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patrico

New Radar Conact User

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Hi all you experienced users of RC a couple of quick  questions to help me get going. I normally fly the PMDG 777

 

1. How do I save a RC flight plan which is .PLN into my FMC which is .RTE

 

 

2. DO I need to manually tune the vadrious FREQ. given to me by RC

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ad 1.: The RC flightplan format is different from the PMDG format. Best to use an external flightplanner (free planners on the internet, or a payware flightplanner like PFPX) and let it export the plan in both formats (native FSX format for RC and PMDG format).

 

ad 2.: There's an auto-contact option in the RC general options. ('Tune on contact', IIRC.)

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need some serious help. I have come to the conclusion that I need to run that alignment tool which should be the answer to all my problems I have been able to land at certain airports as I intercepted the GS. How do I run it please do not bamboozle me with technical replies as I do not have a clue

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Hi, Patrick:

 

First I am going to assume RC and FS reside on the same PC. Next, you need to insure RC has the correct permissions to get access to your FS folder required settings for Win 7 and 8. For VISTA you will only get one property window so just follow along these instructions:

 

You should create a shortcut to rcv4.exe. Right click on that shortcut and click properties. Click on this first window run as admin. Now click advanced and here again click run as admin to check the box. Click OK to return to the first Window. Click Apply to save the changes then OK to close the properties window. This gives RC the necessary privileges as a user supervisor and as an application supervisory level to access folders and execute apps in those folders.

 

Now we can proceed to update the RC scenery data:

 

First lets insure you have the latest makerwys.exe today being 4.675. Get it from:

http://forum.simflight.com/topic/66136-useful-additional-programs/

 

Download the .zip file and extract the two files (an exe and a text file) to your FS file. Let it overwrite the older one RC installed.

 

Now start RC (without FS running) and click the Rebuild Scenery Database button. Answer no to the WideFS prompt. Enter the full path to your FS folder. Mine is h:\program files\microsoft games\flight simulator 9 but your will probably be different. (I keep that path in a text file with a shortcut to it on the desktop for easy retrieval to copy (ctrl-c) the path from the text file to the RC dialog box (ctrl-v) to avoid typos.)

 

RC will from its own window now start makerwys you installed in the FS folder. Answer OK to the run question that pops up, then watch the airports and runways count down. Answer OK to the makerwys finished.

 

RC will now prompt you for an OK to copy the various files created by makerwys in your FS folder to your rcv4 or rcv4x\data folder. It will copy r5.csv from as r4.csv to your rcv4 or rcv4x\data folder. Answer Ok to that message. Answer OK to RC's making a4.csv message. Answer OK to RC's finished building a4.csv message. I recommend waiting a few seconds to insure the copy finished. The close RC and it should be ready for use.

 

What has been done is that makerwys is used to extract your installed airport scenery data especially runway data (length, location, etc.) placed into r5.csv and copied as r4.csv. RC then calculates the coordinates for the airport center from the runway data and places the results into a4.csv.

 

Be sure you have the latest fsuipc you can get from here:

http://forum.simflight.com/topic/66139-updated-modules/

 

The full versions will install automatically in most cases to your FS\modules folder. Interim update you unzip the downloaded file to your FS\modules folder overwriting any older ones.

 

RC uses the airport coordinates and runway coordinates and other information such as length and if localizers or ILS runway aids are available to select the best runway with first ai patterns if present, then weather information, then best runway facilties. It uses the runway coordinates so as it monitors you it can set up the correct vectors and know when you have intercepted final.

 

Now RC uses the data it extracted from your installed scenery. This may be different from current charts. If you are using GPS equipped or FMC equipped aircraft, it depends on the aircraft model used and how those instrument databases are set up as to how their data matches the RC data extracted from your scenery.

 

I forgot if RC4 tells you the localizer or ILS frequency. If it does it has been pulled from your installed scenery and should be good for getting you lined up as you have stated. RC uses its own database for com frequencies so let it autotune your com radios. These frequencies may be different from current charts.

