Pete Dowson

Hey, that's a novel use of an earplug! Any other interesting items being used out there? We could start a "most unusual cockpit accessory" competition! :lol: Thanks for sharing that with us! Best, Pete

There's a Zulu time and a Local time. Sounds like you are messing up the difference. I'm not sure, but I think you may have to change both. Try the other first, then both. Pete

Hey, that's GREAT news! Fancy it being cables! Just shows, even the simplest things can go wrong! Thanks for letting me know! Best regards, Pete

Yes, when it is being used via IPC from an external program. Each call from an external program needs data transferring. The system for this, designed by Adam Szofran way back in FS95 days, uses a memory mapped file. When FSUIPC receives a message from a program is has to Map a view of that file into its memory, and when it has finished obeying the data therein, it Unmaps that view, as you say. Is the slow down you've noticed only when an external program is accessing FS frequently? There should be no effect whatsoever with nothing interfacing to FS. Please keep us informed -- I've not yet upgraded from my 2.4Gb P4, but it sounds like I should go for an Athlon 3200 next time, rather than Intel? Regards, Pete

Sorry, I have no CH gear at all. Perhaps someone else can jump in on this. But don't forget, you need good calibration initially before adding in the FSUIPC effort. If the axis is not calibrated well in Windows then you wil probably lose resolution. Pete

The assignment of ports for USB devices has always been a mystery to me I'm afraid. FSUIPC only comes in when all that assignment stuff has already been done in Windows and FS. If it's the FSUIPC calibrations you are concerned with, then don't be, as it deals with FS controls not specific analogue inputs. Just use your FS2002 FSUIPC.INI file. I don't know if you can easily transfer FS settings from FS2002.CFG to FS9.CFG. You might be better off making the assignments again in FS2004. Regards, Pete

Cases like this are quite common. It's nothing to do with FSMeteo, but the weird cut-off system used in FS2004. Go to Options-Settings-Display-Weather and make sure the sight distance is a lot more than the cloud draw distance. For best results put all three sliders to maximum, but your frame rates may suffer. Try Chris Willis's faster cloud graphics. (See the FS2004 Forum). Regards, Pete

You don't say how you are controlling it, but if you are using a Spoiler Axis it sounds like your axis is not going far enough at one extreme (the spoilers retracted). You need to re-calibrate, making sure you have an adequate "dead zone" at either end. Pete

To clarify the current state (as described in the documentation): 1. The visibility options in FSUIPC versions 3.00-3.04 only operate for weather provided by external programs, or, except for the smoothing, for global weather set explicitly in FS dialogues. None of them work for FS localised weather. 2. There is only one visibility layer and this has a ceiling. Once above that ceiling you have whatever maximum visibility is set in the Options-Settings-Display-Weather tab in FS. For weather provided by external programs, or set as global in FS, you can use the FSUIPC option to override the upper limit of the visibility layer. In version 3.05 of FSUIPC, which I hope to release next week, these three visibility options should be working for ALL weather, universally: (a) The visibility upper limits (b) The visibility smoothing © Graduated visibility Regards, Pete

You've started a new thread, so there is no "previous post" for me to refer to. Neither of these are operating with localised weather, only global weather. I don't know about that ActiveSky version, but by default FSMeteo 6 sets localised weather, as of course does FS download, so those smoothing facilities have absolutely no effect on the weather you see. Not sure why any of the methods you mention would bother to clear all weather each time they change something. That seems very wrong. That's something to check with the authors. Sorry, I don't know what that is. Perhaps wind shear? FS2004 seems notoriously poor at smoothing winds between adjacent WX stations if they are reporting conflicting winds, and can actually reverse the wind direction several times in a short period. I have a saved FLT + WX file set, from an FS download, that demonstrates this quite clearly, flying into the Chicago area from the South. The phenomenon occurs even with no FSUIPC or other add-ins installed. I think it is a bug in the FS interpolation algorithm for the upper winds. Again, with FS downloads FSUIPC isn't at all involved. And FSMeteo and ActiveSky would both certainly be using only Global Weather, so there's no localisation for FS to mis-interpolate in any case. This would be FS's own wind smoothing? As I say, and as made clear in the FSUIPC documentation and on the FSUIPC option screens, none of the FSUIPC smoothing actions apply to localised weather, and in fact few of the weather options apply to FS's own downloads in any case. I have just finished wasting several days on a fruitless search for a way of imposing wind smoothing on all FS winds, regardless, as well as adding back the Taxi wind facility. It was a waste of time. Everything I tried was overridden somehow by the simulation engine. It is getting its weather data through a route I don't seem to be able to intercept. However, on a good note. I did find a way to impose visibility limits and graduated visibility options on all weathers, no matter the origin. I am working on this now and hope to have it working in version 3.05, next week some time. Regards, Pete

