OpenRadarFeatureWishlist

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This page collects the feature proposals for OpenRadar.

General

• (by design) Callsign greater than 7 characters, cannot even have ICAO_TWR as callsign. Would like at least 10

(comment ww: The flightgear MP protocol supports only 7 chars (max. 7 chars plus trailing zero equals 8 bytes, see Multiplayer protocol)

Well this should be fixed. What if multiple controllers controll with similar callsigns? (E.g. LSZH_APP_EAST,LSZH_APP_WEST)

• Inter ATC communication. Some method of talk/text just between ATC controllers would be nice, to coordinate handovers

(ww: yes, but as much as I know they use mumble right now... I am looking for a smart way to do this)

• Make it not working at FG's default airport (to guard against heart attacks on trying-to-be-KSFO-police people).

ww: We are living in a free world of free software. Its like forbidding aircrafts at an airport. I have seen pilots missing all decency and mad ATC guys. We cannot lock them out without creating a closed environment... No, that is not the way it should be done... If someone wants to disturb he still can use aircrafts or the different ATC-models out there...

• (done: SHIFT+F12) The ability to reload the airport without having to restart the whole application. This is while I am developing Routes, it's a pain to constantly have to restart the entire thing.

(ww: yes, pretty useful, I think about it. Reloading the routes would be enough I think...)

• Wider radar range for CTR controllers (FGCom radio & visibility range)

ww:I need to validate, but to my current knowledge, FGCOM is restricted on server side and the contact visibility by the MP server. I thought already about a special mode for CTR, that registers OR as MP server (proxy). Then it would get all contacts worldwide. For FGCOM we could add these special frequencies to the list of frequencies that are available everywhere at the FGCOM server.

• (MP data?) Squawk / Transponder codes

ww: Are not part of the MP protocol => are not transfered to OpenRadar.

• (MP data?) Private message feature

ww: Is not part of the MP protocol.

• Intercom FGCom frequency call GND to GND to call other ATC's

ww: Some ATCs are using mumble right now, for this purpose. I keep it in mind. But I don't want to exclude the ATC-models out of the game.

• Controlling multiple airports (CTR controller)

ww: To be able switch some features from airport to airport (METAR, runways, FGCOM, StdRoutes) I need to rework some parts of the application (relocation of OR multiplayer client to new airport, loading of different METAR, runways, routes etc). It would work like an hopping from airport to airport. Something for future releases, I think.

• (implemented as bi-directional checkbox in rw settings dialog) Enable "contradictory" runway setting. (E.g. The common setting in VDSR, - in real life, - is rwy 23 for departure and 05 for landing, which seems contradictory but is the commonly used configuration.)

ww: interesting. How many airports have this setting? I think about a special checkbox in runway settingsdialog.

mc: Yes, e.g. airports in "rural areas", especially when there are temples, military conflicts (prohibited, danger and restricted areas).

• ATIS recording feature

ww: Recording and then replay over the ATIS frequency? This might be possible, but FGCOM is a separate application, linked to OR via a simple network protocol. Difficult... Especially as we support many different operating systems and setups.

mc: Yes. compare with VRC (VatSim Virtual Radar Client), which has a recording option and EuroScope which does generate if from recorded fragments. - Text to speech (Espeak/Festival) integration would be the "tripple-A" feature!1!! ;)

Aircraft/Pilot Flag

• See assigned flightlevel (according to flightplan)
• (MP data?) Squawk/Transponder Code
• (MP data?) "True" altitude according to local air pressure below transition level and flightlevel according to standard pressure (QNH 1013/2992) above transition level

ww: I have no access to the airpressure at the spot, where the plane is. All I get is the TRUE position of the airplane in world coordinate system. If the MP protocol would deliver both, the true altitude and the FL- pressure dependent altitude, this would be no problem.

