Waldo Pepper

I don't have a Samsung G8, but I do have an LG oled tv.

Many TV's have default picture modes which lean toward the blue end of the color temperature spectrum.    Sunlight is approx. 6500k (Kelvin) and most content is mastered in the D65 White Point,  but some displays are closer to 7500k by default.   This makes everything look a bit washed out,  imo.

See if your G8 has any picture modes closer to 6500k.  Try "Warm 1".  I use "Filmmaker mode" on my LG OLED.     Modes like "vivid" can be the worst offenders.     

I also set digital vibrance to 55 in the nvidia cp.

D65 white point,

Filmmaker mode, 

I have a USB DAC doing audio out,    the motherboard's sound chip doing MIC-IN and Transducer output from either SIMHAPTIC or SimShaker.    Works perfectly.     /I prefer Simhaptic

Anyone else notice the BMP textures in FS-Base with names like "sky_afternoon_0",  "sky_dawn_3",  etc

Nobody beats their visuals,   beautiful models.

On 9/29/2023 at 9:31 PM, FlierHawk said:

I saw a video somewhere that showed msfs is targeting unattainable nit levels for the sun of like 10,000 nits.  I have a 4k hdr setup but it's not certified to a nit level and i think it's closer to 300 pathetic nits.  as a result HDR always seems off even though the dynamic range is better and color saturation is nicer.  I compromised and used nvidia filters to get some of that pop back while leaving HDR off. 

 

 

That is solved to a large degree by using the Windows HDR Calibration tool.  https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/windows-hdr-calibration/9N7F2SM5D1LR?hl=en-us&gl=us&rtc=1

I've run an 48" LG CX oled since a few months before the sim was released.   I also have a 48" LG C3.

Filmmaker mode offers the best picture quality,  imo.    I used the windows calibration tool and set it's slider for more saturation,   and I also set digital vibrance to 55 in the Nvidia Cp.

Game Mode,   Standard mode,  vivid,   by default all set the color balance to an unnatural blue.    It destroyed the mid-tones in MSFS,  imo.

The blue does look brighter,   which some may prefer.    But filmmaker looks so much better after getting used to it.

Won't be able to check this out until the weekend arrives,  but it looks interesting.   Always liked the form of the Bronco.

https://flightsim.to/file/61093/north-american-rockwell-ov-10-bronco

Tower view would be nice.

I too have REX and Zinnertek runway textures,   I prefer the Zinnertek v4.0 as well.

I've been running REX seasons,  set to update the current season every week.   Bijan's trees are better,   but I quite like REX.   Stopped using Bijan's when he went awol a year or two ago.   He's very talented,  but he's been going through some tragic events irl.  Fairly certain he lost some family members during the pandemic,   but memory might deceive me.

Hopefully Bijan will persevere over his tragedies and make a triumphant return.  Spoke to him several times,  and he seemed like a good person.   He was very easy to contact,  and very responsive prior to his absence.

That said,   Mamu82 and PuffinFlight are MSFS GOATS imo.  

The flooding and landslides from this are horrific.   I watched an interstate highway and it's concrete barriers transform into a river,  with thousands of sleeping truck drivers stuck in a traffic jam.   And a river of mud slowly pushing a field of boulders down a ravine into a valley below.     I've been studying geology since the pandemic,   and it's pretty wild to see nature reshape the earth in real-time.  The average person just doesn't understand how powerful the forces of water can be.  

All the water in such a short time causes dangerous spikes in the hydrologic pressures of ground soil.

On 6/23/2023 at 2:00 PM, FBW737 said:

Yes it is. It's a pity. In reality it wouldn't be as big a handicap. In the sim instead of relying on the audio cue from the vario one could rely on the seat of the pants to discern entry into life and sink which you don't have in the sim. Although, I do like the visual cues and sounds in MSFS. They are really good!

Looks like the K7 was updated two days ago.

https://flightsim.to/file/34815/schleicher-k7-glider

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Version 1.3.2

non-linear Vertical Speed Indicator bottom-left on panel replaced with a NETTO vario reading

Vario audio beep added to computer vario (lift-only, default OFF, enabled via Vario Switch on panel)

Low-speed polar (35..50 knots, 63..90 kph) adjusted, handling/polar otherwise unchanged.

Spoilers/Airbrakes effectiveness increased

'Imperial' (knots/feet) instruments and liveries integrated into a single package with the metric

A couple of additional liveries added

IF you have the K7 imperial gauges mod installed it's no loner relevant.   Supposedly it can interfere with the new variometer tones.

Placed rather well during a two hour soaring event,   dropped my ballast to land,   and forgot to lower my gear.   I was so chuffed as I gently sat the glider down on the field,   and then I was immediately confronted with the crash screen.   Never had a chance to screenshot the nav display to record my time.   

