Clumsy hand-overs (Radar Contact)

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

I tried to resolve these findings during the last weekend but haven't really succeeded yet:

 

Every time RC issues a frequency change I try to acknowledge quickly and contact the new entity as soon as possible. Usually I end up with the new frequency dialled in, failing to make contact and the 'old' entity nagging at my sluggishness.

 

I configured the general options for RC as per the MCE manuals and I tested a couple of times, following closely both the RC guide in the MCE documentation and the IFR tutorial involving RC (I also tried my 'own' settings in RC   ) - to no avail.

 

Is there any decisive item I may have missed?!?

 

Thanks!!

[WR269 367]

Olli, look up in YouTube the videos by David Herky, he uses RC4 a lot with MCE and what he achieves is fantastic.

 

Sent from my Mobile thing

 

 

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

Thanks, Will; will do.

[FS++ 707]

I tried to resolve these findings during the last weekend but haven't really succeeded yet:

 

Every time RC issues a frequency change I try to acknowledge quickly and contact the new entity as soon as possible. Usually I end up with the new frequency dialled in, failing to make contact and the 'old' entity nagging at my sluggishness.

 

I configured the general options for RC as per the MCE manuals and I tested a couple of times, following closely both the RC guide in the MCE documentation and the IFR tutorial involving RC (I also tried my 'own' settings in RC   ) - to no avail.

 

Is there any decisive item I may have missed?!?

 

Thanks!!

 

Thekey thing is to use FO to dial the next frequency.

 

MCE constantly monitors the content of the RC4 ATC window. FO will know the frequency to dial.

 

When asked to switch over, tell FO

 

"going to center"

"switching to tower"

"over to center"

"tune center on com one"

"dial center on com one"

etc.

etc.

 

FO may eventually say "going to center". You don't have to wait for him to say that. Just hold the PTT key down (that will shut him up) and start transmitting.

 

Should be just about enough time for you to transmit without getting nagged.

 

Of course if we could get JD to update RC to version 4.4 it would have been better.

 

But it's actually a miracle that such an old piece of software stood the test of time and even gets voice activated when it wasn't even initially designed for.

 

As Will mentioned, David has mastered the art to talk to RC4. His vids are very educational in this regard.

 

Things like how to ask for direct course to waypoint or request level change

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuJA3suPe5A&feature=player_embedded

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

Thekey thing is to use FO to dial the next frequency.

 

(...)

 

That sounds very convincing ... thanks, Gerald!

 

Of course if we could get JD to update RC to version 4.4 it would have been better.

 

But it's actually a miracle that such an old piece of software stood the test of time and even gets voice activated when it wasn't even initially designed for.

 

Haha, it's MCE that's turned RC4.3 into RC4.4 - and I'm torn apart between voice-controlled RC and VoxATC ...

 

Things like how to ask for direct course to waypoint or request level change

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuJA3suPe5A&feature=player_embedded

 

I played around with those "2nd/3rd/4th page options" already - now MCE speeds up those things considerably as I usually experienced long delays until RC showed me the next page ... (...) ... and the next page ... (...) ...

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

O.k., looks like the quickest way for me to change frequencies is to acknowledge to the old centre while dialling in the new freq (standby). Then the transfer button and the contact with the next centre. As long as speech recognition catches my phrases on the first attempt, I'm fine.

 

There seems to be a peculiarity with RC as it 'insists' on acknowledging to the old centre even if that acknowledgement has already been passed, when contact with the next centre isn't made in time.

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

Got it without the controller's nagging!   :yahoo:

 

In those rare instances when I'm still too slow: Peculiarity #2 neutralizes #1: My "contact" phrase is stored and will be transmitted automatically after replying to the nagging. (That happens with the "button-control" version of RC, too, but here it really helps to resolve the nagging issue as I don't have to repeat that phrase, as well.)

[FS++ 707]

Got it without the controller's nagging!   :yahoo:

 

In those rare instances when I'm still too slow: Peculiarity #2 neutralizes #1: My "contact" phrase is stored and will be transmitted automatically after replying to the nagging. (That happens with the "button-control" version of RC, too, but here it really helps to resolve the nagging issue as I don't have to repeat that phrase, as well.)

 

Could be that home made "control-button" solution. It could equally be the built-in anti-nagging feature we've added a few months back.

 

Whenever you transmit to next controller and previous one starts nagging and putting a screen requiring confirmation, MCE will automatically select the "ack" option (so that you don't have to acknowledge and then have to repeat your transmission), then select the contact option for next controller.

 

Sometimes it can be a hit and miss, depending on how fast MCE can get those options at runtime.

 

Maybe a good idea to share your workaround next time someone finds RC4 nagging very annoying.

[ChuckOman 3]

I've tried the various suggestions for dealing with the Radar Contact 4 handoff acknowledgment problem, but none seem to work consistently enough - at least for me - to avoid frustration.  RC4 says there won't be an RC5, so this problem is unlikely to be fixed.  But I've found another workaround that I now prefer:  Set up RC4 with "play pilot .wavs" set to on.  Find and download William Reynolds RC4 voicepack for RC4 so you have a voice similar to MCE copilot William.  When you taxi out, say "you have the radios".  Your MCE copilot will acknowledge all routine transmissions - you'll hear him do it.  But you can still intervene with ATC requests in the usual way without having to say "I have the radios" - RC4 allows this.  I've now made several trips this way, and have never been nagged !

[starter 8]

Hi Chuck,

 

rc4 William Reynolds voicepack and MCE copilot William...... they are the same person .

 

 

Regards John