Good ATC program possibly with voice activation (flyinsidefsx VR)?

[RALF9636 1,969]

Gerald,

 

you did a great job pointing out what MCE can do that certainly can not be achieved wih VAC. I am tempted again. :wink:

 

But still some questions:

 

Is it possible with MCE - interacting with PF3 - to have your FO talk to ATC? For example say something like: "Please contact ground and request taxi clearance." Or can I only talk directly to ATC ("Delta 123 ready to taxi")?

 

If it is not supported out of the box, would it be possible to set up something like that using Voxkey?

 

For the altitude / flight level requests MCE reads the autopilot so that probably will only work with the fully supported aircraft?

I did not find a complete list of all the fully supported aircraft. Is for example the A2A C182 fully supported?

 

Do you plan to support the upcoming Aerosoft A330?

 

Thanks!

[FS++ 710]

Gerald,

 

you did a great job pointing out what MCE can do that certainly can not be achieved wih VAC. I am tempted again. :wink:

 

But still some questions:

 

Is it possible with MCE - interacting with PF3 - to have your FO talk to ATC? For example say something like: "Please contact ground and request taxi clearance." Or can I only talk directly to ATC ("Delta 123 ready to taxi")?

 

If it is not supported out of the box, would it be possible to set up something like that using Voxkey?

 

For the altitude / flight level requests MCE reads the autopilot so that probably will only work with the fully supported aircraft?

I did not find a complete list of all the fully supported aircraft. Is for example the A2A C182 fully supported?

 

Do you plan to support the upcoming Aerosoft A330?

 

Thanks!

 

Right now, MCE recorded voices co-pilots can't handle ATC with PF3.

 

We are looking at adding that capability later so that you don't hear an intruder (PF3 co-pilot) on board.

 

You can do it via Voxkey though, the same way you do with VAC, with the added benefit, you won't have 2 instances of the speech engine running.

 

Only one instance, running inside "mce.exe", completely outside the simulator process. That way, the precious VAS is left to other add-ons that don't have the luxury to chose where they run (aircraft, scenery and weather)

 

On our website, we only list the major heavies we spent an average 3 months on each, providing custom interfacing, including a flight engineer where required.

 

80% of these don't have an SDK which would make interfacing much easier. We had to do it the hard way.

 

 

PMDG

737 NGX, B747, MD-11, J41, 777

Captain Sim

777, 767, 757, 707, CS 727, 737, L1011 Tristar

Feelthere

ERJ 145, ERJ 135, EMB 175, EMB 195, Legacy

Quality Wings

Bae 146, B757

Aerosoft

Airbus Extended A320/A321 and A318/A319, DH6 Twin-Otter

CoolSky

DC9, MD-80

Level-D

B767

iFly

B737, B747-400

Majestic

Dash Q400

Simcheck

A300 B4 (with simulated flight engineer)

Milviz

B737-200

Wilco

Evolution Vol 1

Leonardo

MD-82 (Maddog)

JustFlight

PSS 777, Bae146

Razbam

Metroliner III

Lockheed

All Lockheed Martin Prepar3D default aircraft

Microsoft

All default FSX & FS9 aircraft

 

We expect Aerosoft A330 to be similar to A320, and we are confident it will be interfaced, even without SDK.

 

Besides the above, MCE will load and work with countless other light aircraft which we don't consider worth multi-crewing. Aircraft has to be at least of the "king Air" class of aircraft before being considered for ad-hoc support.

 

It will work with many Carenados, A2A and other aircraft, except the heavies that have complex overhead and auto-pilot panels. Example JF Tristar or DC-8 would require custom interfacing.

 

From experience, you can expect MCE co-pilots to handle the following items with ANY aircraft.

 

Gear, parking brake and flaps

Spoilers and sometimes trim

Radios dialing: VHF,NAV, ADF, Transponder.

The odd external light, and sometimes even heading, speed and altitude dialing when aircraft is using default tokens for these.

 

If you look under \Flight SImulator X\MCE dlls\, you will find a separate dll for each supported aircraft, and a generic one for handling others where support is limited.

