I'm mostly flying the Barron from GA airports but VOXATC is sometimes making me "request startup" as if I'm flying an airliner out of an international airport.  The default FSX ATC doesn't do this, and, in that respect at least, is more realistic.  My demo period is over and I didn't tinker with it enough to figure out if there is a way to skip over the "request startup" step when it's more realistic to just listen to ATIS, start my engines, and then contact ground control (or clearance delivery) for my clearance.  Trying to decide if I want to buy this software.

Hmm...thought someone here might know if there was an option to skip over that step.  Is it just a part of the software that one has to tolerate when flying GA, or is this software used primarily by folks flying airliners?  As a real world pilot, I enjoyed being able to actually speak and use the phraseology, but it felt weird requesting a startup in a Barron at a GA airport.  Oh well.  Guess default atc will do for now.

You don't have to request startup at the very small GA airfields where there's no tower. It's only a small step though and its okay to do it after starting the engine. For me there are bigger annoyances in the product and I still use it.

For me there are bigger annoyances in the product and I still use it.

I see.  Thanks for the reply.  Do tell.  I'm curious about those bigger annoyances.  Don't want to be too nitt picky.  There's no "perfect" realism in the sim world.  Just weighing the cost/benefit of it all.

EGCJ is an example of an airport with one facility named "Radio".  The process there involves getting a radio check, getting airport information (weather, active runway) and then a statement that you're about to taxi.  Then later you get clearance to takeoff.  There's not even a separate ATIS.

 

Back to the annoyances.  If VoxATC gets a fatal exception or becomes unresponsive then its necessary to restart (disable then enable) VoxATC.  If you do that whilst still on the ground then you have to restart the process with the radio check.  If you've already taken off then it should work out that you're already en-route even if a radio check step is necessary.

 

Yesterday FSX took a long time to load for me, and I was getting single-digit frame rates.  Under these conditions VoxATC became unresponsive for me, perhaps unsurprisingly.  Normally my frame rates are in the 30s or 40s so my laptop was either busy or there was a problem with my FSX setup.

 

I enjoy VoxATC, particularly with the AT&T voices.

EGCJ is an example of an airport with one facility named "Radio".  The process there involves getting a radio check, getting airport information (weather, active runway) and then a statement that you're about to taxi.  Then later you get clearance to takeoff.  There's not even a separate ATIS.

 

Back to the annoyances.  If VoxATC gets a fatal exception or becomes unresponsive then its necessary to restart (disable then enable) VoxATC.  If you do that whilst still on the ground then you have to restart the process with the radio check.  If you've already taken off then it should work out that you're already en-route even if a radio check step is necessary.

 

Yesterday FSX took a long time to load for me, and I was getting single-digit frame rates.  Under these conditions VoxATC became unresponsive for me, perhaps unsurprisingly.  Normally my frame rates are in the 30s or 40s so my laptop was either busy or there was a problem with my FSX setup.

 

I enjoy VoxATC, particularly with the AT&T voices.

Oh yeah, the "radio check" was another thing.  I was never taught to do that for every flight.  And I taught my flight students it's only done if there is reason to believe the radio has a problem.  Otherwise, it's just wasting ATC's precious time.  Do airline pilots bother ATC for a radio check every flight, I wonder?  I've never seen it on any checklist (like a brake check, for example).

 

Thanks for your input.  I think I'm leaning away from VOXATC for now, at least until I have some money to burn.  It's a great concept.  I like using the mic.  But the weird procedures feel unatural to me and actually detract from the pleasure of doing the speaking.  Having to say things exactly word-for-word according to the script feels rather stiff as well.  Maybe they will eventually figure out a way to use voice recognition that has more flexibility to deviate from the script...something that understands the same thing said in slightly different ways, like real pilots do.  I would definitely go for that.

 

Even though I can't use the mic, the default ATC feels much more real in it's procedures and use of phraseology.  The voices sound pretty good, too.  Not very "robotic."

Sir Tommy

 

Have you tried Multi Crew Experience? It allows you to use voice with the default ATC and there are lots of variations in the way you interact.

 

It could be rather expensive, but there is a free demo that lasts for 10 days or 20 flights.

If you say the next instruction after radio check (rather than radio check itself) does that work?  Although its not an option on the screen it might let you use it.

Sir Tommy

 

Have you tried Multi Crew Experience? It allows you to use voice with the default ATC and there are lots of variations in the way you interact.

 

It could be rather expensive, but there is a free demo that lasts for 10 days or 20 flights.

No.  Thanks for the tip.  I just read the review and watched a video of it.  Looks promising.  I will try the demo.

Ive been using VOX for about 6 months now and I love it.  Yes it is somewhat quirky and limited in variability but overall its a great program.  I fly both airliners and small planes in both IFR and VFR modes with VOX and have had more often than not no problems at all.  Update 6.20 seems to really have fixed some of the problems people often experience.  As for the procedures Ive never flown outside FSX so Im not up on real world procedures.  I know you can skip the radio check if you want, the start up thing sounds like a small issue to not use a program.  The default ATC is way more limited than VOX.