App-Dep frequency ...

[Guest JTWhite]

I, too, took the plunge and purchased VoxATc...Im kinda having a problem, though.I like to fly a little VFR route from my home airport, KEVV, to KOWB, a flight of about 15 to 20 minutes, before I head to work in the morning.I set up VotATC, listened to ATIS, get clearance from clearance, taxi instructions from Ground then takeoff clearance and headings from tower.Then I get the order to change to EVV departure.Here's where things go awry.The prompt says "departure," but VoxATC only responds when I used "approach." From then on, it appears to be trying tod irect me back to KEVV for landing.Needless to say, I never make it to KOWB under the direction of VoxATC.Could the problem be that the departure and approach frequencies are the same, and that I should find a way to change them so they differ?Also, should I have gotten directions to change frequency and open flight plan before I left KEVV??(I have real-world flight experience, but at KEVV we handle clearance delivery a little difference and clearance, even on a VFR flight, is handled at the FBO before getting in the plane. It expedites taxi and takeoff.)Otherwise, the program works great. I seem to be getting 100% voice recognition. And Ive gotten used to t he robotic voices, although it was a bit confusing at first when the ATC callouts and the other aircraft response were in the same voice. Perhaps you could mix it up later??Thanks for help.John Whitenewburgh, IN

[zfehr 1]

Hi John,I'll give that flight a try tomorrow morning. I fly a couple of similar short hops... 7S3-KEUG and 7S3-KONP and VFR sometimes doesn't always want to cooperate, at least in the prompter. You will find that you can contact other agents even to the point of landing with tower and ground, just the prompter will be stuck back with departure. I think it might be that you are being directed out of the airport traffic area and if your first waypoint is too close to the departure airport the program will try to direct you back to that point. Try making your first waypoint more than 10 miles from the departure airport. If you are wanting to fly a specific victor routing just find a fix along that routing that takes you further away rather than using the VOR itself.There is work being done on more voices, as Microsoft releases more with their SDK that will also help. At present some voices are faster, some slower to attempt to make more differences.Hope this helps,Zane

[Guest JTWhite]

Thanks Zane:I was thinking about it on the way home from work, and I thought maybe it had something to do with the airports being close together and practically in the same airspace.Im going to plan a flight there with a slight diversion to a vor I know is outside the kevv airspace and see if that breaks it up.I really do like this program...John

[zfehr 1]

John,If you are dealing with really close airports you probably wouldn't trouble yourself with flight following anyway. After clear of airport traffic area and told to squawk 1200 go to ATIS for arrival airport, then contact tower for landing. The prompter probably won't show this... at least initially, it may come on line when you get instructions from the tower for landing. I'll futz with it a little and see how it works.Zane

[zfehr 1]

John,I just finished flying between these two airports with a direct flightplan, no navaids between. The sim had me depart rwy 36 and departure vectored me NE out of the traffic area, upon being told to squawk 1200 I was directed to backtrack (the sim was taking me back towards my original flight plan). You don't have to maintain this heading because you are no longer being controlled so I simply flew direct to Owensboro VOR and I remained same frequency to contact approach, given new squawk code and directed in for an ILS into rwy 34. When you get your instruction to squawk 1200 you are full VFR and you can fly whichever heading you want (within reason :) ) and use your filed altitude if you aren't already there. This is probably an area of confusion because you are expecting to continue being instructed by the program, since this is a VFR flight you are on your own until approach starts to vector you in for landing. If you continue on your last heading and altitude given by departure the computer will let you do that until you get far enough off track it will start to direct you back towards your destination.Hope this clears up VFR flying a little,Zane

[Guest JTWhite]

Thanks for flying that for me, Zane.Ill give it a try again when I get home tonight. The thing is, I never got the instruction to squawk VFR. It's what I was waiting for to fly direct to OWB.I did fly it this morning. I was given clearances, taxi instructions, opened my flight plan, was vectored to the northeast, then contacted departure.I flew on to KOWB, and contacted tower. When I finally got the phraseology down (duh, human error plain and simple), the tower gave me clearance to land on 36.As I said, Ill try again tonight and be real meticulous in paying attention to procedure and ATC control. Im sure most of my problems stem from poor understanding of procedures, phraseology and not fully understanding how the program works.Thanks for all your help. (NO need to respond)John

[mikebxb 20]

Wish somebody would make scenery for KOWB. I fly in and from there frequently