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Return to Misty Moorings (FSX/P3D/MSFS2020) => The Moorings - On the Water => Topic started by: Doug on March 18, 2011, 08:29:16 AM

Title: Cruises
Post by: Doug on March 18, 2011, 08:29:16 AM
Ran the Grenville Channel last night.  "Start" places for the boats are more available than I thought. (You must start with an "airport" for Plan-G) ... so we've got airports ... Sea Plane Bases!  I started at Prince Rupert SPB and went to Hartley Bay SPB.  Both are, by the way, well done graphically in PFJ.  The Grenville Channel is part of the Inner Passage but rarely used by cruise ships. There's a BC Ferry (AI) going up and down the channel which I discovered by accident.  The Malibu 32 (with a "jefconfig" tracked the entire way except the sharp turns at the end coming into Hartley Bay ... where it is like a river run.

This is a beautiful and relaxing cruise. Probably better for a yacht type boat than the "32" (but we haven't got them "jefconfig'd" yet).  And its giving us some ideas how offer these in RTTM.  Although we tend to "fly" with the real weather. Do yourself a favor on this one, put the weather on "clear skies" and bring up "summer."  The views are astonishing.

SP (SailPlan) Attached ... we'll name these SP to keep them separate from your plane "flight" plans.

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Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Dragnhorn on March 18, 2011, 10:16:32 PM
Very nice!
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: jeff3163 on March 18, 2011, 10:27:50 PM
 I just finished the Grenville run.  Very nice!  Right down the middle with the gps route. Very nice country indeed.  I was thinking, wouldn't it be cool to see a bear, or some orcas, along the way?   
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on March 18, 2011, 10:38:05 PM
Yep ... and maybe a Brad's Bait & BBQ to add fuel and grab a Bud Lite! :-)
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: jeff3163 on March 18, 2011, 11:57:59 PM
The sun is setting on me.  I like this channel run.  I've been working on the Malibu, using it.  But it's getting late, and I hope Brad's got the lights on, and a warm fire.

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Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: jeff3163 on March 19, 2011, 04:28:58 PM
Here's a cruise I did last night.  Misty's to Bell Island Hotsprings, the long way, through the eastern channel, to the east of Manzanita Lake cabin.  There's also a return course.

The "zip file" with the sailplan is below.  (These zips are kinda hard to see, on the post) It's below the picture.



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Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: jeff3163 on March 19, 2011, 11:27:01 PM
These are the routes to Bell Island Hotsprings and back to Mistys.

Jeff


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Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on March 20, 2011, 08:12:21 AM
Jeff ... didn't want you to think I was ignoring this  ...  I'm just up to my neck getting "The USFS Cabins" page ready for the new Service Pack. I should have that finished today then I can get back to this project. We want to capture these and put them in the "new" place.  How's the tug coming?  Will it track a "heading" yet, not necessarily make auto turns, but stay on a heading track?  I'm going to go back to the Grenville Channel and set up one that has only visual waypoints ... the nav buoys and some other visuals and see how it works just "setting a course".  Back to work on the cabins ...
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: jeff3163 on March 20, 2011, 01:21:08 PM
Hi Doug,
     Yes, I've gotten the tug to track fairly well with the GPS.  I went to Bell Island Hot Springs, and it was showing progress. 
     Did you get you're Daisy to go faster (using my posted suggestions)?

     The Tug has a pretty nice "panel". (VC)  And it has an anchor.  I like that.  I don't think it secures you to a spot though, it's just for show.  Not sure about that yet.

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Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on March 20, 2011, 01:33:22 PM
This will sound crazy, but I don't want the Daisy to go faster! :-)  I'm hoping it will "track" a heading at the slower speed. (90 mph yachts would be like flying jet powered Beavers! I'm getting the tug this afternoon. I just finished up the Cabin Page ... wow, was that a lot of work. 38 locations all needed a PLAN-G map and of course a Flight route.  We got all but two finished ... those we will be putting in from our Scenery page as Holger didn't put them in.  I asked Xavier if he could make me a shelter, sent him a pic, and he came right back with it ... wow, I'm liking this team! :-)

Anyway, getting the tug and going to just relax a little this afternoon.

