does this replace the flight simulator x default atc how does it work please reply thanks.

It is a replacement for the default FSX ATC. You should be aware that it does not provide progressive taxi instructions nor the "pink line" for taxiing to a gate. There are third party add-ons that can do that.

 

RC may hound you on an error but it will not cancel its services.

 

To see the features and how it works download the manual or tutorials from:

http://www.jdtllc.com/documentation.htm

 

The manual and tutorials use an older version of the display window. It now is a standard small window looking like a typical Win version window that provides menu selections and has a status section.

 

Voices are prerecorded phrases in a variety of accents that are assembled as needed to provide pilot and atc audio.

 

For the best audio performance it should be a discrete audio card in your PC as opposed to an on board audio chip.

 

If you decide to get it after installation be sure to update FSUIPC and makerwys from the support links pinned in the topic above and rerun the scenery database function again.

 

There is a bit of a learning curve to using it as it emulates real world ATC. It is for IFR controlled flights only, not VFR flights but it will also provide facilities for uncontrolled airports. You do need to be familiar with controlling your aircraft to meet ATC instructions. If you use an FMC type aircraft you may not be able to use the FMC terminal (SIDs and STARs) navigation fully. RC just uses the flightplan you file. RC ATC dictates the rules but some flexibility is available.

 

The tutorials give examples.

 

It is best to have airport diagrams and procedure charts. Comm frequencies are fixed in RC and are visible preflight in a "controller" window. RC can autotune your comms to take care of that aspect.

 

RC can provide during enroute a co-pilot to handle your comms and if you are using a standard aircraft designed to FSX rules he/she can fly the aircraft for the enroute portion. Certain models like the PMDGs and iFlys have modified the control interface and the RC co-pilot can not control these types of aircraft. I advise you handle your own comms as that affords that you will not miss a communication and allows other flexibility.

 

Check out those tutorials.

yeh thanks for the reply i found a video on youtube and the voices sound a bit robotic not sure if they are any better than the default atc voices

It depends on your pc performance. That video is quite old I believe.

 

The voices are not synthethic but real world volunteers who recorded the phrases. They were then cleaned up and for controllers were adjusted to sound like coms over VHF radio devices. RC4 gathers all of the phrase wav files needed to play communications into one "play list" (buffer) and then plays them to maintain fluidity. FSX for all of its processes uses the main CPU including most of its graphics rendering. Add a weather app and a complex aircraft and you are really loading down the CPU. FSX is not multithreaded for multiple core processes. Win 7 can assist in reducing CPU load by referring complex math for rendering to the graphics CPU if not busy but it helps. It helps for FSX to have a high clock speed on an i5 or i7 processor usually obtained by a turbo mode with an intel utility that allows setting various CPU parts and RAM speeds. These are the "K" such as an i5-2600K processor.

 

RC takes what processor cycles are handed to it and that includes audio playback.

 

I don't know what facilities or RC version was used for the youtube video or how the user set the speed control for each voice set which determines the pacing.

 

Most phrases blend well together. There is also a limited freeware voice set for RC floating around that some people use.

I like RC4. Some other features include the ability to pass communications or controls or both to the co-pilot. A lot of times I will pass comms and manage the aircraft. You get a voice acknowledgement when you make the switch. ie. "My Comms" "Roger, your comms"...

 

You can set error tolerance for course altitude and airspeed deviations. If you bust the clearance, you will hear about it. And the debrief after you fly will give you good feedback.

You will be reminded to fly your plan and not wait for controllers to correct you. On ground communications include calling FSS to open a flightplan. This comes with phone dialing sound effect. Request engine start, request push-back are also available. You might decide to disable to default voice in FS otherwise you will hear RC voices as well as FS voices.

 

In-flight comms allow you to declare emergencies, or divert to another airfield set in your flight plan. One of the best features I enjoy over the default ATC is you will get decend when able instructions or pilot's discretion as opposed to the default expedite descent guidance. You can request to switch radio frequencies to listen to ATIS as well. There are a reasonable amount of voices available which also come with a variety of accents/dialects.

 

Keith

Before you settle on radar contact have a look at proflight emulator (PFE) it allows SIDs STARs atlantic tracks etc. Taxying to and from gates etc.

