Radar Contact 4

[sluggy 3]

I don't go above 8000ft without it. I also use Ultimate Traffic 2004 with the latest timetable data, and most if not all callsigns are pronounced correctly. Just flew from Budapest to Palagona (?), and heard BA, Aeroflot, Air France and a couple of others.Cheers, SLuggy

[Guest over and out]

I have been using RC4 and I like it. But there is one very big draw back in my opinion that you may want to consider.You have to run it as a seperate program once you start FS9. So you have to go to window mode, then start RC4, load the plan into RC4 and start, then reopen FS9 back to full screen. I find this a bother.And unfortunatley it freezes FS9 during the transition a lot of the time. There may be a fix for this, but I have not found it yet.The other way to run it is using widefs with a second computer, but since its running on the second computer the sound for RC4 will have to come from that computers speakers. So if you want to fly with headphones on your main pc, you wont be able to hear RC4 unless you use external speakers, which defeats the reason for using headphones?Over all, it's ok. It's better than the default atc. But having to run it externally and the potential crashing should be considered.

[jd 57]

I have been using RC4 and I like it. But there is one very big draw back in my opinion that you may want to consider.You have to run it as a seperate program once you start FS9. So you have to go to window mode, then start RC4, load the plan into RC4 and start, then reopen FS9 back to full screen. I find this a bother.And unfortunatley it freezes FS9 during the transition a lot of the time. There may be a fix for this, but I have not found it yet.The other way to run it is using widefs with a second computer, but since its running on the second computer the sound for RC4 will have to come from that computers speakers. So if you want to fly with headphones on your main pc, you wont be able to hear RC4 unless you use external speakers, which defeats the reason for using headphones?Over all, it's ok. It's better than the default atc. But having to run it externally and the potential crashing should be considered.

if you use widefs, get a pair of audio cables, run them from the widefs machines' sound card's out jack to the fs machine's sound card's input jack. then your rc sound will come out of the fs machine's sound card.

[Guest over and out]

Hi Jd,I tried that and it doesnt work on my card - SoundBlaster XFi.. I have my mic going into the only input jack on the card. I tried to use a splitter but that would not work for some reason. I use the mic for voice buddy commands, etc. I guess if you don't use a mic, then it would work

[nralbers 0]

Here's my 2 cents...I do a lot of flights with Jets, and find Radar Contact 4 to be indispensable.Pro's:- Realistic handling of ATC procedures, including regional variations, differing Transition Altitudes in different countries.- Vectors to final will set you up for an ILS intercept WITHOUT sending you halfway across the country...- The option to fly a SID (Standard Instrument Departure), with or without ATC dictating the intermediate altitudes.- Has options to deal with deviations for turbulence or weather.- I've never had any performance problems or perceptible frame rate hit.- Support online is EXCELLENT. The RC folks on the avsim forum are almost unfailingly patient with the questions/problem reports people post there. Even when the questions have been done to death in the past...- It's a really really good program for IFR ATC!Con's:- If you want to follow a STAR, you have to build it into you initial flight plan. This can be tricky if your STAR is coupled to a specific runway and you use dynamic weather... OTOH you can fly a Full plate approach (IAP approach) at your own discretion once you are handed over to approach at 50 nm from the airport, which means you can pretty much do as you please...- You have to be careful about talking to ATC as you pass waypoints of your flightplan. RC4 will sometimes fail to notice that you've crossed a waypoint and send you back... This can be worked around by asking for Direct to the next waypoint, but it can be irritating...- No VFR ATC.- It will only keep AI traffic out of your way when you're on tower frequency. The rest of the time you'll have to watch for traffic yourself. There are utilities out there that can help with this (AI Smooth for example)Not so much a con as a fact:- It has a moderately steep learning curve. Do fly the tutorial flights and do read the manual, and do search the avsim forum before thinking your procedural problem is a bug...- Just like real ATC, it will ask you to decend or ascend when it suits ATC, not when your fancy FMC (Flight management computer) says you should. This might cause you to rethink your flight strategies :(Summary:I consider Radar Contact to be a must have program. If you're more into GA VFR flight, you might disagree. And the few relatively minor problems in no way drag down a really excellent product. Radar Contact 5 is already on my wish list, even though it's not on the market yet (and JD, if you read this, please stick to your release practices and only put it on sale when it's done! I'm convinced that's one of the reasons RC4 is such a great product!)

[ronzie 21]

Most runway specific SIDs and STARs have common waypoints you can build into the flight plan. You can elect to fly a "Flex DP" which allows you to navigate to the first waypoint on your own especially if you have to SID in your navigation system. Similarly you can elect an IAP after acking the first approach instruction ignoring it and requesting it during your arrival.If you click on the RC tag below it will take you (I hope) to the jdtllc.com site. You'll find a comparative feature list and in the download section you can get the full RC 4.3 manual in .pdf format. No matter what ATC you decide on I think you'll find the tutorials informative.

