• If you get error messages please read the FAQ and the Troubleshooting before sending a bug request!
• The actual manual describes only the FGCOM client and not the server!

FGCOM comes as a GNU-zipped and tar`ed source package. After unpacking you have to go to fgcom/src and create the binary. Note that you must have some libraries and a development kit (GCC) installed for getting FGCOM compiled (see Requirements)

If you do not use the iaxclient library >= 2.0 (what is actualy not applicable for Debian etch), you have to undefine HAVE_IAX12 (see fgcom.h)!

If you got the code running on ther Distributions or have it ported to other OSs, please let me know!

I wrote the code on Debian (lenny). Here is simply what I do to build the binary.

$ ls
fgcom-latest.tar.gz
$ tar xvzf fgcom-latest.tar.gz
...
$ cd fgcom/src

Now edit the Makefile and change the lines for PLIB_PREFIX and OPENAL_PREFIX for your needs (Note that there are two blocks: one for lInux and one for Mac OSX).

$ make
...
$ make install
...

The binary is installed at /usr/local/bin/fgcom and the data files are located at /usr/local/fgcom. If you don't like this, please change at the Makefile.

At this time FGCOM gets all needed parameters from the command line. In furture version there maybe a configuration file for some options.

For non-develop FlightGear:

Installing the keyboards.xml for setting up the PTT key

Installation the fgcom.xml protocol

Account options:

--user          | -U     username for VoIP account (default: 'guest')
--password      | -P     password for VoIP account (default: 'guest')
--voipserver    | -s     voip server to ceonnect to (default 'localhost')
--port          | -p     where we should listen to FG(default '16661')

ATC mode options:

--airport       | -a     airport-id (ICAO) for ATC-mode
--frequency     | -f     frequency for ATC-mode

Audio options:

--mic           | -i     mic input level (0.0 - 1.0)
--speaker       | -o     speaker output level (0.0 - 1.0)
--mic-boost     | -b     enable mic boost
--list-audio    | -l     list audio devices
--set-audio-in  | -r     use <devicename> as audio input
--set-audio-out | -k     use <devicename> as audio output

Misc options:

--debug         | -d     show debugging information

FGCOM can only be fully used with an account. Look at “Getting an account“ how to get an account. But you can test without an account (by default the used account is guest, password guest) with restricted frequency use. As guest you can use only the following frequencies:

• 911.000 MHz (ATC-Help)
• 910.000 MHz (Echo-Box)
• 123.450 MHz (Air2Air 1)
• 122.750 Mhz (Air2Air 2)

FGCOM can be used in two different ways:

The FlightGear mode is the smartest mode. All you have to do is to start FGCOM from the command line (or from a script). You only have to give your username and your password via the command line switches. FGCOM gets the rest of the needed data directly from FlightGear. What you have also to know: You must start FLightGear with the fgcom-Protokoll for this (and certainly with the multiplayer options). See the following example:

$ fgcom -Udemo -Pdemo &
...
$ fgfs --generic=socket,out,10,localhost,16661,udp,fgcom \
--multiplay=out,10,mpserver02.flightgear.org,5000 \
--multiplay=in,10,<YOUR_HOSTNAME>,5000

Note: It seems that different version of plib have problems when using 127.0.0.1 for the generich protocol. Try to use localhost (see aboeve) instead.

In ATC mode (or standalone mode) you don't need to start FlightGear. But than you have to tell FGCOM also at which location you are (because this is needed for the range decissions) and on which frequency you wish to connect (in addition to your username and password):

fgcom -Udemo -Pdemo -aKSFO -f120.500

If you have a binary you can make a simple test to check if your installation works:

$ fgcom -f910.000

If you know speak into your microphone you should get the spoken words back with some delay. If not you may have trouble with your sound configuration.

Another test is the following (you need an account):

$ fgcom -U<username> -P<password> -a" SFO" -f115.800

This connects to the VOR SFO at 115.800 MHz. You should hear the morse code of S - F - O. If you can hear the morse code your headset is ok - maybe your mic is muted? Try other sound software for recording somethin from you mic or start alsamixer or something es to check the levels of your mic/speaker.

• Note the option —-list-audio. If you have more than one sound device you can see which number correspondends to your favorite one and you can choose with —-set-audio-in and —-set-audio-out which one to take.
• If you cannot hear anything you can try to set the in- and out volume with —-mic, —-speaker and —-mic-boost.
• Try to disable the sound output from FlighGear by adding —-disable-sound

Here are some usage examples in form of small manuals/scripts.

You need an actual (perhaps developer) version >0.9.10 for using the „ATC-aircraft“!

Let's say you are at EDDI (Berlin Tempelhof) as an ATC. At one (virtual) screen you start your browser with the following link: ATC at EDDT

Than start fgcom in a terminal window:

$ fgcom -U<username> -P<password>

Next start fgfs on another (virtual) screen with the „ATC-aircraft“, fgcom protocol, multiplayer protocol and set the frequencies of the radio to EDDT-TWR:

$ fgfs \
--airport-id=EDDI \
--aircraft=ATC \
--multiplay=out,10,mpserver02.flightgear.org,5000 \
--multiplay=in,10,<YOUR_HOSTNAME>,5000 \
--generic=socket,out,10,127.0.0.1,16661,udp,fgcom \
--prop:/instrumentation/comm/frequencies/selected-mhz=121.950

This one is the „opposite“ of the ATC above: now we are flying around with a plane and can contact the ATC:

Start fgcom in a terminal window:

$ fgcom -U<username> -P<password>

Next start fgfs with your favorite aircraft (I will use the Dragonfly), fgcom protocol, multiplayer protocol and set the frequencies of the radio to EDDT-TWR:

$ fgfs \
--airport-id=EDDI \
--aircraft=Dragonfly \
--multiplay=out,10,mpserver02.flightgear.org,5000 \
--multiplay=in,10,<YOUR_HOSTNAME>,5000 \
--generic=socket,out,10,127.0.0.1,16661,udp,fgcom \
--prop:/instrumentation/comm/frequencies/selected-mhz=121.950 \

You can omit the last line and change the frequency on your panel (if your plane has one!). Perhaps you want to add —-prop:/sim/atc/enabled=false to disable the automatic ATC chatter in the background.

Did you know that you can switch the radios with <SHIFT> <SPACE>? If your plane supports the you can cycle through COM1, NAV1, COM2, NAV2. On the NAVs you should here the morse code of the NAV name if you are in range.

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