FS9 map and GPS functions

[Guest calum1971]

Hi guys,I have downloaded the 737-700. It seems great and a huge upgrade over the default fs9 737.Can I use the map and gps functions you get in all fs9 planes. If so, how do I access them as the buttons you would normally press don't seem to be there on the cockpit.Bit fifficult for m to navigate without them.ThanksCalum

[basa 0]

Calum,About the map: you can add the map-opening button (icon) to your panel editing the "panel.cfg" file of the PMDG737 (make a backup before), but you should only do it if you have some experience and are sure of what you do!!! Open "panel.cfg" with wordpad and in the main panel section add this line: gaugeNN=SimIcons!Map Icon,xxx,yyy,size,sizeWhere NN is the next free gauge number, "xxx and yyy" is the position of the icon (up-left corner) in the computer screen, and "size,size" the dimension of the icon in pixels.You will have to try several times to get the icon in the position and size you want. About the GPS: forget it, you have a beautiful Navigation Display in your PMDG-737 wich is much better and real than a Garmin GPS.Jose Luis

[Guest dt1951]

I concur with Jose. The HSI is a much better display than anything you will get with the Garmin!

[basa 0]

But if you still want to have the GPS you can also add the GPS-opening icon with a line like this in "panel.cfg"gaugeNN=SimIcons!GPS Icon,xxx,yyy,size,sizeAdding gauges is quite simple once you know the "trick"I have added a digital clock with local and zulu time to my PMDG-737Look:

[basa 0]

Or look at the left side of this Airbus panel (by Eric Marciano) where I have inserted the map-icon we were talking about before:

[Guest tomahawk_pa38]

Wow that's good ? how do you do that ?

[basa 0]

Well, as I said it is quite simple. The "secret" is in the file, which you can open and edit in your wordpad (but be very careful doing it)I am not a gauge programmer, I take the gauges from Avsim or from other aircraft. Of course I take them only for my personal and private usage.First, look for the gauge you want, for example the map-icon. It is a default FS9 gauge. You can find it in the 737-400 default panel, so open the 737-400 panel.cfg file (fs9/aircraft/737-400/panel/panel.cfg) and you will find some "sections" like or and inside those sections or windows a serie of lines like:..........gauge36=SimIcons!Compass Icon, 264,300, 10 , 10gauge37=SimIcons!ECU Icon, 250,300, 10, 10gauge38=SimIcons!Map Icon, 208,300, 10, 10gauge39=SimIcons!Avionics Icon, 222,300, 10, 10gauge40=SimIcons!GPS Icon, 236,300, 10, 10gauge38 is the correlative number of the gauge in this sectionSimIcons is the folder inside fs9/gauges in which the gauge is placed (the ! sign means it's a folder or a cabinet file)Map Icon is the name of the gauge fileSo, if I want to use that gauge in other aircraft I just copy the line and paste it inside the desired section (main panel, radio stack...) of the "panel.cfg" file of the second aircraft.I should change now the correlative number of the gauge in its new panel section.As I already explained, the numbers 208,300,10,10 are the x y position of the gauge in your computer screen (starting from top left) and the visual size of the gauge.And then comes the work of adjusting the position of the gauge and its size by try and error.Jose Luis