 

It has taken 10+ years to build this monster package.

 

One installation, and all your voice control needs are taken care of (FSX, Prepar3D and FS9 (18 aircraft supported under FS9)).

 

There is also a separate MCE package for X-Plane, and provided you acquire a specific plugin, either RC4toXPlane or PFEtoXPlane, you could talk to PF3 or RC4 within X-Plane simulator.

 

 

Fly for fun, or train as a Pro. 

[RALF9636 1,969]

Right now, MCE recorded voices co-pilots can't handle ATC with PF3.

 

We are looking at adding that capability later so that you don't hear an intruder (PF3 co-pilot) on board.

 

You can do it via Voxkey though, the same way you do with VAC, with the added benefit, you won't have 2 instances of the speech engine running.

 

 

You almost got me...

 

So if I understand you correctly MCE does not understand phrases like "Please contact ground and request taxi clearance." And you did not implement it yet because that would involve the PF3 copilot's voice as an "intruder". I see the point but I personally wouldn't be bothered too much by this intruder if only I had the option to tell my FO to handle the ATC - maybe even similar voices could be found.

 

But however, you say I can set it up with Voxkey. Now here is my crucial concern:

 

I've spent hours and hours setting up 100+ phrases for the interaction with my FO regarding the communication with PF3 in VAC. I did that mainly inside the profile-file of VAC ( an xml-file) using notepad because it was much easier to copy and paste and add little variations than to do it in the UI of VAC. Voxkey seems to use a "vkp"-file that can also be opened and read with notepad.

So I hope I can just copy and paste all my phrases from my VAC-profile file into this Voxkey-profile file. Some adjustments to the structure of the file will be necessary of course, but that would be much better than having to enter every single phrase in the User interface of Voxkey.

Can I do that this way? (I'm aware that you probably don't officially support that, but is it possible - on my own risk?)

 

Thanks again!

[theskyisthelimit 48]

Thanks for the detailed explainations on some of the deeper parts of MCE.

 

I have to say its a bit daunting for someone like myself.. basically i'm the type thats just seeking some basic two way atc, with full sentence speaking translation for GA flying (not to say i wont try heavies, but maybe down the road).. not so sure MCE makes the most sense in my case, though it could be fun i suppose, even in a 2-5 seater, maybe

 

Having now tried both voice attack, and dwvac.. i have to say i like voice attack better than VAC.. seems easier to setup keystrokes and it works perfectly.  (I havent compared cpu use yet tho).  Voice attack seems to lack the ability to associate an exe with a profile though, you have to rely on the active window.  I've set the 20 you can do with the freeware version and they work great (simulator / settings controls).

 

I really couldnt figure out where to begin with pf3, call me a super newbie i guess.. i was under the impression, like, i think, with pilot2atc and voxatc before that, you dont need to file a flight plan to use the software and just communicate with ground/tower and take off.. pilot2atc seems to work fine in this regard.  

 

Both pf3 and pilot2atc seem to really like tutorials, more so on the PF3 side.. there are a few pilot2atc ones.. but nowhere have a found your basic, ok, so you havent used radio chatter with atc before, here is what you do first, second etc.. i can dig for real life examples on that i guess.

 

If i can drive pilot2atc completely via speech, then that will be my winner..

 

Does MCE integrate ok with pilot2atc as well, i assume?

 

In all this talk... i guess pro ATC x hasnt been mentioned, though i guess without voice dictation, for my purposes anyway, it would not fall in the category i'm seeking either.

[Pete Dowson 558]

I have installed DWVAC for use with ProATC/X (only -- no need for cockpit controls through voice as I prefer using my hardware directly). But having read here and elsewhere about MCE I thought that might even be better.

 

However, it appears that, despite having a separate DLL which sits in P3D (fine) and presumably the application which is a separate process, (I think?), I can't run the latter on a Networked PC. That rules it out. my cockpit intercom is inextricably tied into the PC which is running ProATC/X (and previously Radar Contact) and is also running other sound programs too -- Prosim oriented.

