Pete Dowson

Sorry, now you have me confused. All I will try to do is make it all operate exactly alike both on FS2002 and FS2004. If I don't do this there are lots of applications which will break. If you are saying that it works exactly as it does on FS2002 already, then that is how it should be, isn't it? I've not changed FS2002 behavior in FSUIPC 3. Please clarify. Make a list of all possibilities or state / read /write / result for both FS2002 and FS2004. Please verify all this with FSInterrogate -- I don't want to spend a lot of time on this if it is just a little problem in your program. Note that I don't think FS has a mode for GS without LOC. You han have LOC on its own, LOC + GS or LOC + B/C, but I don't think there's a mode with GS only. Perhaps that is what is confusing the issue? If you set GS or BC then LOC willl have to be 1 too I think. All FSUIPC is doing when you WRITE is send the appropriate controls to FS. When you read you are seeing the indicators as they are. FSUIPC offsets do not operate like memory, that is but an illusion. Okay? Please let me know what you find now, with this understanding ... Pete

Right. I've managed to look at both these things now. On checking back I see that the mapping of offset 132C to the GPS/NAV switch was done just after 3.03 went out. It is fixed here and will be okay in 3.04, due soon. The second question is more difficult. It looks like FS2004 is interlocking the GS and Localiser switches. You seem to be able to set them separately, but they have to be cleared together, which is not so easy through the IPC interface because each of the locations invokes a different action. I'll try to work out a solution to this and incorporate it into version 3.04. Thanks for the feedback! As for the SDKhmm. I'll get to start on it soon I hope. Pete

If you want to use the facilities in FSUIPC, yes. If you only want to access values through the IPC interface, first you must make sure to use the Internal Modules mthod, noty the external method. Then you need an access key for your gauge. If you apply to me on petedowson@btconnect.com I can send you the documentation. Well, a week ago I was saying last weeked, so it would be rash of me to say this next weekend, as too many questions are coming up and I have too much to do. The current SDK is okay for now, if you want details of the New Weather Interface and Registration, write to me at the email address I just gave. There isn't much else extra for FS2004 yet in any case. I'll start looking for more goodies later, when I have a little time. Regards, Pete

Actually, further on this, in FS2004 it looks like Microsoft have added access to most of the GPS values, including for instance: GPS_GROUND_SPEED GPS_GROUND_HEADING GPS_GROUND_TRACK so, it is going to be possible for me to expose these, and other GPS things, in the IPC interface. However, I do not have time to do this yet. I am still catching up with FS2002 compatibility and cannot go searching for new data yet. So, please remind me in about a month, and I'll see what I can do. Okay? Of course, I cannot guarantee that they will always be updated. They may only be operative when one of the FS GPS devices is configured into the current panel. Regards, Pete

Not that I know of. You'd either need to compute it from TAS and ambient wind, or more accurately from the changes in the Latitude/Longitude position. Much as in a real airliner I would think (from the IRS). Regards, Pete

I think the ActiveSky documentation tells you the settings to make, doesn't it? Anyway, I think it best to leave everything to default initially and see how it goes. You can play with things like adding cirrus layers and putting limits on things like clouds and visibility later. See how it works for you as it stands, first. Pete

Oh, I don't doubt that. It will be encrypted too, because I think it has to be according to the licensing deal MS did with Jeppesen. I don't think they want their data used for anything else, that's why. You can switch that off. I don't know, but I think it only actually populates and progresses the nearer METAR stations, but whether it is limited by distance or by array size I don't know. That is where you have to use older (FS2002 and before) methods, using the global weather instead and changing that dynamically yourself. This is why I still included smoothing options for winds, pressure and visibility. Unfortunately the clouds may jump in and out though. I never found out how to get into the morphing part of WEATHER.DLL. Regards, Pete

In FS2002 there was a fixed set of METAR stations, listed in the ICAO lists in the files in the Weather folder. The downloaded file contained an index to the ICAO table. The latter, if you look at the binary file, contains 16 bytes per station, with ICAO, latitude, longitude and elevation for each station (the last three in 32-bit float format). Because stations come and go, I think the FS2004 system is a little more flexible, but it is possibly based on the same system. I think the index file may also sometimes be downloaded -- isn't it amongst the personalised data now, in Application Data or whatever? Sorry, but really haven't had time to investigate it. I only know of a way to inject one station at a time. I suppose you could have a routine which did this in a loop, working from a file, rather than using the IPC interface to pass the data, as it obviously is not suited to such large amounts of data. I'm not sure why this would be any advantage over creating a WX file and loading that with a FLT. What really is the application for this? Why not do as the other weather programs are doing and load stations around the aircraft, at progressively longer distances, till you've populated say 100 miles around, then just update that as you fly? Regards, Pete

I don't think it could "go crazy" within FSUIPC without something being changed. Was there a change from, say 3.00 or 3.01 or 3.02 to 3.03? I'll re-check them again here before I release 3.04, early this week -- look out for the update Monday or Tuesday. Pete

