VoxATC: Day 3

[Gregg_Seipp 565]

Okay, third day.  I did an uninstall last night and am doing a clean install this morning.  The first two days were kind of rough with some "fatal errors", some VoxATC getting in "Unable at this time" mode.  I spent a good amount of time last night after the uninstall reading through pages of this forum, seeing how other folks dealt with problems and found some solutions. 

 

First issue:  When I reinstalled it said I had to register the version so...gulp...$77 USD.  I didn't get my two week trial but, okay, I'll do it.  Paid and waiting for my handy registration code.

 

While I'm waiting, any tips you guys can send my way?

[wanabflyer 53]

So you took the plunge. All I can tell you is that I have not regretted putting out the cash for VOXATC. Like any complicated piece of software, it has its moments, but I personally have found it the most immersive and realistic so far. It might sound boring, but I would spend quite a bit of time running through the voice training, even to the point of repeating some.

 

I might also add that Tegwyn the dev is pretty responsive and helpful if you get really stuck on a problem.

Regards,

[Gregg_Seipp 565]

 

 

So you took the plunge. All I can tell you is that I have not regretted putting out the cash for VOXATC. Like any complicated piece of software, it has its moments, but I personally have found it the most immersive and realistic so far. It might sound boring, but I would spend quite a bit of time running through the voice training, even to the point of repeating some.

I might also add that Tegwyn the dev is pretty responsive and helpful if you get really stuck on a problem.
Regards,

 

Thanks!  It does change the experience, remarkably!  Reading many of the threads in this forum told me that, yeah, sometimes folks have problems but they stick with it and have been able to get them resolved.  So, I got it, got my key and took a short flight...everything went well. 

[Gregg_Seipp 565]

Well, turns out Anna is a comedian.  After I took of from Tampa, Approach turned me over to Center.  I made the frequency change and contacted them "Tampa Center, Beech 51 climbing through 6,500 for 15,000."  She said "Beech 51 Delta, JACKsonville Center, Roger" placing heavy emphasis on Jacksonville.  Every time after that, when she said Jacksonville, she said "JACKsonville".  I know this is no accident...not a chance.  And I'm sure that any time I fly down in her airspace she'll say it just like that...."JACKsonville ".  LOL.

 

I have to ask...do any of you fly without the green taxi lights?  When I was taxiing at Tampa, the instructions they gave had at least one hole in it.  The instructions were mostly right but they missed one taxiway that joined two of the taxiways in the route.

Also, pretty cool that it assigned me a STAR without me asking when arriving KATL.

[kama2004 74]

Green light for me. But i took the habbit of reading the airport chart carefully before taxi or after landing so i try to anticipate as much as possible the instruction. On arrival its almost impossible without green light as you never know where the park 4 or whatever is located on the ramp. In real flying you just say "unfamiliar with the airport, request taxi instruction" so the green light is close enough to reality.

 

I fly mostly GA so it may be different for the tubeliner that goes to gate which can be found on airport chart.

 

Hole in instruction can be due to difference between a current airport chart and what they call Afcad which is the route described in the internal airport description. This afcad file is not updated by navigraph and is sometime different than current airport chart. A lot of folks update airport and put afcad in librairies on tee web. Software like airport design editor allow you to display and change airport, taxiway id and parkings.

 

In fact afcad is the name of another software that give you access to taxiways definition. The Afcad name is used for the portion of airport definition covered by this software.

[Gregg_Seipp 565]

In fact afcad is the name of another software that give you access to taxiways definition. The Afcad name is used for the portion of airport definition covered by this software.

 

Yeah, somebody parsed all the default AFCADs and put the result online...

 

http://www.fsxdb.com

 

...though it doesn't show the parking that well...just moves the parking place to the middle of the map.  Aivlasoft shows the actual parking places with their numbers and I'm pretty sure it scans the AFCADs on your sim so it would be more accurate.  VoxATC is making me rethink all of the software I use and try to find ways to use it more effectively.

 

I'll add that the taxi instructions in Atlanta (a default airport) were even worse than at KTPA.  The dots were sending me all over the place.  I, eventually, just shut down the sim.

[kama2004 74]

Thanks, interesting links. It will make taxi to gate more interesting. I may try without the green light after all.

[Kuragiman 227]

VoxATC is hands down the very best voice activated ATC solution on the market and I think pretty much the best ATC software period.  You'll sink a little money into voices for your TTS engine.  Microsoft Anna is not the brightest or best tool in the shed.   Voice packs from IVANO and AT&T are really good and sound much more natural.

