Several problems in the cockpit

[ruudopdeweegh]

Hi!

Got some major problems with FsFk and FsMap. I could write this story twice of course but I am not sure the moderator agrees with that.

System: Windows XP Professional Version 2002, Service pack 2
Inter Core 2 Duo CPU
T7250@ 2 Ghz
1.58 Ghz, 0,99 Gb of RAM
Installed FsFK and FsMap
All FsFk and FsMap displays installed as external window
Fsim = 2004
Fsnavigator
Fspassengers

Main problem:
First I used FsFk as a trial version and although I still can not use several options of this program I purchased it last weekend. It's great!
At the moment I am trying FsMaps and so far only problems.
After I installed a FSMaps hotspot the FSFK I could not use anymore. Wether the FSFK hotspot disappeared or the FSFK display could not be activated anymore. If the hotspot remained visible it was de-activated.
So I de-installed FsMaps again and o wonder, the Maps hotspot disappeared from the aircraft panel but not from within the software. I even removed the Maps statement from the panel.cfg manually, but it didn’t matter. But the FsFk worked again.
I deinstalled both programs and cleaned the panel.cfg files once more.
Now I started to install FsMap before FsFk. The opposite happened. FsMaps could not be used as whether the hotspot was de-activated and/or the display was not activated after clicking the hotspot.
Resuming: I can only use one of the two programs.

Secondary problems:
FsMap: Traffic is not visible on the Fsmap display. There is some traffic, but that must be coming from space as VATSIM traffic is not visible.
Every now and then, the display turns into black without anything visible except for my own aircraft. And remains like that. Navigation information is still visible.

FsFk: Got some errors like Strobe or beacons not activated before starting engines which was not correct.
A penalty because of having not enough fuel. My FMC showed more than 40 tons and FsFk reported just 14 tons with a penalty..
Got a penalty for not having landing lights on below FL100 (descending through FL060). As every real world company has different rules (one says with FL100 on / off, while others say between 2000ft and FL100 and that’s quite a difference) I would recommend everybody to amend the flightcritique.cfg file immediately after installation.
I also got three penalties during one flight because of having turbulence. Well I cannot influence the weather and climbing was inpossible (had too much fuel at that particular moment) and at altitudes below my flightlevel appeared to be the same kind of weather. So what could I do?

There is one thing I can do at the moment de-install everyhthing, clean up the register and install both programs again but for one aircraft only to save myself a lot of time.

Any idea(s) ?

Kind regards,
Ruud.

[Thomas Molitor]

Both gauges should work fine when used in one panel. I guess something is wrong with the panel configuration. Could you please send me the panel.cfg where you problems activating either the FSFK or FSMap gauge.

Which traffic do you think is displayed and are we talking about the gauge or the external app (always good to mention it when describing a problem)? A black screen in the gauge could mean that the map could not be loaded (Out of memory? Check the MSG function of the gauge to see if you get any error.) or none is defined for the current area.

FSFK: Which aircraft are we talking about? Problems with light settings are normally caused by addon aircraft, which do not use the FS variables.

Regards

Thomas

[ruudopdeweegh]

Both gauges should work fine when used in one panel. I guess something is wrong with the panel configuration. Could you please send me the panel.cfg where you problems activating either the FSFK or FSMap gauge.
Which traffic do you think is displayed and are we talking about the gauge or the external app (always good to mention it when describing a problem)? A black screen in the gauge could mean that the map could not be loaded (Out of memory? Check the MSG function of the gauge to see if you get any error.) or none is defined for the current area.
FSFK: Which aircraft are we talking about? Problems with light settings are normally caused by addon aircraft, which do not use the FS variables.
Regards
Thomas

As soon as I have re-installed both programs, I will come back to you right away. It happened with several aircraft, from the default 737-400 till the PMDG 737-700
What I expected to be visible in the FsMap display is Vatsim traffic. I departed this morning from Amsterdam bound for Bonaire in the Caribbean. Above England there were several aircraft flying and I only got one which wasn't even there at VATSIM. The gauges are not part of the panel itself but using the spot, popping up in a separate window.
Regarding the black window I indeed found some out of memory messages from charts I even did not load, like Singapore.
But now, one hour before arrival, I got the landscape back again. Right at this moment I see one aircraft far away (approx 400nm) from me, but via Servinfo I know there are three aircraft much closer to me, within a range of about 70-120 nm and they are not visible.
Once again... as soon as I de- and re-installed both packages, I will be back. Then I will put my aircraft on a busy airport and report all results.

