Pro Controller comes with two communication radios and a private ATC radio for you to communicate with. The range of these radios vary depending on the facility type you are using:
| Clearance Delivery | 5nms |
| Ground Controller | 5nms |
| Tower Controller | 30nm |
| Approach/Departure Control | 100nm |
| Center Controller | 400nm |
| Flight Service Station | 1500nm |
This range is based on the center of the radar display.
Aircraft radios also have a limited range based on their altitude so even though you are logged in as a flight service station (1500nm com range) you may have trouble reaching aircraft a long distance away.
Communicating with Aircraft
To address an aircraft click on the target or type a unique portion of the callsign (Pro Controller will select the aircraft that matches your text) then simply type your message and press enter. The message by default will be transmitted on your COM 1 radio. Pro Controller can be configured to transmit on both your COM 1 and COM 2 radios at the same time in the options dialog.
Communicating with Other Controllers
Sometimes you will want to speak with other controllers only. To do this place a / in front of your message. This tells Pro Controller to send the message over the ATC radio. Only valid controllers have the ability to use the ATC radio.
What defines a valid controller?
A valid controller is a controller not logged in with an "Observer" rating and has a callsign containing one of the following suffixes: _DEL, _GRD, _TWR, _APP, _DEP, _CTR, _FSS.
If your callsign does not contain one of those suffixes or you are logged on as an observer you will not be allowed to communicate on the ATC radio or transmit on any other frequency other than 199.999. This is to avoid unwanted clutter on the ATC channels. If you wish to speak with a controller in private you can still use the .MSG or .CHAT commands which are discussed in more detail here.
Changing your COM frequency
To change your COM 1 frequency simply type // and then the frequency you wish to use (i.e. //126.450). You can then use the toggle button to switch your COM 1 frequency to COM 2 if you like.
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