FGCOM Testing: Difference between revisions

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This "FGCOM_Testing" is intended to support FGCOM-users in debugging their FGCOM-System directly after installation, but also for those who want to verify the basic functionality or want to readjust the audio-system. It covers the following 3 areas in more detail:
This "FGCOM_Testing" is intended to support FGCOM-users in debugging their FGCOM-System directly after installation, but also for those who want to verify the basic functionality or want to readjust the audio-system. It covers the following 3 areas in more detail:
<ol><li>Initial test of the standalone FGCOM Installation</li>
<ol><li>Initial test of the standalone FGCOM Installation
<li>Test FGCOM together within the FlighGear Simulator</li>
<li>Test FGCOM together within the FlighGear Simulator
<li>Adjust the Microphone and Speaker (or joystick, etc.) volumes</li></ol>
<li>Adjust the Microphone and Speaker volumes</ol>


Of course the prerequisite for the following is that you have already installed the FGCOM (see the [[FGCOM|FGCOM-main-page]]) !
Of course the prerequisite for the following is that you have already installed the FGCOM (see the [[FGCOM|FGCOM-main-page]]) !
<ol><li>
<br><br><ol><li>


== The Initial test of the standalone FGCOM Installation --> the so called "-f910 Test" ==
== The Initial test of the standalone FGCOM Installation --> the so called "-f910 Test" ==
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For this test
For this test
<ul><li>start the FGFS with any plane at any airport you like</li>
<ul><li>start the FGFS with any plane at any airport you like</li>
<li>start the FGCOM (usually it does not matter which one starts first - but in case of trouble you should start in this sequence!)</li>
<li>start the FGCOM (usually it does not matter which one starts first - but in case of trouble you should try to start in this sequence!)</li>
<li>in the FGFS menu-bar open --> Equipment --> Radio Settings</li>
<li>in the FGFS menu-bar open --> Equipment --> Radio Settings</li>
<li>into the field "COM1" enter the frequency "910.00" the click "Apply" and then "OK"</li>
<li>into the field "COM1" enter the frequency "910.00" then click "Apply" and then "OK"</li>


</ul></ul><br><br>
</ul><br><br>
<li>
<li>


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Finally we will adjust the Microphone and Loudspeaker volumes to an optimum, as well for yourself as also for your fellow players.
Finally we will adjust the Microphone and Loudspeaker volumes to an optimum, as well for yourself as also for your fellow players.
<ol>
<ol>
<li>Start your FGFS and FGCOM as described in the forgoing chapter(s), the COM1 must be switched to 910.00 and be the active one.</li>
<li>Start your FGFS and FGCOM as described in the forgoing chapter(s), the COM1 must be switched to 910.00 and be the active one.
<li>Talk into your Microphone and verify the delayed feedback. If this does not function as described before, repeat the forgoing chapters.</li>
<li>Talk into your Microphone and verify the delayed feedback. If this does not function as described before, repeat the forgoing chapters.
<li>While talking into the microphone adjust your loudspeaker so that your echoed voice is understandable, but not louder than required.</li>
<li>While talking into the microphone adjust your loudspeaker so that your echoed voice is understandable, but not louder than required.
<li>Now adjust your microphone volume from 0 to full. Somewhere in between you will find a spot at which the microphone volume will not increase according to the volume set. Leave the volume just a little below that point.</li>
<li>Now adjust your microphone volume from 0 to full. Somewhere in between you will find a spot at which the returned echo-volume will not increase according to the microphone-volume changes. Leave the volume just a little below that point.
<li>After the microphone is set, adjust the loudspeaker volume to a level you prefer</li>
<li>After the microphone is set, adjust the loudspeaker volume to a level you prefer.
<li>Finally verify both settings by keeping the PTT pressed for about 10 seconds without talking and/or feeding any other sounds into the microphone.
<li>Finally verify both settings by keeping the PTT pressed for about 10 seconds without talking and/or feeding any other sounds into the microphone.
<ul><li>listen for "funny noises" building up over time (hard to describe: some "unverified whoosh" and maybe additional even some sound like "air in a water-pipe" - actually: Whenever you hear anything --> it is no good!!!).
<ul><li>listen for "funny noises" building up over time (hard to describe: some "unverified whoosh" and maybe additional even some sound like "air in a water-pipe" - actually: Whenever you hear anything --> it is no good!!!).
<li>Mostly this "build up sounds with time" are due to an active microphone booster, try to keep that booster to an absolute minimum (even better try to switch it off completely if not really needed!) while instead increasing the microphone volume</li>
<li>Mostly these "build up sounds with time" are due to an active microphone booster, try to keep that booster to an absolute minimum (even better try to switch it off completely if not really needed!) while instead increasing the microphone volume
<li> but also a rather high adjusted speaker may cause such "funny noises" - try reducing the loudspeaker volume if you cannot solve the problem by adjusting the microphone and/or booster.
<li> but also a rather high adjusted speaker-volume may cause such "funny noises" - try reducing the loudspeaker volume if you cannot solve the problem by adjusting the microphone and/or booster.
<li>then you might readjust as described in the forgoing items.</li></ul>
<li>then you might readjust as described in the forgoing items.</ul>
<li>While "on Air" in MP keep the PTT pressed only while actually talking - and never longer than about 10 sec. (After some time you will be timed out anyhow - but even befor that drastic cutoff you might give your co-players a chance to say something!)
<li>While "on Air" in MP keep the PTT pressed only while actually talking - and never longer than about 10 sec. (After some time you will be timed out anyhow - but even before that drastic cutoff you might give your co-players a chance to reply/say something!)
<li>Now you are ready to talk to others, e.g. set your COM1 to the desired frequency an let your co-players praise you for that "absolute brilliant voice you have"!</li></ul></ol>
<li>Now you are ready to talk to others, e.g. set your COM1 to the desired frequency an let your co-players praise you for that "absolute brilliant voice you have"!</ol>

