Pete Dowson

Sounds like the throttle axis is set up incorrectly. Before doing anything in FS or FSUIPC you need to go to Windows "Game Controllers" (in the Control Panel) and calibrate all the axes correctly. Then, in FS, go to Options-Controls-Sensitivities and make sure the sliders for "sensitivity" are all far right (max) and the ones for null zone are far left (zero). If an axis seems to have the reverse effect (i.e. max throttle when pulled back, min when pushed right forward, then see about checking the Reverse option in FS's Options-Controls-Assignments. Also, in the Assignments makes sure you don't have any other devices which FS has assigned -- maybe joysticks you also have connected, or used to have. Check the dropdown list of devises and deallocate anything assigned to any device you don't use. Don't bother to even try calibrating anything in FSUIPC until you have it working basically in FS. 16380 is actually roughly the normal (default) value for max thrust. Most joysticks should give a negative number when the throttle is pulled right back. It sounds like you definitely need the reverse option checked -- there's one in FS as well as in FSUIPC. Only use one, but since you want to get it all working WITHOUT FSUIPC first, best to do that in FS. Regards, Pete

But why on Earth would you want all the sound mixed on one set of speakers or, worse, a headset? Surely one of the true benefits of having the ATC on a separate sound card is that you get the sound separated -- for a separate set of speakers, or more realistically a headset. Why would you want to mix them back into the general aircraft engine and other noises? If you really wanted to take such an odd step you could use a mixer, of course. But it seems to me to be losing the biggest advantage you have with SB3 on a separate PC! Radar Contact version 4 is recently announced, for release in December --- see the "Sticky" thread above on the subject from the author JD. Visit http://www.jdtllc.com. Regards, Pete

Eryou connect your headset to whichever PC is running whichever program it is providing the sound you want to hear on your headset. Of course! If SB3 has its own voice built in (and I think it does -- previously you would have had to use Roger Wilco or AVC I think), then of course it is where SB3 is that will have the SB3 sound. Surely that is the IDEAL situation? You want the ATC on the headset, but the aircraft and other sounds on the main speakers. Much more realistic -- you surely don't want all the sounds mixed on the same headset or speakers? BTW none of this is anything to do with either FSUIPC or WideFS, which don't deal with sounds. I don't actually use SB3, but I do use Radar Contact and I run that on a separate PC under WideFS specifically so I can get the ATC on a headset, or separate speakers. Regards Pete

I'm not sure whether there is anyone here who can help, but I wish you luck. It isn't an area I know anything about I'm afraid. Just in case, you may want ot try posting your questions on other Forums too. I'm not sure which would be the most suitable, though, I'm afraid. Regards, Pete

But, as I said, your name and email must also be exactly as they were when you purchased the registration. All three fields are needed. They are inter-dependent. Don't display anything here. And a Key on its own is useless to me, I would need the name and email too (the ones you bought it with) in order to check it. Have you no idea what name and email you used? Do you change them regularly? If you think you have all the details and still can't get it to accept them, include them in an email to me at petedowson@btconnect.com and I'll check them here. But if you have forgotten any part of the essential three pieces of data then really there is no way possible to retrieve the situation. Without those details or your receipt from SimMarket (or wherever) there's no way to retrieve your purchase. Regards, Pete

Sorry, I don't know what this means. When you say "FS2002 switched off" do you mean you FS PC reset itself or had a power failure? If not what do you mean by "switched off"? Neither of those versions are supported at all in any case. The mnimum supported FSUIPC version at present it 3.50. Version 3.51 will be released within 2 weeks I hope. Why should FSUIPC show any errors? Are you running all of Project Magenta on the same PC as FS or do you use a Network? Does PM indicate any errors. What is it you are actually seeing -- does your FS PC power down, for instance? This is what I would mean by "switching off". You really do need to explain a little more, please. I have no idea what you mean by "switched off" or "lost data are with non exist engines", nor do I know what you configuration is at all. Please, if you use WideFS, do make sure it is a supported version too -- 6.50 or later. Regards, Pete

The only thing which affects how it starts is the parameter in the WideClient.INI file. Did you check? Take a look please, or just delete your INI file and start again. BTW I always need to know version numbers in any query or problem report, please! [LATER] The business of "restore" making the Window disappear (for that's what it is doing -- there will always be a Task bar entry in any case) will be due to corrupted Window coordinates in the WideClient.INI file too -- delete the line containing the 4 numbers. It is likely that the position is off-screen because you changed screen resolutions or monitor connections or similar. As an alternative, of ccurse, you could "restore" then "move" and use the cursor keys in assorted directions until you see the window frame coming into view. Pete

