Controller name RADIO instead of INFO in Germany

[braunburg 0]

I am using Pilot2ATC v.2.7.0.0_x64_Beta6D with X-Plane, both for IFR and VFR. Great program! 

I have the problem, that in Germany this year the controller names of smaller airports are changing from INFO to RADIO. I have the ATC Settings "Info Acts as Tower" activated. Is working fine for INFO frequencies, but not for RADIO. Examples are EDWR and EDXP where the names are already changed. The job of the controllers is still the same.

Question 1:  Is it possible to also make an option for RADIO acts as Tower during the running Beta?

Question 2: Where does P2A get the names and frequencies for the airport controllers from? Not from the apt.dat files of the different custom sceneries or the global scenery. I tried to change it there. But P2A ignores the changes. Othe Addons such as LittleNavmap read the (changed) frequencies/Names from the apt.dat files....

It would be great to get an answer from you, Dave 😊

[Dave-Pilot2ATC 875]

Thanks for the report.  I was not aware of the change to the controller names in Germany.

Controller information comes from Navigraph or NavDataPro AIRAC data.

I will look into the example airports you mentioned and see what can be done.  

Dave  

[braunburg 0]

Thank you for the fast answer Dave !!!

I have also searched in the ~.dat files, that come with Navigraph (#:\X-Plane 11\Custom Data).  But there are only the files for the Fixes, Navaids, Airways and so on. No Controller names or frequencies.

X-Plane stores this information only in the "apt.dat" files in the different scenery directories in "Custom Scenery" and for the Global Scenery in "#:\X-Plane 11\Resources\default scenery\default apt dat\Earth nav data".

I do some tweaking of airports in X-Plane. So I am quite used to it.

Klaus

 

[Dave-Pilot2ATC 875]

Pilot2ATC is fully supported by Navigraph and NavDataPro and so we don't read the data from the SIMs.

The AIRAC data providers don't offer taxiway data, so we do allow importing of that data from the SIMs using Taxi Maintenance.

Assuming you have a Navigraph subscription, just update P2A using their Data Manager.

Dave

[braunburg 0]

Thank you Dave for the information. Of course I use Navigraph Cycles and they are up to date (AIRAC cycle 2308). So nothing to play around/modify there from my side....

It would be a pitty if the smaller airports in Germany are "downgraded" to RADIO and loose  their TOWER capabilities. Than they will be "only" FSS stations and I will have to contact the next Center Frequency in future.

Klaus

 

[Dave-Pilot2ATC 875]

Klaus

I tested both EDXP and EDWR and they both have an "Info_Twr" frequency which acts as a Tower, even without the option for Info acts as Tower.  I didn't get any controllers named "Radio".

Do you have an example of an airport with only an FSS frequency in Germany I can test?

Dave

[braunburg 0]

Dave

here comes an actual screenshot of P2A with my plane sitting at EDWR in X-Plane 11.53. As you can see I am using the actual AIRAC cycle 2308.

The "P2ADynamicData.mdf" inside .... \Pilot2ATC_2021_x64\Data has the date  09/03/2023 and is 214 MByte big.  Seems ok for me. That's the day I updated again P2A with the Navigraph FMS Data Manager.

 

 

I have no idea why I see "RADIO" at EDWR. It is consistent with the actual AIP-Online Visual Operation Chart from the German Flugsicherung:

 

I will try it again with the last stable version 2.6.4.2 instead of the Beta6D

Thanks a lot so far

Klaus

 

 

 

[braunburg 0]

Dave,

I just switched back to the version 2.6.4.2. With the same AIRAC cycle 2308 EDWR is still RADIO. Identical to the 6D beta version, as expected. Than I deleted the files in the data directory an made an update with the AIRAC cycle 1801 that comes with the installation. And in this AIRAC cycle EDWR is INFO (and had a different frequency). Updating this installation with the actual AIRAC cycle 2308 results in the change of EDWR from INFO to RADIO. So its definitely the AIRAC cycle that switches the type of the Controller for EDWR (and other airports in Germany). And as I showed in the last reply that is consistant with the official data from the Deutsche Flugsicherung. 

Updating to AIRAC cycle 2308 leeds to:

 

So there is nothing you can do Dave other than extending the option INFO acts as TOWER also to RADIO acts as TOWER. And it is than the responsability of the user to use this option or not.

Klaus

 

[Dave-Pilot2ATC 875]

Thanks Klaus.

I will add FSS Acts as Tower to the Options.  This is somewhat of a major effort, so it may not be in the next update.

Dave

[braunburg 0]

Thank You very much Dave,

I will wait patiently.

I just had a look at the German VFR AIP (available online for free) and made a partial list of some Airports/Frequencies. It can clearlay be seen, that during this year most of the small airports in Germany are changing their controller call sign.

One reason I really love Pilot2ATC is the very quick response of the developer 👍. I am doing flightsimming for more than 30 years. And the way you are present in the suport forum is really outstanding !!

Thanks a lot, Klaus