Need to add VOR gauges

[Guest hoghead]

I'm following Tom Gibson's propliner tutorial. I've never modified a panel before but he said it's necessary:"To make use of intersections within the airways system we must use, (or create), a panel with both VOR1 and VOR2 as separate receivers. They can be placed on a separate window overlay."I've never done this before. How do I do this in the default DC3?John Franklin

[Guest __FSAviator]

Greetings John,This process can be refined further, but this is the simplest method. First we need to read the panel.cfg and obtain some information from it so that we can make some decisions. We have to decide which two gauges on the default panel will be covered by VOR1 and VOR2 when 'flying the ranges'. In this example I have decided to cover the OAT gauge and the Suction gauge. Feel free to make a different choice. Square brackets may become distorted in this forum. It should be possible to follow the context anyway.1) Note the number of existing windows in the panel.cfgThe default DC-3 already has six. We need to create Window 07. We need to give it a sensible name. VORs will do nicely. We add the appropriate line to the panel.cfg.[Window Titles]Window00=Main PanelWindow01=RadiosWindow02=GPSWindow03=Throttle QuadrantWindow04=Other ControlsWindow05=Electrical PanelWindow06=Mini PanelWindow07=VORs2) Now copy the criteria for Window 00, but with the heading Window 07 and paste the data below Window 06 further down the panel.cfg[Window06]Background_color=0,0,0 size_mm=828,150position=7visible=1ident=MINIPANELgauge00=Douglas_DC3!asi, 0,14gauge01=Douglas_DC3!turn_and_bank, 139,15gauge02=Douglas_DC3!ahi, 276,0gauge03=Douglas_DC3!gyro_compass, 438,15gauge04=Douglas_DC3!altimeter, 575,14gauge05=Douglas_DC3!vsi, 711,15[Window07]file=DC3_background.bmp size_mm=1024,768position=7visible=1ident=MAIN_PANELwindow_size= 0.000, 0.0003) The background DC-3 bitmap will be present anyway so we will make the background to window 07 transparent instead. We also need to change the IDENT to match the name we gave Window 07.[Window07]Background_color=0,0,0 size_mm=1024,768position=7visible=1ident=VORswindow_size= 0.000, 0.0004) Now we copy the data for the two gauges, upon which we chose to overlay the two VOR receivers, into the space below the window 07 data we just edited. They could be any two gauges.gauge02=Douglas_DC3!oat, 66,562gauge03=Douglas_DC3!suction_gauge, 63,6495) Now we change the identity of the gauges to appear on window 07 and set the diameter of the new gauges with an added 'box size' statement. We do NOT vary their x,y, location. I like the look of 80 for both. Pick anything that works well within the original panel environment. The two VORs will of course be gauges 00 and 01 of window 07. In the example below the default Cessna gauges are aliased.[Window07]Background_color=0,0,0 size_mm=1024,768position=7visible=1ident=VORswindow_size= 0.000, 0.000gauge00=Cessna182s!VOR2, 66,562,80,80gauge01=Cessna!VOR1, 63,649,80,80That's all there is too it. Because we set visible=1 the next time we use the default DC-3 panel the OAT and suction gauges will be overlaid by VOR 1 and VOR 2 receivers. We have not removed anything. We use the views/instrument panel pull down menu to close window07=VORs when they are not in use. We could set visible=0 instead and use the menu to make the VOR receivers appear instead. We have added extra functionality to the default panel and removed nothing. This technique has many applications and no dangers. Having another window open does have some impact on frame rates of course, so it is a good idea to close it unless using the VOR receivers to visually detect the A+N overlap from the Radio Ranges.Most people will have some older looking VOR gauges in their gauge collection that blend better with the DC-3 panel. Just substitute their name in the gauge statements above.Note that 'panel editors' are not relevant. All we need is Notepad or any other ASCII text editor to cut, paste and edit small fragments of ASCII text.The propliner tutorial suggests 'removal' any RMI from the panel. In most third party developer panels we would normally overlay the RMI with the ADF gauge of our choice as gauge 02 in the sequence above. In this case however the Microsoft default RMI has the ability to assign ADF2 to the second needle so we will use the avionics stack window to do that rather than overlaying it. Before flight we open the avionics stack window and set both RMI needle assignment switches to the right and never select a NAV receiver with them when simulating 'flying the ranges'. Propliner fans with greater expertise in panel editing may prefer to assign the DC-3 avionics stack to all propliners and always use the DC-3 RMI to deliver ADF1/2 capability in a single gauge. However aliasing the bitmaps and gauges then becomes quite complicated. Anyone with limited experience of panel editing should ignore this possibility and overlay any RMI that cannot support ADF2 with an ADF1 receiver instead.Please note that this reply relates to a specific question about how to simulate flying Radio Ranges in the 1932-55 timeframe within FS9 using VOR receivers to emulate VAR receivers and is not a general suggestion for modifying the default DC-3 panel, even though the technique does have many other useful applications.