Hi Folks
Dai -
Don't know if you've gotten your NDB test-sample code to work yet ?
IF NOT -
Apologies if some of this is 'sucking eggs'...
Particularly the WEATHERSHIPS specific info.
Memories as a kid seeing them in Greenock's harbours.
Please find some info/suggestions below on -
- Compiling
- Weatherships
- Region & Ident Codes
- XML NDB valid working example, plus matching FLT, (north of Ellesmere Island).
___________________________________________________________
COMPILING -
I compiled & tested your example,
cut & pasted from above post, (added FSData tags),
and it works ok.
It shows up at 'Illinois Valley Regional Airport',
and is visible on the In-Game Map, as co-located with the DME on the runway.
When you say 'it doesn't work', which did you mean -
A) IF FAILS AT COMPILE TIME -
If so -
- Did you wrap it in the FSData tags ?
- Did you -
- - B) Wrap it in an AIRPORT tag pair ?
- - C) Leave it as as standalone NDB ?
D) IF COMPILES OK, THEN FAILS IN-GAME -
If so -
- COORDINATES - Is a co-located addon scenery possibly inhibiting ?
- RANGE - Were you testing from within a close enough distance ?
COORDINATES -
To prevent possible interference from other sceneries,
if NDB is on Airport/Oilrig/Vessel, (i.e. within an AIRPORT's tags)
I usually prefix mine with the full DELETEAIRPORT tag set.
RANGE - COMPASS_POINT -
6.6 NM == Your sample's set maximum RANGE (12345 Metres)
RANGE -
- The maximum useable/detectable distance.
- Is impaired by earth curvature, (FSX & newer).
- IRL is dependent on wattage.
- XML valid up to 150N (ground dist).
- XML values > 150N, are treated as 150N.
- InGame useable/detectable @ 145N (ground dist at altitude).
NDB - TYPE to RANGE
Numbers below are in NAUTICAL MILES
TYPE IRL Game detectable
CP 15 150
MH 25 Not tested
H 50 Not tested
HH 75 150
IRL I guess the weathership's NDB type would be HH
___________________________________________________________
WEATHERSHIPS -
Definitions for clarity -
- VESSEL - Specific vessel
- STATION - ICAO specified location where a VESSEL is deployed
- WEATHERSHIP - The VESSEL currently deployed at a STATION
- GRIDSQUARE - A grid of 10NM blocks centred on STATION
- STATIONID - STATION specific ICAO deignated 3 letter code, (4Y?)
- STATIONNDBFREQ - STATION specific ICAO deignated FREQUENCY, always static
- STATIONNDBIDENT - The NDB transmitted IDENT, was changed according to VESSEL's GRIDSQUARE, (See below)
STATION -
- Intent was for VESSEL to stay ON STATION, (within 5NM of STATION coords)
- Weather/mech could force the vessel OFF STATION, (preferred maintain within 25NM)
Additionally, over the years, ICAO -
- Changed specified location of some STATIONs
- Withdrew STATIONs
VESSEL -
Some STATIONs were served by a VESSEL which remained permanently,
with their crews being transferred on/off from supply-ships.
Other STATIONs were served by VESSELs being periodically swapped out.
The relieving VESSEL would then set it's comms/NDB to the STATIONID/FREQ/NDBIDENT
___________________________________________________________
RE: MADE-UP CODES -
Please Nooooooooo ;-)
Whilst I've placed a fair number of NDBs well offshore,and all have worked,
I might just have been lucky in selecting appropriate region codes,
but....
Possible, but not verified,
if you use a fictional made-up region code,
when FS compiles it's indices for its facilities navaids index,
NIndex.IDX (C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\FSX\Facilities)
yours might be 'relocated' inappropriately,
or maybe not indexed at all, (i.e. won't be available).
___________________________________________________________
REGION ID -
Region Identifiers are assigned for the entire globe,
i.e. including over oceans, (not just land)
Suggest using your weathership's locations's FIR code, (1st two chrs)
To obtain a valid FIR region identifier -
Visit - ICAO GIS Viewer
URL -
https://gis.icao.int/icaoviewerOSM/
Before proceeding further,
suggest zooming-in, and panning, the map
to display your initial approximate area of interest.
