I am very new to Radar Contact, just got it up and running yesterday but during the install I mistakenly told the installer I was using WideFS.  RC seemed to install ok but when I do the tutorials sometimes I cannot select the operations shown in the window such as 2 for weather and 1 for clearance delivery. I do not have any addons which would intercept keystrokes.  I was able to get it operational by shutting everything down, doing a cold start with the PC and starting up with the flight plan fully loaded in FSX before starting RC.  Now it is possible I may not have launched RC to run as Admin. Could that have been the problem?  I'm using Windows 7.  Or should I just uninstall RC and reinstall and not specify WideFS?

Now I am at the point no matter what I do I am unable to select the window options.  I rebooted, start both programs to run as admin, everything loads, aircraft at the proper location, the Radar Contact window is there, I open the radio stack (default B737-800), press 2 for ATIS, nothing happens, no freq change, no atis. Press 1 for clearance, same response. 

OK, did some additional reading here in the forum and found the solution.  I did not realize that FSX had to be fully up and running before starting RC.  I was activating RC while FSX was on the FLY NOW! window.  So now I press the FLY NOW button and then Alt-Tab to the desktop to start RC.  When I click on the FSX icon in the taskbar I hear the Windows whinney tone and it opens to a completely black screen.  I open task manager and switch to FSX and the cockpit view returns and all is working again.  Maybe someone here can point out a way to avoid the black screen thing.  Could having selected WideFS at install have anything to do with it?

 

Hal

Edited July 22, 201312 yr by halbach

I don't think the installer knows anything about or asks about widefs

 

yes, you always, always, always and always run as admin

 

fs also has to be running, plane at the gate, clock ticking on the panel, before you click the "start rc" button. if fs is on a menu, or not started, then fs doesn't know what keys rc is looking for

Thank you, JD!  Now that I have the startup sequence in proper order I am really getting to enjoy Radar Contact!  It indeed does bring a whole new dimension to sim flying.  In my previous post I had mentioned using ALT-TAB to minimize FSX and to open and start RC resulting in a black screen for FSX, I have since learned that pressing ALT-ENTER is a much better way and prevents the black screen. Now I am diving headfirst into Ultimate Flight Planner (free) and hope to never go back to FSX flight planner for generating flight plans. My heartfelt thanks to the fantastic team that brought us RC.