Pete Dowson

Hmmm. I wonder if its use of FSUIPC is clashing with RCs. Really the protocol for reading the AI Traffic data should be okay for multiple users, but I've seen some strange variations on how folks drive it. Pete

Well, it works for global weather, but unfortunately FS hasn't stayed with global weather since FS2002. Even if it sets okay it soon becomes "localised" (withing 15-30 minutes, for example) and then changing the global weather won't affect the local weather stations already set, only those not yet localised -- i.e. far away from the aircraft. It's really not that different. The most complicated method was the "Advanced Weather Interface" (AWI) invented for FS2002. That involved sending commands. The NWI is merely a metter of writing to offsets, just like all the other stuff you do. If you are only concerned with FSX there is the alternative of sending METAR strings instead. Regards Pete

I don't know this "Checklist Manager". Is this also an FSUIPC user? Could you give some more details please? Pete

This won't be anything to do with FSUIPC. That either loads or doesn't load. Since FSX is in no way dependent upon it, it doesn't care and won't complain. They aren't critical. There are three errors logged for each Manifest Probe issued by FSUIPC (and the Installer, by the way) for each version of SimConnect which it knows about but which is not installed. See this thread for an earlier discussion about this: viewtopic.php?f=54&t=64092 I am still awaiting a suggestion from Microsoft about how the SimConnect version checking can be done without causing these spurious errors (3 from just the one Windows API call asking for a match!). Meanwhile, just ignore them. That's fine. There's nothing wrong with the FSUIPC side of things. Looks like you have some installation problem with FSX itself. As I said, it won't complain like that about any add-ons which are missing, only parts of itself. I think you need to run a Repair from the FSX DVD. Regards Pete

No, you didn't have to register to gain such access. Registration pays for all the user facilities, not application access. That said, there used to be an application key check before access was allowed, which was waived for registered users. Freeware applications got a free key for access even with unregistered copies, whilst publishers of commercial applications negotiated for a license. The latter still applies, but the key checking was becoming a real nuisance so, since FSX was released, I discontinued it in both FSUIPC3 and FSUIPC4. I always encourage developers to register, however, as it is a small recompense for time spent in providing the SDK updates and additional support. So thank you very much! ;-) Regards Pete

I've received your email with Logs. Thank you. Unfortunately I am tied up over the weekend, but will examine them on Monday. Briefly, in your email you observe that FSUIPC appears to "modify only the downloaded weather". Of course it is supposed to be able to affect all weather, from any source -- FSX downloaded or externally injected. I don't think I can influence "themes" except by turning them off -- which is possible, but might confuse or annoy folks. The one thing which may have changed with SP1 is the way User Defined weather is implemented -- this use to affect individual weather stations' "local" weather, which is what I am trying to manipulate. Maybe now it is only setting the "global" weather and I am missing it. Not surprising as the global weather setting hasn't been used in FS since FS2000. Well, it has, but only as a default source of weather info for stations as yet unset. All global weather used to become localised, and it is the latter I attack. Maybe I can find a way through this. Oddly, I don't think many folks directly set their own weather in the menus -- the downloaded stuff is so good. I'll be in touch next week. Regards Pete

Ah, shame, as having separated sound (even via headphones for extra realism) is one of the benefits of using a Client for RC. Can't you connect something to the on-board sound most mobos have? Hmmm. I think you should maybe write to RC support and ask them about that latest build then. Let me know if you get no joy and I'll try and find out what was changed between your build and mine. Incidentally, overloading on the FS PC might possibly be making RC run rather spasmodically and this is how it is missing the handshake, though that shouldn't really happen. Another benefit of using it on the client is less to slow both RC and FS down. That said, I know lots of folks who run RC on the same PC with no such problems. Regards Pete

And RC on the Client too? That's similar to my setup if so - ASV6.5, FSRealTime, RC all on the same Client PC (also with pmSystems, pmSounds and SA-WXR). I only run FS on the Server. Okay. You could also simply try the check for updates button on RC's main screen. The build number is also displayed there someplace. Regards Pete

