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Adding navigation equipment
- Thread starter Jeff
- Start date
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Hi Arno;
I used Afcad (ver.2) for the airport design itself, and I used Runway 12 and your own incredibly excellent Objectplacer for the graphic elements. R12 allowed me to place a standard FS9 VOR w/DME, but just as a graphical element without any actual in-game operation.
BTW, I (and everyone else) can't thank you enough for the hundreds of hours you must have spent designing and tweaking your gifts to us all.
R12 is a good program, but Objectplacer is a much more flexible program by allowing us to place any macro anywhere without the necessity of dedicated program libraries. I've used many of Andrej Urosevic's macros in my scenery, something R12 would not allow me to do.
You're a genius Arno, I only wish I had a tenth of your talent!
Jeff
I used Afcad (ver.2) for the airport design itself, and I used Runway 12 and your own incredibly excellent Objectplacer for the graphic elements. R12 allowed me to place a standard FS9 VOR w/DME, but just as a graphical element without any actual in-game operation.
BTW, I (and everyone else) can't thank you enough for the hundreds of hours you must have spent designing and tweaking your gifts to us all.
R12 is a good program, but Objectplacer is a much more flexible program by allowing us to place any macro anywhere without the necessity of dedicated program libraries. I've used many of Andrej Urosevic's macros in my scenery, something R12 would not allow me to do.
You're a genius Arno, I only wish I had a tenth of your talent!
Jeff
Last edited:
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- 34,467
- Country
Hi Jeff,
You should be able to add the VOR/NDB in AFCAD. There is a list of current navaids in the airport and you can also add new ones. This will add the functional bit and do nothing to the visual one you already placed.
You should be able to add the VOR/NDB in AFCAD. There is a list of current navaids in the airport and you can also add new ones. This will add the functional bit and do nothing to the visual one you already placed.
Jeff, if your familiar with using the BGLC SDK and creating your own XML based BGL files, this can be edited for your VOR / DME !
Just Change the the parts in Red to suit your location etc in MS Notepad and then recompile it with BGLC.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<FSData
version="9.0"
xmlns:xsi='http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance'
xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="bglcomp.xsd">
<Vor
lat="-37.6196497306392"
lon="144.563449422533"
alt="214M"
type="LOW"
frequency="116.3000"
range="5N"
magvar="11.0"
region="YB"
ident="ABCD"
name="My VOR DME"
nav="TRUE"
dmeOnly="FALSE"
dme="TRUE">
<Dme
lat="-37.6196497306392"
lon="144.563449422533"
alt="214M"
range="5N"/>
</Vor>
</FSData>
rgds Jeff
Just Change the the parts in Red to suit your location etc in MS Notepad and then recompile it with BGLC.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<FSData
version="9.0"
xmlns:xsi='http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance'
xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="bglcomp.xsd">
<Vor
lat="-37.6196497306392"
lon="144.563449422533"
alt="214M"
type="LOW"
frequency="116.3000"
range="5N"
magvar="11.0"
region="YB"
ident="ABCD"
name="My VOR DME"
nav="TRUE"
dmeOnly="FALSE"
dme="TRUE">
<Dme
lat="-37.6196497306392"
lon="144.563449422533"
alt="214M"
range="5N"/>
</Vor>
</FSData>
rgds Jeff
- Messages
- 56
- Country
Thanks Guys:
Arno, since I designed a completely new airport, Afcad won't allow me to add navaids other than ILS w/DME. Instead, there is a message in the help file stating that it might be possible in future versions of the program. I believe I have the most current version, but I'll check to be sure.
Jeff (great name), I have yet to use the BGL Compiler, but fear is not an option! Being an 'old timer' and living with DOS for many years, it seems simple enough and I'll try it your way once I get home from work this evening.
One small question though, I've noticed that the lat-long co-ords are incredibly different between the 'heads up' on-screen display in FS9 and outside programs such as Afcad, Objectplacer etc. Which are the best to actually use?
Jeff
Arno, since I designed a completely new airport, Afcad won't allow me to add navaids other than ILS w/DME. Instead, there is a message in the help file stating that it might be possible in future versions of the program. I believe I have the most current version, but I'll check to be sure.
Jeff (great name), I have yet to use the BGL Compiler, but fear is not an option! Being an 'old timer' and living with DOS for many years, it seems simple enough and I'll try it your way once I get home from work this evening.
One small question though, I've noticed that the lat-long co-ords are incredibly different between the 'heads up' on-screen display in FS9 and outside programs such as Afcad, Objectplacer etc. Which are the best to actually use?
Jeff
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Gday Jeff,
dont worry about age LOL as i have more than my fair share of grey hair ! hahaha.
as for the Lat Lon, its in decimal and i use rhumbaflappys ( Dick ) TCalc2004_V2, its THE BEST and a dont leave home without it software !
