Program Settings

ACVacars program settings

Profiles / Settings

To create or to modify a profile, click the menu entry "Main->Profiles / Settings".
The same for reaching the section "Settings" of ACVacars.

Section Profile

Required steps to create a profile

Enter your profile-name into the top-left textbox.
Click button [Create local Profile] to create the profile with the given name.

How to delete an existing profile

To delete a profile, select the specific profile on the context menu.
After the selection, press the button [Delete local Profile] to delete it.
The default profile "Profile_Default" cannot be deleted. If you delete it, a new "Profile_Default" will be created with default settings.

Section Tabs

Program settings differentiated in tab-sections

The following sub-sections exist:

Pilot, for creating/modifying account-profiles to connect with the VA website.
General, to set/change the most common settings of ACVacars.
PIREP, to set/change the content-settings of the log-text, created during an ACV flight.
Weather, to set/change the weather source.
FSim Paths, to set/change the folder paths to the connected flight simulations.

Tab "Pilot"

Textbox "URL" contains the not changeable URL to the VA website.
Use textbox "Pilot-ID" to enter your profile number.
Enter your password of your VA website account into the textbox "Password". The password is individual, each ACV member shall choose his/her own password.
Enter the "VA-Code" into the textbox with similar naming. The VA-Code is pre-given by the virtual airline and cannot be changed by the user.
Choose the matching flight simulation which shall be connected with ACVacars by selecting it in the ComboBox "Flight-Sim". Change this selection each time you use ACVacars with another flight simulation. Click button "Logout" before changing the selected flight simulation. After changing it, click button "Login" to connect your local profile with your VA website profile.
Below the last ComboBox, the batch of your connected VA account is being shown. Use this indication as further proof to be selected with the specific online VA account.

Tab "General"

Most settings are self-explaining. In details:

Keep main program window always on top, this setting is actually deactivated.
Check for program updates automatically, if checked, ACVacars checks for own program updates during start-up.
Connect with FSUIPC, if checked, ACVacars repeatedly tries to connect with an installed FSUIPC or XPUIPC interface.
Connect with VA website, if checked, ACVacars repeatedly tries to connect with the VA website.
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"During program-startup, automatically reset FSim shader folder", if checked, ACVacars tries to delete all temporary shader folders of P3D, MSFS or XP, depending on the currently chosen FSim. But, ACVacars does only perform this task if the considered flight simulation is not running. Advantage: A deleted temporary share-folder forces the flight simulation to re-create all shaders again, this can help to fix performance or graphical problems. Disadvantage: The re-creation of the shaders temporarily costs performance during start-up of the flight simulation, until all shaders are re-created again. It is not recommended to have this setting permanently activated.
Button [Reset shader folders], clicking this button deletes all temporary-shader folders of the pre-chosen flight simulation. It is only executed when the flight simulation is not running. The advantage and disadvantage of deleting any temporary shader folders are described above.
Button [Reset P3D default config files], clicking this button does delete two default config files of P3D (but not in MSFS or XP). To force P3D indirectly to re-create these default config files during P3D's next start-up. Advantage: Can solve start-up problems with P3D; Disadvantage: It may cause further problems with P3D. Click this button only if you know what you are doing.
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Send content of ErrorLog file automatically, if checked, any logged program errors in the ErrorLog file are being sent to the ACVacars developer when ending ACVacars.
Button [View ErrorLog file], clicking this button shows any content of ErrorLog file to the user. Feel free to use this feature to check, what content is being protocolled in case of a program error.
Button [Send ErrorLog content], clicking this button to manually send the ErrorLog file content to the ACVacars developer.
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Pause/Save FSim automatically if closer to arrival airport (nm), if checked, the running flight simulation is being paused as soon as the aircraft enters the chosen range to the arrival airport.
If FSim creates savegame, automatically save Flight-Log, if checked, ACVacars does save the data/parameter/status of the running ACV flight as soon as the running flight simulation creates a savegame.
Value needed within savegame-name, write a key value into this textbox, to create only an ACVacars-savegame if the FSim-savegame filename contains this entered key value.
Auto creation of savegame flight, interval in minutes, if checked, ACVacars triggers automatically and repeatedly the creation of a FSim-savegame and of a synchroneous ACVacars savegame after each passing of the selected amount of minutes.
Auto creation of savegame pre-defined flight situations, if checked, ACVacars triggers above mentioned creation of savegames after passing pre-defined flight-situations like "beginning taxiing, after take-off, after passing FL100, reaching cruise level, etc.".
Show messages during flight in FSim, if checked, important ACVacars messages are shown to the user with the P3D message system. This feature does not work with MSFS and only unreliable with X-Plane.

Tab "General" / Program auto-update

ACVacars is capable to check online for program updates. If any and if the setting "check for program updates automatically" is activated, ACVacars will inform you about a newer program version. Clicking the button [OK] or [Yes] will download and install the newest ACVacars program-update automatically. The program ACVacars is looking for higher/newer program versions by validating its exe-hash key. Be aware: Newer ACVacars versions must be installed. Only the identical version of ACVacars can be reinstalled at users discretion.

In rare occasions, the installer-program fails to auto-close a running ACVacars instance. If happens, terminate any running ACVacars instances by clicking its closing-button or by ending the relevant instance-entry in your OS task-manager.

Tab "General" / Download-Center

These settings are partially overruled by the VA website settings. If so, any overruled setting is grayed out and cannot be set.