• (MP data?) Red colored flags for emergency codes such as 7500 (hijack), 7600 (radio failure) and 7700 (general emergency MAYDAY, PAN PAN)
• Voice, Text ability of Pilot (FGCom)

METAR

• (corrected) Winds below 100 degrees with preceeding 0/00, so that wind directions are read in 3 numbers. (E.g. wind 9@3 is read as "wind zero-zero-niner at tree")
• METAR of nearby airports
• (available via tooltip text of wind, pressure line) Full METAR code

Radar Map

• show more ground detail (data source?)
• separation rings (1000ft in vertical and 500ft in horizontal distance)
• alerts for collision and speed violations
• an alarm for when new aircraft enter the area so that when you are busy doing something else while waiting for someone to come into your area you will be notified
• (via Standard routes, have no other data source) Show Restricted, Prohibited and Danger Areas
• Accurate and up-to-date navigation data. (Some SID/STAR are not being displayed, because the navigation data is incomplete and inaccurate. - See this thread and/or this proposal.)

ww: I use the latest apt.dat file from xplane already (format 10.00) if something is missing, you can add the navaids for OR display in the standard route files. The problem for the pilots persist until the FG database is updated/corrected, but even in xplane file, there are some fixes missing)

Route Editing

• (done: syntax <addPoint code="AGOLO" point="50.200000,9.676111"/> ) Ability to specific locally specific points. Rather than hacking the Apt.dat.tgz file, adding to say nav.xml within folder. Additionally these points should be in the form of existing points notification and searched first before globals
• Speed limitation point tag for Elements, similar to the arrows. Requires text for speed. (ww: the attribute text="" is not enough?)
• (done: example: begin="KOAK-RW29") The ability to reference runway start and end as nav points

FGCom Integration

• (Done) Remove CTRL as PTT button, clashes with CTRL-Left click for "neglect", suggest Right Shift (ww: but the right hand is occupied with the mouse. maybe we move the neglected key to the right SHIFT. SH: If using FGcom, most of the time there would be no need to use anything but single key presses, so therefore any button would be fine. Remember LShift is the primary key for PTT2. Fn keys?)

ww: removed CTRL+CLICK, there is a textbutton above the flightstrips now, to toggle neglect

• Add "set PTT button" feature

Missing/not working frequencies

ww: I have changed from the frequencies delivered by the xplane files to the phonebook of fgcom. Both did mismatch. Now they are equal and (if you don't use an older Fgcom phonebook) you should be able to connect to all displayed frequencies. BUT: this does not mean, that all frequencies are there. The frequencies should be maintained by the FGCOM team, as I am only a client. I will update the phonebook when I notice it has been updated.

• 118.10 seems not to work at LSZH TWR. - Maybe there is a collision with the frequency of another airport?
• LSZH_DEL missing Delivery frequency 121.920
• LSZH_GND missing APRON frequencies 121.850
• LSZH_APP missing Approach frequencies 118.0, 120.750, 119.7
• LSZH_DEP missing Departure frequency 125.950

ATC Coordination

• coordinate multiple instances of OpenRadar using a protocol a la VatSim (ww: this will work only for OpenRadar instances, not to ATC-ML, ATC-TOWER etc...)
• (mp data) see what frequencies othe ATC's are using

ww: I transmit the first frequency via FGCOM protocol, but do not display it yet, because the FG frequencies are set to a fix value.

• Hand-off feature

• (mp data) See to which frequency the Pilot is connected to (com1 & com2)

ww: the frequency transmitted by FG via MP is not correct, is already implemented in background)

• "owning" and aircraft according to the flight strip
• See on the map what regions are "controlled" by who (dark grey if an area is controlled, so the ATC knows to whom he can do the handoff)
• (mp data) Assigning squawk code to the flightstrip

ww:Squawk codes are not transmitted via MP protocol.

• See & edit the flightplan

ww: Suggest central registration for this.

Missing/incomplete FG MP protocol data

• Squawk code
• Active, tuned in frequency (COM1/COM2)
• local, airpressure dependent, altitude, additional to the true altitude (as displayed in the airplane to show the FL above transition alt)
• the tuned-in COM frequencies, there is one for COM1, but it is not implemented, it delivers no data
• MP Chat Unicode support
• MP Chat private message support
• ?ATC extensions? (extensions for ATC MP partners)

• STRING: list of contacts that are controlled by the ATC
• STRING: xml messages, like handovers, flightplan transfer