It will give you the Lat Lon in Decimal and normal formats along with other usefull data inc Heading and Altitude.
rgds Jeff
dont worry about age LOL as i have more than my fair share of grey hair ! hahaha.
as for the Lat Lon, its in decimal and i use rhumbaflappys ( Dick ) TCalc2004_V2, its THE BEST and a dont leave home without it software !
It will give you the Lat Lon in Decimal and normal formats along with other usefull data inc Heading and Altitude.
rgds Jeff
- Messages
- 56
- Country
Thx Jeff;
We are men of metal, silver in our hair, gold in our teeth, and lead in our ass
I haven't tried to compile the XML for the VOR yet, unsure of the region code for BC here! I just have to find the codes. Checked the BGLComp SDK instructions, but they don't have them listed either. A bit of an oversight perhaps. Give it a go when I track them down!
Jeff
We are men of metal, silver in our hair, gold in our teeth, and lead in our ass
I haven't tried to compile the XML for the VOR yet, unsure of the region code for BC here! I just have to find the codes. Checked the BGLComp SDK instructions, but they don't have them listed either. A bit of an oversight perhaps. Give it a go when I track them down!
Jeff
for the region code, the easiest way i found was to create a duplicate file in AFCAD from the Orig FS9 one, save it and then decompile the AFCAD file for the Info. From there i edit the AFCAD source code and recompile it. Thisway i can get the MagVar and Region COde 
With the BGLC, all you need to do is drag the finished XML file ( after you edit it ) over the BGCL.EXE file and it will compile the BGL for you.
rgds Jeff
With the BGLC, all you need to do is drag the finished XML file ( after you edit it ) over the BGCL.EXE file and it will compile the BGL for you.
rgds Jeff
- Messages
- 56
- Country
Alas Jeff, this was not a stock airport I reconfigured but a completely new one that I designed from scratch. I was lazy (remember the 'lead') and since the mag.var. seemed to be a whopping 20 deg., I just left it at 0, set up the rnwys for 270 then designated them as 25/7 L and 25/7 R. which worked out fine.
'Decompile'.......isn't that something you do with compost?
You're right though, I can probably decompile my orig. Afcad airport file and find the necessary region designation since it must have been included when I placed it on Vancouver Island. I just thought it would be easier to find a list of region codes as there appear to be only 6.
Why they didn't make it easier for us, I don't know.
Like NA for North America, AS for Asia, AU for Australia etc. etc. ad nauseum!
Jeff
'Decompile'.......isn't that something you do with compost?
You're right though, I can probably decompile my orig. Afcad airport file and find the necessary region designation since it must have been included when I placed it on Vancouver Island. I just thought it would be easier to find a list of region codes as there appear to be only 6.
Why they didn't make it easier for us, I don't know.
Like NA for North America, AS for Asia, AU for Australia etc. etc. ad nauseum!
Jeff
, i was distracted at work ( should have been working hehe ).That would make sense and also explain why most australian codes start with a Y considering Y is common in our idents ( YMML / Tullamarine, Melbourne Intl )
This code snippet might help you with the Mag Var !
<Airport ident="CYVR" name="Vancouver Intl"
lat="49.195000" lon="-123.181944"
magvar="-20.00" alt="4.27"
city="Vancouver"
state="British Columbia"
country="Canada">
<Services>
<Fuel type="JET" availability="NO" /> <!-- default val -->
</Services>
Jeff
This code snippet might help you with the Mag Var !
<Airport ident="CYVR" name="Vancouver Intl"
lat="49.195000" lon="-123.181944"
magvar="-20.00" alt="4.27"
city="Vancouver"
state="British Columbia"
country="Canada">
<Services>
<Fuel type="JET" availability="NO" /> <!-- default val -->
</Services>
Jeff
- Messages
- 56
- Country
I wasn't all that worried about the mag. deviation originally to tell the truth. I set it to '0' and adjusted the runway markings 20 deg. 'off the mark' so to speak.
So although the runways were set to 27/9 when I designed it using Afcad, the markings on the runway were set to 25/7, and I set up the VOR the same way.
Since most of the people using the VA are not actual pilots, I thought that not worrying them about setting a variation on their compass would make things a little easier.
Now that I've thought about it some more, and 'talked' with you and others on the site, perhaps I'm doing them a disservice.
After all, if you're going to use a 'simulation', shouldn't it be as real as you can make it?
Jeff
So although the runways were set to 27/9 when I designed it using Afcad, the markings on the runway were set to 25/7, and I set up the VOR the same way.
Since most of the people using the VA are not actual pilots, I thought that not worrying them about setting a variation on their compass would make things a little easier.
Now that I've thought about it some more, and 'talked' with you and others on the site, perhaps I'm doing them a disservice.
After all, if you're going to use a 'simulation', shouldn't it be as real as you can make it?
Jeff