 

For lining up on localizers or an ILS you should be aware of this:

 

Some runways have the same localizer\ILS frequency the same and active on both ends of a runway. FS default airports have also by default have their back courses turned on. In these cases you could be unless within two degrees of the correct runway center line inbound, you could be picking up the incorrect runway navaids. Some aircraft will display text for the localizer ID and others you'll have to listen to the Morse code audio on the nav radio. Your 777 will identify the navaid identification on your PFD including lock status. Charts will show the Morse code in dot-dash format or use an external reference with the code table. I mention this as you do not want to lock autopilot flight director or manually follow the horizontal and vertical flight path indicators on your VOR\ILS instrument until you verify you are receiving the correct runway navaid.

 

For the PMDG 777 if you use the built in terminal data base for navigation guidance (SIDs, STARs, and IAPs (approaches), it may not sync with your scenery location data in some locations not will those SID, STAR, IAP waypoints match the flightplan you send to RC. That is a separate subject but quickly I advise to be synced up acquire an add-on flight planner that alllows AIRAC updates and exports to FS its plan format and also the PMDG .rte or .rt2 FMC format. Purchase a single AIRAC subscription update from navigraph or Aerosoft's NavDataPro, about $10 US which includes as many formats as you require within that fee for that one AIRAC period. I use fsbuild 2.4 which is AIRAC updatable. FS Commander is another one. This will get your FMC data and planner data synced. The other option is not to use the FMC terminal procedures and import the entire flightplan into the FMC. For runway specific SIDs and STARs use just common waypoints to all runways and use RC's vectors.

 

For navigating through hilly/mountainous terrain use the FMC procedures as guides and turn on the NOTAMS feature to allow flexibility in RC's monitoring of your actions during departure and arrival. On my B737 PMDGs I load the IAP into the FMC as soon as the runways are assigned by RC. Even though I am taking vectors from RC and using the MCP controls (HDG, ALT, SPD) to guide the aircraft, having the runway approach for the selected localizer/ILS or other procedure on the nav display gives me situational awareness to control speed and adjust turns and insure the interception vector is doable.

 

I went into some advanced "tech" data to cover the entire subject of lining up in addition to updating RC's scenery database and where discrepancies might occur during flight.

 

For free US/FAA flight charts at no cost I use flightaware.com. Just enter on the bottom left the ICAO code and click INFO. On the window that opens select the IFR tab and grab the single bundle ,pdf and later print or read what you need. I also use actual flights to load into FSBuild for the most part just copying and pasting into FSB's route window.

 

European Union member free airport charts are here:

http://ead-website.ead-it.com/publicuser/public/pu/login.jsp

 

Get your free registration, then login. Enter Apps, PAMS light (AIP) make the lawyers happy, then in the query select Authority (Country), Type (Usually CIVIL), AIP type Charts, Part as AD. Check advanced. When the advanced pops up enter the ICAO code prefaced with a * and followed with a * such as *EGLL* for Heathrow. You'll get one or more pages of all EGLL relative charts. The last column is the document description. The second column clilck on to download the .pdf file.

 

I thought I'd add the Eurocontrol link in case you are crossing the pond with the B777.

 

You should also that that as one of the airports of filed flights is under FAA control, you can get the full route of a flight that has landed. Here is a route for BA180, a B772 aircraft from KJFK to EGLL searched by using flightaware's tracking feature and picking an arrived flight:

 

HAPIE3 YAHOO DOVEY 4200N 06000W 4300N 05500W 4400N 05000W 4600N 04000W 4700N 03000W 4900N 02000W BEDRA NERTU GAPLI UL620 GIBSO M17 BILNI OCK3E

 

You might  have to take out the space between lattitude and longitude for fsbuild, don't know about FSC or FSX. The duration was just over six hours. You also might have to switch the SID and STAR version number to match your planners database.

 

I use Active Sky archived weather which links to FSBuild. When I used the same flight plan and the aircraft profile in FSBuild, its navlog total duration was within 15 minutes -- not bad -- especially for its fuel planning.

