Pete Dowson

I don't support anything earlier than the current official release (3.30 at present), so, yes, it is "too old" in that sense. Even if that version of AIBridge is supposed to work with it, but doesn't, I cannot really look at it until you try it with the current, supported, version of FSUIPC. Also, I cannot tell whether it is a correct version of AIBridge without seeing the part of the log, as it is that which shows the details. I did think that AIBridge automatically registered itself, but I think there are several versions of the program around. Show me the relevant part of the Log and I will know. Regards, Pete

Didn't you keep a copy, either of your notifications or of the FSUIPC.KEY file? Seems odd not to keep anything of something you pay for. Anyway, I'm sorry, but I am not at all involved in the issue of keys. All that is handled entirely by the retailers. If you purchased it from SimMarket I think that, if you go to http://www.simmarket.com and open your account there, you can retrieve your keys directly. Regards, Pete

Yes, that is not a problem. Please check the details of the Access Registration methods in the access registration documentation in the SDK, then write to me at petedowson@btconnect.com with the relevant details of your gauge, module or program. I will return the access key and also the details of the offsets I shall allocate. Regards, Pete

Sorry, this is a mechanised discount operated by SimMarket because it saves them the work of processing two separate orders. It is not applicable otherwise. I don't sell either product directly, it is sold through retailers only. I just try to get on with development and support. Regards, Pete

What is the FS frame rate? That more or less governs it. That plus the latency on your Network -- 15-35 mSecs are typical turn-round times on a 100 Mbps LAN using TCP/IP, so achieving 30Hz regularly is not easy. IPX/SPX is probably twice as fast, but rather more problematic on WinXP (lack of support I presume). There isn't really one. You'll need to spend some months hacking into FS code like the rest of us who write such things. I started back in FS4 days so developed my own techniques. Your best bet would be to first learn how to do gauges (the MS panels SDK) -- GAUs are DLLs too you know. Then you'll presumably need to work out how to bypass all the multi-layered claptrap which handles the standard LAN interchanges. There is no limitation in FSUIPC itself, it works as fast as FS, it is part of the FS execution cycle in effect. There will obviously be overheads in switching processes if you have another process interfacing to FSUIPC on the FS PC, but WideServer works directly with FSUIPC and that is operating at the FS frame rate if it is allowed to do so -- generally, and especially with FS2002 and FS2004, you'd need to limit the FS frame rate to ensure the LAN operating threads in WideServer can operate smoothly too. I tend to run everything at 20 or 25 fps at most, with 5 or 6 clients running PM modules and other things. Then everything runs smoothly at 20/25 Hz. This is with a P4 3.2GHz PC running FS. 30 Hz seems a little ambitious if you want smoothness. Regards, Pete

I said: If all you want is a moving map then almost any mapping software which accepts NMEA input on aa serial port, as if from a GPS, with work with my freeware GPSout installed in FS. Alternatively there is NAV3 by Ted Wright, which is more specifically intended for FS -- it is something like FSNav, but a separate (and free) program, and it will run under WideFS. I don't have a link these days I'm afraid, I've not used it for some time. But a search should find it easily enough. Regards, Pete

Sorry, what is "courseplanner"? What exactly do you want to work with WideFS? I use Jeppesen FliteMap but I send the resulting plan to Project Magenta and Radar Contact. What sort of on-line link to FS do you need? Can you explain? Is QuickMap a course planner? I thought it was a moving map. If all you want is a moving map then almost any mapping software which accepts NMEA input on aa serial port, as if from a GPS, with work with my freeware GPSout installed in FS. Alternatively there is NAV3 by Ted Wright, which is more specifically intended for FS -- it is something like FSNav, but a separate (and free) program, and it will run under WideFS. I don't have a link these days I'm afraid, I've not used it for some time. But a search should find it easily enough. Regards, Pete

