VOX ATC strange behaviour

[PMW 0]

Hello ..

I've got a problem with VOXATC and I was wondering if someone on this forum has had the same experience.

Of course I have searched everywhere for any info on this for days, but I was unable to find anything.

My configuration:

VOXATC latest version 7.42 for P3Dv4

P3DV4.5 latest version

ORBX Global Base Pack

ORBX Global Vector

ORBX Global Open LC Europe

ORBX Global True Earth Netherlands

PMDG 737 NGX 800/900 Base package for P3D

 

In this configuration VOXATC is running without any errors.

From clearance upto vacated runway / taxi to destination gate everything goes like it should.

 

Now, when I install FLY TAMPA Amsterdam, after requesting startup approval, VOX ATC responds everything double with different voices,

and it doesn't accept any of my answers anymore.

When I un-install FLY TAMPA Amsterdam everything is back to normal.

 

Then, when I install NL2000 - Schiphol Airport EHAM, I can take-off normally, no double responses, however suddenly after having contacted departure, while climbing to FL190 as instructed, VOXATC keeps repeating "Descend to FL60"  and none of my answers are accepted anymore.

And again, after un-installation of this add-on everything is back to normal.

Anyone any ideas ?

Thanks in advance!

Regards,

Marcel

 

 

 

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

EHAM has a very complex set of runways and that has been a challenge to those developers that have produced 3rd party versions of the airport. For example, just read this post from the official Fly Tampa message board.

https://www.flytampa.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9604

I do not have a copy of either of those versions of EHAM, so unfortunately I can't help you troubleshoot the problem. Maybe someone else will chime in.

First, you should make sure that you don't have multiple 3rd party versions of EHAM installed. ORBX regions and FTX Vector install versions of airports, as do some payware AI traffic add-ons. You also could take a look at the EHAM airport file with Airport Design Editor and see what you can see. Generally, 3rd party airport developers are interested in eye candy and how the user's aircraft is treated by the default ATC. Considerations for other apps like VOXATC and AI aircraft are well down the list. As a result, parking spots are often either too small, have the wrong airline codes or are orphaned from the taxiway network. Runways and taxiways may have overlapping nodes. Com frequencies, approaches, navaids and waypoints can be out of date and not match those used by a Navigraph-enabled aircraft which uses the latest AIRAC. The P3d4 default ATC is rather stupid but it forgives many of these errors found in 3rd party airports. VOXATC is more like Mr. Spock from Star Trek. If it's wrong, VOXATC just stops working or worse crashes itself and the sim. Aerosoft airports are notorious for this kind of "incomplete" design. Fly Tampa airports tend to be pretty good as long as there is a version designed for P3d4 and the airport is not overly complex. For example, I have six Fly Tampa airports installed and they all work fine with VOXATC.

[PMW 0]

Thanks for the quick reply!

A lot of reading to do, but sofar after having read your info and after having scrolled quickly through these posts and sub links I understand now that airport add-ons can cause different behaviours,  especially EHAM.

I will do some testing with runways open/closed, as I have it configured All active/open now.

And I will have a look with ADE ( never did this before so will have to learn...)

Thanks for showing me a possible search direction!

 

 

 

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

I guess that I should have asked this initially. You said VOXATC works fine except for the two EHAM add-on airports. But does it work with the stock P3d4 version of EHAM?

 

[PMW 0]

It works fine with ORBX true earth Netherlands..

So I think yes, there should be no problem with the stock p3d version, but I would have to test that.

 

 

 

[PMW 0]

Good news...

I re-installed the Fly Tampa Amsterdam add-on & update for p3dv4 ( this one has my preference over NL2000 EHAM )

As I've read in the posts you've pointed me at, I only kept 1 sector open (East) instead of All RWY Open.

This did the trick I guess, because I did my short test flight (EHAM-EDDL) and all went ok.

No glitches at all, 100% performance.

So I'm a happy VOXATC user again!

Thanks for your advice!

Best regards,

Marcel.

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

Thanks for checking back so other users with EHAM can benefit from your experience. 

 

[jsmcwilliam 3]

I have also had problems with EHAM and removed it from my setup, however, I recently decided to reinstall and give it a chance again. I also installed the Airline2Sim EHAM BGL update which comes with their Amsterdam turorial hoping that it might improve matters.