Sorry, I cannot comment on your code, but the difference between the single-line message bar and the multiline window is that the latter gets the multiline messages whilst the former gets the single line ones. Any message containing newline (0x0A) or return (0x0D) characters, even if at the end, is considered multilined in this context. Regards Pete

Many of the weather facilities in FSUIPC4 currently only work with external weather control programs. However, since FSX SP1 was released I've had some success with operating on FSX's own weather. You should note that all the weather changes are "phased" in, they aren't immediate. They may take up to 30 seconds to have a gradual effect, and in an area where there are many weather stations this may be defeated rather as the aircraft flies through their areas. FSUIPC4 tries to apply the effects to 9 of the nearest stations. It's a complex process which really didn't work at all before FSX SP1. I'm still pressing Microsoft for the facilities I need to make these all work correctly and predictably though. Really I don't hold out much hope for weather improvements this year as MS have so much on their plate with performance and bug issues still, plus the DX10 / Vista stuff. However, they are pledged to continue developing SimConnect facilities, not waiting for FS11 -- a marked changed to previous version-to-version changes. If I thought I'd need to wait till FS11 I'd start hacking into the WEATHER.DLL again, but that is literally 1000's of hours of work. That said, if you have no joy anywhere, even in relatively sparse areas of the world, I'd be interested in more details to see what is happening. I'd need your FSUIPC4.INI file, and a log of a session with Weather logging enabled (option in the Logging tab). You'd have to describe what you set and what you saw and I'd try to correlate that in the Log. ZIP files before sending to petedowson@btconnect.com. Regards Pete

I thought it was just an option on EITHER the FSUIPC4 page, OR the WideFS7 page. You should only use one of the pages to pay, and select the bundle option. I've not heard of anyone else getting confused? Regards Pete

Sorry, I don't understand. Nothing of mine ever creates a ZIP file. What is this "FSUIPC4-4062"? Inside the FSUIPC4.ZIP you will find an Installer ("Install FSUIPC4.exe"). Just run that, and it will install FSUIPC4. If there are any problems in that process, all the information I need will be found in athe Log, which will be installed in the FSX Modules folder if it gets that far, or which you can save using the Menu option on the Window actually displayed. Show me the Install log please. That contains the information I need. That is what it is for, as explained in the documentation. Pete

It is a completely new, separately purchasable, product. Pete

1. FSUIPC version 3.74 is out of date and unsupported. Please get 3.75. 2. WideFS 6.72 is out of date and unsupported. Please get 6.75. 3. The only actual error is "Connection Refused" which is exactly what Windows is telling WideClient. That can only mean either that the IP address is incorrect (why not use the Server's Name instead?) of that this PC is not allowed to access that PC -- maybe a firewall. Regards Pete

Good. So you are okay then! ;-) The AI aircraft are generated up to a range of about 80 nm. The TCAS/Radar range is about 40. There is an option in FSUIPC (registered) to limit the range for data FSUIPC supplies, but generally there's no point. FS itself will only display the aircraft visually when they are in a visual range of around 10 nm (I think), and it won't display those labels until they are visible. It is possible and many do it. You look BELOW your editing area for attaching things. But the size is severely limited, so always ZIP files first. Log files are very small when Zipped. No need for this, though, you are up and running okay -- except that you are using FSUIPC 4.09 which is pretty old and is the WRONG version to be using once you updated FSX to SP1, as you have. Many things in FSUIPC will not be working correctly. Please take note of the Announcements above. The current version is 4.16 and you should upgrade. Regards Pete

250 mSecs? Phew! What's FSConnect doing to take that long? Even if you run across a WideFS connection you should easily be able to match FS frame rates of 20-30fps. And it certainly isn't related to the amount of data being "pulled", unless you are talking about substantially bigger blocks, like 1kb or more. 6 x 64bit double floating point values is nothing. Maybe it forced to to request them all separately? With FSUIPC your actual inter-process interface is one call for each block of data no matter how many entries, up to 32kbs worth of data. That's all done for you. Why not download the SDK and check it out? Regards Pete

