Navigraph

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hhatch
Airman Basic
Posts: 4
Joined: 30 May 2018, 16:15

Navigraph

Post by hhatch »

I do not currently own any A2A aircraft but am looking at purchasing the c182 Skylane or the Comanche 250. They look like outstanding planes. I am an FSX user and I sometimes like to fly VOR with no gps and I normally use approach plates. At this point the navaids are way out of date. I am aware of the Herv Sors website but that did not work for me. Are there any plans to have navigraph support for any of your planes ?

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AKar
A2A Master Mechanic
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Joined: 26 May 2013, 05:03

Re: Navigraph

Post by AKar »

The navaids don't reside in the airplane but in the simulator world. Navigraph offers no update to these.

Hervé Sors does, and it should work just fine - I'd start to troubleshoot from there. Did you download and install from this page both the "World Navaids package" for navaids and the "World (except Europe)" for ILS/Rwy regional updates?

Also, do you have any addons that may override the default scenery where you fly?

-Esa

hhatch
Airman Basic
Posts: 4
Joined: 30 May 2018, 16:15

Re: Navigraph

Post by hhatch »

AKar wrote:The navaids don't reside in the airplane but in the simulator world. Navigraph offers no update to these.

Hervé Sors does, and it should work just fine - I'd start to troubleshoot from there. Did you download and install from this page both the "World Navaids package" for navaids and the "World (except Europe)" for ILS/Rwy regional updates?

Also, do you have any addons that may override the default scenery where you fly?

-Esa
I did download from the the location you indicated. It was a while ago so I don't remember exactly what I downloaded although I believe I did it correctly. The problem I ran into before was that the magenta lines on the gps disappeared after I updated the navaids. I know other people have had the same problem. I will take another look. I have no addons that would override the default scenery. The only addons I have are Active Sky, Rex Texture Direct, and one payware plane. I have kept addons to a minimum deliberatley to minimize possible problems.

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AKar
A2A Master Mechanic
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Joined: 26 May 2013, 05:03

Re: Navigraph

Post by AKar »

hhatch wrote:The problem I ran into before was that the magenta lines on the gps disappeared after I updated the navaids. I know other people have had the same problem.
I think this is a known problem if using default FSX/P3D flight planner function together with updated navaids, as the former is somehow tied to the latter. I have not used the default GPS for many years myself, only third party options such as RXP and F1 GTN. I sometimes do fly VORs and NDBs without any GPS whatsoever, and the updated navaids are the only option really to keep the sim world current.

If getting into A2A world, I bet you'll eventually end up getting one of those GPS addons as well, if you wish to have the magenta and do arbitrary RNAV waypoints. :) These units include their own databases, which are more or less up to date, at least in comparison to the sim's boxed one.

-Esa

hhatch
Airman Basic
Posts: 4
Joined: 30 May 2018, 16:15

Re: Navigraph

Post by hhatch »

I was not aware of that problem using the default flight planner. I was wondering about a couple of things with respect to the third party GPS addons you mentioned. If they have their own database are they updatable ? Also I'm wondering generally how well they work with the fsx default aircraft or payware. Are they for any type aircraft like GA, Jets etc.

I was looking at Simbrief and noticed they have Airac cycles which can be updated if one has a subscription. Would this solve my problem of outdated navaids particularly with respect to approach plates ?

Thanks for all your info.

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Alan_A
Senior Master Sergeant
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Joined: 05 Aug 2009, 14:37
Location: Bethesda, MD

Re: Navigraph

Post by Alan_A »

The challenge is getting the updated data into the sim itself.

The solution I've been using is fsAerodata, which is a paid subscription service. It connects to your Navigraph account (for those that have Navigraph accounts) and feeds the AIRAC into FSX or P3D.

The downside is that you've got to have both subscriptions (fsAerodata and Navigraph) for it to work. But if you do, it's completely seamless.

Might be worth a look.

I haven't tried Hervé Sors' solution, so can't compare.
"Ah, Paula, they are firing at me!" -- Saint-Exupery

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AKar
A2A Master Mechanic
Posts: 5208
Joined: 26 May 2013, 05:03

Re: Navigraph

Post by AKar »

hhatch wrote:I was not aware of that problem using the default flight planner. I was wondering about a couple of things with respect to the third party GPS addons you mentioned. If they have their own database are they updatable ? Also I'm wondering generally how well they work with the fsx default aircraft or payware. Are they for any type aircraft like GA, Jets etc.

I was looking at Simbrief and noticed they have Airac cycles which can be updated if one has a subscription. Would this solve my problem of outdated navaids particularly with respect to approach plates ?
You need to separate two different things. First, the sim world that includes all the "physical" navaids, be that NDB, VOR or some sort of approach aid. It is equivalent to the real physical world. This can be updated by updates made by Hervé Sors, or payware fsAerodata. Second is the database in the navigation system, that contains the data of the physical navaids and of the "imaginary" waypoints, airfields etc. This is similar to the database that is in the boxes of the real airplanes, and is what the nav data updates from Navigraph etc. update.

In what comes to third party GPSes, A2A products support Flight1 units, and I believe RealityXP nowadays as well. They come with full virtual cockpit integration, and work pretty much as you'd expect them to in reality as well. They are based on Garmin's trainer software that runs in background. The database is modestly up-to-date, and in principle can be updated if you can source newer Garmin database than the one that comes with the latest trainer software, so it is a bit challenging. I've found the included database to be sufficiently up to date, with pretty minor discrepancies.

-Esa

hhatch
Airman Basic
Posts: 4
Joined: 30 May 2018, 16:15

Re: Navigraph

Post by hhatch »

Thanks for all the information. I took a look at Aerosoft and If I did an annual update of navaids which I think is enough for me I would just need to subscribe to Navigraph for 1 month and get a 3 month subscription to Aerosoft.

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Alan_A
Senior Master Sergeant
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Joined: 05 Aug 2009, 14:37
Location: Bethesda, MD

Re: Navigraph

Post by Alan_A »

You can get the complete Navigraph AIRAC data on the GPS by using fsAerodata and the default Garmins. After you've used fsAerodata to install the AIRAC in the sim, you then edit the panel.cfg to change the GPS type from "fs9gps.cab" (the default) to "p3dgps.cab". (source for this info: the fsAerodata FAQ). You have to do this for each aircraft you want to fly. The result will be that you'll have a default GPS, but all frequencies will be updated, and the "procedures" page (PROC button) will include all the current SIDs, STARs and approach procedures.

Of course, since this is limited to the default GPS, you'll be sacrificing some advanced functionality - though I have to say the default GPS is more capable than people are willing to credit.

Esa is right that the Flight1 and RealityXP units will work most of the time, with only a few disconnects between the GPS database and the AIRAC. In practice the inconsistencies have never been a problem for me.

And you're right that could set yourself up with the minimum subscriptions for both Navigraph and fsAerodata. Unless you absolutely have to have the most current AIRAC - which seems like overkill - you'll be fine, and much more up to date than with the default navdata.

Hope this helps.
"Ah, Paula, they are firing at me!" -- Saint-Exupery

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