Check new files during startup, this setting is checked by default and cannot be changed, whenever ACVacars detects new files inside its Download-Center while start-up of ACVacars, it triggers a follow-up process (either showing a message-box or starting-up the download center).
Show if new files, if checked, whenever ACVacars detects new files inside its Download-Center while start-up of ACVacars, the Download-Center is being automatically started up at the end of ACVacars start-up process.
Download new files automatically, if checked, any new files of the Download-Center will be automatically downloaded (Be aware! At the beginning it will download several hundrets of flight-plans what can take 15 minutes or longer). To activate this setting, you must activate the setting "Show if new files" first.
Install downloaded files automatically, if checked, any downloaded installer-file will be automatically installed after its download.
Auto-Copy new Flightplan to FSim, if checked, any downloaded flightplan files are being copied to the flight-plan folder of the selected flight simulation automatically.

Tab "PIREP"

Select here what data and how often the selected data shall be protocolled/logged and transmitted to the ACV website while an ACV flight is being logged.

Be aware that these settings can be (partially) overruled by prevailing VA website settings. If a VA website online parameter is prevailing, the corresponding setting label in the tab PIREP is shown grayed out.

The following logged data categories can be logged inside ACVacars and automatically transmitted to the VA website while an ACV flight is being protocolled:

Pauses, it is being logged each time the pause mode is being activated by the user during a flight inside the flight simulation.
Simrate time-acceleration, if activated, it is being logged whenever the user activates it inside the flight simulation.
Standard flight reports, if activated, ACVacars logs each x seconds some standard flight data. Only the listed time periods/seconds can be chosen as frequence.

General, if activated, ACVacars logs some general data about the ACV flight.
Benchmarks, if this setting has been set, ACVacars logs some benchmark values at the end of the PIREP log text.
Summary Penalties, if activated, a brief summary about the given penalties to the user during a flight at the end of the log text is being logged.
Summary General, if activated, a brief summary about general aspects of the flight is being logged at the end of the log text.

Tab "Weather"

Use this tab to select the weather source for METAR data. Be aware, if using MSFS only the option "Flight Sim" can be chosen. In total, three options are available:

Flight Sim, default weather data from running flight simulation (P3D 4/5, X-Plane 11/12, MSFS).
Active Sky XP, activate this setting to read out the weather-snapshot of Active Sky for X-Plane. Click the path-button to select the path to the weather-snapshot. Example of a snapshot path: "C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming\Hifi\AS_XPL12\Weather\current_wx_snapshot.txt".
Active Sky P3D, activate this setting to read out the weather-snapshot of Active Sky for P3D. Click the path-button to select the path to the weather-snapshot. Example of a snapshot path: "C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming\Hifi\ASP3D\Weather\current_wx_snapshot.txt".
Aviationweather.gov API, activate to get the METAR data from said website (https://aviationweather.gov/data/api/#/Data/dataMetars).

Tab "FSim Paths"

The following flight simulations are currently supported by ACVacars: P3D 4/5, X-Plane 11/12, FS2020 (MSFS). Each flight simulation has one main path and one savegame path. ACVacars depends on following preparation steps before ACVacars can be connected with an installed flight simulation:

The specific flight simulation must be one of the supported ones, mentioned above. Currently not supported flight simulations are e.g. AeroflyFS or InfiniteFlight.
The specific flight simulation must be installed and started-up at least once.
Enter the path to the main-folder of the installed FSim. See the left screenshot as example what can be meant with main path. Be aware, each user system is individual in its path to the main folder.
Enter the path to the savegame-folder of the installed FSim. See the left screenshot as example what can be meant with savegame path. Be aware, each user system is individual in its path to the savegame folder.
After clicking the button [Get default paths], ACVacars tries to locate the main path or the savegame path of the respective flight simulation.
Click the button [Get all default paths] to automatically locate all main paths and savegame paths of all installed flight simulations. Be aware, in cases of unsual directory locations, ACVacars might not be successfull in locating the specific folder paths. In such case, the user must locate the matching path manually.

Tab "Sound"

The sound module offers several settings. For more information see the section "Sound Module".

Sound Engine, the sound module cannot be fully deactivated but different aspects of it can be switched to ON or OFF.
Sound Program Voices, if activated, the AI voice "Alice" gives you spoken hints about several aspects of the program and while running an ACV flight.
Sound Crew Voices, set it to OFF if all crew voices during a flight shall be deactivated.
Sound Crew Voices - Systems, if deactivated, neither the co-pilot nor another crew member will comment on any pilot system inputs (e.g. beacon light setting, parking brake setting, spoilers handling etc.).
Sound Crew Voices - Flight Phases, activate this setting to hear the co-pilot commenting about reaching the next flight phase (e.g. taxi phase, climb phase, top of climb, etc.)
Sound Crew Voices - Warnings, if set to ON, the co-pilot or other crew members will immediately comment on bad pilot inputs and dangerous flight manoeuvers (e.g. exceeded bank angle, overspeed, speeding with released landing gears, navigation lights forgotten, etc.)
Sound Crew Voices - Checklists, if activated, the co-pilot an other crew members will comment through checklists when reaching the next flight phase (e.g. cockpit preparation checklist, pushback & startup checklist, taxi checklist, etc.)
Sound Crew Voices - Entertainment, not yet implemented, upcoming with further releases.
Sound Crew Voices - Fun/Jokes, not yet implemented, upcoming with further releases.