kryten

I was flying from EDDP to LOWW and, nearing LOWW, was cleared down to 16000ft. I descended to 16000ft and later asked for a temporary frequency change so that I could listen to Vienna ATIS. This request was granted, I listened to ATIS and reported back without a problem.but ATC did not tell me to descend any further. I asked to descend several times but was told "not at this time" each time. I ended up flying over the airport at 16000ft. My suspicion is that ATC intended me to descend at a certain point but at that time I was listening to ATIS. The descent point was passed without ATC asking me and as that point never arrived again ATC did not tell me to descend. Had I flown in a circle and passed the point again ATC might have told me to descend. Does this sound feasible. Phil.

I was flying from EDDP to LOWW and, nearing LOWW, was cleared down to 16000ft. I descended to 16000ft and later asked for a temporary frequency change so that I could listen to Vienna ATIS. This request was granted, I listened to ATIS and reported back without a problem.but ATC did not tell me to descend any further. I asked to descend several times but was told "not at this time" each time. I ended up flying over the airport at 16000ft. My suspicion is that ATC intended me to descend at a certain point but at that time I was listening to ATIS. The descent point was passed without ATC asking me and as that point never arrived again ATC did not tell me to descend. Had I flown in a circle and passed the point again ATC might have told me to descend. Does this sound feasible. Phil.

Thanks Andy. I switched vectoring off and I can now follow STARs without being vectored to the opposite runway.

The following is a typical problem. I approach EDDM from the north and ATC instructs me to follow the AKANU 2A STAR but as soon as I start I am vectored away. Although the wind is from 250' and 18kts (I use FSGRW dynamic weather) I was vectored to runway 8R instead of runway 26R/L. This seems to be happening all the time.Does VoxAtc ALWAYS vector no matter what? I tried pressing 0 to request another runway but the only choice I had in the window was 0 : Return. Is this a common problem or is it just me? If the former it needs fixing. If the latter I need fixing.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I probably need more charts to see all the options. No doubt I'll come across all the other problems in time. Phil.

Thanks for the information. Phil

I need to buy the Level-D 767 navdata to use the SIDs and STARs. As I usually fly the PMDG 747 does this mean that I also need to buy the current navdata for that aircraft as well? I use FSBuild for flight planning. Do I need to buy the current navdata for that also? I think I will have to but I want to make sure.

The manual states that my flight plan must have waypoints that correspond with waypoints in the SIDs but when I create my flight plan I do not know which runway VoxATC will assign me. As different runways have different SIDs with different waypoints how can I comply? The same problem occurs with STARs. Am I missing something?

I'm not flying today but have a flight planned for tomorrow. I'll create a log and send it off then.

Ray, I only ever fly a PMDG 747 or the default Cessna 172. The addons I use are Wideview in order to run on a network, FSGRW and many scenery/airports. I stopped using FSGRW to see if that was causing the problem but it is still there. I tried flying in areas with default scenery and airports without success. I selected the default 747 but it has no CDU and I was not able to try it. Ronzie, The problem sometimes occurs when I'm assigned new altitudes or handed over to a new controller. It's never happened on the ground but I spend almost all the time in the air. I have occasionally been able to finish flights but only perhaps one in ten.

Thanks for the replies. Glynn. I tried the repeat last instruction. ATC kept repeating the instruction (as before) but key 7 still would not work. I tried repeat last instruction several times without success. Ray. The problem is not that the keys never work but that they stop working mid flight. Today I went through ATIS, clearance, push and start, taxiing and takeoff with all keys working perfectly. The problem is that they suddenly STOP working. I was cleared to 18000ft, I pressed 7 but ATC just kept repeating the clearance to 18000ft until I landed and turned RC4 off. I checked the keyboard settings before and after the flight and they were OK.