 

Or has someone here found a solution for this?

 

Normally external applications which also use a DLL inside FS/P3D interchange information between them using something like SimConnect's Client Data facilities, though I know that Aivlasoft's EFB does its own Networking as do a few others. But the Client Data facilities seem ready made for this, so it is a shame they were not taken advantage of.

 

Pete

[FS++ 710]

 

 

Does MCE integrate ok with pilot2atc as well, i assume?

 

Since Pilot2ATC has its own speech recognition, there is no point interfacing it.

 

If you mean, will MCE work alongside Pilot2ATC, VoxATC or any other ATC, the answer is Yes.

 

Simply disable "Talk to ATC controllers" feature in MCE UI, and use ATC of your choice.

 

MCE gives you the option to use the same joystick button (or keyboard key) in other ATC software, so that when you hold PTT button down, our app will temporarily suspend all its speech reco,  and FO doesn't end-up interpreting your ATC speech as aircraft related speech commands.

 

 

Voxkey seems to use a "vkp"-file that can also be opened and read with notepad.

 

Affirmative, could eventually edit commands in Notepad. Will get back to you regarding the correct data input sequence.

[FS++ 710]

So I hope I can just copy and paste all my phrases from my VAC-profile file into this Voxkey-profile file. Some adjustments to the structure of the file will be necessary of course, but that would be much better than having to enter every single phrase in the User interface of Voxkey.

 

Although we recommend users create custom commands via the Voxkey UI which will take care of the details, here is how you can do that directly in Notepad.

 

For FSX, edit the "FSX Demo.vkp" profile

 

For Prepar3D, edit the "Prepar3D Demo.vkp" profile

 

First, save original profile, just in case you mess it up.

 

Add lines to the [Commands] section.

 

your_custom_command=<optional_CTRL><optional_SHIFT><optional_TAB><key>;number_of_times_to_repeat_key_press

 

Example

 

[Commands]

flaps two notches down=<118>;2 (this sends F7 key twice, either to FSX or P3D depending on edited profile)

 

If you need to use key combos like CTRL+SHIFT+TAB+A, add them in this order

flaps two notches down=<CTRL><SHIFT><TAB><65>;1

 

 

Pay attention to the bold characters. keys must be between < and > delimiters

 

On start-up, MCE will dynamically create a XML file based on what it finds inside the profile, and the new voice commands will be made available alongside built-in ones.

 

 

Suggest you only add a couple of commands first. See if they work, to make sure you're following expected format.

 

Key numbers

 

For 0 use 48

For 1 use 49

For 2 use 50

....

...

For 9 use 57

 

For A use 65

For B use 66

.....

....

....

For Z use 90

 

For F5 use 116

For F6 use 117

For F7 use 118

For F8 use 119

 

When done editing, update the "CommandCount=whatever_number_of_Commands_you_have_in_the_profile" (count the lines)

[RALF9636 1,969]

Thanks a lot Gerald.

 

I just went ahead and purchased MCE.

 

Waiting for the activation key now. I'll probably be on the MCE support forum soon. :wink:

[FS++ 710]

Welcome aboard Ralf

 

Fill-out "Registration.txt" file with serial obtained from Avangate and send it to register[at]multicrewxp.com.

 

Your activation key will be e-mailed to you.

[RALF9636 1,969]

I did. Didn't you receive it?

[FS++ 710]

 

I did. Didn't you receive it?

 

Checked at 17:30 UK time, and no e-mail yet.

 

Only got notification from Avangate regarding your purchase.

 

Check you didn't miss a letter in e-mail address. Eventually send it to support{at}multicrewxp.com

 

By the way, you are expected to receive an initial e-mail from register... with instructions on how to activate.

 

If you haven't received that (check Spam Folder), should check your e-mail is working properly.

