OpenRadar: Chat aliases
Intruduction
In the next update you can start using aliases. Aliases will expand to predefined texts, may contain known data like wind, active runways etc. and they can take input.
For instance, if you type
.in<return>
you get
D-W794: Welcome to the LFSB area -- please advise LFSB ATC of your flightplan, FGCOM 118.300
or if you type
.tr 010<return>
you get
D-W794: Turn right heading 010
This allows you to use the keyboard more effectively.
This feature can be turned off completely and you can define your own alias prefix (the dot in this example) in respect to the different keyboards.
The current aliases
Here is the list of the aliases with their texts. At first you will remember the most important only, but anyway...
#
# OpenRadar menu based atcMessages
#
in=Welcome to the <icao> area -- please advise <icao> ATC of your flightplan, FGCOM <com0>
out=Welcome to <icao> - please advise ATC of your intentions, FGCOM <com0>
radar=Radar Contact range <distance> mi, QNH <mmHg>, expect runway <assigned-runway>, FGCOM <com0>
own=Resume your OWN navigation - Frequency change approved - Radar surveillance remains active
end=You are leaving my airspace - Frequency change approved - Radar service terminated
atis=ATIS for <icao> at <icao-altitude> ft: QNH <mmHg> wind <winds> active rwy(s) <runways> FGCOM <com0>
en=Engine startup approved, please indicate planned destination
pb=Pushback approved facing {0}
tx=Taxi to holding-point, runway {0.RWY}
hs=Hold short runway {0.RWY}
lw=Line up and wait on runway, report when ready for departure
mc=Maintain runway heading, climb to {0.ALT}
to=Wind <wind-direction> at <wind-speed> kt, cleared for takeoff runway {0.RWY}
tl=Turn left heading {0}
tr=Turn right heading {0}
cm=Climb and maintain {0.ALT}
dm=Descend and maintain {0.ALT}
rs=Reduce speed to {0}
ils=<distance> mi out, maintain hdg until intercepting localizer, cleared for ILS rwy {0.RWY}, report established
ris=<distance> mi out, report when you have runway in sight
lan=<distance> mi out, wind <wind-direction> at <wind-speed> kts, cleared to land rwy {0.RWY}
vac=Welcome to <icao> -- vacate runway {0.RWY}, report vacated
csr=Cleared to cross runway {0}
chat=Please use FGCOM <com0> only to talk to ATC, NOT to chat between airmen!
disturb=You are disturbing our ATC training --> please use another airport for uncontrolled flying
getoff=Please do not start your session on an active runway - Get OFF runway fast
sqa=Squawk <squawk-next>
sqv=Squawk VFR!
sqi=Squawk IFR!
sqm=Squawk {0.SQUAWK}
url=http://charts\.aero/airport/<icao>
This list is a proposal. Please feel free to discuss those aliases in the forum. Let us confirm to a set of aliases which will be released. You may replace them in your installation, but it is your responsibility to keep a copy, next update will bring the original files back.
Input
To allow you to see what you are going to send, aliases require two hits on RETURN: A first RETURN to enter the text. This resolves the alias to the text to be sent. The second RETURN will send it. If you hit ESC, the alias is discarded, also, if you enter an unknown alias, the input blocks, until you correct it or hit ESC.
Chaining (multiple aliases behind each other) is not supported, because stacked aliases with arguments might become too difficult to be accepted, we think.
Tags and Arguments
This is about editing aliases, not about using them.
To add known dynamic data to the aliases, you may use tags.
Tags like <icao> resolve to known data:
<icao> Local departing airport
<icao-altitude> Local departing airport altitude
<alt> Aircraft's current altitude
<distance> Aircraft's current distance to local airport
<callsign> ATC callsign.
<aircraft> Aircraft's callsign
<com0> ATC primary frequency
<com1> ATC secondary frequency
<winds> Current winds
<wind-direction> Current winds direction
<wind-speed> Current winds speed
<mmHg> Pressure in mmHg
<hPa> Pressure in hPa
<metar> Raw METAR of the local airport
<atis> Current ATIS of the local airport
<runways> The list of active runways
<runways-land> The list of runways to land on.
<assigned-runway> The assigned runway (via double click on rwy or e.g. {0.rwy}
<squawk> The assigned squawk code
<squawk-next> Assigns a squawk code and replaces this tag with it.
<route> The assigned route out of flightplan data
Tags with curly braces are arguments. {0} refers to the first one.
Example:
.tr 010
010 is the first argument (with index zero, next one would be {1}) .
If the number is followed by a code, the argument is automatically stored in the internal data. For instance:
hs=Hold short runway {0.RWY}
This alias requires one argument, that is stored as 'assigned runway'.
Currently there are the codes:
RWY => assigned runway (example {0.RWY})
ALT => assigned altitude (example {0.ALT})
ROUTE => assigned standard route (STAR/SID) (example {0.ROUTE})
These arguments will be used to maintain future flightplans in the background of your work. There should be no double entry, if possible.