On almost every flight RC4 stops responding during the flight. There seems to be no pattern as to which flights give a problem and which do not. I am cruising along when I receive an instruction from ATC. I press 7 on the keyboard but all that happens is that ATC keeps saying the same instruction until the end of the flight. Pressing 1 has no effect either. I have tried programming buttons to send numeric values when pressed and also using GoFlights ATC module to send values but to no avail. Everything works fine until this problem suddenly appears. I'm using FSX and Windows 7. Any help would be appreciated. Phil

Thanks for the reply. We must have different manuals because on my page 80 the items are ; ATC responds with last aircraft to say again ATC refuses requests Slow response or speech generation VOXATC prompts you to contact an enroute unit.......... I don't think SIDS/STARs are involved.There was no STAR in the flight plan and I expected to be vectored in. I should have started descent from 18000ft, well before any STAR. On page 48 of my manual under "Request descent" I should have been able to do so but was not allowed to by ATC. I had already flown a couple of flights and been vectored in without a problem. It was only when I switched frequency to contact ATIS that there was a problem.

I am trying VOXATC before buying. I was cruising at 18000ft nearing the TOD point. I requested a change of frequency to get ATIS information at the arrival airport. This was granted. I got the information and changed back to the original frequency however ATC did not tell me to descend. In the end I requested descent but was told "Unable at this time". I tried requesting descent several times but was always refused. In the end I had to take over the flight myself and landed without ATC permission!!! The only thing I can think of is that I passed the point ATC wanted me to start descending when tuned to ATIS. ATC was miffed by this and as a consequence would not let me descend at all. I hope I am wrong because if it is true then this could happen frequently. Any ideas? Phil.

I did as above but used EDDF this time instead of EPRZ which I used last time. When passing T/A I had a problem manually adjusting the QHN to 1013 as there is no EFIS and I couldn't find any other obvious way to do it. Perhaps I am missing something. Incidentally, as there is no EFIS there is no knob to press when passing T/A to set the pressure to STD. Anyway, the only way I found to set the pressure to 1013 was to go back to weather/advanced weather and reset it there. Going back to the flight I had to press B again and the altimeter tape increased as you suspected. This post is just to tie up the loose ends of past suggestions. I have said recently that as the problem is a PMDG 747 problem it should not be discussed in this forum. As such, I will not be posting any more replies here. Please do not post any yourself.

I did as you suggested above and after clearance cleared me to 6000ft I took off, climbed at 1600fpm to 6000 Ft and above but did not hear a thing from RC. At 7000ft I descended back to 6000ft. After 15 minutes I climbed to 18000 and in all this time never a word from ATC. I will try again. I have contacted PMDG support ticket. Their response was that the problem is not due to the PMDG 747 but is caused by RC. As I said previously, continuing posts about a PMDG problem on a Radar Contact forum is inappropriate and I will be posting no more replies here.

I have previously acknowledged suggestions Ray, I have seen on another post a claim that you are associated with RC. Is this true? If the problem lies entirely with PMDG and RC is at no fault it would seem that it would be best to curtail this thread and concentrate on the PMDG forum. i cannot expect RC to sort a PMDG problem out. They cannot be expected to be as savvy with how PMDG works as PMDG support. I did what you suggested. I don't know how anyone can fly the default 747. It has no EFIS, no FMC, no LNAV, no VNAV and no FMA's (just to name a few things missing). When i set the altitude to 6000ft and A/P on the aircraft it just continued climbing past 6000ft instead of levelling off. I am going to have to read the RC manual again as it was different from the PMDG. I got weather and clearance but no pushback and ground options. All there was in the window was the next 2 waypoints. No response from RC after clearance obtained and no options in the window to ask for anything. As I said earlier I appreciate the time and effort put in by those in this forum but if the problem is a PMDG one then they should sort it out. I have been in contact with PMDG support and await there answer. I cannot expect other people to spend any more time on this problem than they have already done. You seem to be implying that the problem is a bug with the PMDG and as such no amount of effort by Ray, Agutz, Ronzie or myself is going to help. It would just be a waste of time. I appreciate it but the problem is not yours, it is PMDG's. It is not a question of giving up but being realistic and realistically I don't believe that a PMDG problem can be best investigated in an RC forum. You have spent a lot of time ( I have spent a lot more time following up suggestions) on a problem that I now know is not your problem and cannot expect you to spend even more time on it.

