VATSIM Velocity, Pilot Client Updates, Frequency Changes: Effective 2200 GMT on January 31

[Evan Reiter]

Yesterday, we found out that VATSIM Velocity will release on 31 January, 2022 at 22:00 UTC: 

 

Quote

Velocity raises the refresh rate of position updates for aircraft from once every five seconds to five times per second. VATSIM members will notice much smoother movement of other users’ aircraft, be able to pick out details as small as an aircraft’s nose dipping down when braking and be able to conduct formation flights with a precision not possible under our current infrastructure.

 

As described in this VATSIM forum thread, all servers will be offline for approximately 45 minutes tomorrow (beginning at 2200 UTC) to apply the update. Following the update, pilots will be required to update their pilot clients to connect to the network again. The VATSIM forum thread provides specific instructions for how to do this, depending on the pilot client(s) you're using. We do not expect any outages at BVA; Discord and website access should be available throughout the upgrade process.

 

Controllers: No updates are required for ATC clients, although an update for vSTARS is planned to enable Velocity in vSTARS' Tower view.

 

Anyone using xSquawkbox should be aware that this client is being retired tomorrow. xSquawkbox users will need to use either xPilot or swift to connect to the network on X-Plane beginning tomorrow.

 

Concurrently, we can expect a few other changes to the network to take place, including that frequencies will begin to be displayed as "124.525" instead of "124.520".  As in real life, our controllers will continue to reference only the first five digits of the frequency (i.e., "one two four point five two"), and omit the final digit. Depending on your aircraft type, you may need to enter "124.52" or "124.525" when changing to this frequency; in some cases, you may also be able to choose whether to use 6-digit or 5-digit frequencies in the aircraft you're flying. More information on the specific timing of this change for our ARTCC will be communicated shortly. 

 

Controllers: some of our neighbors may implement the change to 6-digit frequencies before others. We'll continue to adjust our POF files as needed to manage those changes as they occur.

 

As with all VATSIM network infrastructure changes, given the significance and impact of the change, we expect there may be a few hiccups here and there. Our Discord is a great place to share your experiences with other pilots and get help from members in real time. 

 

 

[Evan Reiter]

As of the release of Velocity on January 31, six-digit ATC frequencies will now be displayed more precisely. Now, frequencies pronounced "124.52" will be displayed as 124.525 instead of 124.520. You'll see this change taking place across the VATSIM network over the coming days.

 

In the United States, we'll only pronounce the first five digits, and will sometimes omit ending zeros. Examples:

• 133.000 would be spoken "one three three point zero"
• 134.700 would be spoken "one three four point seven"
• 126.225 would be spoken "one two six point two two"

The change will take place in our airspace beginning on February 1. Tuning your aircraft radio to 124.52, 125.525, or 124.520 will have the same result: you'll reach a controller primed on frequency 124.525.