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Garmin 500 GPS Hotkey


waynerr

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Hello,

 

I have a third party aircraft that has no Garmin 500 GPS. I would like to install one. I think I understand the way to get the entry into the panel.cfg. I think I can get that to work.

 

My question concerns a Hotkey, or sequence of keys to bring up the GPS when needed. I have not been able to find anything on-line that I have been able to understand on installing one that will work for me.

 

Does anyone have a way to add a Hotkey to the Keyboard of my system to open the Garmin 500 once I get the Garmin installed ?

 

Any help is gratefully appreciated,

 

Wayne

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By far the best program you can use to add gauges and what not is FS Panel Studio. Editing the VC with FS Panel Studio takes a little know how however, especially with third-party aircraft, but it can be done. I once added small flight attendant announcement buttons to the overhead of my FS2004 PMDG 737. And with editing the VC in there it was like they had an invisible mask over the VC panel. So I had to note its coordinates and move it to the side so that I can add things inside the cockpit. Then place the invisible shroud back in place where it was before. So with that, you may encounter such a situation yourself if you edit third-party aircraft with FS Panel Studio.

 

 

If you add the GPS manually you can assign a panel ID that matches that of the GPS simicon panel ID launch button. I think if you do that, the default key combination in FSX to launch the GPS will be activated thus your window with the GPS will pop up.

 

Typically, you'd use a simicon that has a preset panel ID attached to it in its XML code. You'd place that simicon in your cockpit somewhere and when you press that little simicon button it will launch the windows containing your gauge that has that panel ID set. Be it a GPS or weather radar, etc.

 

I'm on my laptop right now, but when I get on my desktop I'll have a look at the panel ID for the default GPS and let you know what it is and give you a panel example to show how it's placed in the panel.cfg file. With that ID, your FSX key combination setting for the default GPS should launch your new window for the GPS to display. That is unless the third-party aircraft already uses that panel ID for something else. It's not without the realm of possibility. If that turns out to be the case you'll have to use a different panel ID with a simicon placed in your cockpit to launch the GPS.

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No need for FsPanelStudio or other software.

 

Just install the GPS as [Window0n]

and you can pop it up with shift+(n+1)

 

for example [Window02]

pops up with Shift+3

[Window08] pops up with shift+9

 

You can use the section from another plane. Just make sure there's not 2 [Window02] sections in the panel.cfg file after editing.

 

At the top of the panel.cfg file you will also need to have a line:

Window02=GPS

 

See how that works in the panel.cfg file you get that section from.

 

Do the editing with Notepad. (The basic text editor in Windows).

 

For the gps gauge itself you don't need to copy any files. The gps gauge is in a location where all planes can find it.

Edited by il88pp
[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]
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As promised, I jumped on my desktop and looked at the window for the default GPS in the 737. This is what it looks like:

 

 

[Window02]
size_mm=456,378
window_size=0.5
position=8
BACKGROUND_COLOR=0,0,0
VISIBLE=0
ident=GPS_PANEL

gauge00=fs9gps!gps_500,            0,0

 

Note the ident=. This tells what window to pop up. If you don't what to use a key combination to launch a window, then you'll need to add the GPS simicon to the cockpit somewhere. The entry for the 737 looks like this:

gauge31=SimIcons1024!GPS Icon,  543,448,19,19

Replace gauge31 with the right number on down the line from other installed gauges. The numbers 543,448 are the coordinates of where the little icon appears, and the numbers 19,19 describe the size of the little icon.

 

I thought perhaps the ident of GPS_PANEL would have a key combination, but I looked in the controls are there is none. So it relies on a simicon button press to launch the window containing the GPS, or you can use a key combination like what was described above to open that particular window number that holds the GPS.

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Thank you so much CRJ_simpilot and iI88pp,

 

I sort of used both of your suggestions. FS Panel Studio for one GPS, on one aircraft, at the present time, seemed like over kill. Good suggestion, but much. I had read it could be done like iI88pp said without other software.

 

I copied the default 737 code from CRJ_simpilot and put it in my panel.cfg. Nothing blew up.

 

I was going to start looking for how to insert a hotkey to the keyboard. No need. I started FSX. and the aircraft. I clicked a Shift+ key and it gave the Shift key options. The GPS was one of them. FANTASTIC. All is right with the world now.

 

Mission accomplished.

 

I do thank both of you so much,

 

Wayne

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  • 1 month later...

 

 

 

gauge31=SimIcons1024!GPS Icon,  543,448,19,19

 

Replace gauge31 with the right number on down the line from other installed gauges. The numbers 543,448 are the coordinates of where the little icon appears, and the numbers 19,19 describe the size of the little icon.

 

I thought perhaps the ident of GPS_PANEL would have a key combination, but I looked in the controls are there is none. So it relies on a simicon button press to launch the window containing the GPS, or you can use a key combination like what was described above to open that particular window number that holds the GPS.

 

Aaron Your gauge 31 entry will work very well with a 2d panel, but on a 3d VC panel, you have to be a little more creative. What il88pp has suggested is about the best and easiest method to add this GPS. I have never used FsPanelStudio, so I can't speak for that. Sounds like the OP has got his GPS now and that's all that really counts!

 

Rick :cool:

 

 

####### OOPS, sorry guys, I just realized I responded to an older post. BUT, il88pp's suggestion is still the best and easiest!!!! ##################

Edited by Downwind66
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