To all the UK beacons developers

[Guest Quaxo]

As all the beacons for a region are stored in a single file (beacons.fld), if a developer makes some new navaids, and then another developer makes other navaids, the new ones will overwrite the old ones. So, the solution is to keep the beacons.fld file as updated as possible. There is a possibility: I could keep the most recent file. Then, when a new user wants to add some beacons, he can email me, so I send him the most up-to-date file; he adds the new beacons, and sends the file back to me. This way no previous work would be overwritten. What do you think? Is there an easier way to prevent overwritings?Cristian

[adams 1]

It better 1 person edits navaids, while all people send nav data to him, and the newest file can be uploaded to 1 www page, not to avsim library with the date of last modyfication.B.Adamski

[Guest Quaxo]

Ok you're right, it's easier this way! Now we need a volunteer, who is willing to add the data people will send, and who has a web site where to upload the file!Cristian

[adams 1]

I don't have UK scenery, but I can upload the file to my www page. If someone edit it and send me via email, I can see no problem.B.Adamski

[Guest Rich Wren]

Hi Cristian,That sounds like a good plan to me.I have been trying to get a minor revision together with the Heathrow navaids, but I'm having real trouble with the marker beacons. For reasons I have yet to determine it seems that only about half of the markers I place in Fled actually turn up in the game. Anyone with any clues as to why this might be?As for hosting the revisions, although I have webspace I have yet to actually put a site up on it. Given that my rate of progress on the beacons can be best described as glacial, I wouldn't hold my breath either. I nominate "anyone but me" as custodian :-)Rich.

[Guest R_Driscoll]

Bogdan, I think you have the job!I was disappointed to spend some time making the ILS approaches, setting beacons etc, to find that the uploaded heathrow package had lost all of this! I didn't know the beacons data was stored in BEACONS.FLD, not in the package itself. So I second Bogdan as the Keeper of the Beacons. If so, I will add comments to my next airport (due out in about 2012 I think) to go to Bogdan's site and download the latest beacon file there.Rob D.

[Guest Robs]

When the beacons have a home you might wish to upload a version to avsim with a readme.txt explaining the importance of the updated version etc and where to get it.That way people who haven't seen this thread can find it under UK beacons at avsim. It can be a nightmare trying to track these things down!But good plan.If anyone wants a list of UK beacons (VOR/DMEs, NDBS or ILS) then let me know, I have a paper list with co-ords and frequencies.I'll have to scan them in and send them (few megs and a few pages) but I don't mind if someone knows how to convert these into FU3 beacons and is going to do it! The locators (ILS) I would suggest leaving for the airfield designers to do!RobD -you have some of the info on the L page around london.(I have been trying to get the scanner to recognise the text but to no avail!)Also if any airspace designers want to add routings then I have some flight lane details and LARS details.Rob.

[Guest Rich Wren]

Hi Rob,There is a problem with the coordinates of beacons in the UKS region. Unfortunately if you place a beacon by editing the Lat/Long position in Fled it turns up a mile or two away from its intended position. I raised this with Cristian a while back now and he had a look at a method of transposing real-world coordinates into UKS coords, but without any luck. You're welcome to have a go yourself of course...These are the four beacons I found for Cristian. They were pretty much in the corners of the map at that time, obviously it has expanded since.NameFU3 locationReal-world locationLand's EndN50

[Guest Robs]

Rich,I have the data for the beacons but haven't placed one yet.I have a few things to rearrange on my system.I have the space set aside for the UK scenery (I intend to do two install default scenery and the UK) and then see what I can do in development of beacons.I live near Filton in Bristol and so would like to develop this as my first airport.Oh and I should say thankyou for the 747 repaint - flew on one of these to US a couple of weeks ago - I was well impressed! Looks just like it! There is something about landing a 747 on a runway that is really too short and opening the reverse thrust buckets on hoping it stops (also with the base speaker vibrating the desk adding "atmosphere" !)I have downloaded the swiss scenery and want to try the sperate install with that and see how it goes and muck about a bit.Can you visually place beacons in fled? (I detect a long job here!!)Rob.

[Guest Rich Wren]

Hi Rob,Yes you can visually place beacons, it's a simple case of clicking where on the map you want a beacon. I managed to place all the VOR beacons in the original area by this method as they are to spot from the air (big white circle just left of image centre). All the glideslopes I've placed so far have been positioned on the runway centreline, within the touchdown markings, then aligned by eye. Markers are OK as the localiser beacon extends the runway centreline about 10 miles downrange, but getting them to the correct distance from the touchdown point takes a bit of trial and error.Unfortunately NDBs aren't all that visible from the air, you're relying on having a good map (try [link:get-a-map.co.uk|get-a-map.co.uk] for OS maps) and a decent knowledge of where to look. As an example of the difficulty, [link:www.airliners.net/open.file/314523/L/|this] is an aerial photo of Shoreham airport, there is an NDB in the middle of the airport, hiding in the fog somewhere. Now see if you can place it on [link:www.multimap.co.uk/map/photo.cgi?client=public&x=520000&y=105500&gride=&gridn=&scale=10000&coordsys=&mapsize=big]this photo. Multiply by somewhere in the region of 100 beacons and you'll see why progress has been somewhat limited... Rich.