BTW, the lights problem was caused by the config file itself FL100 plus/minus 1000 is not correct for many companies because in 99% this is a comapny regulation.
I changed it into:
On = 1
Altitude = 10000
Variation = 8000
Penalty = 5
as I want to switch them off/on between 2000 feet and FL100. I know I even will not have any light penalty now at FL150 but a variation of 1000 is a too smal number. Is it a possibility have a "double variation" ? Like e.g. plus 1000 and minus 8000?
And so I changed a lot of items which are not too real like the turbulence, but that is of course my personal opinion. Others may have other thoughts about it.

Thanks for replying so quickly.

[Thomas Molitor]

The gauge does not display VATSIM/IVAO traffic, but the AI traffic. Only the separate application can view it. The landing lights flight critique already has a variation. See:

Code: Select all

[LandingLights]
On = 1
Altitude = 10000
Variation = 1000
Penalty = 5

Regards

Thomas

[ruudopdeweegh]

The gauge does not display VATSIM/IVAO traffic, but the AI traffic. Only the separate application can view it. The landing lights flight critique already has a variation. See:

Code: Select all

[LandingLights]
On = 1
Altitude = 10000
Variation = 1000
Penalty = 5

Regards

Thomas

That is a pity no VATSIM traffic can be seen through the cockpit display. I don't know if that is possible for a future version?
Regarding the lights thing, see my previous message. The variation of +- 1000 is not good enough so I made it +- 8000 although I know the maximum altitude now I have changed into 18000 as I want the lights to be switched on/off between 2000 feet and FL100 so I need that 8000.
I just reinstalled the Demo. It is not asked for a separate application at all but if I read the manual (page 19), I guess I run the separate application ("D:\Program Files\FSMap\FSMap.exe")
I keep you posted about my further progress to-morrow.

[ruudopdeweegh]

Both gauges should work fine when used in one panel. I guess something is wrong with the panel configuration. Could you please send me the panel.cfg where you problems activating either the FSFK or FSMap gauge.
Which traffic do you think is displayed and are we talking about the gauge or the external app (always good to mention it when describing a problem)? A black screen in the gauge could mean that the map could not be loaded (Out of memory? Check the MSG function of the gauge to see if you get any error.) or none is defined for the current area.
FSFK: Which aircraft are we talking about? Problems with light settings are normally caused by addon aircraft, which do not use the FS variables.
Regards
Thomas

The problems happen to occur in any aircraft but mostly in payware aircraft like PMDG and PSS.
This was the relevant part after installing FSMap and FSFK :

I installed FSMaps first followed by FSFK.
Installed the FSMap Hotspot and separate windowed display first in the PMDG 737-700 followed by the FSFK Hotspot and separate windowed display.

The result was in a PMDG 737-700 panel.cfg:

[Window21]
background_color=0,0,0
window_size_ratio=1.0,1.0
size_mm=750,562
position=8
visible=0
ident=14472
FSFKDevice=1
gauge00=FSMapDevice!Device,0,0,750,562
FSMapDevice=1

[Window22]
background_color=0,0,0
window_size_ratio=1.0,1.0
size_mm=318,238
position=8
visible=0
ident=15372
FSFKDevice=1
gauge00=FSFK-ACARS!Device,0,0,750,562

Both hotspots were in fact invisible as I had them positioned on the panel itself. They became visible after positioning them somewhere in the windshield.
The result was that both hotspots were visible in the cockpit, but the FSFK separated window was not activated.
When I install FSFK before FSMap then the same happens only FSMaps is not activated, but both hotspots are visible.
The solution for me was to take out the red colored line in window 21
Hope this helps

[ruudopdeweegh]

Okay, now I found out it is a bug for sure at least on my computer. Both gauges in a payware aircraft panel are not installed correctly using the "Manage gauge option" in FSMaps and the FSFKinstaller.
As long as one knows how to alter the panel.cfg file and how to alter the dimensions and location of the windows, there is not much time needed to correct the problem. Also I recommend not to place the hotspots on the panel itself but somewhere at the windshield top left. They might be invisible on the panel but if you know where you have placed them, they still are activated. Hope you know what I mean.
If somebody needs help with this I would be happy to send my panel.cfg files of PMDG and PSS aircraft. I really hope my problem is recognized as such.