Listening in on ATC without simulator software?

[Peter Van Stralen 1273772]

Hi guys!

 

My first ever post here. I've always enjoyed (flying) simulators and am really looking forward to getting series about this hobby. I hope I am posting this in the right forum, please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I've been reading into VATSIM and the training courses offered, as well as enrolled into the P1 training. I'd really like to become acquainted with ATC procedures/dialogue before I start playing, and for that purpose would very much like to 'listen in' to ATC/pilot communications. However, my copy of FSX is on its way here (ordered it yesterday) and so I cannot get into the game now. Is it still possible to do this? I also know that it's possible listen in on real ATC, but I figured it would be even better to see how it is done by the players.

 

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Really looking forward to becoming part of this community.

 

Kind regards,

Peter

[Colin Schoen]

Welcome to VATSIM! You can download the controller client, VRC, and monitor or the third party RogerWilco software to tune in.

[Peter Van Stralen 1273772]

Welcome to VATSIM! You can download the controller client, VRC, and monitor or the third party RogerWilco software to tune in.

 

Thank you Colin! I've just installed VRC and it's running now. Not sure how to connect though. For example, I'm trying to connect to EGNX_GND, using the following info:

 

Position name: EGNX_GND

Frequency: 121.900

Vox server: rw.liveatc.net

Vox channel: EGNX_GND

 

Doesn't seem to work, even though VATSpy is telling me EGNX_GND is controlled. Could I ask you for a little bit more help?

 

Thanks!

[Colin Schoen]

You might not be using the right voice server to monitor the controller. There quite a few voice servers that controllers use. In order to find out what voice server a controller is using, open the controllers and chat panel. Double click on the controller to open the private chat box. Now, if you double click inside the white area, generally where the text chat history would be, their controller client will respond with the voice server and voice channel they are using for their primary frequency.

 

It will look something like:

 

rw.liveatc.net/120.95

 

The rw.liveatc.net would be the voice server and 120.95 would be the voice channel.

[Peter Van Stralen 1273772]

You might not be using the right voice server to monitor the controller. There quite a few voice servers that controllers use. In order to find out what voice server a controller is using, open the controllers and chat panel. Double click on the controller to open the private chat box. Now, if you double click inside the white area, generally where the text chat history would be, their controller client will respond with the voice server and voice channel they are using for their primary frequency.

 

It will look something like:

 

rw.liveatc.net/120.95

 

The rw.liveatc.net would be the voice server and 120.95 would be the voice channel.

 

Hi Colin, thanks again for your (quick) reply. Unfortunately, no controllers are shown in the controllers and chat panel. I am connecting to VATSIM using the following details:

 

Callsign: OBSERVROOK (for lack of a better one, only there to listen)

Facility: Observer

Rating: Observer

Server: EUROPE-C2

 

And of course my Certificate ID and p[Mod - Happy Thoughts]word. It seems to connect fine, but the controllers list is empty.

[Bradley Grafelman]

Try increasing your visibility range by typing .visrange 300 into the chat box (thin black box at the bottom of the radar screen).

 

Also, if you've loaded a sector file, you should be able to type .center EGNX to center your scope on the EGNX airport.

[Peter Van Stralen 1273772]

Try increasing your visibility range by typing .visrange 300 into the chat box (thin black box at the bottom of the radar screen).

 

Also, if you've loaded a sector file, you should be able to type .center EGNX to center your scope on the EGNX airport.

 

Not sure what loading a sector file means, I'm afraid. The .visrange command worked but nothing changed for the rest. When using .center EGNX it said "Error: Fix, airport or navaid not found."

[Bradley Grafelman]

The VRC client itself has no knowledge of any airports, fixes, navaids, etc. You have to load a sector file which contains all of that information for a given sector.

 

For example, you mentioned EGNX earlier. That would be found in the London FIR. Its files can be found on the VATSIM UK site here. Download the archive from that page, extract it somewhere, then open the .sct2 ("sector file") in VRC from the File menu. Once you've done that, you should be able to use the ".center" command to find the EGNX airport.

 

EDIT: I'll also point out that it seems that Euroscope is the more popular radar client throughout Europe (go figure ).

[Peter Van Stralen 1273772]

The VRC client itself has no knowledge of any airports, fixes, navaids, etc. You have to load a sector file which contains all of that information for a given sector.

 

For example, you mentioned EGNX earlier. That would be found in the London FIR. Its files can be found on the VATSIM UK site here. Download the archive from that page, extract it somewhere, then open the .sct2 ("sector file") in VRC from the File menu. Once you've done that, you should be able to use the ".center" command to find the EGNX airport.