 

Thanks

[RALF9636 1,969]

Got it now. :smile:

[theskyisthelimit 48]

I wanted to double check on a few things with MCE integration.. (i got lost somewhere along the way, apologies)

 

So far I understand that PF3 will integrate and you can trigger atc communication via MCE via voice commands or spoken phrases (still vague but seems to be the case, as i havent first hand tested yet)..and also set frequencies on the radio.

 

But.. as it was relayed, pilot2atc wont integrate, not without unchecking the ATC check box..

what about ProATC X.. any similar integration like with PF3?

 

I havent dug much into Pro ATC X either, i'm assuming it doesnt have any built in voice recognition.

 

At this point i'm sold on MCE, just trying to narrow down the best VFR GA voice driven (complete phrase type) ATC software to go with (with the possible extension one day of using more advanced features in heavier birds later on).

[FS++ 710]

 

 

what about ProATC X.. any similar integration like with PF3?

 

About 3 or 4 years ago, we offered the ProATC dev, the chance to interface it, with Clive (MCE moderator Alpha117)  acting as an intermediary.

 

He declined at the time and implied he planned to add that as a payware feature. That was a long time ago.

 

Good luck to him, we won't get involved with this one.

[FS++ 710]

At this point i'm sold on MCE, just trying to narrow down the best VFR GA voice driven (complete phrase type) ATC software to go with

 

For IFR flights, PF3 or Radar contact ATC are the ways to go.

 

When it comes to VFR flights and voice ATC, there is really no beating MCE + Native ATC for the following reason.

 

Unlike what most people assume, MCE isn't just taking chances with ATC window menu, sending keys and hoping for a lucky strike.

 

There is an awful lot of work involved under the hood.

 

Remember neither FSX nor P3D expose the ATC bit via the SDK. It is supposed to be a black box.

 

One of the breakthrough was the ability to read ATC window content dynamically (it's done in fsInsider.dll running in the sim).

 

As a result, when MCE sees [Tune Antananarivo on XXX.XXX], it dynamically feeds the ATC control center name to the speech engine, so that when you say "Antananarivo tower KLM 143 requesting full stop landing", the speech engine will recognize it easily and not have to wade through 25000 airport names to guess it.

 

Equally, it makes it possible to tell FO, "switching to Cairo ground" or "over to Thessaloniki tower", "Tune Malpensa departure on com one" and he'd know the exact frequency to dial, having fetched that directly from Native ATC window.

 

Menu selection is done carefully.

 

It's not, send this key when you say that

More like, OK user is requesting takeoff clearance, is there something like "Request takeoff clearance from AAAA" in the menu. If not, no key will be sent

 

You say "Roger, clear for taxi  KLM 143". The easy implementation would be to just send key 1 when you acknowledge anything.

 

But what if you have [1 - Tune AAAAA on XXXXX] in menu? 

 

There is another poorly documented feature very useful for VFR flights.

 

When airborne and you dial any frequency be it via clicks in VC or through some hardware radio stack, MCE will monitor your dialing, and after a specific time has elapsed (3 seconds by default and can be extended to 5), it will assume you're done with your selection.

 

It will then automatically select [ X- Nearest airport list ] option in menu, scrutinize the list of airports that show up, looking up their expected frequencies against what you dialed on COM 1, and eventually finding a match and selecting that airport so you can start transmitting straight away.

 

There is one thing we haven't managed with Native ATC though. 

 

It is knowing when other aircraft are transmitting and eventually blocking them if that was possible. As a result, in heavy traffic scenarios, you may end-up having to repeat your transmission, because someone else cut you off. But that mostly happens in IFR scenarios, with lengthy ATC acknowledgments. And of course you have PF3 and RC4 as alternatives.

 

For General Aviation and VFR, it's really the easiest.

 

No flight plan to bother with, fly anywhere you like, request flight following, cancel it, go back to your origin airfield, whatever...

 

Just don't do like this chap who thought it was a good idea to invite a Co-pilot on a Cessna 172. 

 

Trav the FO, takes his job very seriously, and he gets upset when you handle the flaps yourself, while he is there. An affront to the co-pilot status. That's what those "How can I do my job if you keep..." are about in this video.