If there's an FS keystroke or command which does this, then it can be done through FSUIPC. I'm not aware of one specifically -- the ']' key normally closes additional windows, but you need to select them first, which tends always to be a mouse operation I think. Maybe there's another way, hopefully others may have ideas here. Switching them back on is even more difficult I think -- once the Windows are closed there seems to be only one way to open them again -- via the Menu. If these are only side views, have you considered using the monitors in "stretched" window mode, with just the one widescreen window at a wide-angle zoom setting, like 0.50 or 0.31? I think that works better and the frame rates suffer far less. The Parhelia is being used in the way I just suggested -- three monitors providing one very wide window. The frame rates were limited until the most recent Parhelia drivers, but now I am amazed at them! I was restricting the screen resolution to 2400 x 600 x 32 and limiting the FS frame rate to 20 (the latter is so that my other WideFS PCs running Project Magenta run smoothly at similar rates). But now, still limiting the FS frame rate to 20, I can go right up to 3840 x 1024 x 32 resolution! Phenomenal! If I wanted more that 20 fps (which I am not fussed about -- I am one of those who thinks you only need higher rates gfor fighter or helo flying, not airliners or normal GA aircraft) then I would keep the lower resolution (2400 x 600 x 32) and relax the FS limiter to 30 or so. The reason I went for the Parhelia rather than any other multimonitor solution is that it supports 3 monitors as one screen. I think only 2 monitors are a mistake (no centre, or a centre on the gap), and with two or more video cards you can't make the screen one window, which as far as I can see is the main solution to the performance and setup problems. Regards, Pete

Yes, I don't see why not. I presume you are not using them both for the same things -- obviously there could be conflicts if one wanted to set one radio frequency and the other a different one (for instance). But FSUIPC or EpicInfo wouldn't care, you would simply get confused results in FS. Yes, there's no problem how many applications or drivers are READING a parameter, for display for example. You can only get conflicts arising when different things want to SET the same parameter to different values. But nothing will crash, FSUIPC will allow this, you'll just see odd results, maybe values flickering or a 'random' result occurring depending on who wrote what last. Regards, Pete

Yes, I don't see why not. I presume you are not using them both for the same things -- obviously there could be conflicts if one wanted to set one radio frequency and the other a different one (for instance). But FSUIPC or EpicInfo wouldn't care, you would simply get confused results in FS. Yes, there's no problem how many applications or drivers are READING a parameter, for display for example. You can only get conflicts arising when different things want to SET the same parameter to different values. But nothing will crash, FSUIPC will allow this, you'll just see odd results, maybe values flickering or a 'random' result occurring depending on who wrote what last. Regards, Pete

It sounds like the application is refusing permission for the shutdown. This is possible -- each application gets sent a message by Windows and can refuse permission. I can't really do much about that. Well, it used to happen a lot here because of bad power lines to my house. but i don't expect it is advisable normally. Pete

Since memory leaks can actually give rise to reports of not enough memory even when virtual memory (on disk) is umpteen gigabytes, I don't think a relatively small bit of extra "real" memory makes much difference. Windows is a virtual memory system. Pete

If i do so,the other PCs shut down completely,but the MCDU stays "half running"(as described). Er, sorry, I'm lost. Didn't you try it WITHOUT the MCDU program running? How can it be "half running" -- I don't see you describing something half running? Do you mean Windows has closed down but not powered off? I get that on two PCs. Hmmm. I wonder what that is doing differently? And why WideClient works on all the others but not that. Are you using the same versionm of WideClient on all of them? Sorry. Half-running meaning? Is this with or without the PM CDU program running? You have AllowShutdown=Yes, which is all that can be done in WideFS. It will be sending the same instructions to Windows as it does in the other PCs, exactly -- unless you are using a different Wideclient version, of course. Sorry, I do really have no idea whatsoever. If you find out how to make Windows close down and switch off PCs reliably, please let me know. I have one which sometimes does and sometimes doesn't, and one other which never does. When they don't, they simply end up with some screen telling me it is safe to turn off the computer. currently I just wait till it says that, then power off at the main electric power socket (where all are connected by multiway adapters). Maybe Katy, over in the PM Newsgroup, can help. She does know a lot about WinXP. Regards, Pete