Fails in what way? FSUIPC contains no such message as "FSUIPC failed to initialize"! Where are you reading this? Anyway. it certainly sounds like you have invalid or illegally-generated Keys to me. Where did you get them? If you want me to check them, zip up your FSUIPC.KEY file and send it to me at petedowson@btconnect.com. Regards Pete

But earlier you said "I found the user guide"!! How come you lost it (again?)? Best to re-download the FSUIPC.ZIP and make sure you put its contents somewhere you can find them! I put a lot of hard work into the documentation, especially in the area of joystick calibrations and assignments, and it explains things a lot better than I can here. I shouldn't have to keep repeating things already written up fully. Regards Pete

Well they seem okay. Check the build number of RCV4: is it 3845 or better (from February this year)? That's the one I use. If so, it is odd, then, because I know that bug was explicitly fixed by John Dekker quite some time ago. Is it possible that your system is pretty heavily loaded? Not without more information. It was caused by a slightly incorrect use of the protocol (handshake) used by RC to read AI Traffic aircraft airline+flight number values. The message implies that it is stuck waiting for a reply which never comes because it has actually missed it. Are you running everything on one PC? If you have everything up to date (build 3845) and you can confirm 9from the FSUIPC.LOG file) that it is indeed 3.75, then all I can suggest is that you do some logging for me to check. Go to FSUIPC Options in FS, select the Logging tab, and on the right-hand side enter these details in the Monitor table: offset D004 as type U32 offset D008 as type U32 offset D00C as type U32 offset D000 as type U32 and check "normal Log" below. Run RCV4 until you get the error, then close FS, ZIP up the Log and send it to me at petedowson@btconnect.com. Please also describe your system a bit, including what you are running and where. Regards Pete

Okay. It looks like you did not actually follow the instructions in the Installation section of the User Guide correctly. In order to register correctly under Vista you have to right-click on the FSX icon (or the FSX.EXE) and select Run As Administrator. Please check the documentation again. I think you need to re-register in the correct way. It is a problem on Vista where only "elevated Administrators" can get Registry entries made. Pete

Unfortunately you have shown me a continuation log: so I cannot see the checks made at the start. Can you show me a normal log please? Just load FSX then close it. That will do. I see that you obtained your Keys last Novemberwhat has taken so long to report this problem? Regards Pete

Sorry, there's nothing in FSUIPC or WideFS which will do that. Are you sure you haven't got FSCommander or something trying to control the aircraft, and not checking correctly for when it is paused? If not FSCommander, you have something affecting FS's values. Pete

You need to use the Lat/Lon to find the nearest airport from a file listing all of the airports with ICAO ID and Lat/Lon. There's no facility provided by FS or FSUIPC to tell you "nearest airport is ....". Sorry. My freeware program "MakeRunways", available on the usual download place and above will generate a suitable file -- the most applicable one is probably "airports.fsm" which is a binary file with all the airports in an array of 18 byte structures: struct { char szICAO[4]; float fLat; float fLon; WORD wATIS1; WORD wATIS2; WORD wATIS3; }; The ATIS values are BCD frequencies capable of giving weather information, 0x1234 meaning 112.34. The airports are sorted into alphanumeric order of ICAO id. Regards Pete

Does the FSUIPC4.LOG file show anything useful (show it to me if you like)? You'll find it in the FSX Modules folder. If you enable IPC read and write logging (in the Add-Ons, FSUIPC options, Logging tab) then I would be able to see if anything is reading the traffic data. Regards Pete

Only by using my GFdisplay program, which is freeware provided to program GF unit display capabilities. FSUIPC's support for GoFlight is only as a button/switch input capability. It doesn't know anything at all about displays. It is a simple extension to its EPIC, PFC and general joystick button support. Regards Pete