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Getting Started Hardware and Software Prerequisites
ACARS Hub is designed to run on ARM 64, ARMv7, ARMv6, i386 and AMD64 CPUs; basically any modern computer capable of running linux.
Most users run ACARS Hub on a Raspberry Pi 4 or a Raspberry Pi 3B.
RTL-SDRs are a hardware dongle that connects to your computer's USB port, and the job of the RTL-SDR dongle is to connect to coax cable, which is connected to an antenna. You will need a minimum of 1 RTL-SDR to use ACARS Hub, but 2 is recommended. With only one dongle you will have to choose between decoding ACARS or decoding VDLM.
You will need a linux operating system capable of running docker. Please see Mike's Gitbook for setting up the operating system, installing docker, and setting up your RTL-SDR.
If you are running a Raspberry Pi I personally recommend Ubuntu ARM64 for the operating system as opposed to Raspbian, but Raspbian does work just fine.