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ibanez737

Not Unable to Comply?

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Hi all,I'm new to Radar Contact, just got it yesterday. During my first flight, everything was going smoothly until ATC started vectoring me towards the airport. Approach cleared me down to 5000 from current altitude of 7000, but there was mountainous terrain around 5000 so I pressed "6", which is supposed to be the unable to comply key, as selected by default in the key mappings. Instead, pressing 6 caused me to ask for a freq change to get ATIS! I've verified that my 6 key is assigned to "unable to comply", without any shifts or ctrls. What was I doing wrong? And is there a terrain database that I can download to prevent ATC from vectoring me into mountains? Otherwise, the program is pretty cool and much more realistic than default ATC. Thanks!-Scott

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To find out what happened with the Unable key you'll need to fly that trip again same weather, etc, but but to make it shorter for your convenience start from a closer airport in line with your first trip and the same cruising altitude enroute. When you start RC before loading your plan click the debug button, then proceed as normal. When your flight is complete or if you wish alt-tab to RC and quit it shortly after the problem occurs to close the log file. Send in the zipped up log, rcv4.log in the RCV4 folder, attached to an e-mail describing your plan and trouble encountered as noted in the pinned topic at the forum head.RC does not have in its current form a direction sensitive MSA database but is based on an average a certain distance out. This database is in a fixed data file containing the averaged MSA and the transition altitude for the airport. Nothing newer is available.For mountainous departures and destinations I recommend choosing an IAP based on charts. To do this include waypoints from these charts in your flight plan, at least the ones common to all runways, to get you to for arrival 35 nm out from destination. If you are using a navigation instruments with procedures those waypoints should be included and in sync with the plan sent to RC.After RC approach assigns a runway and you ack it you can request an IAP and when granted you navigate on your own through intercepting the inbound runway heading and following navaids accordingly. The next time you'll hear from RC will be to contact tower as you close in on your inbound leg close to the runway.Another departure and arrival method is the use of NOTAMS chosen on the controller page before you START RC. You will note that for approach you'll get 'if able' preceding instructions from the controller. That means RC is monitoring you but lets you deviate from instructions so you can still get advisory guidance.Check out the manual tutorials and procedures on using NOTAMS and also IAP for arrival and using the preflight (controller page) option of when automatically (if your first departure waypoint is within 30 nm) or optionally (if you choose with or without altititude restrictions) lets you navigate without vectors but holds you to your filed departure waypoints.I use FSBuild but you can use other planners that have a database of departure and arrival terminal procedures (SIDs and STARs). Below I'm pasting a tip sheet I wrote for FSBuild on how to use it with a nav instrument like an FMC or GPS. Other planners may have similar choices:--------------------FSB tips:1. Include this line in FSbuild.cfg:NAVCHKDUPDIST=100This decreases the chance of using the wrong duplicate named local (to the airport) waypiont from a nearby airport. Local waypoint names are not exclusive. It decreases the database search when it is named in the route to within a 100 nm radius of your airport. You will find these in terminal procedures such as "D" number something within a SID or STAR to define a merge or turning point.2. When doing a Auto Generate (Route) be sure the SR (Stored Route) button next to it is "up" that is not highlighted. Auto Generate will use a stored route if found by default and most are out of date with old waypoints and terminal procedures. Having Stored Routes off forces it to search a path with fresh data. (Now off by default in version 2.4.)**REVISED 6/16/11** 3. FS Build database updates will be exclusively released through navigraph.com. It should be part of the FMC data line. For those not familiar with Navigraph each subscription term (cycle) includes multiple format downloads at no additional cost. This is very convenient for aligning FMC/navigation equipment databases with the flightplanner so among other things ATC data and your nav equipment data should match as you send a plan to ATC and then load it including terminal procedures into your FMC. The 2.4 upgrade includes the thirteenth cycle of 2010. The FSB upgrade is free to 2.x version users and is available via your order history on navigraph.com.4. Where an airport uses specific runways for different terminal procedures select the runway using an estimate based on weather and if the runway fits your aircraft requirements before doing the Auto Generate. This helps select the correct SID and STAR for the runway and direction of departure and arrival.5. After the Auto Generate and/or first build look at the map created to spot any obvious errors. In the route grid look for any sudden non-sensible changes in direction or extremely long legs not in the correct direction creating a zig-zag in the map. (See item 6 following to correct).6. Be aware there is an option you can set for each session titled "Build Route from Grid Table". It does not stick between sessions. This lets you build from an edited