beroun Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 Hi there, comtemplating about getting "PF3-ATC At Its Best" available in the Store here for download. Wander if anyone has any experience with it? Got FS2004 and do mainly IRF flights with standatrd Voice Pack- accelerated with some added call signs through EditVoicepack. Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks, Peter Bendl ex. British Airways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhinson Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 I use it all the time, it is a complex piece of software and has a huge number of configuration settings so it does take a while to get the hang of but I expect once you get it running as you want it, you will never look back. Biggest plus point is the huge number of accents, automatically associated with appropriate airlines, and their countries for ATC. Second biggest plus point is that it uses realistic transition levels rather than 18000 around the world (although you can modify them all to 18000 or what you like if you want!) Biggest negative point is that the recordings were made many years ago so they do not include recent airlines. In theory they could be created like EditVoicePack but the sheer number of voices make that an unpalatable idea. In such cases I use the ICAO code, for instance MyTravel Airlines (ICAO VZ) was "Kestrel" but that isn't included, so I would fly it as VICTOR ZULU 1234. Edit . . . that is a poor example because it IS included, but hopefully you get the gist' This product has the best support I have ever come across (whether for Flight Simulator or other subjects) through the forum there, and an incredibly detailed manual which would probably last you through a transatlantic flight! I think a trial version is available if you want to suck it and see. Hope this helps, John http://www.adventure-unlimited.org My co-pilot's name is Sid and he's a star! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSMR Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 How does it differ from the default ATC? I know default is lame, but is it a matter of what it tells / directs you is what has already been inputted? Such as SID / STAR’s, height restrictions, speeds etc? If there is a runway change, does that make the STAR now obsolete? Since it’s all a 0’s and 1 program, can it now assign new arrivals routes etc? I’m just curious how it all works. https://fshub.io/airline/RUA/overview Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beroun Posted February 7, 2023 Author Share Posted February 7, 2023 Thanks John, In addition to JSMR questions: Just curious if the PF3 communication is done the similar way as with the default ATC. Or, opening the comm window, pressing number keys 1,2,3,4,5........ to ask or response to ATC? See screenshot. Also can the communication be accelerated in congested areas - like in the default by Edit Voicepack acceletration? Thanks for any know-hows. Peter Bendl ex. British Airways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beroun Posted February 7, 2023 Author Share Posted February 7, 2023 Also forgot to ask above, Do the frequencies change automatically while switching in ATC window - as wit default ATC? Peter Bendl ex. British Airways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhinson Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 Wow, there are some detailed questions there, and some outside my knowledge - e.g. SIDS and STARS. I don't use them but know they can be replicated. You can use keys or speech recognition to communicate, you can change frequencies manually or automatically, you can acknowledge ATC instructions manually or automatically. Please do try the trial version to find out what it is really like - my words don't do it justice. It is available at Try before you buy - OnCourse Software (ocs-support.co.uk) . I have read that some users have had difficulty installing the demo (perhaps because it works across so many operating systems and Flight Simulators) but check their forum or ask on there if you do. John 1 http://www.adventure-unlimited.org My co-pilot's name is Sid and he's a star! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beroun Posted February 8, 2023 Author Share Posted February 8, 2023 Thanks John. Will pick a good day to give it a shot and share my findings. It sounds too good to be true, so will see. Cheers 1 Peter Bendl ex. British Airways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baron Fritz Posted February 9, 2023 Share Posted February 9, 2023 Hello Peter I hope its not too late to influence your choice of ATC alternatives. I wonder if you have considered Pilot2atc? (https://pilot2atc.com/). I have used PF3-ATC, however I decided on Pilot2atc, it was a case of a few more bucks for a far better product. There is a 10 day trial period, but I didn't make it all the way through before I decided to go for it. The Pilot2atc is superior by far, quite realistic and intuitive, up dated very frequently and you will not be tied to your key board so you will spend a lot more time actually flying. If there is a downside, you should be prepared to spend several hours with the intensive manual and watching a few very good tutorials, Setup by Oltcit Room and The Flight by the same author. They are for X- Plane however still roughly applicable to FS 9. If you are a serious flight sim nut, this should not be a problem. I think you would enjoy flying with Pilot2atc far more than P3- ATC, I have never regretted the purchase. Happy flying! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSMR Posted February 9, 2023 Share Posted February 9, 2023 Compatible with FS2004? https://fshub.io/airline/RUA/overview Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defaid Posted February 9, 2023 Share Posted February 9, 2023 On 2/8/2023 at 1:03 AM, beroun said: Thanks John. Will pick a good day to give it a shot and share my findings. It sounds too good to be true, so will see. Cheers I'd love to read your impression of it. I've been using Radar Contact for many years. SIDs & STARs require a minor workaround but otherwise it works well for me. The only real downside is the lack of variety in voices: there are so few they've all become close friends... The reported regional variety in PF3 has me very interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beroun Posted February 9, 2023 Author Share Posted February 9, 2023 Thanks for the link to guide. Surely a lot to study. Will try to digest the logistics and give it a try. On surface sound impressive, Peter Bendl ex. British Airways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defaid Posted February 9, 2023 Share Posted February 9, 2023 8 minutes ago, JSMR said: Compatible with FS2004? I'm wondering too. The user guide refers to FSUIPC version 5 for P3d and v4 for the other sims. FS9 uses v3, so possibly not compatible. There is a free 10-day trial: https://pilot2atc.com/index.php/downloads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beroun Posted February 9, 2023 Author Share Posted February 9, 2023 The 199 page instructions mention FS9 so it should work with v3. Tempting to purchase it after I saw some impressive uTube videos. Usually learn by trial and error. So curious how it will work? Will comment here. Perhaps one page instruction should suffice Peter Bendl ex. British Airways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beroun Posted February 9, 2023 Author Share Posted February 9, 2023 I guess premature to purchase through the Store here? No finish purchase button? Their web download is acting up also? Peter Bendl ex. British Airways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beroun Posted February 12, 2023 Author Share Posted February 12, 2023 I think I put it on back burner after seeing one of the Utube segments, when the voice is quite mechanistic with the words patched up. The default ATC seems much clearer. Not a question of $30 but wander how much I would gain? Also the 199 page guide is quite scary. Peter Bendl ex. British Airways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baron Fritz Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 Beroun.... there's a rumour that you are giving up on your quest for improved ATC. I have some more information that you, as well as other folks reading this thread, should be interested in. It deals primarily with Pilot2atc but I have included a link to the PF3 manual in order to make a fair comparison. - https://pilot2atc.com/index.php/documentation vs https://search.brave.com/search?q=pf3+atc+manual&source=web&show_flights_rh=1 (This is the one that ties you to the keyboard) - some phrases used in P2ATC communication; https://www.dropbox.com/s/vczu6gwbsgllwuj/Pilot2Atc VFR Scripts.pdf?dl=0&m= - free voices for P2ATC ; https://www.neuber.com/free/voicesinstaller/ and http://www.zero2000.com/free-text-to-speech-natural-voices.html - this one is payware however there is a one year free trial period. I have only recently discovered it and have not used it yet. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IOKg-1fVbQ Pilot2ATC is perfectly happy with FSUIPC 3.999 (now freeware),FS9 and Windows 10. All of this must seem somewhat daunting.I know it was for me, but I started out by flying in the pattern and staying very local until I got comfortable with it. Then I started going further afield and sought out more challenging scenarios, before I knew it, I had left the default ATC long in the dust. I am confident you can get over your ATC angst ..... you just might like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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