I started with my PMDG 737 NGXu at Gate D3 with VoxAtc and GSX running. When I got to requesting push and start the old FATAL ERROR popped up again and Vox when haywire repeating instructions endlessly and generally not following a logical communication with the other aircraft. I had reindexed beforehand so that was not the problem. I tried again a couple of times but the problem was repeated and always at the same place in my preparation.

I tried a flight from EKCH-EHAM and all went well untill I entered EHAM airspace when VoxAtc stopped responding. The other aircraft chatter went on but Vox was silent.

I have the latest Navgraph Cycle and I noticed that EHAM ATIS was giving 23L for departures and 24 for arrivals!! As far as I can see there only is a runway 24. My PMDG FMS offered runways 22 and 24 but no 23L - also very strange.

It would be interesting to hear from anyone who recognises this behaviour.

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

EHAM is a very complex airport and it tends cause problems for both developer and users. Runway 23L is coming from somewhere, so I would first check your scenery library and see whether you have another 3rd party version of EHAM installed. The next possibility is that A2S has added extra hidden runways to simulate real world behavior. If you upload the airport BGL file somewhere, I will download it and take a look at it. If you use ADE, you can open it yourself and take a look. You could also delete all but one each of the tower, approach, ATIS, departure and ground comm frequencies, recompile with ADE and see if that helps. Sometimes having 3, 4 and 5 unique frequencies for a type of comm gives VOXATC trouble.

[vadriver 248]

4 hours ago, jsmcwilliam said:

and I noticed that EHAM ATIS

was this from vox or the sim ....... may help identify the "issue". (vox's read of arrival weather could be improved / is problematic).

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

2 hours ago, vadriver said:

was this from vox or the sim ....... may help identify the "issue". (vox's read of arrival weather could be improved / is problematic).

Good catch, John. VOXATC ignores hidden crosswind runways in its ATIS, at least I've never heard it refer to them. The sim's ATIS blithers its way through all runways, hidden or not.

[vadriver 248]

56 minutes ago, jabloomf1230 said:

VOXATC ignores hidden crosswind runways in its ATIS

thankfully & only call open runways / identifies landing vs takeoff ...... unfortunately, often the weather in vox has not been read / updated during arrival & hence may disagree with the sim's atis / weather (which it is supposed to be reading).

 

[jsmcwilliam 3]

I have checked my Navgraph comms data against the ADE-list-comms data for EHAM and don't see anything untoward there other than som frequencies are designated .015 in Navgraph and .020 in ADE. I didn't remove or change anything and enclose the .bgl file for your perusal. It is in my Dropbox and you will find it using the following link:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hk7vqg5rer63g9d/AADj1PPXC3F4aflceBQWbM6xa?dl=0

I did a new test run with Vox from EHAM Gate D3 and all runways open. It was as follows:

1. Tune to ATIS on 122.200
2. Tune to CLD on  121.980
3. Tune to GND on  121.700 (Navgraph .705)
4. The above gave me a FATAL ERROR and garbled (repeated) replys from ATC

Hope you see something. Maybe remove the extra frequencies as a test?

John

 

[jsmcwilliam 3]

Since my last reply I removed all additiional frequencies (files included in link above) and copied the new bgl over the existing one for all runways, ran the indexer and tried a new start at EHAM. The result was the same as before.

I then edited the GND frequency to 121.80 thinking that the previous 121.70 was the problem. I also changed my Gate at EHAM. This did not help either and VOX still asked for 121.70. I don't understand this since I had limited my choices for GND to 121.80. Do I have to do these edits in all the runway options? (there are five: All, East, West, North and South).

John

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

Only one directional (East, West, etc.) BGL file is active in the sim at any given time. Check which one is active. Keep in mind also, that if one changes the directional BGL file, the VOXATC Indexer has to be run again.

If any of your editing eventually works, you might want to make sure that the specific frequencies correspond to what Navigraph shows for different directional approaches. personally, I just think that EHAM is too complex for flightsim use. 3rd party developers have had to really use every trick in the book to get realistic behavior and probably VOXATC isn't coded to pick up all the trickery without crashing.