7 hours ago, precog said:

Anyone tried this out?

I bought a SimHaptic license and it seems to be quite nice.     I own a Sim Shaker license,   and I have two Aura Pro transducers bolted under my seat in a L/R 2-channel configuration.  I'm using my motherboard's audio to drive the 75w rms x 2 channel amp.    (Dayton Audio APA150 Amp With 2 Aura Pro Bass Shakers Bundle)   (Same amp with Dayton transducers) 

Things I like:   

1)With SimShaker I had to install legacy versions of SimConnect from FSX.    This is not necessary with SimHaptic.  👍

2)I prefer the interface of SimHaptic.   It's quite easy to use,  and I like the way it's profile system functions without much user intervention.   

3)This is subjective,  but SimHaptic's output feels noticeably more complex.   

I also like the spectrum analyzer in the SH interface.

I just took a flight in the An-2.   The default SH profile had the avionics fan whine / vibration too intense,  and the engine vibrations felt more like an inline.    It only took one click to dial down the avionics,   and three clicks to change the engine profile to what really felt like a big radial. 

I can feel the haptic feedback through my entire rig,  from the seat,  to the pedals,  to the stick/hotas.    Engine sounds felt nice,   ground roll felt convincing,   etc.

I'm sticking with SH.   The introductory price was well worth it.

Edit:  Have an old home theater receiver laying around?  https://www.parts-express.com/speaker-components/bass-shakers

The story of Karen Silkwood is another interesting one.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Silkwood

21 hours ago, dmwalker said:

From a recent article:

"We identify locations where radionuclide deposition significantly exceeded levels in areas covered by the U.S. Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA).9 These findings include deposition in all 48 contiguous U.S. states. They provide an opportunity for re-evaluating the public health and environmental implications from atmospheric nuclear testing."

"Our deposition estimates indicate that direct fallout from Trinity, a plutonium device, reached Crawford Lake in Canada, the proposed “golden spike” site marking the beginning of the Anthropocene epoch"

https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/2307/2307.11040.pdf

During "Operation Large Area Coverage",  the US government dusted several American cities with radioactive particles containing the isotope Radium 226.    St. Louis,  Missouri for example.

https://house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills161/hlrbillspdf/5803H.01I.pdf

On 7/14/2023 at 10:37 PM, n4gix said:

Pure insanity! I'm surprised that New Mexico and Arizona were not totally irradiated with so many "bomb tests" conducted. Did we really need 1032 of such tests?

Quite insane, as far as I'm concerned.   I'm always reminded of the words of Neutron Bomb creator Samuel Cohen,

As an American,   during the cold war we were always taught that the Russians were the threat.   But when I watch that testing,  to me at least,  it looks more like we were the craziest sobs on the block.   If anything,  it looks like the Russians began their major escalation in response to us testing hundreds of devices.   I truly think we scared the living word not allowed out of them,  enough to bankrupt them.   (and nearly us)

Our own president and many of our scientists had plans to build harbors, canals,  frack gas,  excavate mountain passes,   create lakes, connect underground aquifers,  with atomic devices.    They called it,  "Project Plowshare".

In Operation "Gas Buggy",   they used a nuke to frack.   It worked,  but the gas was too radioactive for commercial use.  So they lit a flare and let it burn.   It's hard to argue that we didn't contaminate the globe.

Today sunken WWII ships are being salvaged with their war dead aboard,  because their uncontaminated steel has extreme value in the medical or scientific industries.

But it's striking to consider how fast and loose our government played the game.     Contaminating neighborhoods,  lying.

But there were other sites like the Hanford site, the Paducah Kentucky Gaseous Diffusion Plant,  etc.   The legacy of contamination is real.

Correct,  that tone is the variometer.   An ascending tone indicates a stronger thermal.  The variometer can be configured to display the current value in knots,  m/sec, or feet/sec.

Clayton is flying the Got Friends Discus 2c.    There is a freeware and a payware version of the 2c.

The Discus 2c,  JS3 Rapture,  and AS-33-ME have the most recent and most accurate flight models.   The 2c is a standard class glider with no flaps,   the other two are flapped competition sailplanes.

The Default MSFS gliders look great, but have inaccurate flight models and the variometers aren't well calibrated.    Their glide ratios are off,  and their nav displays don't feature a glider tasking system.

The DG 808s is another popular MSFS glider.   I flew it almost exclusively,  but then I learned that it's glide ratio at high speeds is way too high compared to IRL,  and it gives the 808 a roughly 20 knot cruise speed advantage at 140 knots which it doesn't have IRL.   I stopped flying it altogether until it's corrected.  Many people in the group still fly it though,  I think most people aren't aware.   Like I said,  it's not a race.  Just for fun.