This is while you are on the ground? If so, it is almost undoubtedly because part of the early position is "arming" them for automatic deployment. If you are on the ground and arm them, they go to 100% This is a long-standing problem with FS I think. Try it in the air. It's a slider somewhere in FS assignments for axes. It adjusts the value caled "SCALE" in the CFG file. Pete

Sorry, I cannot make anything out of what you are saying except that you cannot calibrate your spoilers axis. You need to get it working in FS itself first. Don't use FSUIPC except to trim the "ends" -- "reset" the FSUIPC entry, go and set things correctly in FS first. Make sure the sensitivity isn't turned down too much. If you need help you need to be a little more explicit please. Pete

I've found the problem in running Flightdeck Companion. It's only applicable to Windows 2000. It seems there's a bug in one of the Windows routines I use which truncates the names of programs I'm asking about to 15 characters. In FDC's case this stops me recognising the correct name to check the access key against. The bug was evidently fixed in Windows XP and it never found its way into Windows 98. I've worked out a way around it and will incorporate a fix in the next update to FSUIPC, version 3.04, early this week (hopefully Monday, but possibly Tuesday). Regards, Pete

One more thing. You have tried calibrating it in FS2004 without FSUIPC being involved, haven't you? In other words, reset the FSUIPC setting so that it isn't getting involved at all (even temporarily remove FSUIPC.DLL just to be absolutely sure it isn't doing anything), and just using the FS assignment? If it has the full range of flap settings, when calibrated there, then there really IS something going very funny in FSUIPC. Otherwise something else has changed it in FS. Let me know please. Pete

Have you simply tried copying over your previous FSUIPC.INI? There's no change in those facilities in FSUIPC 3. Pete

Hmm. I don't really understand much of that, I assume it is just a general reference. I have forwarded your comment to SimMarket. Please send other complaints or suggestions direct, it would be quicker. Regards, Pete

This is in FS2004 or FS2002? In FS2004 the flaps control has changed so that -16384 = no flaps. 0 is the half-way point. This is different from FS2002. It sounds like, somehow, you have the flaps in FS2004 behaving as if they are in FS2002. That's weird. Maybe I'll have to put in an option to allow the range 0-16384 in FS2004 like in FS2002? Pete

I don't know VB, but perhaps the reference "auiComSwitch" in the call is giving a value of 64, instead of a POINTER (address) to the place where the value 64 is held. Don't you have a way of ensuring it is an address you pass? Pete

Sorry, my French is no good at all. I am 60 now and haven't used any French since I left school. I hope someone here can explain in French how to get FSUIPC options on screen, where you can then just press the "Register" button and enter the registration details. Pete

No, not FSUIPC. It looks like you are not using a version of FDC that provides the appropriate access key. Please send this log to Dave, and tell him mexactly what version you are using. I'm sure he can sort it out. He did sort all this out back a month ago as far as I know. Regards, Pete

Said what was on the SimMarket page? Sorry, I'm evidently confused. The SimMarket page does contain a link to Enrico Schiratti's site, where you can download my modules, as always. Is that what you mean? ErI certainly don't understand that. How could they have YOUR personal access keys for my modules up on a private website, for your eyes only, before you have paid for them. Or even after, come to that. I am evidently misunderstanding something quite fundamental here. Can you explain, please? Regards, Pete

Best to start by creating some simple ones yourself. Clear all weather (including dynamics -- you can do this in FSUIPC), and set a single weather scenario for all stations (i.e. global weather). By changing one thing at a time and observing the difference in the saved WX file you should be able to decode things pretty quickly. Hint -- many values are in 32-bit "float" format, not integers. Once you've got one global station worked out with all its ramifications then extending this to a list of those for Metar stations should be easy enough. FS2004's format is different to FS2002's. There's some sort of extra header which I don't understand, and they now put the ICAO code in each entry. Previously they used an index into the ICAO lists in the Weather folder. If you do get stuck write to my email address and I'll try to help, though I don't deal with WX files directly. Regards, Pete

As with any order, you get a receipt for your order/payment, and when that goes through they process the order and send the "goods". In this case the "goods" are another email with your keys. As they say in the DELIVERY section at the top, they undertake to do this within 24 hours. If you don't get them in that time, report it as a problem to the problem email address. Pete

Just to be sure it isn't FSUIPC just temporarily reset the Flaps calibration there and operate them purely through the FS assignment. If that works, re-calibrate in FSUIPC. I assume you are using FSUIPC 3.03? I don't suppose that installing the PMDG737 overwrote your FSUIPC INI file, did it? You could also try, temporarily, removing PMDGoptions.DLL from the Modules folder, and checking the default aircraft again. Just in case it is somehow interfering. Otherwise I really have no idea. What else have you changed since it worked okay? Pete

Guess what the Magnetic Variation is at KSEA? All written METAR wind information is in degrees TRUE, not Magnetic. Pete

Hey John, wasn't it you that told be the &H8001 had to be &H8001&, according to some VB book? On the "chr(0) part, doesn't VB have strings ending with a zero? If not, if they are like the original MSBasic of old pre-war PCs (), isn't there a length byte at the beginning that needs deleting somehow? Pete