SODE jetways unavailable @EDDL/Gate A 8, but SODE can be used manually

[stefangr]

Hi guys,

I hope you are all well. I was travelling to EDDL yesterday, approaching Gate A8 which I selected already in GSX before landing. I requested follow-me after landing who brought me to the gate, and I made a good parking there with parking brakes set and engines shutting down.

Unfortunately GSX was telling me in menu item 6 that "SODE is unavailable, jetways will not animate".



Nevertheless, using short cut TAB-S, I was able to open the SODE menu and to operate the jetway fine.



Why was GSX telling me that SODE is not available?

I am using: P3Dv4.5, GSX Level 2, Scenery EDDL JustSim Düsseldorf v2 (https://secure.simmarket.com/justsim-duesseldorf-airport-eddl-v.2-for-p3d-v4.4-(de_12912).phtml), SODE version 1.6.6. The scenery is coming with animated SODE jetways by default, I have not changed/replaced anything about this in GSX gate customizing.

Anyone an idea of what I was doing wrong?

Thanks
Stefan

[virtuali]

Unfortunately GSX was telling me in menu item 6 that "SODE is unavailable, jetways will not animate".

Nevertheless, using short cut TAB-S, I was able to open the SODE menu and to operate the jetway fine.

Please clarify if you can still use jetways with TAB-S *after* you see the message from GSX that SODE is unavailable.

[stefangr]

Unfortunately GSX was telling me in menu item 6 that "SODE is unavailable, jetways will not animate".

Nevertheless, using short cut TAB-S, I was able to open the SODE menu and to operate the jetway fine.

Please clarify if you can still use jetways with TAB-S *after* you see the message from GSX that SODE is unavailable.

Yes, I was able to use the jetways using the SODE menu (TAB-S) after I saw the GSX message.

Next flight starting from EDDL at the same gate (on the next day, after complete restart of PC), everything was fine: GSX detected the SODE jetway OK and I was able to handle it through the GSX menu. On that next flight I was going to EDDP, and approaching gate 132 there, I had the same problem. It looks like not EDDL especially is the problem. But I don't have it everywhere. For EDDP I am using the scenery "EDDP Leipzig Halle Digital Design FSX/P3D".

Thanks
Stefan

[virtuali]

But I don't have it everywhere. For EDDP I am using the scenery "EDDP Leipzig Halle Digital Design FSX/P3D".

If a 3rd party scenery has some issues with naming gates, it will work from the SODE menu, but not from GSX.

This because, in order for SODE and GSX to communicate the jetway information ( which is required when the SODE jetway is not created by GSX ), the naming of the gate in the SODE XML file must match 100% the name of the gate in the .BGL, according to the SDK standards. Some sceneries don't respect this standard, which results in jetways working only with SODE, but not from GSX.

[stefangr]

If a 3rd party scenery has some issues with naming gates, it will work from the SODE menu, but not from GSX.

This because, in order for SODE and GSX to communicate the jetway information ( which is required when the SODE jetway is not created by GSX ), the naming of the gate in the SODE XML file must match 100% the name of the gate in the .BGL, according to the SDK standards. Some sceneries don't respect this standard, which results in jetways working only with SODE, but not from GSX.

But as I said, when I start P3D fresh at that gate, GSX recogizes the jetways fine, and they can be operated by GSX. I would expect that it would not work at all if the naming conventions are not followed.

[kut]

Hello to all!

I am writing through a translator, so the machine translation, but the essence, I think, will be clear. I am tormented by a similar problem, as stefangr described stefangr, in my opinion, apparently did not fully explain the situation. He says that when parking in the gate, the GSX jeatway does not respond. BUT, if you click Reaload GSX and Rebuild Airport cashe, GSX is back in business and jeatways are working. I will tell in more detail below:

100% case for me how to reproduce the described problem:

1) ANY airplane. Take for example the FSLABS A321 or the Boeing 738 NGXu.

2) Any airport with SODE or GSX jeatways. For example, UUWW (Moscow Vnukovo (by Justsim) or EDDM (who forgot the author).

You can also take absolutely any port with GSX level2 jeatways. For example, I have URSS where GSX lvl2 jeatways are added. all up to date.

