LORAN Beta Test Available

[Tom/CalClassic]

It’s just left over from the previous measurement. Once you switch to the right side AND change the station name (as required for a valid measurement) it will go away. The navigator just hasn’t bothered to erase it yet. 😁

[Defender]

Thanks Tom. I finally had success with 1H1 and 1L3 when 300 nm east of Gander, but only by using pause. The alternative is just clicking totals I suppose when the stations are off the wing. Sorry but I had missed your resetting comment.

Bill

[Tom/CalClassic]

I have fixed the math error in the tutorial, thanks for the tip. I was actually OK at math in school...

[Tom/CalClassic]

I guess using pause is a good option if you can't get the reading done fast enough before the data loses its "correct" status. I did widen that allowance before the beta to allow more time, but perhaps I need to widen it even more? That would also lead to easier measurements, since it would then allow for greater errors.

[chris_c]

Did my first flight off the US East coast and, other than operator problems, things seem to be working as advertised. I find it to be slow going and not particularly intuitive so using LORAN is going to take a fair bit of practice, probably lot's of practice. However, simulating period navigation by running Google Earth an my laptop and plotting the flight there, can be really enjoyable.

Here's a couple of questions though:
The [Window00] LORAN entries for the DC-7 panel consist of the following;
gauge77=LORAN!LORAN_Icon, 357,992,26,26
gauge78=reload gauges!reload gauges, 208,750,20,20

However, the entries for the DC-6 panel are;
gauge36=LORAN!LORAN_icon, 296,742,19,19
gauge37=LORAN!LORAN_STA, 0,0,20,20
gauge38=LORAN!LORAN_SYS, 20,0,20,20

With the understanding that the gauge number and coordinates may vary according to the specific panel:

Why are the ... LORAN_STA and LORAN_SYS necessary for the DC-6 and not the DC-7?

Why is the ... reload gauges necessary for the DC-7 but not the DC-6?

Which LORAN gauges other than the LORAN_Icon, are required for installing LORAN onto othe panels?

Thanks in advance.

-Chris

[mrcapitalism]

May 9, 2023 14:50:15 GMT -5 Tom/CalClassic said:

I have fixed the math error in the tutorial, thanks for the tip. I was actually OK at math in school...

Pilots should never be caught attempting math in public!

[Tom/CalClassic]

Hi Chris,

Jorge created the panel.cfg file for the DC-6 panel, while I did the file for the DC-7. The SYS and STA gauges are invisible, and thus the 4 digits following them is arbitrary - in other words it doesn’t really matter. So ours ended up different.

Likewise, the location of those two gauges in the panel.cfg file is also arbitrary, as long as they are always loaded with or before the GUI file that provides the user interface. Jorge only uses the main 2D panel and put them there, while I put them in the subpanel section along with the GUI gauge. So Jorge’s DC-6 panel won’t work if you load the plane with the VC panel displayed and never display the main 2D panel, while my DC-7 panel will work OK in that case.

As I’ve stated before the reload gauges gauge is for my gauge development and has nothing to do with the LORAN gauges directly. You not having that gauge will make no difference to your use of LORAN.

The three gauges required are the GUI, SYS, and STA gauges, along with the ATL and PAC map gauges if you want to see them. The icon gauge is optional.

[chris_c]

Thanks, Tom. With complex panels, I am not sure that the LORAN icon is really optional but its inclusion is greatly appreciated. Icons to access panel windows are great aids and I wish that somebody could have created an icon for the GCA gauge.

-Chris

[Tom/CalClassic]

It’s not that hard to do.

1. Make a copy of the LORAN icon bmp file, name it something like gca_icon.bmp, and replace the L with a G in a paint program.
2. Make a copy of the loran_icon.xml file and rename it to gca_icon.xml.
3. Edit the new xml file to change the bmp name and change the panel ID numbers to that of the ident= line for the gca subpanel.
4. Save the file and place the new Xml and bmp files into the gca gauge’s folder.
5. Add the icon gauge to the panel.cfg file to the main panel section.
6. Edit the numbers to adjust the placement and size of the icon.

[mrcapitalism]

This is wild. Either I'm getting better at this, or it's getting more accurate the farther I get off shore EINN-CYQX.

[chris_c]

Tom,

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am gobsmacked! I have now successfully edited both an icon and an .xml file and Got The Edits To Work! This is something that has consistently eluded me since I edited my very first FS9 file back when the world was young or at any rate, younger than it is today. Now comes the rather minor task (not!) of editing all applicable FS9 panels with the new icon.

Thanks again, for demonstrating why California Classics is my favourite place on the Internet. Cheers!

A Very Grateful Chris.

[Tom/CalClassic]

You are certainly welcome, always nice to discover something that can make your simming life more pleasant and convenient.

Now you will never wish you had an icon gauge again - just make one.

[mrcapitalism]

The assists are a great real time teacher for using this.

[Tom/CalClassic]

There has been some discussion about how to reset the notepad when you want to take the next measurement. The simplest way is to change the station pair used for each side of the notepad. In the example I used 1H4 on the left and 1H3 on the right. To reset things, use 1H3 on the left and 1H4 on the right. Since you probably left the gauge on the right side, I would just set that side to 1H4, take the measurement, switch sides to the left side, select 1H3, and take that measurement. Back and forth, left/right then right/left, changing station pairs every time. This seems to work for me. If it doesn't for you, start with the left side every time (changing station pairs each time), and this should reset things as well.

[Tom/CalClassic]

Hi all,

Some problems may have been introduced in Beta 1a, so here is Beta 1b. Again, only the three main gauges have changed, GUI, SYS, and STA.


I have also added a full notepad reset feature - click the Filter switch up AND then down again and it will be reset to the way it was when you loaded the plane. The blue stars on the map should persist though.