]

Sounds awesome, I'd use this if possible.

[Jake Saw]

Yep, its been around for quite a while now and is used occasionally by controllers and pilots in VATPAC.

 

Hoppie's CPDLC will be fully implemented in the next version of TAAATSMod (a plugin) for EuroScope.

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers 8114]

Thats exactly the downfall of this addon. It has the potential to be widely used by all oceanic controllers and pilots, but that'll never happen as long as there is a requirement to e-mail the author to request a login. If a registration is to be required it should at least be an automatic thing on the website that can be done in the space of a couple of minutes.

I just checked and it can be done in seven seconds

 

The reason why there was not a fully automated registration was that I am always careful about abuse. However there now is so much opportunity for abuse in the digital world that this strange ACARS thing may escape. We'll see.

 

 

Jeroen

http://www.hoppie.nl/acars/

[John Golin]

Ask and you shall receive - Hoppie has implemented an online form for registration...

 

http://www.hoppie.nl/acars/system/register.html

[Opher Ben Peretz 882232]

I used it about 4 years ago at Tel Aviv Control, mostly for pre-flight clearance delivery, with pilots based on indoctrination and pre-arrangement. Its is excellent, but a problem currently limits its wide use:

It isn't integrated into aircraft tightly enough. Although FSX and SB4/FSInn are pretty smooth to operate, many users rely on add-ons to provide their flight environment- REX, ASE, FSrealtime, etc... and as the list grows, flying becomes a hastle. I expect limited use until it is integrated into both aircraft and Vatsim.

A must for Oceanic flight. Might be a good idea to write a small program for ATC to integrate ACARS position reports into their control system. Preferably a radar client with map and datatags, rather than a spreadsheet.

Getting a p[Mod - Happy Thoughts]word isn't the problem and takes seconds as Hoppie stated. Having to renew it often could be.

Vatsim network development management had better also integrate it by utilizing our own server, thereby simplifying log-in while also reducing abuse problems to minimum.

[John Golin]

Re integration with aircraft - push the vendors. There are no restrictions on the client side, they could talk directly to the ACARS / CPDLC servers without any addon software if they were so inclined...

 

Also, as Jake mentioned above, he is coding integration fo CPDLC into his Euroscope plugin (TAAATSMod)...

 

So it is all possible...

[Jason Baxter 920557]

Maybe I'm crazy, but couldn't we just use text?

[Erik Wachters]

Text is not the same as CPDLC.... keep on thinking: As real as it gets

 

On the Panel/gauge forum I posted also this post asking for a programmer to make a gauge for FS9/FSX but they tell me that it will not been done because it's to difficult. It would be great to implement it in any panel in FS.

Some thing like this:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H62hxKeQD2c&feature=search

 

Erik

[John Golin]

CPDLC is formatted text, automatic position reports (ADS-C) etc - watch the video in the first post to see how it differs...

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers 8114]

On the Panel/gauge forum I posted also this post asking for a programmer to make a gauge for FS9/FSX but they tell me that it will not been done because it's to difficult. It would be great to implement it in any panel in FS.

You can get darn close to a panel with the new popup MCDU variant. It isn't inside the panel, but then, if it were, you would need to zoom in a lot to make it useful... so if you place the floating icon somewhere relevant, you have quick access to the popup MCDU.

 

As long as simulators are not build with integration in mind, it will always be a h[Mod - Happy Thoughts]le to get anything done, unfortunately.

 

 

Jeroen

[Erik Wachters]

Thank you Jeroen, I will test it soon in full screen mode with MSFS.

 

Erik

[James O Grady 904153]

Glad to see theres an online registration now for hoppie.nl.

 

Jeroen, sorry if I sounded critical in my earlier post, I think its a great tool, but I was just looking at it from the mindset of the average pilot on VATSIM, having to e-mail requesting a login is perceived as more effort than something like an online registration form which you'd see for most other things, so which people are used to. So I was just trying to make the point that the easier you make it for people to access the ACARS software, the more that will use it.

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers 8114]

Jeroen, sorry if I sounded critical in my earlier post, I think its a great tool, but I was just looking at it from the mindset of the average pilot on VATSIM

No problem. The whole ACARS development saga was never aiming at airmchair pilots in the first place, so the "consumer support" part was lacking. Over the last year or two the actual hard core developments have been slowing down (most stuff is there!) so by now I focus a bit more on the "user experience". And indeed, if they need to do more than click three times, they won't even look at it.

 

I hope this system can become the core (as in protocol, not necessarily as in software) of a nice virtual data link setup. Data link is going to be BIG in the real world, and for once, we simmers have always been much bigger in data link than the real guys. Hey, we had text before voice!

 

Other interesting developments:

http://www.hoppie.nl/acars/

 

 

Jeroen

[Erik Wachters]

Jeroen,

 

The new version works fine except in full screen mode. The icon is not visible but who cares

 

Erik

[Jody Turner 1018734]

Great stuff. My ATIS now contains 'PDC available via. CPDLC' and my Oceanic ATIS will now contain 'CPDLC available.' Great stuff, hopefully I will meet a few pilots who have CPDLC, and a few more who ask 'what is that?'

 

EDIT: A question, does my callsign need to say CZYZ_CTR or CZYZ if I'm on CZYZ_CTR and what about CZQX_N_FSS? (As I'm not sure how the pilot software works.) Thanks.

Edited August 24, 2010 at 02:59 PM by Guest

[James White]

Great stuff. My ATIS now contains 'PDC available via. CPDLC' and my Oceanic ATIS will not contain 'CPDLC available.' Great stuff, hopefully I will meet a few pilots who have CPDLC, and a few more who ask 'what is that?'

 

EDIT: A question, does my callsign need to say CZYZ_CTR or CZYZ if I'm on CZYZ_CTR and what about CZQX_N_FSS? (As I'm not sure how the pilot software works.) Thanks.

 

Your login to the ATC ACARS client should be the 4 letter ICAO code for the FIR. So it would be CYZY/CYQX. On VATSIM in Australia we just YBIK/YSNO as our login codes but in r/l I believe they use YMMM/YBBB respectively due to the large amount of sectors in r/l compared to VATSIM.

 

Also with your remark about not using CPDLC on Oceanic. Why is this? In real life, if the aircraft is ACARS equipped which most are, they prefer to give their pos reports through CPDLC or other things that they want to request. I certainly would to . For example on transfer from Centre to Radio, "Qantas 17, identification lost, identification services terminated, continue with Brisbane on Datalink secondary 8867. Obviously on VATSIM you cant give a secondary HF frequence, but you can certainly use a VHF frequency and add Text only at the end of the transmission as you can not have 2 primary frequencies set.

[Robert Fersch]

Very interesting. I am going to add this capability to my aircraft. During my last "cross the Pond" I was able to make just one position report on oceanic. The frequencies are so congested, transmissions getting stepped on...etc. This should reduce the chaos although it also eliminates the verbal interactions between pilots and controllers which is one of the joys of VATSIM.

 

I have two questions. First, can more than one controller in an FIR use CPDLC and, if so, does the callsign have to be different? Second, how might this benefit controllers and pilots in non oceanic operations? Clearance delivery? Pireps?

 

Bob