Google Earth

Is there a way to link FS2004 to Google Earth?

I'm using Windows 10.

It used to be possible … see https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/content.php?17223-Build-Your-Own-VFR-Scenery-With-FSEarthTiles and scroll down a bit for the FS9 info.

I remember trying something similar a long time ago. It's VERY bandwidth heavy (possibly not so much of a problem these days with broadband) and takes an enormous amount of local disk space, but yes, it's possible.

Good luck :)

Thanks, but not quite what I'm looking for.

I would like to be able to show my current flight in Google Earth.

I've done quite a bit of tile downloading with FSEarth Tiles, but it ended up, as you say, using up a LARGE amount of disk space. What it does is to load 'tiles' from Google Earth to be used in the sim. So you get photo real scenery. Not quite what I'm looking for.

I did try an old version of G-Plan that supposedly should work, but on loading, it told me that I was not connected to the internet - I was!

Gi'day Robin,

Might be of some interest ...

https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/showthread.php?332175-Fly-over-real-terrain

Dorian

I did try an old version of G-Plan that supposedly should work, but on loading, it told me that I was not connected to the internet - I was!

It's called Plan-G, not G-Plan. A G-plan is something a sex therapist would have you conduct for the maritals... LOL!

Moving on. Read this blog entry dated from 2011. I can't link the section since the code didn't anchor it, but the title is: Live Google Maps integration. That part there talks about it and has a link to the Plan-G help forum. No, not for medicare in the U.S. Plan-G website: https://www.tasoftware.co.uk/

For those with FSX, you can do this for Little Navmap thanks to Bina at AVSIM. https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/548994-new-maps-for-lnm/

LOL - Seems I really got my G-spots mixed up..

Anyway, I did try that Plan-G 2.0.5 & on running it, it tells me that internet is not working..

Anyway, I'll try again..

Hi Robin.

If Plan-G looks as though it might be what you want, I think Tim Arnot is still active at the CBFS forum. He also has his own support forum.

D

I've used Plan-G but I thought it only shown a true map, I wasn't aware it shown true Earth tiles as you flew, or have I misunderstood?

Col.

LOL - Seems I really got my G-spots mixed up..

Anyway, I did try that Plan-G 2.0.5 & on running it, it tells me that internet is not working..

Anyway, I'll try again..

I've downloaded, installed & run the latest version of Plan-G. It seems to be working.

No idea as to why I downloaded an old version..

I've used Plan-G but I thought it only shown a true map, I wasn't aware it shown true Earth tiles as you flew, or have I misunderstood?

 

Col.

Have a look at this blog where it says "Getting Started." Looks like Sat imagery to me. http://mutleyshangar.com/reviews/jack/plang/plang.htm I never knew it either, and I need to try that plugin for Little Navmap as well.

Ah yes of course Aaron, I forgot about that it is a sat image as you say, I did use it but went back to the map version.

I once flew over Perth, Australia where my cousin lives, I was on Facebook at the time and I was telling him I just flew of such and such area and following the so and so road to xxx.

He thought I was there and said, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming, are you landing at Perth?"

I then told him I was in FS and still at home in the UK, by the way I'm not on FB anymore either.

Col.

HAHA Yeah... I'd say something like, "I'm over your house now, man!" :D

Perth reminds me a lot like Orange county, California. Or at least Riverside where I used to live waaay back in the day.

Never been to Perth, but I have an online friend that lives there that codes a security script I use over at Github and I'm one of the project members. He really know his code, let me tell you. LOL Pretty damn talented. There's a lot of unbelievable stuff at Github. It's the hacker's treasure trove for everything computer and radio communications. But other things lie there as well from Chrome, Firefox, to Bitwarden. Even something called Ungoogled Chromium which is what I use as another browser along all the other browsers I use for reasons... It's absolutely amazing the things out there right now. I can use something called IFTTT with the ADS-B Exchange API to blink a Philips Hue light if a certain aircraft is near by. Same thing for a satellite. I can only imagine this will be all shut down one day. So much for "freedom" and what not. Takes a few &*^% congressman to mess s&^t up.

