1st 24 hrs. Help Needed!

[rhodges 6]

I downloaded the free trial of VoxATC yesterday. I am impressed and if I can remove the shorts between my ears probably will purchase it. Looks promising. However, I am confused by a few things as follow:1. Is VoxATC designed to work with the Windows XP Pro 64 bit operating system? If the answer is "No", there is no need to read the rest of this post.2. In the "Introduction" on page 5 of the "voxATCHelp[1].pdf" documentation, instructions state: "SAPI 5 compliant engines must be installed for VoxATC to run."I have tried installing Microsoft Speech SDK 5.1 two ways. First as recommended by one party from a file: "Microsoft-English-TTS-51.msi". I then downloaded and installed: "SpeechSDK51.exe". The installation of SDK 5.1 does show up in my "Control Panel Add or Remove" options.To my dismay, In reading the docmentation it says that this version is not supported in the 64 Bit operating system.I have tried to find downloads unsuccessfully for later versions in the hope that they would work (i.e. 5.3, 5.4).3. Under "Getting Started" on page 6 of the help pdf, instructions state: "Go to the control panel and select speech......On the displayed dialog click on the 'Configure Microphone' button and follow the instructions the wizard gives." No such 'Configure Microphone', or "wizard" is displayed. I have no access to the "Recognition Profile Settings" window pictured on this help page, thus have no way to "train" the speech recognition system.4. To "train", "Setting up Speech Recognition" on page 30 of the pdf help the instruction states: "Select the Speech icon from the control panel and the following dialog will be displayed. As displayed on the picture of the window on this page there are two tabs, "Text to Speech" and "Speech Recognition", the latter of which is selected. When I select Speech in my control panel, I do not have the "Speech Recognition" tab, nor can access the options provided by this option.Now to really add to the confusion:6. VoxATC is working for me after a fashion with the following glitches:I discovered by trial and error, that when I want to speak, I have to press the space bar to be heard (which is no problem). I really did not see this addressed anywhere, but may be in my system setup by default and I just don't know it.Virtually every time I speak, in order to be recognized I have to press the space bar and speak but I get no reply or recognition that I have done anything. I then repeat the exact same process a second time and receive an appropriate reply. Seems to work fine but always takes two communications of the same thing.7. One last question: Can the Reality XP GPS be used with VoxATC? My understanding is that a planner flight plan must be selected which enables the FSX default GPS and negates any use of the RXP unit.If anyone else has been through a similar scenario, your help would be greatly appreciated.Respectfully:RTH

Edited February 24, 2012 by rhodges

[Muklum 28]

Hello RTH,I can't answer all of your questions, but:Re 1: According to the DVD case, VoxATC requires Win XP, Vista, or 7, either 32 or 64 bit.Re 7: I use the RXP GPS 430 with Vox ATC. It simply means that you need to produce a flight plan in FSX format and also enter an identical plan in the RXP GPS.I hope someone else can help with your other queries, but I think some of them at least arise from differences between the Win7 and WinXP user interfaces.Dugald

[rhodges 6]

Thanks for the reply Dugaid.I do not have any idea exactly how I got here from there, but miracle of miracles it seems that everything seems to work (with the one exception below). It appears in WinXP 64bit everything is initiated automatically, but I know how assumptions go. In any case, the program seems to work well and I am impressed. A little bit of a learning curve is in effect.I have tried several USA domestic flights of reasonable distances and seem to be getting the hang of it. I have found that at some point in a flight, the double communication requirement I mentioned in my original post seems to go away. Most of my speech is recognized on the first try. I cannot help but wonder if training takes place at least a little bit as communication progresses during a flight as I have found no way to access those provisions as instructed in the pdg help documentation.I also found and read that the space bar is the dedicated actuation key for communication in the instructions (Yea, I know, read the XXXXXXX manual)..I also now realize that the "planner" flightplan does not have to be enabled, but the saved "flight" must be. GPS selection is then academic.One thing I found that puzzles me. When I select my flightplan from Ben Gurion to Kennedy (LLBGKJFK) to try a longer International flight, communication stops when I request pushback and startup. I had the PMDG 747-400 selected. The text turns blue indicating that my request has been received, If I press "0" the only option is to return. Nothing happens and there is no futher instruction from VoxATC. I thought it might be the aircraft, so I started over and selected the reverse flightplan, Kennedy to Ben Gurion (KJFKLLBG). My request for pushback and startup is accepted and acknowledged. I do have a third party Ben Gurion airport. Could this be the problem? Anyone else had a similar experience and know the cause and possible solution?Thanks:RTHEdit: Told a fib. The 3rd party LLBG I have is in FS9, not in FSX, so that cannot be the pushback and startup problem.