No, you still have it wrong. Without the "magic battery" feature operative, FSUIPC simply doesn't touch the battery. It is not "normal behaviour" in this respect, it is no behaviour at all, just as if it was nor running. FSUIPC is simply not involved. That is probably carried over from an earlier version. FSUIPC deliberately does not destroy your previous settings, just because you haven't registered. that would be rather annoying. As soon as you register, all your previous settings will come to life, as it were. At least all those still applicable. It is perhaps an oversight on their part. I'm sure the PMDG programmers could maintain the battery as easily as FSUIPC does if they wanted to. They may only use FSUIPC for the TCAS data in any case. That's what most add-on aircraft use it for. Really the battery running flat so quickly is an FS bug, and I had hopes of it being fixed in FS2004. MS folks did say it was "better", but it doesn't seem that much better to me. It applies to all aircraft that don't otherwise take care of it. Regards, Pete

That's one of the many user facilities which is only operational in the registered version. Please check the documentation for FSUIPC. How are you even trying to switch it on when you have no access to the options pages for it? This is not a "bug" caused by FSUIPC. Take FSUIPC out and the batteries will still drain. The user facility in FSUIPC is a "cheat" which keeps topping the battery voltage up, that's all. Regards, Pete

Sorry, I don't understand much of this question, insofar as it relates to FSUIPC. There are no sequences in either FSUIPC key or button programming, only combinations, unless you use a key press combination to set a flag which can then be a condition in a button setting. I don't know anything about doors, I never open or close them I'm afraid (that's the steward's job! ), and isn't Shift P to do with FS's Pushback? What has FSAssist to do with this? FS has always used sequences of key-presses for many things. The first key selects the mechanism, the next one or more operate it. Like E for Engines, followed by 1, 2, 3, or 4, or any or all of these, to select engines to be operated. Similarly M followed by + or - to change the Magneto switch, R + or - to change the Sim Rate, etc etc. But FSUIPC only deals in single keys, or combinations. Regards, Pete

I don't know the Elite avionics panel at all, but I do know that the GPS access controls in FS are new to FS2004. In FS2002 and before there was no way to operate the FS GPS except by mouse. Probably, with the FS2004 SDKs not being out yet, the Elite programmers don't know how to program the GPS yet. Why not check with them? Regards, Pete

No, sorry. They are merely read-outs, not controls. It isn't that it discards them, it is merely that they are not inputs. I don't know really where in SIM1.DLL I could tap into any place which would control the individual wheels. Sorry, no. I've never known anything about force feedback at all. Regards, Pete

I'm working on it now. It will be in the next version (3.05). It's been a lot more difficult to get into these things in FS2004 than it was in earlier releases. Regards, Pete

I don't think FS actually has a V/S mode which operates on its own. You have to set altitude hold mode and then the target altitude value. FS will automatically then set the V/S to its default for the particular aircraft (e.g. 1800 fpm for the 737). You can alter the V/S then to control the rate, in order to control the speed for instance. When the aircraft gets near to the target altitude FS automatically reduces the V/S and zeroes it to settle at the target. Whilst there is a switch called "V/S Hold" in the interface I don't recall it ever actually working without Alt hold and a target altitude also being set. Regards, Pete

