Mazz4200

Hi Dave, thanks for the quick reply. I downloaded both trail versions onto the server pc, but installed it on the client first. When installing it on the server the "hardware ID box" is blank, no number shown. It's getting late here now, but I can check the ID on the client tomorrow and email it to you. Incidentally, both machines have 8gb's of ram. But as i said previously, the server (pc) is a much more powerful and newer machine than the client (laptop). And the client was running Xplane and Pilot2ATC well-ish with wideclient and XPUIPC, so I can't imagine it's a hardware issue with the server. Thanks again, and I'll get that info to you tomorrow. Cheers

Hello, hope you can help. I downloaded the demo at the weekend to test it in Xplane10 on a client machine over a network. It did work up to a point, but i was having a couple of issues with it that made it unusable (namely, it was completely oblivious to all Ai traffic, and Ground services at my departure airports were the only services that would speak to me) So, i thought i'd try it on my (much more powerful) server pc. However, it wont let me start/continue the trial. Upon start-up it gives me the error "Insufficient memory to continue the execution of the program. Please purchase a license" I uninstalled and re-downloaded the trial and upgrade package, but with the same result. I'm certain this isnt a hardware issue, so any help to sort this out would be much appreciated. Thanks

+1 for 3D scenery. You may have flown over the same ground for the last 20yrs or so, but when you see it in 3D you'll be amazed how much it brings this aging sim to life. 3D cockpits are fun for a while, but whack up the convergence so all the trees, buildings, clouds, and terrain start jumping out at you, you'll be flying open mouthed pretty much most of the time, especially in a high quality scenery add-on.

To put the frame rate drop into context. I'm running a 4770k at stock speeds, GTX780 at stock, Win7 on SSD but FSX from a seperate Sata HDD, with 8gb RAM. 3x23" monitors in Nvidia Surround and a 4th 19" monitor connected to the iGPU for the 2D panels. In FSX i have everything maxed, apart from road traffic and boats. Water on highest settings, ground shadows enabled etc etc. FSX frames limited to 30 internally Away from large urban areas (i.e. much autogen) I can easily maintain a rigid 29.9 fps in most GA aircraft. Soon as i switch to the C172/C182 that come with the Mindstar G1000, un-dock the panel and move it to the 4th monitor, my frames immediately drop to high teens. As i say, i haven't had that much time to experiment, but in the brief time i've flown with it i've never seen them climb back into the twenties (this is flying over Orbx UK scenery, ASN, REX4 etc) Obviously i could fiddle with the the settings a bit, but i've not had the chance yet. As to the alternatives, have a look at FS2x. It's only about $34 which is roughly £20ish. But with exchange rates as they are right now, i only paid £30 for the Mindstar G1000, so, it's not really gonna break the bank. There is that other one i mentioned, but for the life of me i can't remember what it's called or who makes it. I'll have a look through my browsers history, see if i can find it. Quick edit: 1) Mindstar actually recommend you use the real Garmin G1000 manual to learn how to use their version, so that should give you an indication of how acurite to the real thing it is. 2) The Redbird simulators that use Mindstar software are FAA approved simulators, although i'm not sure at what level. But it's still a good sign. 3) I did try the Simionic ipad app. It's only 6 quid, and it's not bad, but only replicates the PFD at the moment, and, well, it's obviously nowhere near as advanced as Mindstars. Later Edit: http://www.flythissim.com/default_simavio.html is the alternative i couldn't remember. It's also a lot cheaper than i thought (perhaps there was another one?) However, you need to be weary of this one, in as much as you have to buy a base package first for £25, then the add-on G1000 panel for about £50, and that only entitles you to install the panel into one aircraft. However, the add-on NavData seems to be cheaper than the Mindstar (Navigraph) package. As always, you pays yer money, you takes yer chance. Your mileage may vary etc etc

For what it's worth, the Mindstar G1000 is the same software used in the Redbird Simulators.

