ATC-pie FAQ: Difference between revisions

If you are using external clients, i.e. FGCom instances running outside of ATC-pie, you must troubleshoot them there. This section assumes you are trying with '''internal''' radio boxes. If you do not understand this distinction, the latter case is yours and you should read on.

#: Verify the path to your FGCom executable in the system settings. It should point to the right executable file. Linux, Mac and Windows versions are initially packaged with the program under <code>resources/fgcom</code>, but you can use your own or FlightGear's if you have it installed.

#: This can happen, unfortunately even for up to a few days. Check for responses from the server, e.g. with <code>ping fgcom.flightgear.org</code>.

#: If you are running multiple instances of ATC-pie, make sure you have no more than one radio box on every port. To check what port a radio box is using, see its "on/off" button tooltip. You can change your FGCom settings from the system settings dialog. In any case, you should only choose available ports, not reserved by your operating system. Typically, ports from 16661 and counting up work fine.

=== I cannot record an ATIS. ===

NB: the frequencies in the ATIS drop-down list of ATC-pie are matched against the condition (1), but not against the somewhat restrictive condition (2).

Do you have a ground elevation map for the location? Quoting from <code>CONFIG/elev/Notice</code>: "''When no elevation map is found for an airport, the field elevation value is used everywhere on the ground. This should be OK for a rough approximation on flat terrain, but ground traffic will not follow any slopes, thus may appear as floating above the ground, or digging into it.''"

=== What "social name" should I use in the FlightGear multi-player system settings? ===

Choose any name you would like to be recognised by on the network. In ATC-pie, it will appear in the tooltip over your callsign for connected ATCs who see you. This feature is only social in the sense that it does not refer to an account or to anything technical, but it makes sense as typical ATC callsigns (e.g. "VHHHtwr") remain mostly anonymous over MP. Use this field so that other players can identify you.

Tip: You can check your image configuration without restarting the program, by reloading from the ''System'' menu or pressing <code>Shift+Alt+F12</code>.

For '''airport data''' (taxiways, parking positions, frequencies, etc.), the included source is the last world-wide <code>apt.dat</code> compiled before it became too large to maintain as one huge file. We keep it there because it allows to run ATC-pie anywhere in the world without requiring external data, but its contents grows out of date with time. You should check for more recent sources on the [http://gateway.x-plane.com/airports/page X-plane airport gateway], directly accessible from the ''System'' menu, on a per-airport basis. Extract the <code>apt.dat</code> file from the download, rename it after the airport's ICAO code (keeping the extension, e.g. <code>KJFK.dat</code>), and place it in <code>CONFIG/ad</code> (also see the <code>Notice</code> there). Alternatively, for a quick manual touch-up of the included data, you can move and edit extracted files as explained in <code>resources/x-plane.extract/Notice</code>.

To change the '''radar or strip drawing colours''', edit the <code>CONFIG/colours.ini</code> file. Each line holds the paint colour for the corresponding object type in a typical <code>#RRGGBB</code> (red-green-blue) format. To customise the '''main session window''', place a ''Qt stylesheet'' named <code>main-stylesheet.qss</code> in the <code>CONFIG</code> directory. ATC-pie will apply it to every session window. While you are working on your look and feel, use the reload feature from the "System" menu to avoid restarting after every change (<code>Shift+Alt+F12</code>).