D
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: spud on March 20, 2011, 05:14:44 PM
This will sound crazy, but I don't want the Daisy to go faster! :-)  I'm hoping it will "track" a heading at the slower speed. (90 mph yachts would be like flying jet powered Beavers! I'm getting the tug this afternoon. I just finished up the Cabin Page ... wow, was that a lot of work. 38 locations all needed a PLAN-G map and of course a Flight route.  We got all but two finished ... those we will be putting in from our Scenery page as Holger didn't put them in.  I asked Xavier if he could make me a shelter, sent him a pic, and he came right back with it ... wow, I'm liking this team! :-)

Anyway, getting the tug and going to just relax a little this afternoon.

D

Don't put your feet up yet Doug I sent you a few minor corrections on the Cabin page, not more than one cup of coffee to do it though.
 ::)
 8)
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: jeff3163 on March 20, 2011, 08:54:01 PM
Quote
This will sound crazy, but I don't want the Daisy to go faster! :-)  I'm hoping it will "track" a heading at the slower speed. (90 mph yachts would be like flying jet powered Beavers!

     Doug, yes, 90 is very fast.  I usually go 55-70 and have been tracking.  I haven't gotten it to go slower than that and still track, yet.  It's nice to have a little "too much" power, you can just back off the throttle, but it's there if you need it.  I like my boat to go 60-65 at the middle of the green/yellow area in the rpm gauge.
     (I needed a break, too, so I'm flying my cub with autopilot.)  Checking out the waterways from the air.  I tried the airboat, but didn't care much for it.  My favorite is the Malibu.  I don't have a "Daisy" yet. 

     What speeds are you hoping to track at?  35-45 maybe?  I'll work on that.
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on March 20, 2011, 08:59:55 PM
Tops for the Daisy seems about 36.  Boy, one thing I noted on it ... when you start it up, it lists. And it wouldn't go very fast. Then I found out I was carrying about 100 tons of fuel for some reason!  Backed that off in the config and all was well.

Just got the regis for the tug ... setting it up tonight ... Spud gave me just a little more work on the Cabins, then we'll be ready for folks when the service pack hits.  I have about 40 hours in that page now! :-)

D
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on March 22, 2011, 08:54:02 PM
Attached is the Sail Plan the Grenville Channel ... this is for the run from Prince Rupert to Hartley Bay, about 80 miles.  I used the many of the new navigation markers Holger has put into the package. All of the way points work and you can run the Malibu on autopilot from start to finish.  I ran the "tug" down it today ... beautiful scenery along the way. The whole plan is in the attached pdf file.

NOTAM: In several places you may see the BC Ferry boats "wrecked" up on the shore.  This is not a problem with PFJ ... this has to do with a "world" bgl file. When Holger changed the coastlines, the pilots didn't get the email ... hence a Ferry in the woods now and then. (It's much safer to fly!)

D

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Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: jeff3163 on March 22, 2011, 09:21:18 PM
Ok, I'm heading out to Prince Rupert to check this out with the tug. 
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on March 28, 2011, 08:04:28 AM
Our "Completed" cruises are posted on the Alpha Page (The Moorings) and you can download them from there. http://www.return.mistymoorings.com/moorings (http://www.return.mistymoorings.com/moorings).
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: corbu1 on March 28, 2011, 02:40:42 PM
Hey Guys,
Great Idea with the Ships section.
My favourite is flying but found out in the last few weeks, that a boat trip
is a welcome addition to my RTMM and PFJ experiences. Great ! 8)

Sorry, have to correct myself.....it´s great fun and pleasure exploring the misty`s on the waters!!!!! ;D
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: jeff3163 on March 29, 2011, 02:46:00 AM
Thanks Klaus,  I agree.  I am having so much fun exploring the fjords.  We all love to fly, that's why we are here, but the boats are an added bonus.  But only since the FTX Pacific Fjords scenery, and Misty Moorings came along.  Before this, boating in FSX was boring.  Not any more.  (as long as you stay in the FTX scenery area.)  For me, that goes from southern Oregon to the Tongass Fjords, up north of us here.  I'll be exploring for years.
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on March 29, 2011, 08:36:19 AM
The PFJ scenery is the dif.  One of my favorite rivers is the Pantenal in Brazil ... yuk in FSX!  So I quit doing it. Then I started taxiing around in PFJ ... first it was Aiken Creek, landing on the creek and taxiing in ... hey, look at that! This is different!  When you lose that 3rd dimension, navigation becomes an entirely different kind of task. (When you see the end of Aiken Creek coming, you don't know it turns to the left into a beautiful lake until you are almost on the turn). The horizon flattens and you can't see the inlets, so there are surprises. Also, we "know" the area so well form the air ... you could put me over almost any part of it and in about 5 minutes, I could fly "home" to Misty's.  But put me down on the water somewhere?  Lost!! 