route grid that you may have modified without recreating the table with the same error on your next build/export. For example you might wish to drop an errant waypoint when proofing the map and rebuilding.7. Sometimes the name of a procedure (SID/STAR) does not match the name exactly in a published route and the procedure will not expand into its plan waypoints in the grid table. You can click on the arrow in the SID/STAR box to see what close name is in the FSB database. (Another reason to keep up with AIRACS.) For example KMSP has a current real such as this one:http://flightaware.com/resources/airport/KMSP/DP/WAUKON+TWObut the FSB database only has UKN2. (It does have UKN3 now with the latest available AIRAC update). If so in the route line just change UKN3 to UKN2 so it will expand. Here's a real route from flightaware.com for KMSP to KMDW:KMSP UKN3 DBQ CVA MOTIF3 KMDWthat can be pasted into the FSB route line. If UKN3 or MOTIF3 does not expand in the route grid to individual way points look in the upper part of FSB in the airport section dropping down the SID or STAR box to get the available version and substitute that label in the route line and rebuild. Note that the SID and STAR dropdowns may follow the chosen runway in certain areas.8. Sometimes it takes a second build to get the map to move and/or magnify. The mouse scroll wheel lets you magnify. Just click on the portion of the map you want to center on and scroll to magnify.9. If you click on a line in the route grid table to highlight it, the waypoint on the map will turn red. This is useful for finding errant waypoints that cause an error in the path. That line can then be edited or deleted and a rebuild accomplished with the build option to build from the route grid table.10. If you are running a weather program such as active sky, first build the route in FSB exporting to FS9 using an anticipated cruise altitude and specify the nearest aircraft profile. In AS get the weather you wish to use. (I always get the weather for the zulu time of the departure in FS since time of day affects weather characteristics). Import the plan into AS via the new route button, check the altitude and choose an appropriate true airspeed in knots (this is your no wind ground speed). Process the route. When it is finished click the button to print a hard copy of all. Use this AS navlog for METAR data at both ends and winds aloft and temperature aloft that can be used for FMC data. (You'll also get your estimated average wind at your specified altitude - handy for FMC data.) Leave AS running. Now go back to FSB and your chosen aircraft profile. Enter the surface temperature from your departure METAR, then estimated total taxi time, hold time, and extra time (sometimes called discretionary fuel). Now turn on again your FS9 export along with any FMC export you might use. Rebuild and you'll see the messages regarding the export completion. On the route selection on the left which brings up your route window select the navlog tab and click the .pdf to save the navlog in a file or the print button to get a hard copy so you can easily reference the estimated fuel and other data. This estimated fuel has now taken into account your winds aloft data - no need to enter it in FSB. Now that you have the hard copy and exported your route, you can first optionally save the plan by selecting flightplan window, then clicking the category tab, then select user category. Now click file, save from the menu bar. The name you might want to embellish. Click Save Route To User Flight Plans. For another session, you can recall this working plan and just build.11. If you are using an aircraft with nav equipment that has its own terminal data procedures in its nav equipment (think FMC) you might wish to use step 6 above to take out the waypoints of the terminal procedures keeping just the transition points and build and export with just them. This easily in most cases lets you select the SID and STAR assigned by ATC on your nav equipment by providing a clean legs list in your nav equipment. If you need ATC to monitor the waypoints of the terminal procedure than just export all. To keep ATC and you nav equipment in sync, you might consider importing the full plan into your nav equipment and not using your nav equipment procedure database.This is kind of long but through experience I've described some tricks I've used watching out for any pitfalls.Be sure to check the FSBuild forum for updates.

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Thanks for your timely reply, I haven't had a chance yet to try out your suggestions but will report back when I do!-Scott

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Hi all,I'm new to Radar Contact, just got it yesterday. During my first flight, everything was going smoothly until ATC started vectoring me towards the airport. Approach cleared me down to 5000 from current altitude of 7000, but there was mountainous terrain around 5000 so I pressed "6", which is supposed to be the unable to comply key, as selected by default in the key mappings. Instead, pressing 6 caused me to ask for a freq change to get ATIS! I've verified that my 6 key is assigned to "unable to comply", without any shifts or ctrls. What was I doing wrong? And is there a terrain database that I can download to prevent ATC from vectoring me into mountains? Otherwise, the program is pretty cool and much more realistic than default ATC. Thanks!-Scott
when you know you're flying into terrain that will cause issues, simply click the arrival (or departure) notams. then all clearances will be preceeded by (...when able...) you will not be watchdogged for altitude or headingsjd

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