ATC pronouncing 'underscore' and ‘hash-tag’ in AI airline name and other parts of text-to-speech

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ISSUE DESCRIPTION

Description of the issue:
It’s very difficult to make out but it sounds as if ATC is saying ‘underscore’ between the airline same and number, e.g. ‘Ryanair underscore 2314’ rather than just ‘Ryanair 2314’. Note that the equivalent text in the ATC window does not show that underscore in the name. I wonder if the config file for a particular airline has the underscore and it is erroneously being pronounced by the text-to-speech engine.

Did you experience this issue before you joined the Beta?
Can’t be sure as I hadn’t used ATC much before SU3 beta.

If applicable, which aircraft is experiencing this issue:

[PC Only] Did you remove all your community mods/add-ons? If yes, are you still experiencing the issue?

FREQUENCY OF ISSUE

How often does this occur for you (Example: Just once, every time on sim load, intermittently)?

Always

REPRODUCTION STEPS

Please list clear steps you took in order to help our test team reproduce the same issue:

  1. Start flight with ATC and AI (online) enabled
  2. Listen to ATC talking to the AI airliner
  3. hear what sounds like ‘underscore’

YOUR SETTINGS

If the issue still occurs with no mods and add-ons, please continue to report your issue. If not, please move this post to the User Support Hub.

What peripherals are you using, if relevant:

[PC Only] Are you using Developer Mode or have you made any changes to it?
No

[PC Only] What GPU (Graphics Card) do you use?
RTX4090

[PC Only] What other relevant PC specs can you share?
9800X3D/500 mbps

MEDIA

Please add a screenshot or video of the issue occurring.

[END OF FIRST USER REPORT]


:loudspeaker: For anyone who wants to contribute on this issue, Click on the button below to use this template:

Do you have the same issue if you follow the OP’s steps to reproduce it?

Provide extra information to complete the original description of the issue:

If relevant, provide additional screenshots/video:

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So by moving this out of the beta subforum you’re confirming that the bug was pre-existing?

Edit: I’m only asking this as a forum search revealed no similar bug reports and I’m surprised such an obvious condition is left unreported :slight_smile:

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Every airline gives me the message “Underscore” between the airline and the flight number.
I am on the latest Beta version.

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Definitely an issue that popped up in the latest SU3 Beta Build (1.5.9.0) Never heard ATC say Underscore in hundreds of hours in the sim. Even doing it for my call outs “CTWN32 UNDERSCORE RAW65”

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In view of subsequent posts confirming this is a new issue would you please move this bug report back to the beta forum.

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This is so obviously not a localisation problem.

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I did some testing, and I can confirm that this is, indeed, a SU3 specific problem.

When you go to configure your aircraft, under the “Identification” tab, you can put in Tail number, Call sign, and Flight number. If you put anything in the Flight number, that’s what triggers the bug. The ATC will then address you like [Call Sign] [Flight Number], but in SU3 (1.5.9.0) they will also add “underscore n”, between Call sign and Flight number. To me, this seems like some piece of code (_n), that’s not supposed to be read out loud. This affects anyone talking in the ATC window; your pilot/co-pilot, ATC, or AI traffic. In SU2 (1.4.20.0) it works as expected.

If you leave Flight number blank, ATC will instead address you like [Aircraft type] [Tail number], and it will not trigger the bug.

SU3 (1.5.9.0)

SU2 (1.4.20.0)

Moved back to Sim Update 3 Beta | MSFS 2024 > ATC, Traffic & NAVAIDs . Thanks to all who have taken the time to repro this.

2 Likes

Do you have the same issue if you follow the OP’s steps to reproduce it?
• Yes. Xbox-x

Provide extra information to complete the original description of the issue:
• As above.

If relevant, provide additional screenshots/video:

Been hearing ATC saying “decimal” when addressing me over the radio for so long (this is in msfs2020 by the way) that I am not surprised they also fully pronounce underscore in 2024 (and probably other symbols one would normally not pronounce literally in the real world.

Hello @Schermvlieger,

Saying “decimal” over the radio is actually correct.

Thanks,
MSFS Team

Thanks for clearing that up; the situation was; ATC said nothing BUT decimal: that was my callsign: “decimal”… Good to know that they were at least not in error pronouncing “decimal”.

This also happens for “SPEEDBIRD.” Also I’ve just discovered “VIRGIN, VIRJIN, & VIR GIN,” are all not allowed to be entered as callsigns anymore. Before the latest update they’ve been allowed since launch.This was how it was in MSFS2020 if I recall.

Two steps forward and three steps back it always feels like. Sigh*

2 Likes

For those experiencing this issue, would you mind sendinf a screenshot of your aircraft identification screen?

Jayne, this is a more generalised issue that I first thought when I created the report some days ago. It is not just your own aircraft that contains the erroneous verbalising of ‘underscore’ but a multitude of AI aircraft as well.

If the devs want to try and replicate the issue then simply use AI at a major airport (the major airport is only to provide a good sample population size it is not part of the issue), tune your radio to the ATC and you will hear many (but not all) aircraft types and airline names spoken with the ‘underscore’.

Sometimes your own airplane will not be affected but only the AI aircraft depending on its type.

3 Likes

Yep, still not fixed. ATC calling some AI aircraft by registration instead of callsign and some with underscore.

I think this a wider issue.

I’ve been using MSFS very little recently but have still seen several instances of ‘variables’ being visible to the user when they shouldn’t be. For example the dialog from witless passengers or ATC in career missions.

Pretty sure there’s been reports of similar in other contexts as well.

I fly Jetstar A320 livery a lot and ATC pronounces it Jet-h’nsn.
Every type ATC directs to next way point it adds phrase “underscore” e.g. OLTIN it says “Oltin Underscore something something”.

When setting up flight, in Aircraft config I enter following format:

Registration: 9V-JSQ
Airline: Jetstar
Flight number : 3 character numerical no letters e.g. 823

Same issue here, but I also experiance it if ATC tries to pronounce waypoints, like “Radar contact, cntinue to BATTY underscore” or when AI flights talk over the radio, like “blah blah blah Ryan Air underscore

Here’s an example of the “underscore” bug in SU 3 1.5.13.0

1 Like