I cannot get over how the scenery is not only so good "up close" but how absolutely random it is. EVERY shoreline is different.  Last night I went up the Harding River... it's kind of messy with some water anomalies and a lake that is 4 feet above the river ... but winding up there for about 30 miles and never seeing the same thing and not knowing if it goes left or right until you are on the turn ... it isn't easy to stay out of the woods!  What's fun is to get to the USFS Harding River Cabin by boat or plane, then switch and go up the river in the Malibu.

From what I'm seeing, I'm predicting we're going to see great boats like we now see great planes. Right now there is only ONE manufacturer out there (DeltaSim). And 95% of the FSX'ers haven't discovered PFJ yet. Then there's Hama's Riva and the Sirroco and some blue water tankers.  So there isn't much to work with ... but before PFJ there has never been a reason. When people discover what it's like being down on the water in PFJ, then I'm betting those activities will increase, and I'm putting "money" on that bet with the development of The Moorings.

Last night I created a cruise from The Ketchikan Int'l seaplane base to the Harding River Cabin. All the way points are named after real features, all of the key features along the way are in FSDiscover!. I used the Plan G flight plan and when I hit a way point, I changed course to the next one ... no autopilot. The course misses all the little islands and takes you right to the cabin.  Out on the blue water, I kick the sim rate to  X 2 then back to normal at the way points to make the turns.

It's not for everybody, the jet guys would think this would rival watching paint dry ... but I've spent a lot of time on the water and getting on a new lake was always a thrill ... here I've got a "new lake" every day!

Attached is a screenshot of the bridge of the Gemini 94.  You've got 2 gps, one you can track course, the other holds the flight plan data. Right there in front of you is the course.  This is the "best laid out" bridge I've seen yet. This bridge layout makes "charting" a piece of cake ... (if we get the charts right!).

D

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Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on March 29, 2011, 09:24:59 AM
Harding River Cabin is "up" on the "alpha" page. This is a mostly open water cruise with some beautiful scenery toward the end as you get into the Bradford Channel.

D
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on March 29, 2011, 09:39:29 PM
Just put up the Bella Coola to Ocean Falls (BC) cruise.  If there's ever a cruise that will convince a doubter that they should really try this, this is the one!  I've never seen such spectacular scenery on a a computer. All you do is spin around in the outside spot view till you are DIZZY looking at the beautiful sights.  I must have taken 30 screenshots.  I added several of them to the trip tic.

The cruise can either start off at a "river anchorage" beside the airport or it can be started from a pier in the Bella Coola Marina ... both starting points with headings are in the Trip Tic.  The river is tricky, and there's a few "rapids" :-\ But you can get through them OK.  Once out in the open water, you can turn on the autopilot.

This is a beautiful cruise ... I left in the afternoon and arrived at Ocean Falls at dusk.  Holger really paid attention to the details ... coming out of Ocean Falls are a lot of power lines ... if you study up on the place, it is one of the key electricity generating stations for the area ... and the "falls" is really there.

It's posted on The Moorings ...

D

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Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Dragnhorn on March 30, 2011, 01:17:05 AM
Great fun here Doug!   The new water in FSX really makes the difference too, over FS9.  When ORBX PNW came out I flew into a little strip in Central Oregon by a river.  Not sure the name right now.  I had seen a little farm strip just upriver on the fly by, so after landing I changed to a Jeep to drive over to the rivers edge.  Then changed into the Delta Sim motor boat and followed the river upstream to the farm strip.  Hitting the turns and dodging the rocks brought back the white knuckle thrill of bush flying...but with a very different view.  I was hooked and do this all the time.   It's great you see potential in the and the alpha page Moorings is a super start.   Lakes are also fun to take a boat around and some of the FS Cabins on lakes in the PFJ area are perfect for this.  Now if I could only find a canoe to paddle and get in some fishing!    ;D
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: jeff3163 on March 30, 2011, 02:32:55 AM
Speaking of fishing, I have this mission, that I wish we could adapt elements from to use at Misty's.  It is a Grumman Goose fishing edition.  You fly to Lake Mcdonald in Glacier Park, Land on the water, and begin "fishing".  The lake has fishing "hotspots", and there are sound effects, etc.  Once your live well is filled, you take off, and fly to a nearby airport that has a "fish truck" that collects your catch.  It is a fun mission, but only in the one lake.  I don't know about mission building, but maybe someone, (or the author of this mission) could adapt this for us.  I have the original zip I got from flightsim.com, I think.  It's freeware.  The zip is 3.59 MB, so I can't attach it.  Oh, I bet I could email it.  If you want it, let me know.  I'll send it to you.  Or you could get it yourself.  It's "glacpark.zip".

Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on March 30, 2011, 06:56:57 AM
The three missions we have "up" were made by Brad.  Maybe there is someone else on site that knows how to work with these things ... that would be a lot of fun.

D
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on March 31, 2011, 08:50:24 AM
Hydaburg to Forrester Island Research Outpost

Here's a new one for you.  This one starts in Hydaburg, an area we haven't spend ENOUGH time in. Getting to the open water to go to Forrester Island is NOT easy. After sailing this one, you really wonder what it must be like for the local fishermen in this area, negotiating the maze of islands on the way to the fishing grounds. Not only is it a maze of islands you have to navigate around, but between those are those dangerous "rocks" ... you only see them when they are dead ahead, little islands, but flat.  The cruise route will keep you busy and once you get to the Pacific, then you set your course, and sit back and relax on a blue water cruise to the Research Outpost.

For the FSDiscover! fans ...I didn't have to add ONE data point to this area. It is completely filled in, every one of those islands and narrows are named properly.  All way points are named after the actual features you are encountering. 

It's in The Moorings http://www.return.mistymoorings.com/moorings (http://www.return.mistymoorings.com/moorings)/ under Hydaburg.


Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on March 31, 2011, 03:50:07 PM
The Griffin Passage

Here's a beautiful cruise from Bella Bella, BC to Klemtu (another beautiful little town you probably haven't seen yet!). The cruise takes you through the Griffin Passage. Sometimes like a nice lake, other times like a narrow river.  This one is not only beautiful, but fun.  It is "up" on The Moorings.

You can find the mooring location for Klemtu on The Moorings Page under Navigation, (Interesting Mooring Points), if you "spawn" there, be sure to enter the heading and you will be at the dock as in the picture.


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Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on March 31, 2011, 09:38:15 PM
Coming Home ...

Long day, 2 cruises completed, one scenery, all posted. Nice little cruise posted for Hydaburg to the new Portage Bay Cabin ... simple little trip. So after working on that, I returned from Portage Bay Cabin and docked in Hydaburg just as the sun was going down, good timing.  Time for a halibut steak and a tall glass of beer.  Goodnight!

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Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Dragnhorn on March 31, 2011, 11:17:54 PM
Awesome Doug!  I have the Malibu now.  (as soon as I d/l it and set it up) and FSDiscover is installed. 
  Now to import the MM dat files and set up FSDiscover... yea!
Cheers
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on April 01, 2011, 07:28:17 AM
Let me know if you get stuck on FSDiscover.  But most of "how to" is in the thread below.

D
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Dragnhorn on April 01, 2011, 10:36:05 AM
Thanks Doug.  Got it figured out.   Tried out the Bella Bella to Klemtu sail with the Malibu.  Autopilot and gauges look good.  Now if I could only figure out how to use the autopilot!   I couldn't get the boat to follow anything.   You turn on the autopilot and click the switch to gsp, right?  I did load the flt pln (sail plan) first.  Tried turning on the Heading switch as well but it had no effect.
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on April 01, 2011, 12:12:52 PM
Rob ... I just put up the new "mini panel" (Nav_Stack) file on The Moorings - Maintenance Shop. (It's a "cobble" of gauges, but works darned well). Later we'll make a real "panel" out of it. Grab that, it has a pretty good explanation in it. When you are using it, be sure to turn the nav/gps switch to gps (just like you have to do in a plane), then it senses the gps track and isn't looking for a "nav" frequency (which we cannot use on the boats). Then Click on the NAV button and the AP button ... it should start tracking for you.  Also, try CTRL-W for the autorudder on/off.  We're trying to find a good switch for that, but no good one so far.

