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forshaw

Best all round ATC for FSX - Pro- ATC/ X?

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22 hours ago, forshaw said:

So my question is, given what I would like to do, would I be making a mistake going with Pro-ATC/X? Is there any big ticket items that I am missing or I should know about before I purchase?

When I read the many posts above & then yours, I suggest you have that great chance given the options now available (unlike a few years ago) to just not consider ATC addons, but in parallel your planning and AI traffic options & how they work alongside the possible ATC addons ..... they're not all equal nor similarly compatible with other addons.

for example, will you choose a traffic addon like UTL or use the freeware resources such as AIG

and / or will you use the like of PFPX for complete planning (route/loads/fuel) or the freeware (flightware for example) option for route only.

and are you an airac "subscriber" for your "heavies" ?

& finally, whilst using PATC (& similar) which require included / user supplied sound files for many a flight, I have returned to VOX (after considering P2A closely) as these 2 use TTS / voice activation which means no alphaphonetics in callsigns / fixes / atc names etc.(ie no reliance on others to update for new / your airline names, new sid's etc.) ..... it's the best & most flexible immersion in my opinion but at the extra cost of TTS sets.

The bonus not often mentioned about VOX is that it has its own "good" traffic engine to sequence you & AI with comms using AIG (traffic.bgl) type plans & paints.

 

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for now, cheers

john martin

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27 minutes ago, vadriver said:

When I read the many posts above & then yours, I suggest you have that great chance given the options now available (unlike a few years ago) to just not consider ATC addons, but in parallel your planning and AI traffic options & how they work alongside the possible ATC addons ..... they're not all equal nor similarly compatible with other addons.

for example, will you choose a traffic addon like UTL or use the freeware resources such as AIG

and / or will you use the like of PFPX for complete planning (route/loads/fuel) or the freeware (flightware for example) option for route only.

and are you an airac "subscriber" for your "heavies" ?

& finally, whilst using PATC (& similar) which require included / user supplied sound files for many a flight, I have returned to VOX (after considering P2A closely) as these 2 use TTS / voice activation which means no alphaphonetics in callsigns / fixes / atc names etc.(ie no reliance on others to update for new / your airline names, new sid's etc.) ..... it's the best & most flexible immersion in my opinion but at the extra cost of TTS sets.

The bonus not often mentioned about VOX is that it has its own "good" traffic engine to sequence you & AI with comms using AIG (traffic.bgl) type plans & paints.

 

The biggest issue with VOX is the developer is MIA. Otherwise it's a good program.


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8 hours ago, MindYerBeak said:

I know it's between pf3 and proatc-x.But. You could give pilot2atc a go as well.They have a demo too !

Thanks maybe I would try the Demo. Didn't realize they had one.

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1 hour ago, mwilk said:

The biggest issue with VOX is the developer is MIA. Otherwise it's a good program.

Yeah, VOX seem to have lost steam and haven't had any upgrades in a while. From what I have read in the past it was probably the best back then. 

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17 minutes ago, forshaw said:

Thanks maybe I would try the Demo. Didn't realize they had one.

I have all of them atc programs but in my opinion pilot2atc beats them all. It gives you sids,stars,it's terrain aware, you can ask for vectors...But.Wait.If you get a star and atc thinks final intercept angle is too aggressive it  will call you again and vector you or whenever it thinks it appropriate.It really is that good. Give it a whirl you might like it.

..

 

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9 hours ago, Sidney Schwartz said:

I'm not sure what they mean by "compatible". In a broad sense, Pro-ATC/X is compatible with ALL aircraft, as far as communicating with the various ATC controllers. What they may mean is that the aircraft their  list are compative with Navigraph AIRAC data, as is Pro-ATC/X itself. This means that you can download the same AIRAC cycle for Pro-ATC/X as well as your aircraft's FMC, and Pro-ATC/X and your aircraft will then be in synch as far as SID's, STAR's, etc.

Compatibility may also have something to do with allowing the Pro-ATC/X co-pilot to control flaps, gear, etc., but I have no experience with this as I handle those things myself.

 

 

Yes not having the PMDG 747 listed (Compatibility) but having the iFLY 747 on the list caught my eye since every add-on supports PMDG ahead of IFLY. You are probably correct it's maybe something to do with co-pilot features.

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5 hours ago, forshaw said:

Yeah, VOX seem to have lost steam and haven't had any upgrades in a while. From what I have read in the past it was probably the best back then.

it is in my opinion one of the best ... still & for as long as I can forsee (but at a price for those TTS sets)

upgrades for what I can't guess (apart from some glitches in upgrades to 64bit P4D, but we are talking FSX here).

direct support is not a major issue for a good addon (i've flown the ngx for 6 years with no need for support) as VOX is easy / intuitive / simple to install & configure with no need to understand "import/export" planning / moving flight map fonts / scrolling screens etc. VOX is not perfect but it's less imperfect i would contend.

it is as others have said, a "study addon" for ATC for both IFR & VFR, class A to class E airspace .... listen to live ATC & compare.

It's available as a demo ..... but read its needs first (organise the airac / demo TTS's / how to plan) before downloading. the same goes for P2A.

Edited by vadriver
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for now, cheers

john martin

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9 hours ago, Sidney Schwartz said:

Hi Jim. Have you asked them about this? Can you load a standard FSX flight plan into the CS 757? If so, you should be able to tell ProATC-X to save an FSX flight plan when you click "Fly Now", and then load that into the 757. Or if CS uses a proprietary format for flight plans, maybe there's a way to convert them to FSX format. That's what I have to do with the Majestic Q-400. Works like a charm, though.

