Tuning radios manually doesn’t work/not detected by ATC

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1

Using the ATC functions to find the nearest airport, then tuning COM1 to the tower frequency, works fine, and gives you a menu to choose a landing etc.

However, if you manually choose the frequency, either by entering the frequency by hand, for example on the COM panel of the TBM, or by using the Saitek radio panel, the ATC UI reflects this change, and will also ID the airport you are tuned to, but it does not generate any menu items to choose from.

It only works if you choose the nearest airport ATC menu option.

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2

just a quick question, after you make the manual change to the freq you are pushing the switch button to make it the active freq right? Each radio, com1 and com2 have two radio freq’s. Maybe you know this, but just making sure. I fly manually and have no problem.

When you turn the nobs and make the change the freq changing is highlighted by a box. This is not the active freq. You have to push the switch freq button to make it the active. This is different than pushing the Com button in to change between com1 and com2.

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Yes, I make it active, as it is reported in the ATC dialogue. Both with the white button on the Saitek panel, and on the TBM menu on the centre console.

It looks like some additional trigger is not activated when you choose frequencies manually, that only gets set/detected when you use the WTC nearest airport function.

It’s easy to test. Just fly away from one airport to another, and try and raise the destination tower without using nearest airport, tuning manually only.

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ahh, i see. i haven’t tried that since I typically don’t know the frequencies i’m flying into. i’ll have to give it a try.

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The TBM has a handy feature where you can enter the ICAO of an airport and it will list details like runways, frequencies etc., just like the G1000 does. However, there are usually multiple frequencies, some with identical labels, and it doesn’t tell you which is which.

Correlating with Littlenavmap helps. Also, you can use the ATC nearest airports function to identify the airport, click on it, and list the correct frequency, but you don’t have to tune it at that point, and can instead back out, and tune it manually.

Interestingly, if you do use the ATC menu to tune it, if you the switch to another frequency, then manually tune back, I think works. It’s like some switch is being toggled on, but only through the ATC menu.

I think I’ll log that as a bug tomorrow.

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6

I’ve just created two videos on this issue.

The two tower frequencies concerned here are below, but this issue occurs everywhere. Frequencies checked as accurate from within the sim, as well as via Littlenavmap:

Mildenhall Tower 122.55

Lakenheath Tower 122.1

The first video shows me parked at Mildenhall, UK. I can manually tune the Lakenheath tower, and this is ID’ed in the ATC window at the top, but I cannot interact with it. I’m not overly fussed with this one, I guess that makes sense as tower is covering ground, and the only thing you should want to do here is communicate your attentions, for taxi/takeoff.

This next video shows me in the air, outside of Mildenhall airspace, with the intent of going to Lakenheath.

I can manually tune the frequency for Lakenheath, but it does not prompt me to request a landing. ATC focus is latched on to where you took off from. The ATC window at the top again shows that the manually chosen frequency is accepted, and it knows that is Lakenheath tower, but you do not get the option to request direction, request landing etc.

The only way to switch ATC focus is to use the “Nearest airport list” menu, even if you already have the correct frequency tuned. As soon as you select the base from that list, then you get the option to land.

I would like the option to do this by hand, and currently the ATC menu refuses to let me do that.

Once you have been handed off from the last ATC, this dialogue should not be latched on to anyone, and you should be able to freely choose the frequency manually, and have the appropriate menu options appear. You shouldn’t have to go via the “Nearest Airport list” menu to do that.

One interesting thing I have noticed is that if you have the “Nearest Airport list” menu open, and you know the frequency you need to use, and that airport is on the list, you do seem to be able to switch between them at will. But that menu has to be open for it to work. One downside to this is that many airports are un-towered, and share the same frequency.

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Did you ever get a resolution to this issue? My issue isn’t quite identical, but similar.

I have found that if I have told MSFS in the initial setup that I’m planning to land at, say, KVNY, but I change my in-flight and decide that I instead want to land at KWHP, I can’t tune KWHP’s tower manually. More specifically, if I change the frequency manually hoping for a relevant ATC option, the software changes me back to KVNY’s frequency instead.

I’m wondering if this is related to my use of the co-pilot to handle the radios. I haven’t tried to navigate this issue with that option turned off.

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8

Sadly, no. Tuning radios manually only works if you first press the “Airport list” button. To clarify, they do tune, but the ATC dialogue is not triggered. Pressing the XFER button swaps frequencies but does nothing, in other words, until you press that ATC button, then swap in and out, and you can happily switch between towers.

I did get an update to my ticket, though, and it has been requalified as a bug!