Oh, Facebook. I'm not on any social media. Not even Linkedin. If I want a Linkedin-like thing going for me I'll run a website. It'll A) show I know how to do that and B) be a little more private and what not. There are APIs and scripts that people can use to harvest your data. There's even a non API script that someone could run in Docker to pull all kinds of crap off Twitter. People say they have no privacy, but don't stop swimming around the trash. It's like having diabetes and eating doughnuts everyday. Ah, really? Speaking of privacy and what not, check out my post on Edward Snowden.

Yes I watched a Snowden clip a while ago. Funny I was only talking to one of my cousins a few days ago about a guy who worked for a big bank as an IT guy.

Every weekend he was hacking the system and taking the odd pence (cents in the USA) from peoples accounts.

Something they would never notice, surprising it mounted up to a large sum, he got caught because someone had to do maintenance on the server one night and noticed the activity.

Col.

Unfortunately whilst the Mutley's Hanger review of Plan-G discusses Live Google Maps Integration this was not implemented in v3. As Tim explains:

"It was and is clear that there is no way on earth I can pay Google's $10,000 PER YEAR licence fee, and so the choice was simple: Make a v3 with no Google maps, or shut down Plan-G altogether."

https://www.tasoftware.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2557.msg13272#msg13272

Per Plan-G v3.2.2 ReadMe:

Notes:

Maps

PG3 uses maps based on Open StreetMap (OSM) data. This has the advantage of being free and will always be free. The downside is that the servers can be bandwidth limited (OSM themselves get very uppity if you start hitting their server heavily). The preferred servers for PG3 are from MapQuest, which is a commercial company that sponsors a free access server and doesn't complain about bandwidth.

So, I am sorry to report, Plan-G does not use Google Earth/Maps (and has not done so since v2).

Regards,

Dorian

You can nerd it out and point Plan-G to your own OSM server. https://github.com/openstreetmap/openstreetmap-website/blob/master/INSTALL.md

https://github.com/openstreetmap

On YouTube many people offer sponsored Linode credit, and there are $100 server coupons...

Here's better Info.

https://help.openstreetmap.org/questions/19878/private-maps-do-i-need-to-install-my-own-osm-server

https://switch2osm.org/serving-tiles/

Yes, but that's not really what the OP (Robin) wants ...

As I posted (in reply #4) Gunther Zielosko's use of Pete Dowson's GPSOut and a tablet is one possible (and easily achievable) solution.

Regards,

Dorian

I downloaded & installed Plan-G & set up the scenery pointer to my FS2004 install.... All good there.

However, when I click the 'Connect' button, all I get is a 'ding' & it does not connect to my FS2004.

Any ideas? (I'm using Windows 10, if that makes a difference)

Is it the latest version of Plan-G?

I'm assuming Plan-G uses FSUIPC for the connection. Is that installed? You should see FSUIPC as an add-on menu item.

Is FS in the programs folder or somewhere else? That could make all the difference in whether the FSUIPC module communicated beyond the limitations imposed by Windows 10's folder protections in the default programs folder.

This is where you download Plan-G. https://www.tasoftware.co.uk/

The file (mapbox_styleset_4_plan-g_v1_0.zip) FS2004/FSX/P3D/X-Plane Mapbox Styleset for Plan-G here at the library looks interesting. https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/fslib.php?do=copyright&fid=192920

This forum post from the wayback machine says it's version 2. You'll need to register. http://www.tasoftware.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1295.0

I'll give it another try.. I've also reinstalled FSUIPC & everything seems to be in their correct spot, with the FSUIPC dll is in Modules. I do have the sim in C: & not in Program Files.

I'm using Plan-G 3.2.2 & I'm downloading that mapbox style set.

Thanks for all the help.. I'll keep trying & will report back.

I've had no luck getting Plan-G to connect to my FS2004.. however, it works perfectly with my P3Dv4.5.

So, I'll probably stick to FSNav for FS2004.

Thanks, everyone, for the advice & help.