AVC help please

[Guest BK1]

HiI've tried to switch from RW to AVC, but I'm back with RW because controllers can't hear me properly with AVC. Controllers always report that I'm very broken or 2 by 5, at best. At worst it's "last caller you were completely unreadable".I've tried everything I can think of. I've gone through the set-up procedure, playing with the windows mike volume until it tells me my mike has passed. I've tried changing between wave and direct sound. I've tried turning my input volume up/down after AVC has configured and set the squelch, and I've tried talking to controllers on different servers. Nothing works.I do have one theory, which is that my CPU is not fast enough. With FS2K2, Squawkbox, wxRE, and AVC (at least) all running together, I wonder if my CPU's power is all used up. I know that RW has a facility to allocate high CPU priority, but there doesn't appear to be anything in AVC like this. I am running an Athlon XP1900. Unfortunately, my wife has never sanctioned the spending required for a second machine to allow me to spread the tasks around :-) I might be able to get away with upgrading to an XP2400 though ;-) Any ideas anyone?Bruce.

[Vulcan 14]

I cannot offer a solution Bruce but based on your theory can offer some suggestions.I assume RW worked without a problem?If you think your CPU cannot cope try tunring down some of your display settings, or even go into a lower resolution. That should reduce the load on the CPU while you see if AVC improves; if it does there's your justification for an upgrade :-)TBH I use 2 PCs for flight sim and would not like to go back to using just one, start honing your pleading skills for that second PC :-lol Even a low powered second-hand PC is good enough to run AVC, SB, etc on.Hope you get it sorted.

[Guest BK1]

Hi there Vulcan. Thanks for the tip. Should allow me to test my theory at least. If I'm right the first step will be to upgrade the processor, which won't stand out too much on the bank statement :D I'll post the outcome of my investigations here, just in case anyone else is having similar difficulties.Bruce.

[Ejiro 0]

Hi Bruce, I would like to share my own experience on this issue.I also had difficulty using the AVC at the beginning. Only in my case, I could be heard, but could not hear others.I looked on the AVC forum and learnt two things:- Some on board sound cards tend to present this issue- Using a separate audio device, such as a USB headset helps a lot.I installed a PCI sound card - seemed to improve at the beginning but in reality did not.I then went out and bought a USB headset, and that did the trick. I set the PCI sound card as the default device in Windows; but select the Headset for use in AVC itself. It works this way.This is something you may want to consider as well.Good luck.

[Guest BK1]

Hi EjiroI already use a separate sound card for ATC communication, but I had not previously considered a USB headset. Now I think about it, that seems a good idea (especially as I have a vacant USB socket in my hub :D ). Much of the sound processing would have been done by the time the signal gets to the CPU. If my theory about low CPU power is right, your suggestion should help.Right. Off to the shops... ;-) Bruce.

[Guest BK1]

Sorted it! :-beerchug You know those occasions when you realise you've been so stupid, you think of changing your name to Jack Stupid of Stupid Street, Stupidville? This was one of those.One word should explain it to anyone less stupid than me (ie everyone)....FIREWALL. *:-* In my defence, Norton is set to configure the firewall automatically, to let safe applications through, but on this occasion it didn't. Once I had manually configured Norton, it worked perfectly. :-) So thanks to Vulcan and Ejiro for taking the time to reply, and next time I promise I'll RTFM.Bruce.

[Guest MB327]

Please don't feel stupid at all Bruce. This thread may be of great value to others trying to trouble shoot issues like this. The VATSIM Support Forum exists for this very purpose.At any rate, we are glad you have it sorted and can begin to enjoy AVC.Mike