The JS3 features a sailplane task system built into it's nav display,  as does the AS-33.   You can view or create soaring tasks with the B21 Task Planner website.   It will allow you to insert altitude and radius constraints for each waypoint.   For example,   you could set the starting line to have a max alt of 5,000,  and a max radius of 2,000.    You could make a turn point atop a mountain,  with a very small radius. 

Every week someone at SSC creates a new task which is posted each Saturday a few hours prior to each event.    There will be a .pln and a weather preset posted.  The .pln was created with B21 task planner and it contains the waypoint tasks,  the JS3 and AS33 soaring computer can display that information on the nav display.

The Discus,  the DG 808, and the default DG1001e don't have task computers in their nav display.  For them you have to download the LXN Nav mod,   which the JS and AS33 don't need.

In this video,  Ian "b21" Lewis talks about the JS3.    Ian and MADolo of MADolo simulations have released many freeware sailplanes.    The JS3 is the most recent,  and he spent a ridiculous amount of time tweaking the flight model.   So I'd say it's probably the most accurate glider at the moment.

11 hours ago, Dominique_K said:

Interesting post 😃 because I read your notices but never went and see.

Gliding has never caught a large audience in any of MSFS predecessors or competitors that I know. The reputation is that flightsims are not very good at simulating gliding. I should try a spoon a peas though, to check by myself. 

Then  group flights need a strong internet connection I suppose, to cope with 30 simcraft close to you ?

Multiplayer isn't particularly demanding with respect to your connection.   Many groups use the SE Asia server because it's supposedly less populated.  We have people from all over planet and I don't recall any complaints.   I'm on the US east coast and my ping is around 249ms,  it doesn't seem to matter.   

It's a blast though,  there is something serene about being in a sailplane and looking out at all the sailplanes soaring around you.   Soaring is a constant stream of decisions mixed with gawking at scenery as it passes by in close proximity,   but when you add in the 30+ other guys it's so engaging that people stop talking and start concentrating.  "It's not a race",   but that doesn't stop the competitive juices from flowing. 

One of our guys posted his flight from last week.   At the start the entire group followed a small detour along a ridge to use the strong ridge lift.   I was much too hard headed to do that though.   I thought I could stay on track and make it across the valley, then find lift on the other end.  Flew through nothing but sink.  Disqualified myself in the first 10 minutes because I had to slew up.

I have a bad habit of pushing it too far and avoiding of the safe and sure path.   Comes back to bite me more than it helps me sometimes, but I like the feeling when it works. 🤣

Spent the rest of the flight as a tourist.

It's just the way it is,  man.   I've probably posted over a dozen glider community flights here,   and as far as I can tell nobody from here has ever participated.  Not once.  You can lead a horse to water,  but you cannot make one drink.

Unpowered group flights are one of the most intense activities you can participate in.   Every split second is a new wager against yourself,   let alone the other 30+ pilots.   But people are just not interested.   Not criticizing,  you understand.   To each his own,  but sometimes I think that people don't know what they are missing.  

About the only replies I ever get is people who point out whatever MSFS does wrong,  but they never join a group flight to see what it get's right.   Reminds me of being a kid when I attended Catholic school and wouldn't eat peas.  The Mother Superior called my mother, and she had to come to school.   My mom ended up making me eat the peas,  at least one spoonful she said.   That was the day I discovered that I actually loved peas.

If you try the JS3,    flaps 1 is -3 deg,   flaps 2 is zero degrees,  3,4,5 are positive.

Use flaps 1 after 90 knots,  flaps 2 from 70 to 90,  Use flaps 4 in tight thermals,    flaps 5 when the thermal requires minimal centering.

This chart shows the glide ratio vs flap setting and airspeed,  glide ratios circled in red.

The JS3 download includes the 15m and the removable 18m wing tips.

The manual is located in "JS3-18_MadoloB21_2.0.2\SimObjects\Airplanes\JS 3 18m Aircraft\docs"

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A basic comparison of the 15m and 18m: The best glide ratio of the JS3-18 is ~56:1, and the JS3-15 is ~50:1.

This mostly makes a difference while thermalling in weak to medium thermals or on a final glide in weak conditions. Let's be honest you're unikely to be in either of those situations in MSFS.

At high speed, the margin between the two gliders begins to shrink, and at 140 knots the glide ratio of the JS3-18 (~26:1) is only a little higher than the JS3-15 (~25:1).