I think that depends entirely upon the video drivers & card you are using, and the mode they are set into. You are best asking in the FS2004 forum -- this is the sort of thing some folks certainly do manage. However, I do think there's a problem with FS2004 remembering the positions on multiple screens next time to load FS, even if you save a Flight with them all set. I have read that folks need to undock and move the Windows each time. Also, you may need to do that with FS in Windowed mode, then put it into full screen mode afterwards. But i'm not sure --- I think, again, it depends on the drivers and video modes set. Ah .. doing it by program? Hmmm. It may well be possible, if you know Windows programming very well. The main problem will be locating the correct Window handles. All FS's child windows seem to of the same class ("FS98CHILD"). You'd need to investigate with MS's Spy++ I think. Regards, Pete

It isn't important to backup the FSUIPC.zip file -- the latest one is always available from http://www.schiratti.com/dowson in any case (and in fact there's a later DLL in the top Announcemet in this Forum). The more important thing to backup, or keep a hard copy of, is either the FSUIPC.KEY file, which contains your registration details in readable form, or the original email notifying you of same. This is sure to be because you are getting something wrong. I'm always amazed at the number of different ways folks spell their own names, even. All three parts (name, email, Key) must be exactly as originally notified and registered. Regards, Pete

I don't understand, I don't see any mistakes? You seem to have some good ideas. Sorry if I was coming over rather discouraging -- it's just that it is rather easy to underestimate what is involved in creating completely new applications, even if you have an SDK. Please don't let me put you off looking at doing it though. I'd be interested in any progress you make. Regards, Pete

Yes, true, but at least the GPS units come equipped with software and graphics for the application. Yes, just like a PC or PDA. Well, and programming. ;-) Okay. So are you going to take up the challenge? Regards, Pete

If you have the development SDK and you know how to write programs for Linux, then, yes, like any other PC or PDA there's no reason why you cannot write an FS-linkable application, at least for reception of GPSout data via the USB link (used as a COM port on the PC). For linking direct to FSUIPC you'd also need to write a PC application to handle the PC end of the USB link and the interface to FSUIPC. Not sure if it is worth all that trouble -- you are talking about a lot of development/programming work there. What application(s) are you thinking of? Most extensions of FS really demand more screen real estate, not dinky little things like this. Regards, Pete

Tuomas already told them back in 2003. The guy who helped him get me the AV400 format was quite pleased when it all worked. Garmin is a big amorphous company. Telling one guy, even in the right department, obviously doesn't have much effect! ;-) Regards, Pete

No, just re-register with the same details as before. Pete

As you should note from the details in the current Programmer's documentation, you should be writing to 089A instead so that add-ons using Fly-by-Wire or other auto throttle control systems (eg their own autopilot/throttle coding) can intercept and handle the throttles. Is this an aircraft with reverse thrust? It sounds like it isn't. Values from -16384 to 0 represent REVERSE thrust, though the maximum reverse is usually around -4096 (the exact value for the current aircraft is provided at offset 0B00). Anything lower than the minimum implemented for that aircraft will be ignored, of course. Evidently you didn't actually read my documentation for the offsets? Even the one for 088C does state -4096 to +16384. Regards, Pete

Well, in that case, either FSUIPC has never actually been registered, or someone or something has deleted the KEY file. The remedy in either case is to register again. Regards, Pete

Unfortunately the programs are written with their own "ShowWindow" code which overrides the initialisation instructions provided to Windows for their start-up. As you will see from the FSUIPC documentation, the "HIDE" option tries to get the program to hide itself. In fact it does actually say "it isn't very useful for many programs, unfortunately". You should look to see if the programs themselves can be set to minimze or hide. I don't know FSBUS, but if that MCP.EXE is the Project Magenta one you can certainly load that minimised or hidden -- I do myself. Also MCP747.EXE should get hidden with FS's screen over it. But in all three cases I think you'd do better to remove both the "READY" and the "HIDE". The only one I'm not sure of is FSBUS, but the other two can most certainly be started before FS even starts loading without any problems. Regards Pete

