B744 ACARS suddenly INOP

[HiFly 16]

Using B744 v1.3 latest upgrade on FSX SP2.  Over 60 flights never an issue.  Today after complete preflight DNMM-FTTJ  I attempted to log into ACARS by bringing up middle CDU and selecting ACARS from the menu then selecting "preflight" but instead of getting the page to fill in my ETD, ETE, and Air carrier code, I get the message: 

               PERF INIT DATA

                NOT ENTERED

and no other options except to return to the MENU.  I double checked my preflight data and all had been entered into all pages of the PERF, THRUST LIMIT, TAKEOFF, as well as the 3 VNAV pages.  The IRS's were aligned.  Everything was ready for pushback and taxi, so do not understand why I got this message.  I deleted my startup file for the 744, rebooted my computer, restarted FSX using a default startup file went through the complete preflight entry process again, activated my flight plan and tried again to log into ACARS but I had the same result.  I checked and a WX file appears in my FSX flight plan menu so that is not the issue.  I double checked the manuals to make sure I wasn't having a "senior moment" and somehow was forgetting some integral part of the procedure but no joy.  I cannot believe this is a support issue that would warrant a trouble ticket since I haven't changed anything on my computer and everything has always been working correctly until today.  Am I missing something?  Anyone out there had a similar issue and could proffer a solution?

 

 

 

 

 

[ph-cxz 28]

Have you entered in a departure and arrival airport plus callsign. This is needed to get the preflight acars started.

[HiFly 16]

@ph-cxz:  Yes departure, destination, and flight number are entered as required.   And I double checked after your response.

 

 

[Jetlinker 13]

Not sure how this applies to the sim but in real life ACARS would need center COM on DATA. Probably not the issue since that has no relevance to PERF INIT but it’s all I could think of. 

Edited December 20, 2018 by Jetlinker

[HiFly 16]

@Jetlinker:  I have Center com set to DATA.

 

 

[scandinavian13 5,192]

1 hour ago, HiFly said:

Am I missing something?

Some of the PERF INIT data is missing.

I know that likely sounds dismissive, but if it's saying something is not set up, then something is not set up.

Most common issues:

1. No departure field
2. No destination field; or, most commonly
3. Flight number is missing, or in the wrong format (not ICAO format) - it needs to be AAAN[NNN], where A is letters, and N is numbers - such as BAW43 (not BA43 - IATA format)

EDIT: When "sudden" is the word used for an issue, after many successes, the issue is usually operator error, by either forgetting the proper procedure, or just a simple mistake.

Edited December 20, 2018 by scandinavian13

[Ephedrin 418]

Activate and execute the route (dep/dest).. that caught me once...

[HiFly 16]

15 hours ago, scandinavian13 said:

1. Flight number is missing, or in the wrong format (not ICAO format) - it needs to be AAAN[NNN], where A is letters, and N is numbers - such as BAW43 (not BA43 - IATA format)

Kyle, I have always used just a flight number and never had an issue.  I use FSX ATC and it calls the aircraft by its callsign followed by the flight number.  Is this some new requirement for the B744 in the last two days?  If so, why is it appearing since I have not altered or upgraded my B744 version during that time period?   However, I will try your suggestion if, for no other reason, to eliminate it as cause.  Thank you for your response.

[scandinavian13 5,192]

18 minutes ago, HiFly said:

Kyle, I have always used just a flight number and never had an issue.  I use FSX ATC and it calls the aircraft by its callsign followed by the flight number.  Is this some new requirement for the B744 in the last two days?  If so, why is it appearing since I have not altered or upgraded my B744 version during that time period?   However, I will try your suggestion if, for no other reason, to eliminate it as cause.  Thank you for your response.

I'm going to have to disagree with you here, as I was one of the people who helped put this together. A number alone on the RTE page will not properly get ACARS working. This was never the case (and the cause of much consternation amongst the beta testers until they decided to actually read the info that we sent them about how to log in). Again: we haven't even updated the code of the 744/748 since late September / the first weekend of October, so if the code hasn't changed, but a behavior has changed in the last two days, something has changed that isn't the code. That being said, this is either going to come down to an issue where you've changed your behavior such that the new behavior isn't meeting the requirements of the log in, or you just never noticed that it wasn't working.

FSX ATC calling you the callsign with the following number has ZERO interaction with any core function of our aircraft - the ACARS function, RTE page, or any other function driven by the FMC. FSX ATC is driven by the information in the aircraft.cfg file.

[HiFly 16]

@Kyle:

    On the FMC "route" page I have always only entered a flight number since that is what the blank asks for.  I have never had an issue.  But there is another factor that occasionally affects performance on my computer and that is that I have Windows 10 and Microsoft is constantly bombarding me with downloads of new updates and that at times has required some tweaking on my part.  So, bottom line, after shutting it down last night and restarting my computer this morning, I restarted FSX and activated my left-off saved position (ready to taxi).  I checked my FMC and I had only a route number entered.  Without changing it, I tried a loggin to ACARS on my central CDU not expecting it to work but everything worked perfectly without a hitch.  The only alpha-numeric that I have ever had to enter is on the ACARS startup page which is the page that I was unable to access yesterday.  I thought I had exhausted all options yesterday, after I had reset my computer but I neglected to shut it down completely.  I really didn't think that it made a difference but once before something in windows didn't fix itself until I had fully shut down, so I can only guess that whatever it was, it was definitely windows related and nothing to do with B744 or my protocol.  As to why your Beta testers required an alpha-numeric code is beyond my pay grade.  A simple flight number works for me again today as it always has before in the past.  Again thank you for your input.

       

[ph-cxz 28]

irl Most if not all airlines use alpha numerical codes.

[scandinavian13 5,192]

19 minutes ago, HiFly said:

A simple flight number works for me again today as it always has before in the past.  Again thank you for your input.

Screenshots, please - route page, and ACARS page.

[jgoggi 65]

Hi, I am using the latest update of the 747-400 (and P3D v4.4): when I log into ACARS, I can downlink the route and the winds. Now my doubt is: can I also downlink the PERF INIT data, as it happens with the 747-8 and the 777? Looks like I haven't received any PERF INIT UPLINK message till now and the PERF INIT page has no data entered.

Thank you.

[Captain Kevin 586]

Since the initial update with ACARS, I have never gotten the performance data on the -400. Do keep in mind that the -400 and the -8 use two completely different FMCs, so I have no idea if the -400 FMC is even capable of doing this. I had always assumed it was an FMC limitation, but certainly you can submit a support ticket and ask them.

[scandinavian13 5,192]

I don't think this was ever modeled in the 747-400, so I don't think there is any change here. Depending on the equipment installed (configured in the options for the airframe), an equipped aircraft would wither have a REQ SEND (or similar) prompt, or it would automatically appear after the proper triggers have been met (like with the route: if auto is enabled, it'll auto-import when logged in to ACARS, and the RTE has been set). The 748 has this. I don't recall the 744 ever having this, so I think this one is down to cloudy memories of how things were before the update and, instead of chalking it up to the human brain being fallible, making a vague assertion that we removed an entire feature from a product (this takes effort) in the process of updating it.