BE AWARE -
When zooming and panning with overlays active,
the GIS server may be slow to refresh, or stall, the background & overlay updates
i.e. Boundaries, and basemap layers may be geographically out-of-sync.
WORKAROUND -
You can force a refresh of -
- BASEMAP - By toggling between BASEMAP types
- OVERLAYS - By toggling OVERLAY 'ICAOFIR2015 modified' off/on
On LHS 'Menu'
Expand - 'ICAO Layers'
Tick - 'ICAO FIR'
Expand - 'ICAO FIR'
Tick - 'ICAOFIR2015 modified' - Displays FIR area boundaries
Tick - 'Fir Coord to update' - Displays coordinates for FIR area extents
If you LEFTCLICK within a boundary,
a POPUP will display data from 'ICAOFIR2015 modified'
e.g.
Clicking within 'FIR NEW YORK OCEANIC'
will display relevant data, including -
ICAOCODE = KZNY
Suggest using 1st 2 chars, (in this case KZ)
as the REGION identifier, for vessels within that region boundary
___________________________________________________________
STATIONID -
STATION specific ICAO deignated 3 letter code, (4YA to 4YZ)
4YA to 4YM - Atlantic
4YN to 4YZ - Pacific & elesewhere
See URLs below for STATIONIDs, coordinates, & timeline data.
___________________________________________________________
STATIONNDBIDENT - max 5 chars
IRL weatherships set their -
- STATIONNDBFREQ to the STATION's ICAO assigned freq.
- STATIONNDBIDENT changed with vessel's current GRIDSQUARE location.
4 letter code -
1 Y
2 STATIONLETTER
3 GRIDSQUARE LATLETTER
4 GRIDSQUARE LONLETTER
See GRID REPORTING CHART attached
e.g.
YPOS YP ON STATION
YPMG YP OFF STATION in GRIDSQUARE MG, i.e. 30NM south, 50NM west
As 'Y' prefix is assigned to Australia,
and some match Aus airport idents, e.g. YBOS
For simplicity's sake and avoid in-game confusion
suggest just using the STATIONID, e.g. 4YP
GPS WAYPOINT entry can be used to check
if there's an IDENT clash, (within same REGIONID).
___________________________________________________________
NDB NAME - max 48 chars
Anything text goes.
Personally, I'd used the vessel's CALLSIGN - VESSELNAME
Again suggest using the STATIONID -
e.g. either -
4YA - Weathership Able
4YA - Weathership Alpha
(Depending on your scenery's timeframe)
___________________________________________________________
URLS -
Wikipedia - Weather ship
Contains station coordinates
en.wikipedia.org
Ocean weather ships
Primarily about UK weatherships, (many images have link-rotted)
Welcome to my website about British Ocean Weather Ships, These were converted Castle Class Frigates - Reporter, Monitor, Adviser, Surveyor, and Converted Flower Class Corvettes Watcher, Explorer, Recorder, Observer. These ships spent the remainder of their working life in the Atlantic Ocean
www.weatherships.com
WEATHER SHIPS (BRITISH & NORTH AMERICAN)
CANADIAN WEATHER SHIPS
Contains station coordinates
___________________________________________________________
XML NDB valid working example
Please find an XML testfile attached -
_ODG_TESTFILE_NDBS_N_OF_ELLESMERE_ISLAND___NAVAIDS_X.XML
containing 3 geographically co-located NDBs,
of differing TYPE, RANGE, FREQ, etc,
positioned north of Ellesmere Island, (Canada),
with a GEN_MISSIONPILLAR as a visual marker, (visible < 20NM)
There's also a matching FLT file
using default B206 in SLEW mode.
Initialised position is on the ground
145NM due true south of the NDBs
with aircraft oriented towards NDB.
ADF is pre-tuned to 1000.00 for NDB 4YA
ADF will indicate beacon not detected, (due to earth-curvature).
SLEW vertically upward, and beacon will become detectable,
(from > 1520ft, an unexpectedly low altitude).
Note that although the NDB's RANGE is set at 500N
it only works out to 145N (at altitude)
Once detected, check by SLEWing backwards.
1 Minute Latitude == 1 Nautical Mile
EDIT -
Rename .....NAVAIDS_X.TXT as .XML
Rename .....FLIGHT.TXT as .FLT
HTH
ATB
Paul