Oh that's great news. I was getting a little confused by some of the earlier reports in this thread. But thanks for clearing that up. I chose to keep a vanilla install from day one while waiting for the official installers for my add-ons, so it seems like flying over slightly ropey scenery for the last few months has had it's advantages, almost Cheers once again for the confirmation.

So just to be clear. A vanilla install of V2, plus the patch 2.1 is fine? Really don't fancy another 10Gb download.

I'm probably showing my aging mindset here. But i was hoping it was someone offering a go in Airwolf or CJ's helicopter from Magnum or something... p.s. Nice paint job though

I bought the Mindstar G1000 at the weekend. Unfortunately i've not had much of a chance to "play" with it as yet, so i suggest having a look at http://www.mindstaraviation.com/G1000_Features.html to see if it has what you're looking for. Couple of pointers: 1) Whether it's my system or the G1000, i've been having a few CTD's since installing it. But i'll give it the benefit of doubt right now as i've been tweaking (i.e messing about) with other things in FSX recently. 2) It's very resource hungry. I have quite a significant drop in fps's when using it. Although i am using a 4 monitor setup. 3) It doesn't like Nvidia Surround. All i get is a big black empty box, no G1000. However, if i "alt-ent" to window mode and un-dock/re-size it, i can return to Surround vision without problems. 4) When it's working properly, it's very, VERY GOOD ! I can't compare it to any of the other systems as i don't own them. However, i did consider the F1tech standalone system, the FS2x version and the Flight1 Cessna T182T package, and another system whose name momentarily slips my mind?. RXP is now dead, apparently, and the Project Magenta chaps never answered my email. I chose the MIndstar G1000 for a few reasons 1) The F1tech standalone system (and the one i can't remember) are no doubt very good, unfortunately they're both a tad pricey for my wallet, $250+ 2) The FS2x version is only $34-ish. But apparently it's a re-hashed (although improved) copy of the FSX G1000 3) The Flight1 Cessna T182 has had very positive reviews, and i'm sure the G1000 has been improved with the King Air version mentioned above. However, i wanted to install a G1000 in several aircraft, and i was unsure if it would be possible to move it from the Flight1 aircraft into another aircraft without breaking licensing agreeements/legal issues etc, nor how hard it would be to do such a thing, or if it was even possible? 4) I felt the Mindstar system had better long term prospects. Just as the real Garmin G1000 is in continual development, so is the Mindstar version. Admittedly it may be several years behind, and at the moment not fully featured, but, i felt if a feature such as synthetic vision for example, were to be introduced on an FSX program, it would most likely come from a standalone program such as this, rather than a patched version of 4yr old aeroplane which appears to be no longer in development. It is a shame non of these programs have a demo, so it can be a bit of a crap shoot. However, i don't think any of them are particularly bad ( apart from the vanilla FSX version) Some are very good, some are great, but, non, repeat, non, are as good as the real thing. For that you'll need to part with $60k +. Or spend $25 and get the Garmin trainer DVD, which can't be used in FSX, sadly. Think you need to ask yourself exactly what it is you want from the G1000, then take it from there.