 

I don't fly GA with VoxATC but I know it is quite capable of doing a good job of it.  VoxATC is awesome for commercial airline flying.   Vox has it's moments of Herpa-Derp but for the most part it gets the SIDS and STARS right and as of the new 6.49 version is finally dishing out proper arrival runways when using ASN/OPUS weather engines.

 

After about 2 weeks of flying with VoxATC it will know your voice and you will eliminate 99% of mistakes made by VoxATC not understanding you.   The ONLY real bug left is the annoying ARTCC handoffs every 5 minutes.  This is unrealistic and the Dev for VoxATC is aware of it and searching for the cause of the frequent handoffs.

 

VoxATC has really spoiled me and is one of the reasons I don't bother flying on Vatsim or other online services even though I am with a virtual airline.   With WOAI traffic and VoxATC I get the full experience from airport to airport with realistic ground and enroute traffic.  Couldn't be happier with this product.

[pete_auau 1,152]

VoxATC is hands down the very best voice activated ATC solution on the market and I think pretty much the best ATC software period

 

You forgot to add (IMO)   since I believe pilot2atc is  the best out  there imo

[Capt Speirs 52]

You forgot to add (IMO)   since I believe pilot2atc is  the best out  there imo

In all the videos I have watched of Pilot2ATC the screen is littered with maps. diagrams, charts. Can these be turned off? Very annoying to watch.

[pete_auau 1,152]

In all the videos I have watched of Pilot2ATC the screen is littered with maps. diagrams, charts. Can these be turned off? Very annoying to watch.

I just min the atc box to the tray when not in use,  you can select what ever you want  to have  shown in the box wether being  map radios etc

[Gregg_Seipp 565]

 

 

You forgot to add (IMO) since I believe pilot2atc is the best out there imo

 

I tried it and there are some things I liked about it.  For example, you don't need a flight plan, you can do VFR pattern work and IFR practice approaches...no small things in my eyes.  It also works with XPlane.  The downsides is that the procedures are wrong. 

• It always asked me to climb to pattern altitude before making my downwind turn.  Easy for him to fix.
• Tower handled my practice instrument approaches.
• My vectors to final were often not good enough to continue the approach.

There were some other things too.  I sent a list of what needed fixed to the dev a few months back.  It also doesn't do anything with AI.  It does have more visual tools for changing frequencies, moving map (I am so tired of apps with moving maps), and stuff like that. I *think* it may work with SIDs and STARs. 

[wanabflyer 53]

I am sure there are a lot of pilots out there that prefer other ATC add ons or consider them superior to VOXATC and that's great. Having tried all but the one mentioned in post #9, I have chosen and enjoy VOXATC. I believe it is the only ATC program with its own voice recognition available, so that alone set's it apart from the rest, coupled with a procedural content that is apparently used in RW training, make's it my choice of program.

 

most of the help and information leading to an enjoyable experience with VOXATC, came from this forum. I hope that newcomers to this program have the same experience.

 

happy flying.

[Gregg_Seipp 565]

 

 

I am sure there are a lot of pilots out there that prefer other ATC add ons or consider them superior to VOXATC and that's great. Having tried all but the one mentioned in post #9, I have chosen and enjoy VOXATC. I believe it is the only ATC program with its own voice recognition available, so that alone set's it apart from the rest, coupled with a procedural content that is apparently used in RW training, make's it my choice of program.

 

While I agree (I mean...I just shelled out the bucks, right?) the practice approach thing is nice and something you see A LOT of in the real world.  Would be nice to see that sometime.

 

Gregg

[Gregg_Seipp 565]

Continuing Day 3 into Day 4...

 

Had a good flight from KFKN to KOCW...short...bad weather.  Both airports are uncontrolled.  I was on an IFR flightplan and didn't really know what to expect.  I announced takeoff, climbed into the soup and turned onto my course.  It gave me a prompt to announce leaving the area.  I did and then sat there (er...flew along), wondering what would happen.  After about 5 minutes, I dialed up a known frequency for Washington Center and called them up.  They said "Roger, altimeter ____" and that was it.  No transponder code or anything.  It seemed like they were acting like it was a handoff...hmmm...1200 code?  I continued on, skimming the tops of the clouds at 4000.  I was getting kind of close to KOCW and, out of the blue "Beach 51D, cleared for the GPS Runway 35 Approach, monitor UNICOM on ______."  Oh...um.  I acknowledged the approach clearance, switched to UNICOM, brought up the approach, selected an IAF and activated it.  Flew the approach (forgot to make any radio calls...ugh...don't think I was prompted but I know the drill, right?) flew the approach and landed.

 

Not sure if that's the way it usually happens or if there's anything else I should have done to make it work better?