I had used FS ATC Chatter years ago when I was a beta tester for Pro ATC. When I switched to MSFS 2020, I again saw the web site for FS ATC chatter and it said that it works with Pilot 2 ATC, which I do not use , instead I use PF3. Someone else posted that they use this chatter program so I decided to try the demo which only works in the US to see how it worked with MSFS and PF3. After playing around with it for around 15 minutes, I decided to purchase the add on. I quickly learned that you do not have to use Pilot2 ATC to use this chatter program, in fact it will work with any ATC program or no ATC at all. 29,000 chatter audio files, so it will probably be over a year before you hear the same file twice. 

Now PF3 uses the correct ATC frequencies for ground and Tower,  but choses it's own frequencies for Departure , approach and center. ATC chatter switches to the frequency that you are transmitting on, so I would get the correct chatter for ground and tower, but when PF3 switches to their default departure which was always 123.6. the chatter would stop, because FS ATC did not recognize this frequency. The same thing happened with center and approach, where PF3 doesn't use the real frequencies. What I quickly found out is that ATC chatter can also work using com 2, so when com one switched to one of these incorrect frequencies, I could easily switch to Com 2 by clicking one button on the GS chatter UI, and I would get hear whatever the com 2 frequency was set to. ATC chatter has a nearest lookup function, and you can search for nearest Tower, Departure, Center, Arrival, even Unicom, switch your com 2 to the location you want and hear the appropriate chatter . If you are in Canada, for instance, you would hear chatter with a Canadian accent, same with Europe, etc.... This all sound complicated, but after playing with it for about 10 minutes, you quickly see how easy this is. So that means that whatever ATC program you use, even if it switches your Com 1 frequency, you can still hear ATC chatter . Now once I am on approach, and PF3 assigns the tower frequency, I can by selecting com 1 in FS chatter, it I will hear Tower chatter, and then ground chatter, as I approach, land and taxi. 

When you first purchase the program there is a utility that you can get called. "Navdatareader"  There is a Youtube video on how to use this program. What it does is it looks at every frequency on MSFS, and puts it in a file which FS Chatter uses to give you the frequencies for all the ones listed in MSFS. So all the correct frequencies for Ground, tower, approach, departure, and Center and Unicom are now in the FS Chatter data base. The program takes about 10 minutes to download all this info, and you are done. Now If I am flying in the Atlanta area, I go want to look up the tower frequency for Atlanta, I can get the exact frequency, switch to the frequency, and hear the proper chatter. You don't have to do this right away, but eventually you will probably want to. 

 

Since I figured all his out, I have done about a half dozen flights, and there is no way I would fly anymore, without firing up FS ATC Chatter. It adds so much it is like a new simulator. As I said, the demo is free, try it. You will get hooked. 

https://www.stickandrudderstudios.com/fs-atc-chatter-overview/

 

Edited February 17, 20224 yr by Bobsk8

I agree. It's great value for the money. The latest version will automatically add new clips, which saves a lot of time versus the previous method of download and importing clips manually. Plus, I think they still have the arrangement where they'll give you ATC-Chatter for free, in exchange for appropriately recorded and trimmed clips.

3 minutes ago, Room112 said:

I agree. It's great value for the money. The latest version will automatically add new clips, which saves a lot of time versus the previous method of download and importing clips manually. Plus, I think they still have the arrangement where they'll give you ATC-Chatter for free, in exchange for appropriately recorded and trimmed clips.

Yes, and they have done a ton of work on these clips since I used it years ago in P3D. The clips for departure for example, are what you would typically hear when tuned to a departure frequency at an airport. 

Nice work Bob.

Agreed, great program and have been using it for years.  Very inexpensive and nicely supported.  I also recall an app for MSFS that reads the location data from the sim and connects to real audio (background audio) via the web (LiveATC?).  I never used it and not really sure where I saw it, but it was about 6 months ago or so.

Cheers Bob, never heard of that one before. 
Downloading the demo now.

Edited February 17, 20224 yr by teletom

This tool is so awesome, can highly recommend it !

I can't imagine flying without this ATC chatter any more as well. Using PF3 here too.

But instead of the explained procedure using COM2, I use a Joystick button to proceed to the next ATC-chatter facility. Personal preference of course but that seems easier to me.

