DACARS Manual

SHAREWARE

This version of DACARS is SHAREWARE! Please upload this version to any BBS / On-Line service you want and give copies to anyone interested!

Shareware -> Registration

Where the registered version of DACARS is a complete logging system with options for dBASE and ASCII output, this shareware version is only a viewer for Lowe Airmaster *.LOG files. Even as viewer only this is a very powefull program! If you want to use ALL options described below you'll have to obtain a registered copy, see "11. registration". The manual below is for the registered version, the disabled options are described in section 12: "Options disabled in Shareware version".

Airmaster 3.0 users please read section 13!

0. What's new since version 1.1

View messages (section 5.4, section 4)

1. General

Welcome to DACARS 1.1! With this program it's possible to analyze the *.LOG files produced by the Lowe Airmaster system. The logfiles produced by this system are plain textfiles, most of the time too large to be easily handled. DACARS converts these *.LOG files to a database format.

1.1 Files

The following files should be on your installation disk or in the archive file:

If one of these files is missing please contact the author! - see "6.3 (Contacting) The author" -

2. System requirements

IBM compatible PC
MS-DOS 2.1 or higher
abt 200 Kb free disk space
abt 400 Kb free memory
Lowe Airmaster 2.0, 3.0, 2000, KRACARS, WACARS, AEA or any other decoding software creating logfiles like Airmaster does.

In short: DACARS will run on almost any PC.

3. Features

3.1 View a *.LOG file

This is the first thing you'll do most of the time: had the ACARS decoding software turned on for some time and eager to know if you catched any interesting stuff. Aircraft heard for the first time are marked '*'. All different registrations and flightnumbers will be shown. It's possible to sort this file on registration or company, or leave it unsorted - in other words view the flights in the order they were logged.

3.2 View the 'all heard' file

DACARS keeps track of all flights you hear. With this option you can see all flights you've ever logged on ACARS, complete with a first- and last-noted date. It's possible to sort this file on registration or company.

3.3 Output

3.3.1 dBASE III+

Whenever a *.LOG file is viewed for the first time a *.DBF file is created. This file contains the same information displayed on screen while viewing. The name of this dBASE III+ file is the same as that of the *.LOG file, except for the extension, which is now *.DBF. When leaving the program another *.DBF file is created/updated: ACARSALL.DBF. This file contains all information as seen when viewing the 'all heard' file. Most modern database and spreadsheet programs are able to import a *.DBF file.

3.3.2 ASCII

The above but now for ASCII files, extension *.TXT. Can be used for most databases and spreadsheets as well, an ASCII file is easy to import in any wordprocessor or e-mail program.

4. Description of internal operation

The chosen *.LOG file is read record after record. When a new record is read the program does the following:

- It checks the flight number and registration for invalid characters. The only characters valid are:

0123456789-ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

In other words, all figures, capital characters and the dash. If a non-valid character is found the whole record is considered to be unreliable and the program skips to the next record.

- It checks if the registration and flightnumber were noted before in this logfile. If so the program skips to the next record. When a registration allready logged is logged again with another flightnumber it will be treated as a new flight, same goes the other way around.

- When a new flight - that is not logged before in this file - shows up a new record is created in the *.DBF file with the relevant info for this flight

- the program checks the 'all heard' database. If a registration and company are logged before the last noted date will be updated.

- If the registration and company are not in the 'all heard' file the program will add a new record to this file, first and last-noted dates will be the same. Also a asterisk (*) will be put after the registration in the *.DBF file, so the aircraft logged for the first time can be easily spotted when viewing a logfile.

- Finally it takes a look at the messagenumber. If the messagenumber is the same as in the last message for this flight the message will be ignored. If it's a different message number the message content will be copied to the *.DBT file, which can be viewed by pressing <Enter> on a flight (section 5.4) The DBT file will contain only unique messages per flight-id.

5. Operation

5.1 Installation

Copy all files on the installation disk or from the archive file to the directory holding your *.LOG files. In most cases that will be:

C:\ACARS\LOG

That's it.

5.2 Basics

Start the program by typing:

DACARS <Enter>

In DOS. The screen will turn blue, on the left a list of logfiles is displayed. Options:

- choose a logfile by moving the white cursor to the file you want to view, then press <Enter>. Files are sorted in reverse: the most recent on top. Files allready viewed are marked, unviewed files are not (see "5.3 options"). While processing the file the following information is shown:

- view the 'all heard' file by pressing <F10>

Both options support the following keys:

Whenever a file is sorted, character keys can be used to move the cursor. Example: when the database is sorted on company, pressing <k> will move the cursor to the first record of which the company (key-field) begins with a "K", "KL" for example. If no record is found beginning with the right key, you'll hear a beep, cursor stays in position.