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I found something similar last night flying from JFK in New York to Philadelphia International using the 747. I used the ATC control panel to tune in Philadelphia from the nearest airport list. The ATC menu changed my radio frequency to Philadelphia, but then it would not let me do anything. When I tried to request permission to land I got no reply from ATC. Once I landed I requested permission to taxi to a gate and still no reply. When I parked I requested the jetway, fuel, baggage, catering, everything. ATC would not reply to any of my requests even though it said that I was tuned in correctly to the Philadelphia tower. Every time that I tried to request anything from the tower using the ATC window it just sat there and did nothing.

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Wanted to create a topic about this but found this one.

I encountered a similar behaviour with radios yesterday on the A320NX (0.4.0):
At first, I noticed something strange, after selecting the ATIS in the ATC menu: No ATIS pre-recorded message was played even though the ATC Menu was on the correct frequency. Then I thought I could check the frequency on the plane’s radio panel, and effectively it was another frequency than the one active in my ATC menu. Tuned the right frequency for the ATIS, activated it, but still no audio. Then I tried many active frequencies in the ATC menu and on the radio panel, nothing worked: ATC was gone. Even with the copilot Assist. Only the ground services were available. Yes my batteries were on, even the APU.

Restarted the flight, enabled the copilot Radio assist and then I was able to access ATC like normal. Or almost like normal, I noticed the ATC frequencies in the ATC panel were desynchronized from the ones on my plane’s radio panel. When I switched frequencies in the ATC menu it was not updated on the radio panel, and same when the copilot AI switched frequencies by himself. Did not tried to mess around with the frequencies on the radio panel because I did not want to break ATC with my current flight.

So here it: Encountered ATC Black out + Desynchronization between ATC panel and Radio panel frequencies. If anyone has a lead on how to deal with this. Thanks

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11

Today ve tested the A320NXneo (0.4.0) on VATSIM eith VPilot and SWIFT. I cant get the aircraft comm synchon with the Online-Clients. I`s broke after switching the stations . :thinking:
With the CESSNA no issues, the comm is synch between aircraft and Client.

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It’s a bigger issue than you think. Go to KOBE (RJBE) in Japan. There are multiple airports in that area that all use the same tower frequency. Not only are they all talking on the same frequency at the same time but if you manually enter the frequency, and request to land at KOBE, an airport 65nm away can accept your landing request even though KOBE is listed on the ATC UI.

I spent over 10 minutes trying to land at KOBE. I requested a full stop landing and ATC accepted but I was never able to reply to ATC because the AI traffic from multiple airports never shut up long enough for the game to let me answer. I couldn’t even cancel my landing intention because that requires us to talk to ATC too. ATC cancelled my request three times before I gave up.

There are at least three airports all using the same frequency for the same service in that area.

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Hi, any news about this issue? I have just bought a Logitech Radio Panel, but makes not sense using it with MSFS2020 as you can only set manually the frecuency ATC suggest… :frowning:

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I’ve had that situation in real life, many military airfields in the UK use UHF as primary frequencies and offer tower on VHF 122.1 such as Lakenheath and Wattisham. These airfields are within around 25nm of each other and when above 1500’ in certain atmospheric conditions it’s easy to hear both towers.

Specific airfield procedures warn of this and advise pilots not to use tower above a certain height and beyond a certain distance, and of course to use the airfield callsign with each transmission. Not possible in MSFS ATC of course.

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Very annoying that we can’t manually tune a station and start a “conversation” with the ATC! :frowning: Along with ATIS always reporting the same (incorrect) cloud-cover, this really makes it impossible to make proper simulated flights.

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You can, but you have to use the “Nearest Airport” menu to do that. You don’t need to select them from the list, you just need to see the list. If its a towered airport that is in range, manually tuning to its frequency, and hitting transfer will then tune to it. If it’s an untowered airport, controlled elsewhere that controls many, if you just use the frequency then you just tune to the airstrip that is the nearest to you. If you wanted a specific airstrip, you either need to ensure you are close enough, or manually pick it from the list by hand.

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17

Thanks @hobanagerik. Well aware of this capability, and it is what I’m doing for now :slight_smile:

But the nearest airport list is a pain, especially in the US with a ton of airstrips all over the place - I often need to carefully go through 6 pages manually before the airport I want is there - at least give me a search/filter?

But ultimately, I’d much rather follow the more realistic experience of dialing in a frequency and start the conversation - all MSFS needs to do is show the button of “Contact Tower” when I’ve dialed a valid frequency, completely within the current feature-set of the sim.

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18

I agree, although realistically there is no way to do that with the multitude of airstrips that are covered by the same tower/centre. What it would be nice to see is when you tune to one of those frequencies, it pulls up a list of strips in the vicinity that are covered by it, and choose from that subset, like a filter for that longer list.

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You mean “Narest airport” menu in the ATC Window not in the Garmin screen, right?

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Yes. If you can see the list, then manually tuning, either on the cockpit Garmin, or as I do on the Logitech Radio panel, works within those limits: towered picked up if it is close enough to be on the list, untowered is closest strip to share that frequency.

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