Yes, the user facilities listed as part of the advantage of registering FSUIPC are accessed via the Tabs you cannot see. It would be a bit pointless for me to provide those to look at and not touch, so they only appear when you've registered. Regards, Pete

No, WideFS is merely an extended FSUIPC interface, for other programs which like to connect to FS. It will not connect two or more copies of FS together. The program that does that best is WidevieW by Luciano Napolitano, but unfortunately there isn't a version which works with FS2004 yet. But you could try linking them using FS's own multiplayer facilities. I think you can put the "client" into "observer" mode. Regards, Pete

All I know about that is in the WideFS.doc. Can you check there? There doesn't seem much point in cutting and pasting part of the documentation out and inserting it here. It isn't as if I can remember -- I've not used IPX/SPX for about a year now. If you can't find the details from Windows I do seem to remember that there's a way to get WideServer.DLL to either Log it, or display it in the FS title bar for you. Please check. It's all in there somewhere. Regards, Pete

Hi James, Why pick on 3.04? Or FS2002 and FS2004 for that matter? :) . As far as I can see this has been the same right back to FS98 and FS6IPC. It's historical now! :lol: It's someone's documentation error by the look of it. These are values which I've never had to find, never had to map, never needed to pay any attention to. Someone back in FS98 days documented those offsets as Left-Right when presumably they meant Right-Left, and they've stuck. I'll correct the documentation for the next version of the SDK, when I can get to it! Good catch, but a bit late, perhaps? :D Thanks, Pete

It probably needs finding in SIM1.DLL. I'm only about half-way through the main table so far. The only other values that I've definitely found are those folks have asked for already. Until now no one asked for this one. Now, I'll look for it and if I can find it in time I will map in back in version 3.05. It may well be, but I had only 3-4 weeks after receiving FS2004 Gold before FS2004 was released and most of that time I spent trying to get basics working, like some weather control for instance. Since then I've been 100% working on FSUIPC and adding in variables as I've found them and as folks asked. If you remember, with FS2002 some things took over a year! I'm doing quite well in comparison, but it takes so much time and it is very hard work. For these things I am not expert, and I do not understand even what I am looking for. I am a programmer, not an aeronautical engineer. So I am completely dependent upon experts like yourself. I will look, but I may need you to help find the value which looks correct. Please email me on petedowson@btconnect.com and I may send a test version for you to use and identify the value. Regards, Pete

FSUIPC never imports anything. It is entirely passive in this matter. It simply passes on data from the program to FS, as it is requested to do so, and when it is requested to do so. If ActiveSky isn't updating the winds through FSUIPC you need to get that sorted with their support I'm afraid. But read on first. When reporting any problem, whether to me or to application authors, you need to give some details, every time. Like which Flight Simulator? Which version of ActiveSky? Which version of FSUIPC? These things are quite important and no one can guess them. There has been a known problem in FS2002, which was never resolved, where a specific wind value "sticks". It need not be a high wind, it can be anything, but people only notice the high ones. It isn't a frequent occurrence, and it was never reproducible to order, but it can occur with FS's own weather, even with no FSUIPC installed. When this does occur, even going into FS's own weather dialogues and changing the wind there doesn't change it. It is only fixed by clearing all weather, or by reloading a flight or an aircraft (which effectively do this first, too). I think this indicates a cache update problem in FS2002. Regards, Pete

A little more information would help here, like what version of SB? What version of FSUIPC? If you are using FSUIPC 3.xx then, yes, SB needs an access key. One was provided free for SB 2.3 and is published someplace. I'm not sure where (sorry, I am not an SB user). It is probably someplace on this Forum, even if it isn't on the SB website. Try a search. Let me know if you can't find it and I'll try a search. Pete

Sorry, but I am not involved at all in the loop. I am a programmer, not a shopkeeper. You need to write to SimMarket on their customer service or "problem" address. See http://www.simmarket.com. I think something was up all day yesterday anyway. Maybe they took a day off --I know they've been doing this stuff continuously now for over two weeks so maybe they needed a break. Whatever, please contact them, but only AFTER the stipulated maximum turn-round time of 24 hours has elapsed. Regards, Pete