I started threads on both the PMDG 747 and RC forums as I do not know which is causing the problem, It may even be neither, just me doing something stupid (but there isn't a forum for that). Later in this forum I suggested that it might be useful to post a thread on the PMDG 747 forum with Radar Contact in the title to try to get someone using RC to try to replicate my problem. I did so and now I'm getting flak on that thread for starting a second thread on the forum. It's all starting to get me down. Originally I thought that the solution would be simple but after many replies from people making suggestions, and which I appreciate for them spending their time, I seem no nearer to a solution. If the problem is inherent in the RC or 747 software I could spend years trying to find a solution without success. I have spent so much time trying to solve the problem I haven't had an enjoyable flight for weeks. I have to switch RC off every flight because it keeps going on about the altitude and will not shut up. I can fly perfectly happily at a STD QNH and will do that in future. I tried to do this but the default 747 does not seem to has an EFIS and I don't know how to fly the 737.

Ronzie So are you saying that when you fly the PMDG B737NG with a low pressure of 989 you do not have any problems with Radar Contact assigned altitudes or are you just referring to low QNH and STD settings. If the latter perhaps you could try flying with RC and see what happens.

I tried a flight where the QNH was 989. At TA I used the altitude pressure knob on the EFIS to manually set 1013 (I didn't press STD). The assigned altitude problem was still there.

Ray, I have place a new topic on the PMDG 747 forum. For my next flight I will set an initial low QNH and then, at TA, manually change it to 1013. I'll not press the STD button and see what happens.

Ray, As you know, I have started a topic on the PMDG 747 forum about this problem but nobody has replied that they have tried using RC with their 747. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to start a new topic on the forum called "Anyone using Radar Contact?" and ask people to try flying with a low QNH. It would be very informative. What do you think?

Ray, As I said, pressing the STD button had no effect on the number displayed on the title bar but it did have an effect on the altitude displayed on the PFD. To me this suggests that pressing STD was causing the PDF altimeter to display an altitude based on a standard pressure but that the number on the title bar represented what was manually set on the QNH. This number is not affected by pressing STD as when pressing STD a second time the original QNH is displayed, not 1013. I think the easiest thing for me to do is not to fly with a low pressure.

I have flown several flights and the following is typical of what I get. I'm not too sure how to show quotes from other people but I'll try using "selective quotes". If it is not righr I'll have to do this again. With a QNH of 989 I turned off STD as you said and both PFD altitude and backup altitude changed and, using FLCH, the aircraft changed altitude. i have tooltips turned on in order to change the trim but with STD selected the pressure is not displayed. Today I noticed that, when descending and being handed over to a new controller, the RC pilot called out altitudes of about 1000ft above what was on the PFD altimeter. Also, I was cleared down to FL24 and then before reaching it down to FL15. I attained and levelled off at FL15 and then was handed over to a new controller. The RC pilot called out to the new controller that I was at FL24. I was then berated by ATC for not being at FL15 even though I was at FL15 on the PFD altimeter. I'm sorry but my last post went slightly wrong. In answer to Rays post of ; Try this. It will show what the actual pressure setting is. Open FSUIPC interface and choose Logging tab. On the right hand side enter:- Base=IPC Offset=0330 Type=U16 Display to FS Title bar. Hit OK. In Windowed mode you will see a number in the title bar. Divide that number by 16 and that is the current pressure on the altimeter. If it says 16212 then that is standard pressure. Any other number means the altimeter isn't set to STD. My reply should have been : At a QNH of 1013 the title bar number was 16208 (1013) and when set to a QNH of 989 was 15824 (989). Pressing the STD button after TA had no effect on this number. The number on the title bar only reflected what was entered manually. Pressing STD had no effect.

Ray, I've reset the altitude variance to 300. I don't know how to check the STD pressure. The QNH setting is displayed at the bottom of the altimeter tape and the reading changes to STD when the STD button is pressedand so I've no way of knowing that the pressure setting is actually 1013. Two things I've noticed. If the QNH is 989 and i'm climbing after passing the AT with the pressure set to STD when I change to a new ATC and call out my altitude it is lower than the reading on the altimeter tape. Also at an assigned cruise altitude of FL410 ATC says I am not at assigned altitude but if I climb to FL420 ATC is happy. Presumably it thinks I am at FL410 even though the 747 altimeter shows FL420. Do you know how RC4 determines the altitude it thinks I am at?