Back in the day before 18m (or 20m) gliders were popular, the competition classes jumped from 15m flapped to Open Class (with planes ~25/26m wingspan). Counter-intuitively the 15m gliders could be faster than the open class on a really strong day as the Open class ~60:1 floaty glide capability kicks word not allowed in weak conditions but becomes a liability at high speed.

The handling of the JS3 15m and 18m in MSFS is similar, the performance differs slightly as reported above, the 15m carries less ballast and is permitted a lower max total weight (525Kg vs 600Kg) and the net effect of all that is the 15m has a lower max wing-loading but the performance is still awesome. The roll-rate of the 15m is slightly better in the sim but you might not notice. The instruments in the 15m and 18m are exactly the same, with the idea being you've attached different wing tips for the two wingspans (as RL). You'll see a piece of sticky tape on the 15m panel reminding you that you've attached those tips. The two packages in MSFS are necessary as there are a bunch of files that need to be swapped in/out between the 15m and 18m such as the flight model, and that's not something MSFS can do in a single package.

You can expect an international crowd.  Cordial bunch.   Mix of IRL glider pilots and sim pilots.

If you "don't do discord",   just show up at LFKF at 18:00 UTC on the SE Asia server and follow the group!   

(SE Asia server is used because it has low traffic,  works great even though my ping is really bad)

The starting gate has a 4,000 ft max alt.   You have to cross under it or the task won't start on your nav display.  

The turn points have a 1000m max radius.

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The Illustration shows where you can find lift using the weather preset.

1. Ground Thermals:
You will find lift above **cities, rocks, beaches** and other surface types that get heated by the sun.
These thermals can be strong, but are not very large and not easy to circle in, as they are very patchy in nature.
These thermals stop approximately at the cloud base. 

2. Cloud Thermals:
To find cloud thermals, pick a large and dense cloud and fly towards the **windward side next to the cloud.**
These thermals stop approximately at the cloud top. 
It's important to note that cloud- and ground thermals can add to each other when combined.
ie. there will be more lift under a cloud over a city than over forest or water.

3. Ridge Lift:
To get ridge lift, fly between **500 - 1500 ft above the slopes. **The steeper the slope, the more lift it will produce. 
Ridge lift can also be combined with ground thermals. 
ie. there will be more lift over a sun-facing mountain rock, than a tree-covered slope in the shadow.
Flying high above the ridge will not give you any lift, as the wind will be much weaker above 1500 ft AGL.

One of the key features of the Soaring Weather presets is the fact that the wind layers are set up for Altitude **Above Ground Level (AGL)**.
The peak of a mountain is equally 0 ft AGL as the surface of the sea.
Keep a close eye on your AGL and wind speed data when ridge soaring.

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Saturday, July 22, 2023 17:45 PM UTC

Sim Soaring Club Escape From Corsica 304km

MSFS Server: Southeast Asia

Sim date/time: July 22, 12 noon local

Max start 4000 Feet MSL

Distance is 304km, expected duration ~90 min

Meet/Briefing: 17:45.  At this time we meet in the voice chat and get ready.

Synchronized Fly: 18:00.  At this time we simultaneously click fly to sync our weather.

Task Start: 18:30.   At this time we cross the starting line and start the task.

**Briefing:**
This is mainly a ridge task, but clouds are working should you need to thermal to make the jump over the sea.

Route planning should be fairly straight forward. Just enjoy the beautiful sights of the Mediterranean islands.

recommended map source: google maps (pro)

 

.PLN and .WPR here - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SfdoRLmN9srHDEB1r0tVqV79VQWYo9h4/view?usp=sharing

You can examine task and weather by dragging and dropping them here,  https://xp-soaring.github.io/tasks/b21_task_planner/index.html

I recommend the Jonker JS3 Rapture,   or the Schleicher AS 33 ME.   (The default MSFS gliders have great models,  but the variometers don't function correctly and the glide ratios are incorrect among other issues)

The AN-2 cockpit is beautiful in VR.

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Japanese artist Isao Hashimoto has created a beautiful, undeniably scary time-lapse map of the 2053 nuclear explosions which have taken place between 1945 and 1998, beginning with the Manhattan Project's "Trinity" test near Los Alamos and concluding with Pakistan's nuclear tests in May of 1998. This leaves out North Korea's two alleged nuclear tests in this past decade (the legitimacy of both of which is not 100% clear). Each nation gets a blip and a flashing dot on the map whenever they detonate a nuclear weapon, with a running tally kept on the top and bottom bars of the screen. Hashimoto, who began the project in 2003, says that he created it with the goal of showing"the fear and folly of nuclear weapons." It starts really slow — if you want to see real action, skip ahead to 1962 or so — but the buildup becomes overwhelming.

Kind of renders the phrase "natural background radiation" a bit interesting on this planet.