All of this is strictly experimental, Jeff is learning every day the "mysteries" Microsoft hid in the "fabric" of the boats. And we are basically taking an airplane model, taking off the wings and telling it that is is now a boat (they don't listen well sometimes!).  We've got more to do ... but it is a lot of fun trying. I had tried to make the boats respond to the autopilot. One made a "splash wake" like a train ahead of and behind the boat (uh, well that didn't work!) ... another great engineering move I made caused the Malibu to literally dance on its tail and hop around on its motors... uh, (I'm a chem E!).  But alas, Jeff seems to be able to actually get these things to come under his spell.

As for the cruises, I'm waiting for a low flier to try one of the cruises. Get in a heli and fly wavetop and it is one AMAZING view from down on the water. I flew the Griffin Passage yesterday when I finished it with an ultralight about 10 feet off the waves ... wow. The gps route avoids the islands (where with plane routes we use the islands as waypoints) ... so flying very low these take you around the islands.  A lot of fun for heli's and flight-seeing planes.

Doug

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Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: jeff3163 on April 01, 2011, 03:17:28 PM
I don't have the F-111 gauge.  Was it a freeware plane?  Is it the Aardvark?  No plane I have uses a file called "Minipnl", as I can't locate any such animal on my computer anywhere.  And believe me, I have hundreds of planes.  Almost 300 actually.  I came up with many "Cessna208.gau" files on my computer.  It seems to be common among many of my planes.  Even the AH-64 apache uses something from it.  I can't understand why the water rudder switch wouldn't show up for you.  I installed the panel, and there is no autopilot gauge, but the water rudder switch shows up for me.  It is located high up on the panel, top left.  Above that cool digital speedometer.  I can give you my Cessna208.gau file, and you could give me your "Minipnl" file, via email zips.  Then we'd have to include them in your panel .zip for other people with the same problem. 

Edit - I just zipped up a copy of the Cessna208.gau file, and I think it'll fit into an attachment right here.  So if I press the "post" button and it works, that's half the problem solved, I think.  You should be able to just paste the file to your "Gauges" folder, and it'll work for you. 

Edit 2 - Ok, it was still more than 500 kb, so didn't work.  Doug, I'll have to email it to you.

Edit 3 - I just replaced the F-111 autopilot with a 737-400 autopilot.  Not as pretty, but everyone has one.

The line is:  "gauge00=737-400!Autopilot,   22, 267, 134, 30" (no quotes)

(trying to keep on topic) ---> . . .  And this is the Bella Coola to Ocean Falls cruise, just coming out of Bella Coola.  Did you know that you can drive right up the falls and into the lake behind it?  Go up the short little stream, directly at the falls, and you'll pop right up to the top and into the lake.  Strange yet cool.


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Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on April 01, 2011, 08:21:06 PM
I sent you the minipnl I had ... but I only started messing with FSX in late December and haven't put a jet in here at all ... so I don't know where it could have come from.  I don't have the right fuel for them, so I don't fly 'em.  Thats why I figured it was standard.

D
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: jeff3163 on April 01, 2011, 10:16:32 PM
Thanks.  I got it.  It's much better looking than the old 737-400 AP.


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Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: Doug on April 01, 2011, 10:42:07 PM
I know the speed crashes (which we really out to rename "idle" ... but would the yaw damper help us in any way?

D
Title: Re: Cruises
Post by: jeff3163 on April 02, 2011, 12:07:08 AM
I wonder what it does "software wise" ... maybe we could trick it, as a switch in the XML (to be a water rudder?)

D

(Hmmm, busy day I guess.  I don't remember this post.) Just a quote from Doug?  Is this referring to the Yaw damper switch?  Anywho, I have this route I've been using with the boats.  It goes from Misty's to Lucky Lindy's Place.  I thought I'd put it out there.

The autopilot's yaw damper seems to be inactive, as is the autothrottle.  As for water rudders, the boats have between 4 and 7 under them now.  Two just wasn't good enough for me.  The Scirocco has 7.  It's very heavy and hard to turn.

(edit-Misty's to Lucky Lindy's Place SP.zip updated (4/23/11), to avoid an island.  Should be smooth sailing now.)

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