synch x-plane FMS with GTN

[snagar 3]

Hi,

 

I'm trying to find the best way to synchronize X-Plane FMS with the GTN interface.

Example: we can create a flight plan on X-Plane built in Garmin G530, unfortunately it won't be mirrored to the GTN750 flight plan.

I'm not aware of a dataref or other means to communicate with the RealityXP program.

Therefore, I would like to know if the best way to "sync" the FMS flight plan with the RealityXP program would be using a file that would be manually loaded by RealityXP program.

Did anyone try this approach and if so, could you give some points ?

@RXP

Any other ideas ?

 

Thanks

[RXP 2,338]

Hi,

You might want to start looking at the pinned discussion in this forum:

 

[snagar 3]

Thanks @RXP,

 

I guess I'll have to implement a flight plan file compatible with GTN format.

I still think RXP could just read from the FMS directly into their own program but it is what it is (maybe a feature for the future) ?

 

 

[RXP 2,338]

Actually the reverse is true: you can configure the GTN to override the default FMS flight plan.

It is usually much better using the GTN, a more capable navigation device, as the main navigation aid, and the aforementioned setting syncs the default with the route (within the limitations of the XPlane SDK), which is useful for displaying the route in any XPlane EFIS using the default FMS as a flight plan source.

[snagar 3]

@RXP

I agree with your assumption, but the "problem" is that my plugin (Mission-X) generates a mission and injects Navpoints information into the G530/G1000.

A user asked me if there is an option to modify his/her GTN the same.

So in my case it is the other way around, from XP => GTN.

My thought was to create a valid flight plan file and write it to the FPNL folder so user could read it.

If my plugin could communicate using the rxpGTN plugin then I would have been able to automate this. Again, I think it would have been easier if the rxpGTN just read from the G530/G1000 and wrote into the GTNxxx program.

 

Cheers

 

Thanks

[RXP 2,338]

4 hours ago, snagar said:

Again, I think it would have been easier if the rxpGTN just read from the G530/G1000 and wrote into the GTNxxx program.

I understand but please also consider it would have been easier only for you, while putting the burden on us 

The default flight plan is too poor to serve as a practical source anyhow, and unfortunately there is no 'upload' link to the GTN we expose at all but the flight plan import, which is well documented and supported (both the function, and the file format).

You might want to review the "flightplans.zip" starter pack we install (see RXP GTN Documentation) which includes example and format documentation to get started. LittleNavMap implements an export direct to the RXP GTN via the flight plan file and this works fine too.

Something you might want to consider is the MOT feature especially for SAR missions. This is an enablement feature (see AFMS) which allows remote creating user wpts at the location you're currently flying over when you depress a button. We offer a custom X-Plane command and/or a dataref you can use for the trigger!

Edited February 4, 2020 by RXP

[snagar 3]

@RXP

Thanks for the update, and yes you are right I know the burden of converting local flight sim to GTNxxx program would be yours, but that is part of the fun 😉.

In any case I was able, so far, to prepare a flight plan string based on the rules laid out in the FPLN document, it seem to be valid from GTN perspective which is a step in the right direction (for me), but I would like to hear your thought and opinion regarding the following case:

Since the GTN navaids are different (not sharing same database) from any flight sim we use (not just X-Plane), I can send the name of an ICAO and the coordinates too (as two successive waypoints). If the ICAO is present in GTN database, then it will use it but if not then we will have an error. My thought was, if the ICAO is valid, then you can manually delete the successive coordinate based waypoint and if not, just delete the "locked" (invalid) waipoint in the imported flight plan and the simmer still has the waipoint based coordinates.

What do you think of this kind of flight plan (and internal workaround), and how will the GTN will handle a flight plan if the user will keep a valid ICAO and its successive lat/long waypoint of the same ICAO ? Will it confuse it or will it handle this gracefully (I didn't have time to test this case myself, yet) ?

 

Thanks

[RXP 2,338]

Hi, this sounds good!

Locked waypoints and flight plans have been detailed already. Please review this message and the followings: