OnCourse Software

I recently downloaded the PF3 demo, used it for a couple of flights with FSX and liked it very much.

However, following the manual instructions on VR software setup, I have yet to be able to operate it with MCE which I own. Is it possible or not?

Another point is that the MCE wizard recognises my PFC yoke "button 1" as the PTT button, but PF3 wont "see" it (understand that when I press it, the shortcut key box remains empty) when I try to set it up in my PF3 parameters, is there any reason for that?

I could work around this using FSUIPC selecting a command for that same button that would work for both software if necessary, but I'd like to understand why that particular button can't be "read" by PF3.

Thank you.
With best regards.

Jean-Charles

The demo should work with MCE, as long as MCE detects it.
PF3 only accept keyboard keys as hotkeys, so if you want to use a different input device you need something that maps this to keyboard input.

Thank you for your reply. I "mapped" my PTT Yoke button through FSUIPC and determined my hotkey in PF3 for that same PTT command so that MCE can work with PF3 demo, but no joy. Everything works normally as far as MCE detecting PF3 and the flight plan selected, PF3 opens the kneeboard with the frequencies, but there is no VR. Obviously MCE works flawlessly with FSX, and I did select the PF3 option in the MCE UI. So I just dont know what else I should do. Any help would be very much appreciated.

I don't use or have MCE but I know some of our users are using it successfully... hopefully one of them will be along shortly and will be able to shed some light on your issues

I am using MCE with PF3 (full version) and I can assure that it is working fine.

There are some glitches though. Problem is that PF3 "catches away" the keypresses from MCE. So if you assign the same key as PTT in MCE and PF3 and that hotkey is active in PF3 that same hotkey press won't be recognized by MCE. That's why MCE disables the PTT hotkey in PF3 by default. You can keep the PF3 hotkey enabled by adding

KeepPF3suspendKey=1

to the [ATC] section of the MCE.ini file.

So the only way to have it work is to assign a joystick button as PTT in the MCE User Interface and then assign the PF3 hotkey to that button via FSUIPC.
Not assigning a button in MCE but only mapping the PTT key to that button via FSUIPC will not work.

From your post I'm not sure if you did it that way.

If you did, and it still doesn't work: First make sure it really is a problem with the interaction with PF3 and not a basic problem with the MCE setup:

Did you check if the PTT button is recognized by MCE at all? Turn on "Use Radio Static Noise when transmitting" in MCE and listen if you hear the beeping if you press the button.

Did you already try to use MCE with the native ATC?

Many thanks for your informative reply, I did amend the ATC section of the MCE.ini as suggested and I noticed that now the key selected for the PF3 PTT press (INS) remains checked in PF3, so the tip was helpful, I also programmed in FSUIPC my Yoke Button 1 (PTT button for MCE) to be read as INS for PF3.

However, that does not solve the problem and this is what makes me nervous going ahead with the purchase because, in spite of all assurances I received that MCE and PF3 work together well, the demo does not, or perhaps I dont know how to make them work together?...

More confusing is the fact that when I press my (MCE) PTT, a PF3 pilot's voice comes on the frequency to request the clearance when I have followed the manual's instruction to deactivate the pilot's voice and the VCP is selected OFF in PF3 Options.

What works:
PF3 initiates the FSUIPC text window, the kneeboard gives the correct frequencies for the correct airport, ATIS is clear and correct
MCE is correctly set on PFE on the ATC UI page, it reads the correct flight plan, the CP is there and I can interact, but no static noise when I press my yoke button (although it is ON in the ini file), and no contact with ATC (clearance delivery) possible

I am afraid of having such issues after buying and I'd really like to make sure everything works as expected on my setup before making that move (which I'd like very much (I am one of the first FDC and S Combo customers for the old 742 so fully trust Dave's work)).

For your information I have used MCE for almost seven years now with FSX and FS9 ATC so I am confident it operates fine with my setup. If I can get these two software to cooperate then it's an instant buy, but for the moment after playing "guessing" for three hours, I am thoroughly lost and badly need help...

When you say a PF3 pilot's voice comes on the frequency do you mean your own pilot's voice requesting clearance for your aircraft? Or an AI aircraft?

Did you speak and request clearance while pressing the PTT button?

In MCE (right mouseclick interface) is Static noise set to other than "none"?

The PF3 "pilot's voice" requesting clearance was for my flight (not AI) and was generated by PF3 not MCE (CP does not interact with ATC), neither was it FSX since voice volume is turned down to 0 as per PF3 manual. In other words, in spite of my selecting no pilot's voice and no VCP in PF3 options, somehow my (MCE) PTT key press triggered that clearance request.
Of course I pressed the (MCE) PTT button when talking to ATC (same way I have done for seven years with MCE and FSX).
Static noise in MCE is set to 1.
In MCE, my PTT button is Yoke button 1
In FSUIPC, Yoke button 1 triggers INS, key press hold checked
In PF3 Hotkeys, INS triggers PTT

Is there anything in the above that would upset the process?

Many thanks for your help.

If I understand you correctly, you held the MCE PTT button, said something like "clearance, <callsign> requesting clearance". Then the PF3 voice came up and requested clearance.

If so, you just proved that MCE basically works with the PF3 demo because your voice command obviously triggered the appropriate PF3 hotkey for requesting clearance. No other way why the PF3 voice should have come up. And that is all MCE is expected to do: Trigger the appropriate PF3 hotkey.

That the voice came up despite having the voice set to "none" in PF3 might be a limitation of the demo. I guess because the voices are predefined in the demo, setting it to "none" has no effect. Maybe someone from the team can comment on that.

Remains the question why you got no response from PF3-ATC. Dumb question (but sometimes it is just that easy): Have you been on the correct frequency?

Here is my suggestion for your next test:

First just to make sure there is no problem in that (works fine for me that way, but you never know), disable the PF3 PTT hotkey and delete the key assignment in FSUIPC for the MCE PTT button. So that the only function of this button is to be the MCE PTT button.
You don't really need the PF3 PTT hotkey. All it does is suspend the AI - ATC communication so that your voice command doesn't get interrupted. There is no "real" PTT functionality in it. Set your AI Level in the sim to zero for the test.

Then make sure you are on the correct Clearance Frequency and try again to request clearance with your voice command while holding the PTT button. Again the PF3 voice should come up requesting the clearance because that is triggered by your voice (assuming setting it to "None" has no effect in the demo).

If you still get no response countercheck the PF3 functionality by manually pressing the hotkey for "request clearance".

Then come back here and attach your logs. Someone of the team will certainly have a look at it and might be able to see what went wrong.

RALF9636 wrote:

That the voice came up despite having the voice set to "none" in PF3 might be a limitation of the demo. I guess because the voices are predefined in the demo, setting it to "none" has no effect. Maybe someone from the team can comment on that.

Correct.