It has at least 100 regional voices which are not robotic. It also is a steep learning curve and has its idiosyncrasies as does also RC4.

vololiberista

Before you settle on radar contact have a look at proflight emulator (PFE) it allows SIDs STARs atlantic tracks etc. Taxying to and from gates etc.

It has at least 100 regional voices which are not robotic. It also is a steep learning curve and has its idiosyncrasies as does also RC4.

vololiberista

 

Hello

Is it only me that thinks this is in poor taste.

This is the Radar Contact support forum and it is hardly fair on the developer to openly promote a competing product.

RC4 monitors whatever waypoints are in your filed flight plan. Therefore, if your planner inserts sids and stars you will be expected to follow those waypoints (expanded by your planner).

 

If you are using runway designated SIDs or STARs, then you only include waypoints common to the runways so you can dynamically assign the initial or final waypoints to your nav gear. RC for departure can allow you to navigate on your own and line up for the first waypoint after 30 nm. For arrival after contacting approach and getting the assigned runway and first vector you have the option of changing runways and taking vectors or again navigating to interecept final on your own.

 

RC works well with FSBuild, for one., since you can plan your flight and then modify the waypoint grid and then export from that. For those using navigraph FMC updates, fsbuild 2.4 uses those as well.

 

RC4 is native to fsx and fs9 flight plan formats. Unless changed, I've see PSE requires an extra step to use those.

 

As for using synthetic voices, unless it is changed, PFE comes with a few voices and then you can order more. The can be an advantage I admit if PFE can pronounce correctly any airport name you throw at it. RC will only pronounce airport names in its scripts, otherwise it will phonetically pronounce the ICAO code.

 

I also have seen a comment in some comparison thread that PFE does not monitor below 10,000 feet. I hope that is not correct.

 

PFE was not available for FS8 because of the .pln format but added its converter for FS9.

 

In all fairness check out the PFE forums, tutorials, and manuals, as with RC and make your choice.

 

I had a VFR private and commercial pilot license with a few hundred hours piloting in VFR advanced single engine aircraft. i also did IFR ground school and did some IFR in-flight training before health reasons forced me to stop. Between that and monitoring real world comms in my opinion RC meets the ATC operation immersion quite well.

I have both RC4 and PFE...I always come back to RC4. It's way easier to use and it gets the job done.

Hi,

 

I have used RC4.3 for many years and would not fly without it.

 

I have tried other products including PFE which I found required a lot of setting up as well as requiring a lot more time to complete pre flight preparations.

 

Alternative voices are available for RC.A user of RC,Meatwater,remastered the voice wavs and posted these files on Avsim.Many RC users have them and seem to like them.

Hello

Is it only me that thinks this is in poor taste.

This is the Radar Contact support forum and it is hardly fair on the developer to openly promote a competing product.

No, it's not only you.

I fully agree.

does this replace the flight simulator x default atc how does it work please reply thanks.

Original Post

 

View Postmad dog, on 26 April 2012 - 12:01 PM, said:

Hello

Is it only me that thinks this is in poor taste.

This is the Radar Contact support forum and it is hardly fair on the developer to openly promote a competing product.

 

No, it's not only you.

I fully agree.

 

If you look at the original post "and" the title of the thread the poster has made a general enquiry. Therefore it's perfectly ok to sugest options before committing any money. Also the "other" ATC programme moved from avsim after the hack. Of which the poster may not be aware.

Some people are just too ready to get up on their high horses. Instead of moaning give the poster the information they want. Explain the pros and cons and that there are other alternatives if RC4 doesn't fit the bill.

vololiberista

yeh thanks for your posts i will look at reviews of both and decide

i see that neither of them control ground traffic only on take off and landing this is a bit dissapointing hopefully they will make one that does everything.

i see that neither of them control ground traffic only on take off and landing this is a bit dissapointing hopefully they will make one that does everything.

 

That's not possible. The AI is entirely under control of the sim. Both RC4 and PFE "react" if you will. All they can do is "freeze" the AI on the ground to allow you to take-off. (Remember that from the sim's point of view it is you who are the "uncontrolled" pilot!). Each has its good and bad points.

vololiberista