Navaid database update

**boulderjamie** · 07-13-2005, 03:57 PM

I ran into a problem with the currency of the navaid database while practicing NDB approaches at Greeley/Weld County airport in Colorado. Anyone know of any way to update the Jepp database in FS2004?

The problem I had last night is as follows:

1. I printed out the current IAP for the NDB RWY 34 approach to Greeley from the website Enflight;
2. After what seemed like a good approach, I broke out of the clouds staring into open farmlands, no airport in site
3. I opened my 2 year old NACO approach plate booklet and found no RWY 34 NDB, only a RWY 9 NDB into Greeley. The 348 NDB freq was listed on this approach plate as the LOM to the RWY 9 approach, while on the current chart it is listed as the LOM to RWY 34 NDB
4. Hmmm, I thought. The old chart and FS2004 were in agreemnt on the position of this NDB, but the new chart was not. I thought it was a problem with the new chart and wrote to Enflight;
5. Turns out, the 348 NDB has been relocated to be the LOM to the RWY 34 NDB, but my FS2004 thinks it is still positioned as the LOM for RWY 9. Didn't matter how good my approach was, I would never have found the airport.

I suspect there are numerous discrepancies such as this in my old FS2004 Jeppsend database. Any ideas on how to update the beast?

Best,

Jamie

***Lou_Betti*** · 07-13-2005, 04:57 PM

Sadly, there is no way to update the FS2004 Jepp data base.

Regards,
[link:www.dreamfleet2000.com|http://www.dreamfleet2000.com/gfx/im...nners/LOU.gif]
[font size=1][font color=blue]Can you pilot a plane, instead of programming an FMC to do it for you?[/font color= blue][/font size=1]

**ronzie** · 07-13-2005, 09:23 PM

If you want to try matching/updating a specific airport for navaid position as far as showing on your panel instruments some work with AFCAD2 should help. If needed you can add some visible objects as well if needed.

An AFCAD2 layer (only one allowed above default) should take priority over the base.

Download AFCAD2.21 from the must have files section here and browse the html help files. While it is a special type of scenery it still takes a restart of FS9 to reindex it after any mods especially when adding the altered layer.

I have all my afcad2 files in a root folder called amazingly AFCAD2s. This folder has a subfolder called scenery and that is where the .bgls go. You must not have a texture subfolder here.

In my FS9 scenery lib setup I have just the folder name AFCAD2s at fairly high priority. This way I do not have to mess with the scenery settings when I add or modify and AF2_xxxx.bgl. FS9 recognises when I place a new or edit an existing one in this folder and reindexes on startup.

You create a new NDB with the same callsign and it will override the existing one. You can read about these navaid limitations in the html AFCAD2 help file.

I hope Lee doesn't mind my posting an extract here but here is what it says:

Stock and Mod Navaids:

When you open an airport AFCAD will search the stock scenery files and collect and display all navaids in the vicinity of that airport (25 miles for VORs and NDBs, less for ILS equipment). If you save that airport to a file AFCAD will not save all those navaids to the file. Instead, AFCAD only saves new navaids or stock navaids that you have modified. These are referred to as ‘mod’ navaids. If you start Flight Simulator it will use all the original stock navaids in the area except for those that have mod replacements in your airport file, in that case it will use the mod replacements and ignore the stock navaids. It will also use any new navaids from your file.

When you re-open that airport file with AFCAD it will again collect all navaids in the vicinity of the airport and read in the mod navaids from your file. As with FS, it will show the mod navaids instead of the stock navaids they replace.

When AFCAD collects navaids to display it will not collect mod navaids from any other add-on airport files, only stock files and the airport file you have open. This means that if the same mod navaid is in two different airport files it will only appear once. Since most navaids are associated with a single airport or its approaches this shouldn't be an issue, but you should keep it in mind if you are modifying enroute VORs or NDBs that aren't located at any particular airport.

Note that mod navaids replace stock navaids based mainly on the navaid identifier. This means that you can't change the identifier for a mod navaid or it would not replace the original, but instead it would appear in addition to the original. If you create your own navaids you can give them any identifiers you want.

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Hope this helps.

