OnCourse Software

Morning, Dave,

Has the TGS system been simplified in the last year or so?

Recently I have noticed that the TGS gauge and the words from the First Officer guiding you around airports seem to fix their mind on a point several turns away, giving me a short cut across the fields (well, not quite fields but across airport grass), up dead ends, diagonally across aprons and even through a bunch of lighting poles today. I'm sure it used to be far more specific and reliable.

If this is the case, would it work better for me if I located and reinstalled an older version? Or would that just break things?

Log can be provided if that would help demonstrate, not sure if it includes that kind of data?

John

Hi John, yes please include a debug log when you have any such issues as it will clearly show us what's going on with TGS

Here we are, along with a printout below showing the route the TGS gauge appeared to be taking me.
It seems it ignored a few of the turns and this led me off course somewhat, including up a dead end, and joining the runway a turn too soon, although that did no harm. It seems to be a consistent issue now, but I'm sure this didn't happen is earlier days.

Hope this helps,

John.

Are you using add on scenery for ZGNN?

Dave March wrote: *

Fri Apr 05, 2024 5:54 pm

Are you using add on scenery for ZGNN?

Not scenery as such, just a modified AF2 file - fully checked for errors etc.

John

Hi John,

I've checked the taxi routing that you were given and it's absolutely correct for the default FS2004 scenery.
Here's the output from my test system and how it looks when overlaid on the scenery as seen in ADE: Is it possible that your modified AF2 file hasn't been picked up by MakeRwys when rebuilding the PF3 database?
You will notice that the parking looks quite different on your airport layout.

Martin

Hi Martin,

Thanks for that. I totally agree, that is the route PF3 would have been trying to take me - what I am saying is that it ignored some of the turns when giving me directions. The TGS gauge pointed right before that dead end I was sent down, which it shouldn't. I should have been directed straight on there and right at the taxiway. Likewise my being sent diagonally across the apron and the apparent early left turn near the runway start point.

It just seems to ignore some of the ground "waypoints" which it didn't in the past.

Best regards,

John

Mmmmh... you're using the gauge aren't you? In which case it's possible some changes we made to the way TGS works and handles turns, etc has upset the gauge. I honestly can't remember what I had to change in the standalone TGS Display utility. When you have time your could perhaps try using that just to see if it works different yo the gauge. The gauge will not be updated unfortunately. I didn't write it and have no experience in coding gauges.

Good idea! I will try that and report back.

John

Just had a quick moment to do a more thorough test this morning before dashing out.

I have tried the stand-alone taxi gauge but I expect I need to RTFM as it tells me FS/TGS Not Active when they should be.

But I have looked closer at the tgs.gau readings, and those of tgs2.gau which seems to replicate the style of the stand-alone, and they are trying to show me the correct route - if I paid more attention to the "distance to turn" indications I probably wouldn't be led astray! But the fact remains that my FO is telling me to turn when I most definitely should not - see blue text and arrows.

I have modified the airport layout image I uploaded earlier to show (with a red "X") the locations that I believe the taxi system is not recognising, and the points where I am getting misleading verbal instructions. I'm still being guided by the gauges diagonally across the apron where other aircraft may be parked. So from what you say, Dave, I think it is the guidance system itself, and not the gauges or verbal instructions, that is causing this by ignoring various "via" points. It is not unique to this airport, but I attach a copy of the AF2 file in case you or anybody wants to replicate the situation. (With no weather set you should be sent to the same runway).

If I pay more attention to the distance to turn indications on the gauges, I might make a better job of my trip to the runway, but if there is a way to fix it so that all the intermediate points are used (like I think things once were, a long time back) it would make things so much better.

Best regards,

John

PS - I can see there is a setting in PF3 to reduce the distance when advice is given before the next turn. Currently set at 150, I will reduce this to 75 or even 50 which should improve things.