[TC1 0]

Ok, I purchased RC4 and my first impressions are:- What a GREAT Support team. For some reason I was having a problem with my email so that I did not receive the code. JD took care of the problems quickly and followed on my results. Great support can be hard to hard, but this team is first class.- The manual is 290 pages. The actual operation of the program to veteran flight simmers should not be a problem. The manual is very straight forward. Good tutorials, appears that alot of effort was put into the tutorials so that most issues that you may encounter from the various FS9 airports, and airfields are addressed.- Easy on frame rates.- Add-on sound packages available at this site.- Although I have only flow a couple of flights, this is a large step above the default FS9 ATC.- JD, thanks again for your help.Tom

[Guest Funduro]

RCV4. One of my favourite addons for FS9. Excellent support if needed and I have just added the Meatwater voicepack update which imo makes it even better.

[Guest uptoit]

The developers are very quick to take your money, but don't seem to put as much effort into sending the activation code, so be prepared to wait, I've been waiting now over 24hours!!!...........how difficult is it???

[jd 57]

The developers are very quick to take your money, but don't seem to put as much effort into sending the activation code, so be prepared to wait, I've been waiting now over 24hours!!!...........how difficult is it???

not difficult at all. all key requests received in the last 24 hours have been processed. not sure why you are having a problem.your first key request was received at 9:32am my local time, from a different email address than you gave at the time of purchase.a second key request was received at 9:34am my local time, from the email address that you entered at the time of purchaseyour key request was processed at 9:46am local time(per my log: Success @ 3/31/2009 9:46:18 AM (-1272040146) KILLOHCAECNCCECBLNGLEHLGIQNQKADB)as you see, you only has to wait 12 minutes for your key.i think you meant to say "you haven't received your key". which is a far cry from your statement "The developers are very quick to take your money, but don't seem to put as much effort into sending the activation code, so be prepared to wait, I've been waiting now over 24hours!!!...........how difficult is it?"check your junk mail folder, check your spam filters to make sure you aren't classifying my emails to you as junk email, contact your isp regarding them not delivering email that "they" think is junk mail.jd

[Guest over and out]

I still can not figure out why when I switch from full screen to window mode to start RC4 and then back to full screen FS9 crashes. I can make the switch without usind RC4. Has anyone else experienced this?Does anyone have any suggestions?Thanks!

[jd 57]

I still can not figure out why when I switch from full screen to window mode to start RC4 and then back to full screen FS9 crashes. I can make the switch without usind RC4. Has anyone else experienced this?Does anyone have any suggestions?Thanks!

maybe i'm missing something, but why do you have to switch from fs full screen, to rc, to fs full screen?start fs in windowed mode, click fly now.start rc, load your .pln, and click startrc minimizes, restore fs in window mode, press alt-enter. jd

[E6BAV8R 88]

- You have to be careful about talking to ATC as you pass waypoints of your flightplan. RC4 will sometimes fail to notice that you've crossed a waypoint and send you back... This can be worked around by asking for Direct to the next waypoint, but it can be irritating...

Was there ever a workaround for this problem, that I have quoted? This was the biggest problem that I ran into, because with add-on aircraft (PMDG, Level-D), they lead the turn when flying on LNAV mode - it happens quite often that we lead the turn and never pass directly over the WPT, which RC4 sometimes doesn't process that you passed the WPT and are proceeding to the next - it just tries to give you vectors back to the waypoint the entire time.Is the only solution to really just request direct the next WPT from RC4 options in-game?

[jd 57]

Was there ever a workaround for this problem, that I have quoted? This was the biggest problem that I ran into, because with add-on aircraft (PMDG, Level-D), they lead the turn when flying on LNAV mode - it happens quite often that we lead the turn and never pass directly over the WPT, which RC4 sometimes doesn't process that you passed the WPT and are proceeding to the next - it just tries to give you vectors back to the waypoint the entire time.Is the only solution to really just request direct the next WPT from RC4 options in-game?

in-game? is this a game? no where does it say you have to pass directly over a checkpoint. in a departure procedure you need to come within 2 miles of a dp's checkpoint. that shouldn't be difficult. if you aren't flying a dp, or you are enroute, you have to come within 5 miles of a checkpoint. i don't think either is unreasonable. and if my stock ms lear can do it, surely more sophisticated aircraft can do it.and if you have trouble with a departure procedure, you can always click flex dp, and not worry about progressing any checkpoints. when you are done with your dp, just declare yourself on course.and in real life, what if real aircraft, real pilots, had the notion that 7, 9, 10 miles was good enough. that could get pretty ugly, pretty quickly.jd

[E6BAV8R 88]

in-game? is this a game? no where does it say you have to pass directly over a checkpoint.

I didn't say anywhere that it did. However, the few times I have been on a DP/enroute it misses WPTs every so-often because, for whatever reason, it doesn't register that I flew by it. It must have been an error on my part. I will watch it more closely next time.

in a departure procedure you need to come within 2 miles of a dp's checkpoint. that shouldn't be difficult. if you aren't flying a dp, or you are enroute, you have to come within 5 miles of a checkpoint. i don't think either is unreasonable. and if my stock ms lear can do it, surely more sophisticated aircraft can do it.and if you have trouble with a departure procedure, you can always click flex dp, and not worry about progressing any checkpoints. when you are done with your dp, just declare yourself on course.jd