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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) SECTION

GENERAL FAQs

A Customer Wrote: Are you offering free upgrades to the Series X Product Line for owners of 2004 SimFlyer products or do we have to buy them all over again?
Dear Customer,

Well over a year ago we announced the Series X projects on both our own website and through all the major flight sim news sites. Since then we have posted news about this topic about every 3 months on our own website and through all the major flight sim news sites and also by direct emails to our customers. In other words, we spent a lot of time getting the word out well in advance of the new Series X platform release.

With that said, the answer is yes and no. No, there is no “free upgrade” so to speak -- since the Series X is a totally new platform it will need to be purchased as such -- However, yes we did offer (with a whole years notice) our customers a chance to pre-order the top 3 sellers (see our Series X line on our website) and with the pre-order we gave a FREE COPY OF THE CURRENT VERSION OF THE PRODUCT so that any customer pre-purchasing the new products would still get the latest version (at time of purchase) for FREE. This in our opinion is about the same as offering a free upgrade and more than some developers would do.Since we greatly value our customers we did not want them to purchase a product and then 12 months later have to purchase another version. Unfortunately, some customers (many in fact) choose NOT to take advantage of that offer and still ordered only the current version (like the GNSv4 or the GMXv1 etc.) knowing that by doing so there would be "no free upgrades" once the Series X Line was released, and if this was their choice then we could not force them to take advantage of the generous offer we made available a full year (or more) out. I hope this both answers your question as well as explains the "free upgrade" question.

Best,
The SimFlyer Support Staff

How can I upgrade to the latest version of a "Series X" Product such as a service release?
To update to the latest "service release" simply re-download and re-install the product. If you purchased using the Flight1 Wrapper simply download the latest file, use your existing product key and sellect the re-install option. This will update to the latest "service release." If you purchased from Simmarket or The Pilot Shop, simply log into your account there and the latest "service release" sill be waiting for you. SimFlyer offers FREE "Service Releases" within a product "Version," however, new versions are not always free upgrades.

What if I lost my Flight1 product Key? How can I get a new one?
Flight1 is very good about this. Simply go to the Flight1 Customer Service Website and you can retriev lost keys and such there. If you need additional help simply drop them an email and they will assist you with this.

Does SimFlyer answer questions about product release dates?
In a word... No. This is why we moved away from forums and to a Helpdesk system. Questions about release dates only slows our development down so we don't answer those types of questions other than to say we will always announce when a product goes into BETA TESTING. From that point the release is normally only weeks out.

Is the Series X Product Line both FSX and FS2004 compatible?
Yes, the Series X Product Line has been completely re-designed using the latest XML programming techniques making them fully functional in FSX while maintaining backwards compatibility with FS2004.

How do I install my new gauge?
Complete instructions are available in your product user and installation manuals. Since most questions on product installation and usage can be found within, we advise you read both these manuals first before submitting any support requests.

How do I use my new gauges?
Complete instructions are available in your product user and installation manuals. Since most questions on product installation and usage can be found within, we advise you read both these manuals first before submitting any support requests.

What are the system requirements for SimFlyer Products?
OS Requirements: Windows XP SP2 - PC Requirements: 2.0 Ghz PC with 512 Mb RAM and a 256 Mb AGP or PCI Express Video Card. MS Flight Simulator 2004 is Required. (Series X Products are Both FS 2004 and FSX Compatible.) These are Minimum Requirements. For better performance we recommend upgrading your PC to the latest technology that is affordable to your budget. Remember, the faster the PC, the better FS will run.

Will standard SimFlyer (Non-Series X) Products work under FSX?
They may, however only Series X Products are certified FS X Compatible by SimFlyer.

On some aircraft the stand-by feature seems to be unavailable. How can I fix this?
Not all aircraft are set by default to take advantage of the SimFlyer units that use stand-by frequency tuning. You will need to make some changes to the aircraft.cfg file of the aircraft that you want to use our units in. Just make the changes shown below:

[Radios]
Com.1=1, 1
Com.2=1, 1
Nav.1=1, 1, 1
Nav.2=1, 1, 0
Audio.1=1
Adf.1=1
Transponder.1=1
Marker.1=1

Is there an easy way for beginners to modify the aircraft panel, and add the new gauges?
Yes, there is. A very easy way to add gauges to just about any FS aircraft is to use a program called FS Panel Studio that allows you to use a "what you see is what you get" interface to place and modify gauges. The software is payware and can be found here: http://www.fspanelstudio.com

My gauges do not show up after I have added them to my panel. What could the problem be?
The number one cause for this problem is the incorrect spelling of the gauge. Check the user and/or install manuals for the exact name of the gauge. Another cause is adding extra spaces to the gauge code. Again, the install instructions will give you the exact info and it is best to "copy and paste" this info to your panel.cfg file rather than trying to type in the info manually. The second most common mistake that causes this issue is using a"negative number" in the gauge code, for example: [gauge00=SFGNSSX!GNS530_1, 210, -8, 500, 366] as this will cause most XML gauges to become "invisible." The third most common mistake that causes this issue is using incorrect gauge numbers. All gauges must have their own unique gauge number. All gauges will start with 00, then each additional gauge will have the next number in the sequence, such as 01, 02, 03 etc. See the example shown below:

"Correct" numbering sequence:
---------------------------------------------------
gauge00=Cessna!ADF,545,86
gauge01=Cessna172!Airspeed,145,56
gauge02=Cessna!Altimeter,347,57
gauge03=Cessna!Attitude,246,56
gauge04=Cessna!Avionics Switch,240,286
gauge05=Cessna!DME,544,49

"Incorrect" numbering sequence:
---------------------------------------------------
gauge00=Cessna!ADF,545,86
gauge00=Cessna172!Airspeed,145,56
gauge02=Cessna!Altimeter,347,57
gauge02=Cessna!Attitude,246,56
gauge02=Cessna!Avionics Switch,240,286
gauge03=Cessna!DME,544,49

Is there any tutorials designed for beginners that will make the task of panel modifications a bit easier?
At this time we are not aware of any "step-by-step" full tutorials but you can search most major FS Forums and find tips & tricks that will help you along, however SimFlyer is working on a free tutorial that will cover most of these topics and explain the process of panel modification to the beginner. As soon as we have this available we wil post a link to it in this FAQ section as well as on all major FS download sites.

What if I have more questions that are not answered here?
We will be adding many more Qusetions and Answers in the weeks to come, however if after reading through all your product documentation and you still need additional help You can submit a Support Request through our Helpdesk.

>> Need Additional Help? Submit a Support Request HERE <<

PRODUCT SPECIFIC FAQs

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