**boulderjamie** · 07-14-2005, 12:08 PM

Thanks for your detailed response. I appreciate the effort! I may give it a shot.

Jamie

**jvile** · 07-14-2005, 04:06 PM

Jamie

It is not advisable to tamper with any Navaid in FS2004 with the AFCAD program.

This will break the approach/transistion facility data for that runway and corrupt the GPS receiver which can cause a CTD.

FS2004 is a very powerful utility program and All Jepp NAVDATA in the FS2004 database can be changed to reflect any type approach chart that has also changed.

I have been updating for over a year any new ILS/VOR/NDB/etc approach/transistion as per my subscription to Jeppesen so airports reflect the right approach if it has changed in the past 2 years.

When Lee Swordy released AFCAD for FS2004 he did not have the total information that FS2004 works with which makes some of the statements in his documents inaccurate.

A ILS for the user aircraft can be added with AFCAD because the Runway facility data in FS2004 owns the ILS. However all VOR/NDB's are owned by the approach facility data and must be modified/moved/new ones added using XML.

Once a new XML file is written with the new placement of the exsisting VOR/NDB then all of the approach elements must also be changed to coincide with a new approach plate (headings, altitudes, rho, theta, missed approach, etc.) None of this is capable with the AFCAD program.

This is not as hard as it sounds but you tell FS2004 to delete all the old Jeppesen approach data for your airport and add back to the NAVDATA database a new set of written Jeppesen approach plates (current) and FS2004 will now honor those for both the User Aircraft and AI Traffic if needed.

**boulderjamie** · 07-14-2005, 04:28 PM

Jim

This seems like fantastic information. I am guessing that you are giving a basic explanation in the last paragraph, but some questions immediately popped up in my mind:

1. How/where do you tell FS2004 to delete the approach data for a specific airport?
2. How do you write back a set of new Jepp plates? Fill a folder I assume? What file format?
3. Do you have to have a subscription to Jepp in which you receive the new approaches in electronic format for this to work?

As you can tell by my questions, which probably don't make complete sense to you, I am a little confused (but hopeful!). Would you be able to type out a quick step-by-step guide to doing this? I am sure this would interest most users of this forum.

Thanks

Jamie

**jvile** · 07-14-2005, 09:33 PM

Your questions make perfect sense.

No you do not need a subscription from Jepp. Any current approach plate can be written into FS2004.

You tell FS2004 to disregard all the approach data for the airport you want to change in the current Nav Database by using deleteAllapproach = True element statements in XML language format.

Any approach data that is not going to be changed for that airport is copied into a new XML file along with the new approach in your case the NDB and all the proper Transistions are written from the new charts that you have downloaded.

I move the NDB transmitter to the new location when building the approach data and delete the visual model of the NDB antenna which is on the ground. I also add a new antenna on the ground for the revised position of the NDB or VOR whichever has to be moved.

All of this is done using one simple bgl that follows MSN's default Nav Database standard and the file must be placed in the Scenery\Generic\scenery folder as per MSN's recommendation when writing new Facility Approach data as per current Jepp charts.

Again FS9 is a very powerful program and MSN uses this one single folder for hard coding (overwriting) any exsisting type scenery data found in FS9. Because AFCAD reads all Navaids (except ILS) from the NAVDatabase then when you open the airport with AFCAD the NDB symbol is now located in its proper LAT/LON position at the opposite end of the runway in your case.

When I add all the proper transistions to tha NDB approach as per current charts, then the GPS receiver displays the lines properly without file corruption which also can cause CTD. If you "Load" and "Activate" anyone of the transistion to the NDB approach then your user plane will fly the approach for you if you lock the GPS toggle switch and the VOR autopilot button together.

I wish I could do a Tutorial on this subject but each airport and each type new approach is tailored differently with many varibles.

What I can recommend is do a search on my name Jim Vile (author) over on the other site that starts with AVSI and download any of my Active ILS Series of airports or Approach files that I have written. In my readme txt file find my e-mail address and send me the info on what airport you are talking about. I think it is Greeley, CO. but not sure.

I can send you a new Nav database for that airport which you can place in FS9. It will take about 30 minutes to write it if only the NDB Approach has changed since FS9's was released.