I cant get the Comms Menu to show up in the F/A-18 with my normal PTT configuration

[melchionda]

Hi guys, been flying the A10C for a few months with PTT settings on my Warthog Throttle. I use Voice Attack and Viacom Pro. (Although I cant get Viacom Pro to actually work - but that's a store for another thread). I use Mic switch bound to TX 1-3 for radios, and I use the Comms menu as a "cheat sheet"... So, for example, if I want to request departure I push the Mic switch up to TX1 position and the Comms menu will appear. The local ATC is the first choice in the Comms menu list (F1). I say "Fox 1" and then the ATC menu for the airport will appear. Lets say that request departure is the top choice in that list... so I say "Fox 1" again and the request for departure goes out. A short time later the ATC clears me for departure. Im guessing that this isn't too different from how other people do it. So recently I started playing around with the Hornet... I thought, "Easy, I'll map Comms Switch Comms 1 to "TX1" and Comms Switch Comm2 to "TX2" in the Hornet HOTAS controls. However when in sim in the Hornet I push the Mic Switch to TX 1 or Tx2 I dont get the comms menu. The only way to get the comms menu is to hit the backslash key. Any ideas what I am doing wrong? I definitely do not want to use the keyboard because I fly only in VR and I try to keep my keyboard completely out of the equation w/r/t flying these planes.

 

The other thing I noticed was that in the Communications Control Panel Menu section of the Hornet Settings there are another set of commands that look similar.. Specifically they are "COMM G XMT Switch - Comm 1" and "COMM G XMT Switch - Comm 2". What are these and am I supposed to be using these instead?

Edited July 25, 2020 by melchionda

[rob10]

Not sure if this helps you, but the commands you need to bind in the F-18 to bring up the Comms menu are: COMM Switch - COMM 1 and COMM Switch - COMM 2

Not sure if you'd need to play with the .lau files to get it to send these with the switch you want (three position switch?) but you can definitely bind these to a HOTAS button press.

[melchionda]

I'm using the Mic Switch on my Thrustmaster Warthog Throttle. Its a 5 position switch. I'm currently mapping "Comms Switch Comms 1" and "Comms Switch Comm2" in the F/A 18 Sim HOTAS Controls section to the to 12 o'clock position and 3 o'clock potions of that 5 position Mic Switch. Unless there are more than one thing in the F/A18 settings called Comms Switch Comms 1 and 2, I think I'm already doing what you are suggesting.

Edited July 25, 2020 by melchionda

[rob10]

Hmmm .... that should be working. Tried it on mine and it worked. Have you checked that "Easy comms" hasn't managed to get selected for the F-18? Also check that you have it bound in SIM mode rather than GAME mode. Maybe bind one of the specific COMMS to a keyboard input just to make sure you're getting a response that way to see where things are going wrong.

[randomTOTEN]

You might also want to try temporarily disabling VA and Viacom to see if they're causing conflicts.

[melchionda]

Hmmm .... that should be working. Tried it on mine and it worked. Have you checked that "Easy comms" hasn't managed to get selected for the F-18? Also check that you have it bound in SIM mode rather than GAME mode. Maybe bind one of the specific COMMS to a keyboard input just to make sure you're getting a response that way to see where things are going wrong.

 

BINGO... I can almost assure you that I DO have Easy Comms active. I didn't know that I wasn't supposed to have it activated. (I'm trying to avoid having to manually input the radio frequencies into the various radios.)

 

So you are saying that I need to turn Easy Comms off for the F/A-18? I didn't think that Easy Comms was a plane specific setting. Is it? If so where would I turn off Easy Comms for the F/A-18? Or are you suggesting that (based on my description in my original post of how I want this all to work) I turn off Easy Comms for everything?

 

PS - I think I do now have Viacom pro working. just tired it again and I was able to talk to the Vaziani ATC with out have to call out Fox 1, Fox 2, Fox 3, etc.

[rob10]

I don't use easy comms so I can't confidently say how it works. But if you're using easy comms I *think* you're going to want to only bind "Communication menu" rather than the individual Comm 1 and Comm 2 presses.

You shouldn't need to turn easy comms off in the F-18 (unless you want to use the 2 independent radios). However, for most missions/campaigns the presets are pre-entered and since they are upfront and it shows you which preset you are tuned to makes them pretty easy to use (albeit one more thing to deal with in VR for you).

 

 

EDIT TO ADD: the F-18 is slightly different than say the A-10, because both radio's are identical (rather than separate FM/AM/UHF radios in A-10). I'm guessing that's why in easy comms you likely only need the Comms menu rather than opening one or the other radio.

Edited July 26, 2020 by rob10