 

Well, actually I do not want to divert this topic into how do I fix this topic as this is about the best all around ATC for FSX/ProATC-X and that's what I wanted to say.  I was also getting off-topic as I was talking about the CS757 for P3DV4 as I did not get it for FSX.  I did try your suggestion though w/o success.


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The best all around app is Pilot2ATC. It works with FSX, P3d and XP and that's a major plus considering how many people now are using more than one sim. The User Interface is intuitive and it is the 2nd richest in features, ahead of RC4, ProATC-X and PF3. It uses the built-in speech capabilities of Win 10 and the official tech support is first rate.

But for those you who want the highest degree of realism short of Vatsim etc., VOXATC is by far the best and one gets as an added bonus, realistic control of and communication with AI aircraft. The other apps just fudge it. Just don't expect much technical support. The developer must assume that his clientele are all geniuses and mind readers.😉

Edited by jabloomf1230
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5 hours ago, Jim Young said:

Well, actually I do not want to divert this topic into how do I fix this topic as this is about the best all around ATC for FSX/ProATC-X and that's what I wanted to say.  I was also getting off-topic as I was talking about the CS757 for P3DV4 as I did not get it for FSX.  I did try your suggestion though w/o success.

Hang of for a sec Jim, you raise a good point. On the ProATC-X website PMDG 747 is not part of the Compatible list however, when I contacted them the response I received was the following " the 747 is not officially supported but as far as I know it still works if you select 777 after adjusting the path under Options." Kevin, on this forum, and I were trying to determine what they meant by "Compatible."  Wasn't sure if it was Co-Pilot functions or Flight Plan Path manipulation (meaning where the format is stored) using their options. So the real question is, if an aircraft isn't listed as "Compatible" what exactly does that mean.   .

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1 hour ago, forshaw said:

Wasn't sure if it was Co-Pilot functions or Flight Plan Path manipulation (meaning where the format is stored) using their options.

That option sets the flight plan path. So apparently "compatible" means ProATC-X will export a flight plan in a compatible format to the proper folder.

 

 

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2 hours ago, Sidney Schwartz said:

That option sets the flight plan path. So apparently "compatible" means ProATC-X will export a flight plan in a compatible format to the proper folder.

agree with sidney's  notes about PATC ....

as for the other "compatabilities" for the co-pilot functions, generally comms control is okay though there are workarounds required for some addon aircraft but other functions such as autopilot / heading / flap set etc essentially only work for default / stock aircraft (ie those using fsx controls coding, not customised).

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for now, cheers

john martin

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On 2/25/2019 at 4:44 PM, vadriver said:

agree with sidney's  notes about PATC ....

as for the other "compatabilities" for the co-pilot functions, generally comms control is okay though there are workarounds required for some addon aircraft but other functions such as autopilot / heading / flap set etc essentially only work for default / stock aircraft (ie those using fsx controls coding, not customised).

Ok understood in terms of the flight plan path and format. In terms of what it's not compatible with concerns me. If the tool relies on stats of the aircraft to determine Rate Of Decent, Climb Rate, the best approach to assign for landing etc..etc;  then it wouldn't do a good job of auto generating a flight plan which is what i use all the time.

I have seen posts on their sites from persons stating things like the ROD was not correct or victor into the runway wasn't really good. Some responses (to get around the issues) were they import a flight plan from another tool, from Online sites, from an Airline  which calculates the route based on all of the appropriate information. They also assign their own SID's/STAR's.The runway assignment is also key given the type of Aircraft, yes you can always request another runway if it's not suited for your specific aircraft if the correct one wasn't assigned by ATC.

Again, I am sure if it was just a flight plan format or directory, ProATC-X  would have added it a long time ago; IMHO of course. 

I am sure the tool is fantastic if it's compatible with the listed Aircrafts  but not sure what nagging issues will occur due to it not being compatible. Just my 3 cents.

Thanks again.

Kindest Regards.

Forshaw. 

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1 hour ago, forshaw said:

If the tool relies on stats of the aircraft to determine Rate Of Decent, Climb Rate, the best approach to assign for landing etc..etc;  then it wouldn't do a good job of auto generating a flight plan which is what i use all the time.

Firstly, I suspect you may be reading the 2014 Help documents from the website which are to say the least "out of date".

PATC like most now only needs & accepts the "enroute" portion of the route for its saved plan (ie without sid/star/approach & their transitions to the "enroute"). Runway assignment & hence the appropriate sid/star/approach are subsequently issued for the weather at the actual later time of flying & which will most probably be different, particularly for arrival.

PATC invites you to confirm both aircraft performance details & runway options you may prefer & which are different to for example the afcad, normal xwind maximums, a 3o fpa for descent and which runway to use in light&variable winds. The descent data is used to calculate a TOD for its instruction.

That said, PATC offers the option to ask for a different runway / sid / star etc.to the assigned provided it is to / from the planned "enroute" & meets your aircraft's performance (eg tailwind maximum).

So, be ready. Having only imported an "enroute" plan portion, you'll need to add the assigned / agreed departure & arrival into the CDU at the appropriate time.

1 hour ago, forshaw said:

but not sure what nagging issues will occur due to it not being compatible

PATC has its glitches / quirks, but in my opinion, the more you use it simply (eg manually planning it & your aircraft), the more compatible it is ..... use it just like VOX.

Edited by vadriver
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for now, cheers

john martin

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Thank for your input and explanation John I appreciate it. Yes I am actually going to get the tool and take it from there. If I don't like it I will just go back to using the FSX default ATC with FlightSim Commander for my flight plans. But I am sure given the responses I got on the tool I should end up to liking it.

 

Thanks again.

 

Forshaw.

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