No, you've misunderstood.When i ask for a frequency change it's usually granted. Then, when i change the frequency manually and click the standby button on the radio panel, then ask for clearance or whatever (as per directed in the help file) from the new frequency, all i get is "repeat please" from the Vox voice, and the Vox panel tells me to change back to the previous frequency, + the Vox panel doesn't give me any alternative options on the '0' setting. I've just done that test flight myself, and after changing to LARS it wouldn't even let me contact Luton Airport (even when i flew straight over it) as described above. Bottom line is, if anyone wants to fly VFR in the UK they'll need to know exactly the correct atc procedures and most likely have a navigational qualification to make Voxatc work correctly, and that's before they even boot up FSX. Coz Voxatc certainly doesn't give you any clues as to what to do next !, this, i think is quite a major problem. It works fine for IFR flights, but VFR, nah, forget it !An example; say you want to fly VFR from Exeter to Newcastle Upon Tyne, a distance of 400miles approx. How the hell am i supposed to know what frequencies to change to and when to change to them ? I can pull up the '0' options and basically take a wild guess at which option to choose, airport transition ? danger area ? LARS ? military zone ? etc. Voxatc knows my flightplan, it knows my direction of travel, it knows which option i should be choosing, but, put simply, i don't, i haven't a clue to be honest. I could pause the game every few minutes and pull up the map, but that ain't much fun and really halts the enjoyment i get from flying, and, the stock FSX map isn't all that informative either. I could use the GPS, but, i'm flying VFR (i.e the old fashioned way, usually VOR to VOR), and, most of my aircraft don't even have a GPS. Another thing is having to press the '0' option key in the first place. I thought one of the advantages of using Voxatc is to do away with the tiresome button pressing, but no, it's back with a vengeance, in VFR it's the only way to make passage.I had hoped Voxatc would be an aid to help learn atc procedures from a beginners point of view, but i was wrong, you're expected to know them before you even plug the thing in. That probably explains why (when reading some of the previous posts in this forum section) there has been so much criticism of the software over the years, and why so many people are left confused and think it's bugged to buggery. Lets not forget, the majority of users will have come to Voxatc directly from using the stock FSX atc after finding it a bit un-interactive. So their expectations are set at a certain level. Only to find Voxatc doesn't give much help at all as to what procedures to follow. Do you understand that ? Do you understand that whilst it does attempt to recreate atc procedures more in line with real world events, it's still an addon for a game !, it's, a game !. I don't know about you, but i certainly don't have the time, nor the access to hundreds of navigational maps and appropriate information in order to fly VFR in the correct manner in the UK, i had hoped Voxatc would take care of all that stuff for me, like FSX does.

Ok, if you don't mind Let's say, depart from Shoreham Airport EGKA, leaving from parking 9. And fly VFR to Luton Airport EGGW. It's only 60 or 70 miles, but you'll have to navigate your way past Gatwick and Heathrow, so there should be plenty of hand offs, and plenty of traffic. I'd also recommend you take a small GA plane (Shoreham has quite a short runway). But, and this is important, try it with the demo version. I'm not sure if it's possible to install a demo version next to a paid-for version, but that is probably the most important thing, it has to be the demo version.When i try this flight, i'm allowed to change frequency for airport transition (via the '0' option), but, i can't open a flight plan, get no traffic advisories, i'm never told to hand off to anywhere other than the final destination etc etc. Just as a little test, at some stage of the flight you should (as far as i'm aware) be told to hand off to London Centre on 118.47. If you're not given this option, ask for it yourself, see what happens. For me, i can ask for a frequency change, which is usually accepted, but the Vox panel won't allow me to change it !Thanks for that, it would be interesting to test it on another system, but, as i said above, it must be the demo version.

The blurb on the payment process does mention the Mon-Fri issue, but, the way it's worded suggests this concerns only the shipping and postage times i.e with a CD/DVD or other hardware that the shop sells, but there's no specific mention that this includes downloaded software as well. I did send them an email suggesting they should perhaps hi-light this particular quirk when selecting the download version. But, i guess they won't read it until Monday :)As i've been searching t'tinternet all week looking for a solution to the problems, i do remember seeing documentation stating that in demo mode you're more or less limited to the airports used in the 3 example flights. You can fly anywhere you want, but, you'll not get the full fat, blood, guts and glory version. Whether or not that was the current version of Voxatc or an older one i don't know. But i can confirm that if i'm flying anywhere outside the US i'm unable to open a flight plan. And if i'm flying within the US but not at the three airports, i can open a flight plan, but procedural info and frequency changes are fairly rare in both VFR and IFR. This is the only thing that makes sense to me. There's simply no other explanation for the limitations i've found on my demo. There's nothing in my version of FSX nor on my computer that could cause such a thing, it must be inbuilt software limitations.As to the voices, i'll agree the external addon voice sets are expensive, and probably not worth the money if i'm being honest, but, as i said above, i really don't mind the repeated "please buy me" messages. The little English girl sounds quite cute when she says it, so....;)Ok, so Voxatc may have a few missing options and a few issues with logic. But, i find when i'm using the stock MSFS button press i quickly find myself paying no attention to what's being said. Press 1, change the radio automatically, press 1, change the transponder automatically, press B, change the baro automatically, press ctrl-whateveritis, change the mixture automatically, i really hate all that. I mean, i never even use the autopilot, ever !. I've loved flight sims since the mid 90's and the more interactive it can get, the better in my opinion, and Voxatc - albeit flawed - just adds to that. And, i also wanted to learn atc proceedures more true to real life than what the inbuilt atc provides in FSX. Lets just hope the full paid version doesn't have any of the problems i've described above !