Revision as of 04:03, 25 September 2009

This "FGCOM_Testing" is intended to support FGCOM-users in debugging their FGCOM-System directly after installation, but also for those who want to verify the basic functionality or want to readjust the audio-system. It covers the following 3 areas in more detail:

  1. Initial test of the standalone FGCOM Installation
  2. Test FGCOM together within the FlighGear Simulator
  3. Adjust the Microphone and Speaker volumes

Of course the prerequisite for the following is that you have already installed the FGCOM (see the FGCOM-main-page) !



  1. The Initial test of the standalone FGCOM Installation --> the so called "-f910 Test"

    Prior to executing the following command change into the directory, into which the FGCom was installed. After the then shown path (and "$") type the "fgcom"-command with the required/wanted options. For a detailed description of all available options see Commandline Parameters - in the following we will only show the usually required options:

      fgcom -Sfgcom.flightgear.org.uk -f910
    
    fgcom the command (in case you installed by using the download_and_compile.sh script for LINUX-Systems you have to replace the command "fgcom" with "sh ./run_fgcom.sh". Then the complete command would be: "sh ./run_fgcom.sh -f910")
    -Sfgcom.flightgear.org.uk the central server for FGCOM
    -f910 the only available frequency for echo-tests
    optional In case your audiosystem is rather weak, you may try the options:

    -i and/or -o: i=input(microphone) o=output(Speaker), both values between 0.0 and 1.0 (e.g.: -i0.9)

    You do not need any Login-Passwords and/or User-Names !!!


    That should give you the following output:

       fgcom - a communication radio based on VoIP with IAX/Asterisk
       (c)2007 by H. Wirtz <wirtz@dfn.de>
       Version 1.2.2 build 163M
       Using iaxclient library Version SVN 163M
       
       Successfully parsed commandline options.
       Reading list of airports...done.
       Initializing IAX client as guest:xxxxxxxxxxx@fgcom.flightgear.org.uk
       Call 0 accepted
       Call 0 answered
    

    Speak into your microphone and your words should be echoed back with a short delay. e.g. say "one" - and you should notice that the "one" is returned after you finished speaking it.
    If that was OK

    • type ctrl-C to exit this Quick-Test
    • and continue with the next chapter.


    In case of trouble check the following most probable errors:

    • Typically if you did not define the correct Home-Directory for FGCOM
      typical for Windows-Systems:
         C:\Users\emmerich>cd \Programme\Fxx
         The System cannot find the given path.
       
         C:\Users\emmerich>fgcom.exe -Sfgcom.flightgear.org.uk -f910
         The command "fgcom.exe" is either mistyped or could not be found.
      


      typical for Linux-Systems:
      /home/emmerich/Desktop/Link to fgcom: line 1: cd: /home/emmerich/fgf: No such file or directory
      sh: Can't open run_fgcom.sh
      
      • The system is right: I gave it (for testing) a wrong directory!



    • Typically for a TYPO (mistyped command or option) would be:
    • ./fgcom - a communication radio based on VoIP with IAX/Asterisk (c)2007 by H. Wirtz <wirtz@dfn.de> Version 1.2.2 build 223M Using iaxclient library Version SVN 223M AL lib: alsa.c:564: set access failed: Invalid argument Successfully parsed command-line options. Reading list of airports...done. Initializing IAX client as guest:xxxxxxxxxxx@fgcom.flightgear.org.uk most likely you may have
      • defined a wrong Frequency to use or you may have forgotten to define one. You must define -f910
      • forgotten a "-"sign in front of an option
      • typed a small "-sfgcom..." instead the capital "-Sfgcom..."
      • mistyped the Server-Name or defined a wrong FGCOM-Server
      • or you may have created your own "typos" (lol).