5.4 View messages

By pressing <Enter> all unique messages will be shown for the flight which is highlighted. You can move around the messages with the same keys as used for moving around the database.

5.4.1

The messages for a flight can be printed by pressing <P>. The printer must be connected to printerport LPT1. When no printer is attached, or the printer is off-line an error message will appear.

5.4.2

The messages can be saved by pressing <S>. The filename for a saved log will be the registration, extension is 'TXT'. For example when you save the messages for British Airways Boeing 777 G-ZZZC a file named 'G-ZZZC.TXT' will be created. When a filename exists (messages for this registration were saved before) the extension will be '001' '002' etc. The next filenames for this flight will be 'G-ZZZC.001', 'G-ZZZC.002' etc.

5.3 Options

By default DACARS will generate a *.DBF and a *.TXT file. If for some reason you don't want this to happen the following options are available at program start by adding one of the below parameters to the DACARS command line:

/NODBF          no dBASE file output (the 'all heard' file will still be
                                      updated) 
/NOTXT          no ASCII file output (no ASCII files at all)

The options can be added in any order. Example:

DACARS /NODBF /NOTXT

Will not create a *.DBF file nor a *.TXT file.

Note: the mark showing a *.LOG file was viewed before is created by checking if a *.DBF file is available for this filename. Turning *.DBF off will consequently result in not marking viewed files.

6. Appendix

6.1 Programming Language

DACARS was written in Clipper version Summer '87.

6.2 History

Programming started november 1995, several versions of the program were released to a limited beta-test group. Version 1.0 is the first version to be released to the general public.

V0.1 Private test version(s) V1.0 First general release V1.1 Supports Lowe Airmaster 3.0 V1.2 View all unique messages transmitted by a flight, save or print V2.0 Databases with route, flight and company information are added

6.3 (Contacting) The author

Bart Hoekstra (that's me), age 28 when version 1.0 was released. Spotter, basically military aviation, some civil. Aviation radio-comms enthusiast, anything goes: military, civil, bizz, props, jets, fighters, bombers anything with a radio. And since november 1995: ACARS. I used to live in Leeuwarden, a place in the northern part of the Netherlands. Leeuwarden hosts a major Netherlands Air Force fighter-base. Based are two F-16 units: 322 Squadron and 323 TACTESS squadron. Also a SAR unit operates out of Leeuwarden with 3 Augusta Bell AB.412 Helicopters. Since october 1997 I live in Deventer.

When you have any comments, suggestions, complaints feel free to contact me. You might even want to drop me a line if you are just a satisfied user, would be appreciated.

Bart Hoekstra
Vlaamse Gaai 16
7423 DH Deventer
The Netherlands

7. Copyright

You have the right to use DACARS on any computer you are personally using. You may not have more than one copy running at any time. You may not distribute the registered full version to or for anyone else.

8. Disclaimer

I won't take any responsibility for any damage caused by (the use of) DACARS, directly or indirectly. Use of this software is at your own risk.

9. Trademarks

Lowe Airmaster is a registered trademark of the Lowe Electronics Company, UK. All other mentioned product-names are trademarks of their owners.

10. Credits:

The Lowe company for develloping the Airmaster system
Hans Wildschut for being the first beta-tester
Mark Zee for being the launching customer

11. Airmaster 3.0 & Airmaster 2000

Airmaster 3.0 and Airmaster 2000 can create two types of output: with or without field-labels. DACARS needs these labels. If a *.LOG file without labels is processed no output will be generated! DACARS will automatically detect which version of Airmaster created the *.LOG files.

12. Registration

If you want to use the full version of DACARS you'll have to register. As soon as I receive your money in any way I'll send a 3.5" HD disk containing the full program.
Registration fee is HFl 15,00. When you can make bank-transfers to a Dutch PostBank (Giro) account please to so. The number is:

4998620

Please mention "DACARS" somewhere on your transfer. Dutch BANK users only: please put the character "P" in front of the accountnumber, to indicate a postbank account -> P4998620.

the following will be accepted (cash only, please wrap in plain paper, mention your full name and adress when sending money so I know where to send the disk!):

US: US Dollar 15
UK: UK Pound 10
GE: GE Mark 20
BE: BE franc 300
FR: FR franc 50

Do _not_ send (euro)checques, I won't be able to collect them and consequently I won't send you a registered version!

When you are unable to make your payment in any of the above ways please contact me in any way, to see if we can setup anything else - see "6.3 contacting the author" - .

13. Options disabled in Shareware version

- output of dBASE III+ format files
- output of ASCII text format files
- the 'view all heard' file
- indication of flights first logged
- viewing of all unique messages per flightnumber (section 5.4)

Basically the shareware version is a viewer only, the registered version is a complete logging system.