Edited February 25, 2012 by rhodges

[rhodges 6]

Don't know what the problem was, but just restarted FSX, selected my LLBGIKJFK flight, and got acknowledgement and acceptance of my pushback and start request. So far so good.To be continued:RTH

[rhodges 6]

Day 3 of 7:Becoming somewhat discouraged. Having a number of problems, all of which may or may not be related to the absence of the ability to trian the speech as instructed in the Help PDF provisions. Microsoft Speech SDK 5.1 is installed and included in "all Programs" with all options. However, if I read one link correctly it is not supported on a 64 bit system.1. Requests are still periodically ignored in various ways. Some of the time there is no acknowledgement at all. At otheres, my text in the gauge window turns from green to blue indicating that my request is heard and/or accepted, but I never get a reply. On another occasion, everything went well until I was holding at the runway. I was given instruction to line up on the runway but never was able to obtain a departure/takeoff communication. In desperation I finally went on and took off and then received instruction to depart. At other times I have to repeat my request several times.2. Is there any way to light the VoxATC panel gauge for night flying? I realize that this gauge is not really realistic (as nor the green taxi lights which can be turned off), but to get started both are a great help. Unfortunately, at night the panel gauge text is barely visible if at all.3. In flying the PMDG 747-400, background noises are virtually inpossible. I have tried disabling everything I can find to try, but nothing remains stable. It continually varies with what I would call interference that comes and goes with a mind of its own.4. I have Ultimate Traffic which I assume is negated when all of the instructed disabling is activated. The AI Aircraft are many which I assume are all being provided exclusively by VoxATC, but IMHO the liveries leave something to be desired as do the default FS choices.5. I have used PF2000, now integrated with PFE since the very early days when it was first available and have enjoyed it very much over the years (FS 2000 or possibly before?). Granted it occasionally has its own glitches and I thought that VoxATC might be the solution. With enough time, possibly an intensive study of all of the documentation along with a hanger full of trial and error one might be able to find and solve the problems both user originated and/or anything directly related to VoxATC and SAPI 5.1. However in seven days I am starting to seriously doubt that this will be possible for me, nor do I think I am going to be willing to spend the high price to continue experimenting. Hopefully this present impression will change during the next four days.To be continued (at least for the next four days).RTH

[Sizel 4]

Hi1. I have had issues here and there with VOX ATC 6.05 which i think is to be expected with such an add-on. I have experienced your issues here but not often. Remember you can train your voice from the options and i think it must get used to your voice as you actually use it as it understands me better now from when i first started to use it some weeks ago.2. I don't know about this one but i guess probably not.3. I don't have said Aircraft but Vox ATC does not have any noise apart from voices.4. I was under the impression that Vox ATC uses your already installed traffic which is Ultimate Traffic in your case. I use Traffic X and AU Traffic for Aus/NZ and i see Vox using those. I suppose with Ultiamte Traffic you lose those real world schedules.5. As you say some problems we run into can be from our own wrong doings with the program, something i have found to be true and i too had the trial version but had just enough time to be convinced it was worth it and since my purchase i have improved with it and i am more comfortable with it now. But i still run into issues from time to time (My fault and VOX) but by reading the manual and a bit of patience i'm enjoying it and love the voice interaction rather than pressing keys.Keep with it.

[rhodges 6]

Well, good news and bad news.The good news is that I have completed several flights successfully now with VoxATC. However, these were limited to the use ONLY with the first officer option doing ALL of the comm. and freq. settings. Limited to this option VoxATC seems to work well with my XP 64 bit operating system..The bad news. Tegwyn West was kind enough to reply to a contact email I sent requesting devfeloper answers to my questions. Unfortunately the reply was as follows:"Hello. I'm afraid VoxATC does not work with XP 64. However it does work with Vista and Win 7 64."Looks like this is true, and not true depending upon what one is doing. The setup is not available, but voice communication does work after a fashion. It just is not too reliable and stable without the training provisions. Limited to first officer communication with what little voice requrements are needed to the Co-Pilot VoxATC seems to work with no problems..Thanks Tegwyn for the prompt and honest information.RTH