There are two possible ways: 1. Yes, a USB serial port adapter works very well. In fact these are more reliable and better performing (with Windows XP at least) than real COM ports are! And you can get them very cheaply if you shop around. 2. If your PCs are Networked together already, or can be for the price of a simply Cat 5 cable connection, then you could use WideFS instead. The current version provides facilities to send GPSout data over the Network, and the serial connection in the target PC is handled by a freebie driver bundled in the GPSout package. for this you need the latest versions of GPSout and WideFS -- see http://www.schiratti.com/dowson, or the top announcement above for even later versions of WideFS. Regards, Pete

Is there an FSUIPC.KEY file there? Have you reinstalled Windows, or rolled back to a previous Restore point? Both of those may destroy the registration. It sounds like all you need to do is re-register, using the same details you originally received. If you have the KEY file they will be in there, or in the backup you made. There's only one version of FSUIPC, not a "registered" and "unregistered" version. They are the same, only you registering makes any difference. Regards, Pete

Yes, that's why I said "And this will allow FSUIPC to identify its correct .INI file, .ini." The part is the value assigned to ControlName, if you check back in the text. Well, of course it cannot be found unless you've added it to your CFG file. Once you've added it then obviously you will know where to "find" it. :-) No it doesn't put those files there. When I tried it /CFG: option caused FS to look in the FS9 folder -- it only creates a new default if it couldn't find the file you specify. If it behaves as you say now, then it must have changed in 9.1 I assume. The way it worked before was most likely an error in any case. Can you tell me what you want different FSUIPC.INI files for please? The original reason folks wanted to do that was for different Joystick calibrations and mappings. Now, with the current FSUIPC versions, you can have aircraft-specific joystick settings (like Buttons and Keys), I am a little puzzled why you still need separate files. Regards, Pete

Yes, of course, though it has 6 positions not 5. If the rotary switch is a rotary encoder, giving pulses on one button in one direction, and on another in the other, then you could program it directly in FS in any case -- FS supports a "DECREASE AUTOBRAKE" and an "INCREASE AUTOBRAKE" control as it stands. You can access these through FS's Button page drop-downs too. If you do really mean a rotary switch with separate wired connections to give different button inputs on each of six positions, then use the added FSUIPC control (also in the drop downs) called "Autobrake set". You use the Parameter field too -- 0 for RTO, 1 for Off, 2-5 for 1,2,3,Max. Just program each position in turn, in the Buttons page. Regards, Pete

What message was that? It doesn't sound familiar. What does FSUIPC on the first options page in FS (ALT M F)? Version number? What does it say about registration? Maybe your FSUIPC.KEY file got deleted? Pete

Okay, good! So it was the "over-accuracy" of the Lat/Lon. Thanks for testing. I'll release this GPSout as 2.61 officially at the beginning of December -- I've a few other updates timed for then, for other modules. Regards, Pete

This is simply because the PMDG 600/700 package was released before the more recent release of FS2004 (version 9.1). The version of FSUIPC.DLL it installs is not able to work with the revised version of FS2004 because it didn't exist when it was written! All you need to do is download and install the latest version of FSUIPC -- get it from http://www.schiratti.com/dowson. Pete

Reading my own TXT file for GPSout I see AV400 was also called ARNAV or KING format. Using Google I did find one short document, though it isn't definitive enough. Here's an extract: Now the output from GPSout, set to AV400 mode, looks like this (this is an actual example with my aircraft stood on the threshold of 24L at EGCC z00265 AN 53 209329 BW 002 165398 C237 D000 QW061 T---------- w01@ The z00265 gives the latitude in feet, AN 53 209329 is the Latitude, N53 degrees 20.9329 minutes BW 002 165398 is the Longitude, W002 degrees 16.5398 minutes C237 is the track in degrees D000 is my speed QW061 is the Mag var 96.1 degrees West) Now, you will note that GPSout is actually providing the latitude/longitude down to 4 decimal places of minutes (i.e. 1/10000ths instead of 1/100ths). Now I don't know now if this is correct according to the original information I received, wherever and whenever that was. However, it doesn't accord with the data I found above, so I'm wondering now if some Garmin devices are programmed more flexibly than others, and yours is restricted to being as per the extract I found. Either that, or I have messed up the AV400 format in recent updates. :oops: Anyway, to check please try the attached test version 2.601, of GPSout. Let me know please. If this works I'll release it generally in due course. Regards, Pete GPSout2601test.zip GPSout2601test.zip