 

EDIT: I'll also point out that it seems that Euroscope is the more popular radar client throughout Europe (go figure ).

 

Yay! The sector file fixed it! I am now text-chatting with a controller and hopefully will figure out how to listen in soon. Thanks!

[Don Desfosse]

The fastest/easiest way, without having to worry about setting up controllers' voice servers and voice channel information in the Comms panel is to right click on the controller you wish to monitor in the Controller Panel and select Monitor.

[Peter Van Stralen 1273772]

The fastest/easiest way, without having to worry about setting up controllers' voice servers and voice channel information in the Comms panel is to right click on the controller you wish to monitor in the Controller Panel and select Monitor.

 

Really? I've been doing both all the time: in the Communications panel and Controllers & Chat panel. This is good to know!

[Bradley Grafelman]

Few notes about using the "Monitor" option:

1. I believe it relies on a P2P connection; this doesn't always work for controllers depending upon their network setup. However, it will "silently" fail - it'll show you as monitoring the controller, but you won't hear any audio.
   
2. You can only monitor up to one controller.
   
3. The controller you are monitoring will be made aware that you are doing so. (Might make them more nervous/paranoid? )
   
4. You won't see any of the text communications sent/received on the controller's frequency.

 

Due to all of the above (and a few other points), I personally never use the "Monitor" feature of VRC.

[Peter Van Stralen 1273772]

Few notes about using the "Monitor" option:

1. I believe it relies on a P2P connection; this doesn't always work for controllers depending upon their network setup. However, it will "silently" fail - it'll show you as monitoring the controller, but you won't hear any audio.
   
2. You can only monitor up to one controller.
   
3. The controller you are monitoring will be made aware that you are doing so. (Might make them more nervous/paranoid? )
   
4. You won't see any of the text communications sent/received on the controller's frequency.

 

Due to all of the above (and a few other points), I personally never use the "Monitor" feature of VRC.

 

Thanks for this. Very good to know! I already wondered why it worked some time and at other times it did not. Also, using the Comms panel to track radio frequencies only seems to work with one frequency at a time as well, strange enough. I can add several of them, but I've only ever heard from the one I set as primary, I think. Not sure what I'm doing wrong.

[Bradley Grafelman]

Common mistake for new observers - you should not be setting any frequency as "PRIM" or primary - that's utilized by controllers.

 

Instead, simply check the RX and (HDST or SPKR) boxes for as many frequencies as you like.

[Peter Van Stralen 1273772]

Common mistake for new observers - you should not be setting any frequency as "PRIM" or primary - that's utilized by controllers.

 

Instead, simply check the RX and (HDST or SPKR) boxes for as many frequencies as you like.

 

Ahh learning so much from you, thanks! Figuring this out makes my day

[Matthew Jessick 1179517]

You have pretty much learned lesson number one now, so you should join a FIR as a controller student!

[Norman Blackburn]

Common mistake for new observers - you should not be setting any frequency as "PRIM" or primary - that's utilized by controllers.

 

Whilst this is good practise it won't make any difference *unless* you connect using a rating higher than obs *and* using a callsign with the suffix of an approved facilty type (del/gnd/twr/dep/app/ctr/fss) you will not be visible to pilot clients.

[Bradley Grafelman]

Whilst this is good practise it won't make any difference

Unless I'm mistaken, OBS can still transmit on frequency (both text and voice), so checking PRIM as OBS is just begging for an accidental text or voice transmission.

[Colin Schoen]

They are able to transmit via voice, but not text while logged in as an observer.

[Norman Blackburn]

That is correct, thanks Colin.

 

Setting PRI makes no difference to their visibility to pilots. Too many people get upset (for want of a better term) that an OBS has got PRI set.

[Gary Tekulsky 1134195]

...

1. I believe it relies on a P2P connection; this doesn't always work for controllers depending upon their network setup. However, it will "silently" fail - it'll show you as monitoring the controller, but you won't hear any audio.

...

Monitor, Intercom, and Override all run as P2P. This has nothing to do with VRC in particular, it is how this feature of the network was designed.

[Ernesto Alvarez 818262]

another common mistake is what happens when someone logs in as an Observer via FSINN. the user will be listed on the observer list on the ATC client and appear to be primed, thats just the way the pilot client works, its pretty much always primed unless you have dual radios, in which case you can set one radio to receive only. the other radio will always appear "primed" though