Just a 'word up' about the download/registered version. If you did what i did, and bought it on a friday evening. You get sent an email after you've paid saying "thanks awfully, but, you'll have to wait till monday before you can actually use it". Apparently some bloke in an office in Bristol has to confirm your payment, and he only works monday to friday. There ain't no automated system. Which, in this day and age, for an internet based company, is quite shocking, especially when you think how much this addon costs.As to the other issues, i've come to the conclusion that there must be some sort of software limitation written into the unregistered/demo version. Meaning it doesn't work properly anywhere outside the US. At least, i hope that's the case, otherwise i've just wasted 50 quid.Also, about the voices. Pay a visit to http://cepstral.com/ and download some of their demo voices, the 8mhz ones work best, especially the two British voices. They do tell you to "buy me now" and say "this is not a licensed version" quite often, but, to be honest, it's not all that irritating, and even with that, it's a damn sight better than Microsoft Sam and his bint Mary

Sorry it took a few days to reply.I've been doing a few test flights, and i've discovered that Voxatc works perfectly on both IFR and VFR flights in both .FLT and .PLN files. But, only if you're flying in the United States. Is this just me ? or does anyone else have problems flying VFR flights in Europe (for example)I must stress i only have the basic Voxatc and not the UK extended addon edition. And, i'm only using the demo at the moment (seeing if it's worth purchasing). But surely VFR should work in the UK as it does in the US, even without the extra goodies of the UK addon bit ?. As i said above, IFR Flights in the UK work fine.Also, to answer the question, i was using a few bits of addon scenery, tileproxy and a few addon aircraft, a couple of Carenado GA planes and a handful of Just Flight aircraft. However, in a desperate attempt to get this thing working properly, i un-installed everything, including FSX, and tried it again on a vanilla version of FSX upon re-installation. But same results as above.I'd happily buy the full version + UK addon if i knew for certain that it works correctly on VFR flights in the UK and the rest of Europe.

Now this is interesting.For various reasons i never fly the stock Cessna 172, or in any country other than the UK. But, i've just tried that VFR example Kansas to Eppely, and, it worked perfectly.However, when i come back to dear old Blighty, and set up a vfr flightplan, it's the same as above, no hand off's, stuck listening to the departure tower the entire journey. Also, when i ask them (of my own volition) to open my flightplan, they refuse. Same with temporary frequency change. (if they don't refuse they say "last aircraft, say again" over and over)So, i'm guessing i'm either doing something wrong with setting up the flight plan initially (although i set it up according to the manual), or, this thing doesn't like the UK. It's really starting to ###### me off nowAnyway, thanks for the reply :)Edit, i've noticed that when i create and save a vfr flightplan it only saves it as a .PLN file, and not as a .FLT file like the included examples. So my created flights arn't in the load menu in the main Free Flight section. Why is that ? It's the only reason i can think of why Voxatc isn't working with my flightplans.2nd edit. Nope, that doesn't change a thing. I tried saving a flightplan then started it, then saved it as a .flt, and then chose to fly that .flt plan, but no difference. Still no hand-off's, still listening to tower from several hundred miles away. This things a crock