Narrative:

During the initial climb of the flight we experience 6 events of strong radio interference due to ACARS transmissions/crosstalk. These events caused both discomfort due to the very loud volume of the interfering transmissions and difficulty in understanding ATC communication. The interference partially masked ATC transmissions between ATC and other airplanes. Additional interference events occurred during the flight for a total of 10 events. During the last six weeks many crews have been experiencing frequent events of radio interference due to ACARS transmissions/crosstalk. These interference events should be a safety concern. They caused in more than one occasion to miss/misunderstand critical ATC communications and instructions during the departure phase of the flight.something changed since december 2013. The interference could be caused by changes in the ACARS communication software; protocols; procedures; equipment. Usually after weight off wheel both the FMS and the EICAS show an 'ACARS no comm' message; shortly after that a very loud burst of digital communication is heard into the pilot headsets. In the worse cases the interfering signal is repeated multiple times during the first few minutes after take off. There should be an investigation of these events. In the meantime pilots should be provided temporary procedures (like disabling the ACARS system) to be used during the departure phase of the flight. As today; six weeks after the beginning of the interference problems the airline has not provided pilots with any kind of information; recommendation or addressed this safety issue in any noticeable way.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CRJ-900 First Officer experiences communication radio interference caused by ACARS data transmissions right after takeoff; resulting in missed ATC communications.

Narrative: During the initial climb of the flight we experience 6 events of strong radio interference due to ACARS transmissions/crosstalk. These events caused both discomfort due to the very loud volume of the interfering transmissions and difficulty in understanding ATC communication. The interference partially masked ATC transmissions between ATC and other airplanes. Additional interference events occurred during the flight for a total of 10 events. During the last six weeks many crews have been experiencing frequent events of radio interference due to ACARS transmissions/crosstalk. These interference events should be a safety concern. They caused in more than one occasion to miss/misunderstand critical ATC communications and instructions during the departure phase of the flight.Something changed since December 2013. The interference could be caused by changes in the ACARS communication software; protocols; procedures; equipment. Usually after Weight Off Wheel both the FMS and the EICAS show an 'ACARS NO COMM' message; shortly after that a very loud burst of digital communication is heard into the pilot headsets. In the worse cases the interfering signal is repeated multiple times during the first few minutes after take off. There should be an investigation of these events. In the meantime pilots should be provided temporary procedures (like disabling the ACARS system) to be used during the departure phase of the flight. As today; six weeks after the beginning of the interference problems the airline has not provided pilots with any kind of information; recommendation or addressed this safety issue in any noticeable way.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.