    • Typically if the "Phone-book" and/or "positions" cannot be found and/or are damaged:
    • ./fgcom - a communication radio based on VoIP with IAX/Asterisk (c)2007 by H. Wirtz <wirtz@dfn.de> Version 1.2.2 build 223M Using iaxclient library Version SVN 223M AL lib: alsa.c:564: set access failed: Invalid argument Successfully parsed commandline options. Reading list of airports...Cannot open /home/emmerich/fgfs/install/fgcom/fgcom/positions.txt fopen: No such file or directory Stopping service. (etc)
      • check the directory in which the FGCOM is installed for the files "phonebook.txt" and "positions.txt". These are normal text-files in which you can add missing informations with a standard editor, for Windows you should use the "WordPad" (not the "Editor")). Replacing a complete "Windows" position.txt with a "Linux" one can lead to errors, although lines of both files may be exchanged/added.



    • Typical Network or Firewall problem:
    • ./fgcom - a communication radio based on VoIP with IAX/Asterisk (c)2007 by H. Wirtz <wirtz@dfn.de> Version 1.2.2 build 223M Using iaxclient library Version SVN 223M AL lib: alsa.c:564: set access failed: Invalid argument Successfully parsed commandline options. Reading list of airports...done. Initializing IAX client as guest:xxxxxxxxxxx@fgcom.flightgear.org.uk I.e. everything is fine, except the final Call 0 answered is missing.
      • Check your network by using some other application (e.g. your file browser to look up an usually not used http-address - if you use a recently used address the answer might be out of your locally saved copies - even so the network is not connected! (e.g. use "http://mainz.de/")
      • If you use a firewall (what you should - out of general safety reasons!) make sure the ports
      • 2005 UDP Vcp-Stream 4569 UDP FGCom VoIP, (Inter-Asterisk eXchange) 5000 UDP in/out Multiplayer (VPN Sftw.) 16661 UDP FGCom listening to FGFS, usually “local host” only are enabled for your PC.


  2. Test FGCOM together within the FlighGear Simulator

    In the forgoing chapter you checked the FGCOM as a standalone application. Now we will test whether the FGFS (FlighGear Flight-Simulator) itself and the FGCOM work together, inclusive the PTT-button (PushToTalk, usually the space-bar) and the internal connections via the assigned ports.
    For this test

    • start the FGFS with any plane at any airport you like
    • start the FGCOM (usually it does not matter which one starts first - but in case of trouble you should try to start in this sequence!)
    • in the FGFS menu-bar open --> Equipment --> Radio Settings
    • into the field "COM1" enter the frequency "910.00" then click "Apply" and then "OK"


  3. Adjust the Microphone and Speaker volumes

    Finally we will adjust the Microphone and Loudspeaker volumes to an optimum, as well for yourself as also for your fellow players.

    1. Start your FGFS and FGCOM as described in the forgoing chapter(s), the COM1 must be switched to 910.00 and be the active one.
    2. Talk into your Microphone and verify the delayed feedback. If this does not function as described before, repeat the forgoing chapters.
    3. While talking into the microphone adjust your loudspeaker so that your echoed voice is understandable, but not louder than required.
    4. Now adjust your microphone volume from 0 to full. Somewhere in between you will find a spot at which the returned echo-volume will not increase according to the microphone-volume changes. Leave the volume just a little below that point.
    5. After the microphone is set, adjust the loudspeaker volume to a level you prefer.
    6. Finally verify both settings by keeping the PTT pressed for about 10 seconds without talking and/or feeding any other sounds into the microphone.
      • listen for "funny noises" building up over time (hard to describe: some "unverified whoosh" and maybe additional even some sound like "air in a water-pipe" - actually: Whenever you hear anything --> it is no good!!!).
      • Mostly these "build up sounds with time" are due to an active microphone booster, try to keep that booster to an absolute minimum (even better try to switch it off completely if not really needed!) while instead increasing the microphone volume
      • but also a rather high adjusted speaker-volume may cause such "funny noises" - try reducing the loudspeaker volume if you cannot solve the problem by adjusting the microphone and/or booster.
      • then you might readjust as described in the forgoing items.
    7. While "on Air" in MP keep the PTT pressed only while actually talking - and never longer than about 10 sec. (After some time you will be timed out anyhow - but even before that drastic cutoff you might give your co-players a chance to reply/say something!)
    8. Now you are ready to talk to others, e.g. set your COM1 to the desired frequency an let your co-players praise you for that "absolute brilliant voice you have"!