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Communications PC

Here a screen shot of my desktop:

 

There are three visible windows of the running programs: SquawkBox4, ASE and VATSpy. The WideClient window is not visible.

The weather program ASE shows the current weather in EHAM and EDDF and is in control over the weather engine in FSX, providing the actual weather. It loads my flightplan and generates not only the weather along the route, but it also changes my Cloud textures, based on the weather, via X Graphics. Note that you have to startup ASE first and do all this, before you can start FSX.

VATSpy gives information about who is on-line (as well pilots as ATC) and where at the VATSIM network.

Not visible are the Flight Planner program FSBUILD, the Navigational Charts program nDAC and the support programs WideClient and Simconnect

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ASE

HiFi Simulations latest Weather program is Active Sky Evolution, or ASE. It has lots of functionalities like setting up a certain type of Weather. I merely use it to get the VATSIM on-line weather in my simulator; that works great! Note: Disable SquawkBox weather control in the Squawkbox options. The weather is not provided by SB4 but by ASE. Also take care of the right weather settings in FSX and in FSUIPC.

One of the options is to import your Flight Plan into ASE and then it will "smooth" the Weather along the route, see Update Weather at the Pre-Flight page. And if you have X-Graphicx installed it will also "inject" the most appropriate cloud textures from X-Graphics into MS Flight Simulator, based on your flight plan.

The Settings at my ASE General Options and Visibility screens are:

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Simconnect at Communications PC

Next to SimConnect configuration settings at the FlightSim PC I had to install SimConnect at my Communications PC because ASE and Squawkbox4 need it.

My SimConnect.cfg file from the Documents folder at my Comms PC is as follows:

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SquawkBox4

You can use SquawkBox4 (SB4) if you want to flightsim with other pilots and air traffic controllers on the VATSIM network. Communication can take place via text messages or via voice over an open channel. Voice is to be preferred.

The Voice Channel of SB4 is controlled via a Push To Talk button at my Yoke, via the WideFS option of FSUIPC at the Flightsim PC and WideClient.exe installed at my Communications PC.

My options are:

Note: I have max (20) plane position updates per second, while that makes other planes moving more smooth. My PC is powerful enough to handle the extra load generated.

Note: I have added the Ultimate Traffic 2 aircraft by putting the file UT2.sms, created by SMSCreator, in my SquawkBox folder and by adding the Ultimate Traffic 2 Aircraft to the % FSROOT%\SimObjects\UT2 Aircraft folder (and adding this line to the [MAIN] section of FSX.CFG: SimObjectPaths.6=SimObjects\UT2 Aircraft)

Tip1: you can check what Models/liveries Squawkbox has placed in your multiplayer session by writing ".cheat model" in the command line window of Squawkbox.

Tip 2: get rid of the ZZZZ (question mark planes) by adding ZZZZ to the 737 models in the file related.txt in the SB folder.

 

Note: I am not using the Caps Lock key as Push To Talk, but a button at my Yoke and FSUIPC.

 

Note: SquawkBox weather control is not enabled here because I use ASE as weather engine.

 

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WideClient

I run WideClient.exe for a FSUIPC interface at the Communications PC (and I have enabled WideFS in FSUIPC at my FS PC), otherwise the SB4 Push to Talk button at my Yoke will not work .

My WideClient.ini:

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