That isn't a message, it's a pathname to a file. Did you check the file? What was the error message? If FS is crashing after a long time is usually means one of two things: 1) you have something causing a slow memory leak. Some sceneries and aircraft add-ons are thought to suffer from such problems. You'll need to mention these details and ask around, on some place like the FS2004 forum. I truly know nothing about these, I am only mentioning what I have heard. (I rarely fly much more than an hour or two in any case. I like take-offs and landings, I find cruising rather boring. :wink:) or 2) something is overheating, most likely the video card. I have two PCs which suffer in this way. I run them with the side covers off all Summer -- they are okay in the Winter. Regards, Pete

Methods of payments are dealt with in the documentation, where there is a re-print of the relevant pages explaining this in the SimMarket site. There's also a link there to the SimMarket site as there is on the http://www.schiratti.com/dowson page and above, in the List of Supported Releases. Simarket offer a service for anywhere in the world, and China is just as much a part of the world as any other places -- there are plenty of existing users from China. You will have no problem. If you prefer to deal in Japan then look for the Intercraft web site instead -- http://www.inter-craft.co.jp. Regards, Pete

If you are not seeing the FSUIPC.INI file as an INI file but as a "config settings" it is because you have Windows set to HIDE filenames from you! However, "config settings" = INI or CFG!!! Unless you are using FS2000 you don't need to access the FS CFG file. You need first to see your trim axis assigned to any other axis, one you are not otherwise using, in the FS Controls - Assignments dialogue. Once it is seen there, you just need to edit FSUIPC.INI to tell FSUIPC what axis you have assigned it on. Unfortunately FSUIPC only understands the numbers by which the axes are known inside FS -- download the List of FS2004 controls from http://www.schiratti.com/dowson and find the axis there. It will probably be one of the AXIS _xxxx_SET controls. You need the numeric equivalent. Regards, Pete

Hmmm. This sounds like a question for PM support. Possibly, on your system, the CDU is causing Wideclient to close before the latter has received the close-down message from the Server. I seem to recall that the PM CDU used to shut down okay on Win98 but not on WinXP, or it may be the other way around. I did mention to Enrico the changes he might have to make, because the same difference occurred to me in WideFS. But this was a couple of years ago or so. AhWideServer will not action the incoming request whilst you are in the menu. Well, the last part is something to do with the way Windows decides whether it can switch off automatically or not. I don't know why it does that on some machines. The first part may be that something in the CDU shutdown process is interfering somehow. Sorry, this seems somehow related to what the CDU program is doing I think. To check that it isn't WideFS or the specific PC, try a different program on that PC, or just close the CDU.EXE first, leaving WideClient running, then use the Shutdown key on the Server. If it seems to be only the CDU program then please ask PM support. Regards, Pete

There is only one current version (3.30) though obviously products are packed with whatever version is current at that time. There is no "full" version as distinct from a "partial" version. The difference you may be thinking of is whether it is user-registered (for which you pay) or not. A user registered installation gives you full access to all the facilities described in the User Guide and the advanced user's documentation, whereas any version supplied 'free' with a product, including PSS aircraft, merely gives access for that product. Yes, PSS aircraft are licensed, though I think some of the earlier versions of their gauges may have had errors in how they used their keys. There's been no change whatsoever in the FSUIPC registration system EXCEPT to make it clearer when a failure to register actually occurs. Previous to 3.30 (actually I think the change was in 3.20), sometimes a panel or DLL failed to register correctly with no error message from FSUIPC -- it simply didn't work properly and, worse, slowed the system down by constant retries. All that was tidied up in the more recent releases, and also I think the PSS gauges were fixed. Are you sure you have current versions of their panels? It sounds like what you are seeing is something that didn't work correctly in any case now explicitly telling you ity isn't working. If you want me to tell you more about what is going on, please show me the Log. If it is large, ZIP it up and attach it to an email to me at petedowson@btconnect.com. Regards, Pete