So first I choose the region I will fly in (hardly ever needs to be changed during the flight for my type of flying). Then I start with ATC Chatter set to Delivery. As soon as I switch to Ground in the sim, I press the defined Joystick button to proceed the ATC chatter to Ground as well. Same for every further facility change.

So it's just one press of a button instead of fiddling around with COM2 and searching for nearby stations.

 

34 minutes ago, RALF9636 said:

I can't imagine flying without this ATC chatter any more as well. Using PF3 here too.

But instead of the explained procedure using COM2, I use a Joystick button to proceed to the next ATC-chatter facility. Personal preference of course but that seems easier to me.

So first I choose the region I will fly in (hardly ever needs to be changed during the flight for my type of flying). Then I start with ATC Chatter set to Delivery. As soon as I switch to Ground in the sim, I press the defined Joystick button to proceed the ATC chatter to Ground as well. Same for every further facility change.

So it's just one press of a button instead of fiddling around with COM2 and searching for nearby stations.

 

Ok, I see what you are saying, and I tried it just now and it works. In settings I had to disable. "automatically set automatic controller type based on com1/com freq." Then on Controller type, select the controller you want to start with, and then the button you assign toggles down the list.. Works great, Thanks.  

Bob, I use LiveATC.net only, and of course it is not connected to the sim so just brings up LiveATC according to whatever freq you select.  With LiveATC you're listening to just that, or so it seems and is corroborated by those who use it w AIG Traffic to tag along w/ real flights happening or what have you.  Because you choose the freq you of course get foreign accents from all over the world:  Middle East, Asia etc except in countries that aren't supporting it. How does this improve on that if you will?  

18 minutes ago, Noel said:

Bob, I use LiveATC.net only, and of course it is not connected to the sim so just brings up LiveATC according to whatever freq you select.  With LiveATC you're listening to just that, or so it seems and is corroborated by those who use it w AIG Traffic to tag along w/ real flights happening or what have you.  Because you choose the freq you of course get foreign accents from all over the world:  Middle East, Asia etc except in countries that aren't supporting it. How does this improve on that if you will?  

If you tune in ATC on Live ATC, you will hear specific communications, limited to the airport or area you are tuned to. If you are flying into another airport,  50 miles from where you are tuned to, you are hearing the com on the tuned in  airport only, which makes zero sense many times.  The ATC in this program, eliminate almost all of that area specific com, and repetitive coms like hearing the same departure procedure over and over again, repeating  every minute or so which often happens in real life. I tried using Lived ATC years ago, and found it very annoying rather quickly. Also, at certain hours, ATC communication is not very often, like late at night.. With this program you can have any amount of chatter you want, 24/7, anywhere in the world. 

As I said before , the demo is free.  

Edited February 17, 20224 yr by Bobsk8

Count me in among the converted. FS ATC Chatter is a remarkable little companion indeed!

So simple in use, yet so effective in adding to immersion.

For many years I also logged into live atc, downloaded files, and used VLC player to load all the files to play on long cross country flights. I even beta tested ATC Chatter Pro for P3D v4 by Cielosim which relied on LivetATC, but the add-on only worked in FSX and Alex seems to have abandoned the project.

https://cielosim.com/products/live-atc-chatter/

FS-ATC Chatter is easy to use and offers compatibility for multiple sims. The dev support is also excellent. I highly recommend it!

5 hours ago, Noel said:

Bob, I use LiveATC.net only, and of course it is not connected to the sim so just brings up LiveATC according to whatever freq you select.  With LiveATC you're listening to just that, or so it seems and is corroborated by those who use it w AIG Traffic to tag along w/ real flights happening or what have you.  Because you choose the freq you of course get foreign accents from all over the world:  Middle East, Asia etc except in countries that aren't supporting it. How does this improve on that if you will?  

This is what I do.  I have AIG/PSXT/Real Traffic.  I use Foreflight on the iPad so tune in to the correct frequency on LiveATC.net as I fly, so rather than random chatter, I am listening to the real ATC controlling the traffic I see out of the window.  When departing an airport I can call up that airports frequencies or when cruising I can see the correct center frequency in ForeFlight and search by frequency.

I'll check this program out though, sounds good.

Edited February 18, 20224 yr by MrBitstFlyer

I don't fly with any offline ATC addons, but can I still use FS-ATC Chatter to make the sim more immersive when tuning into different frequencies and make the sim more alive?