 

OK, I got long, but I thought I'd illustrate a B777 flight.

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My god thank you Ron what a great and so detailed reply, unfortunately most of it, if not all went over my head as I am computer illiterate.

FYI I do have a registered copy of FSUIPC4 I do fly the B777 and have Active Sky. I actually  live across the pond near EGKK although I did live in KIAH for 20 yrs. Part of me being disabled and in a wheelchair from  car crash in Houston is I am a one hand, one fingered pecker. This short note has taken me 1 hr + to write.

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followed everything so far  but now I am stuck I have d/loaded the makerrunaways zip file and extracted he two files to my desktop but how do I find my FSX folder to drop them in

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fantastic Ron I guess I am not as stupid as I thought, but great instructions with help from Ollie, its taken me 6 hours of trial and error in finding my correct path for the makerunaways utility to work


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one more question guys the T7 has a step climb feature which allows it to climb to a higher altitude once it burns off some fuel. How do  you incorporate this into the RC flight planning or can you?

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RC works with a single cruise flightlevel only. So you would have to request a higher flightlevel in RC at the appropriate stage of your flight. If your request is granted, you can step-climb. If it's not granted, you can still request the step climb again (AFAIK the 2nd request is always granted in RC).

 

Unfortunately there is no automatic step climb feature in RC, so you should not let the B777 step-climb in auto-cruise, that is when your sim is unattended.

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FYI:

 

Be sure you select heavy for the T7 (right?) in RC. You can then request 250 KT relief below 10,000 feet. RC does pay attention somewhat to the performance class type of aircraft.

 

On the T7, does it show on the legs page FMC where the step climbs will occur (as a forecast)? I know on the regular Smiths FMC on the 737/747 altitudes are shown by current position and performance for the next waypoints as if VNAV was engaged.

 

Maybe that can give a clue when to ask for a higher altitude.

 

I know that on looking at IFR plans filed on fightaware.com they file an initial cruise altitude but looking at the flight log, it shows the step climbs and descent patterns.

 

Looking at today's BAW180 KGFK to EGLL on a B772 it shows a fairly consistent climb to FL370, then to the requested FL400 through NATS routing finally up to FL410 as picked up by flightaware'd ADSB receivers around Ireland.

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Hi Guys I feel very dejected and upset  now as my post on June 23 and the subsequent  fix  given to me by Ronzie on June 24 does not work  for  me anyway. I firmly believe that  the fix is good and the problem is my end i.e, identifying the correct path to my FX folder . I had thought I had it fixed but it appears not

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Let us take this one step at a time:

 

Is makerwys.exe running? Do you see the airport and runway countdown? Have you answered OK to all prompts?

 

To see if makerwys ran look in your fs folder for runways.txt. Check the modified date (right click on it and click properties) to see if the date and time stamp agree with when you ran the RC scenery rebuild. Open runways.txt wiith wordpad (right click on it and select open with then choose wordpad, not notepad-it will take forever) and browse a few entries. There will be a bunch of airport sections. First will be the defaults, then add-ons. An add-on will have two airport sections consisting of a deletion section and later on a section detailing runways, gates, taxiways, etc. If this is OK then do the following:

 

In your fs folder, right click on r5.csv, click properties, and note the size, modified date-time. Now go to your rcv4\data folder. Do the same for r4.csv. The modified date-time should be near the r5.csv date-time and the size should be the same. If they are, then your path has been correct. You can also check a4.csv the same way just examining the modified date-time. It will be a few seconds later. If all is correct then RC's data has been updated.

 

Never open an RC .csv file with a database or spreadsheet program. Always use wordpad to examine it if necessary.

 

Now that the data update confirmation is out of the way what specific problems are you having.

 

Makerwys pulls data from FS going by the FS's scenery library priority. Airport data with the highest priority (lowest number in the scenery library list) would be near the end of runways.txt if that is an issue.

 

Are default aircraft working OK with RC? Does your flightplan in your aircraft nav gear match what you sent to RC? They may have different formats but the waypoints should match.

 

Is it the B777 that is giving you the problem?

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