Right, sorry. I do try to explain most of these things in the FSUIPC documentation, which is surely the proper place (compared to here, that is). However, program registration, manually, as you have been forced to do, is not really something thati I was expecting to have to explain so much -- it is really the job of the program author. He could easily build in the key for it all to work automatically. If not, at least it should be explained in the documentation. I fear that in this case the program really was intended to be part of a complete suite, all of which is intended to work with a fully paid-for installation of FSUIPC and WideFS. Really, if you have any complaints at all about this procedure, they should be addressed to the source of the program you are using, not to the author of the interface it uses. There are quite a few add-on aircraft and panels which have such sounds (GPWS for exapmle) built in. I don't think they are all pay ware. Regards, Pete

You either need to pay for FSUIPC so that all programs are automatically registered, or specifically register pmSounds in FSUIPC using the appropriate Freeware Key listed in the Freeware Keys list provided near the top of this forum. I thought I said this already? All questions about the PM programs themselves need to go to PM, sorry. It is not my program. Regards, Pete

Have you entered the freeware key to register it with FSUIPC. I don't think it does this automatically, because most of the PM modules are really designed to operate on other PCs via WideFS. Check the FSUIPC log, see what it says. And make sure you are using FSUIPC version 3.30 (or later). Regards, Pete

I've no idea, I've never used it. But you can easily check, either with FSInterrogate (in the SDK) or using the FSUIPC Monitoring facilities (in the Logging page). I would guess that the regular LLAPBH values (latitude longitude altitude pich bank heading) will stay reprtesenting the correct values, but the instrument values, where separate (e.g. whiskey compass, altimeter reading) will be 'incorrect'. There are failure flags in other offsets and you might expect gauges to take notice of those to decide what to indicate in any case. Regards, Pete

Really unless there's a god reason not to, you should always use the latest official version of FSUIPC, which is 3.30. I notice from the Log you included that you are using a later, interim, test (Beta) version. This is okay if you need it -- maybe you testing ActiveSky's new version or something? (What is the 'older version' with the PSS aircraft?) What I really cannot do is support (e.g. "interpret log files") from older versions, as the code has changed and things may not relate. There are two likely possibilities as far as I can see them -- either your download or install of the PSS aircraft is in some way corrupt or faulty, or there is an update you need to download and install for that aircraft. However, I am rather bemused by the odd-looking logging you got from FSUIPC (and from as recent a version as 3.317 too), so I would be pleased to see the extra logging as I mentioned in my last reply. Maybe it will show more exactly what is going on, and in particular (as far as I'm concerned), possibly show how I can improve this so as to be less confusing. Regards, Pete

PSS aircraft? Using a PMDG gauge? Something looks rather amiss with the installation of one or more of your aircraft, doesn't it? But this: looks like the result of some module or gauge not accessing FSUIPC using the correct (internal) method. "FSUI.DLL" is actually a standard part of FS and is being identified here by mistake, because of the invald access being made. You need to determine which Gauge is screwing things up. All the standard ones used by current PSS and PMDG aircraft are accredited and provide their access key directly. A process of elimination might help -- temporarily renaming each Gauge file to something else, in turn, until the culprit is identified. You can make FSUIPC log details of the modules and gauges it finds. This will make a large log, so just do it the once -- ZIP it up and send it to me at petedowson@btconnect.com if it means nothing to you, don't post it in a message here please. To make this log edit the FSUIPC.INI file before loading FS, adding these lines to the [General] section: Debug=Please LogExtras=2048 Remember to delete these lines after the test run. Regards, Pete

There's a key for Squawkbox in the list of Freeware Keys near the top of this forum. Didn't you look there? Pete