3) Be sure to choose a gate in the air. For example, we are approaching UUWW from the example above. (GSX allows you to select a gate if we are below 10,000 feet and slower than 250 knots). We select, for example, gate 15 with jeatway.

4) We land, taxi to the gate (you can call, follow me, you can not call. It does not affect)

5) drive up to the gate, park according to the instructions on the docksystem (using APIS for example). Turn off the engines.

Further the essence of the problem:

Press CTRL + F12 and call deboarding (or boarding, anything to activate jeatway) and see the following picture:

 - Handling is working properly. Vehicles approach their places, stairs (if included to the back door), also approach. Jeatway does not move, and there is no request to choose which door to connect jeatway to.

Next, you can press CTRL + F12 again, select dock jeatway, and there will also be no request, jeatway will not respond.
If you open SODE (in the menu above), do a CONECT DLL check, then the answer will be that everything is fine. You can even click Reload (reconnect) SODE, but this will not work.

There are only two ways to make jeatway move:

1) Call the SODE menu (only for scenes where there are SODE jeatways.) For example, if the scene contains only GSX LVL2 Jeatways SODE menu will simply say that there are no objects in the radius). Choose Jeatway and enjoy how they join the door.
2) Open the GSX menu and select Restart Couati and Rebuild Airport Cashe (or just Restart Couati). Jeatways begin to function and when you click on Deboarding, Boarding or Operate Jeatways, the GSX will immediately ask which door to connect jeatways to and will move


IMPORTANT:

The problem does not reproduce if you request a gate upon arrival (already on the ground). If you arrive, and stand \ drive \ crawl along the runway, taxiway, then when you call up the GSX CTRL + f12 menu and select a gate, the moment you approach and turn off the engines, and you call Deboarding, boarding or operate jeatways - jeatways will work correctly.


Briefly summarizing my experience:

If you call the GSX menu at the time of arrival in the air (below 10,000 feet and slower than 250 knots), then upon landing and parking in the gate, in 99% of cases jeatways will not move.
If you call the GSX menu already on the ground, then when parking in the gate everything will work correctly.

P.s. the latest versions of SODE, GSX, P3D, scenes and programs.

A similar problem with the GSX and the similar behavior of jeatways in my memory for 2-3 years already.

[virtuali]

3) Be sure to choose a gate in the air. For example, we are approaching UUWW from the example above. (GSX allows you to select a gate if we are below 10,000 feet and slower than 250 knots). We select, for example, gate 15 with jeatway.

Please clarify if the same gate on the same airport works normally if you select the gate only after landing.

[kut]

Yes, I confirm it.

As I wrote in the example above, if you select the gate in the air - there will be a described problem, if THESE SAME gates are selected on the ground, they will work correctly.

If you need, you can experiment with my participation and advanced logging. Just tell me which and whose logs you need, and I will write them down in two situations (occupation of the gates in the air and on the ground). In completely identical situations.

[virtuali]

Then I suggest selecting a gate on ground, for the time being. Selecting a gate in flight has been added only because some users insisted with it, but it comes with many issues.

For example, you might select a gate in flight, which an AI might occupy by the time you land there, and GSX doesn't "kill AIs", which would look weird if the AI disappeared in front of you, and people would assume some kind of bug.

[stefangr]

Thanks, kut, for finding out more details on this issue

Then I suggest selecting a gate on ground, for the time being. Selecting a gate in flight has been added only because some users insisted with it, but it comes with many issues.

For example, you might select a gate in flight, which an AI might occupy by the time you land there, and GSX doesn't "kill AIs", which would look weird if the AI disappeared in front of you, and people would assume some kind of bug.

Thanks, Umberto. I can live with that for the time being. But I think requesting a gate in the air is realistic, and I am always using it that way. So I would appreciate it if you can fix this in the future.

BTW, I am having a Lua script running which is automatically finding out an appropriate gate according to the airline I am flying, and as soon as I am below 10000 feet and 250 knots, it will trigger the GSX menu to automatically select it there. I am also currently in the process of enhancing this script to check later if the gate is still not occupied by any AI traffic. If so, it will automatically delete this specific aircraft from "my gate". So the problems you mention regarding gate request in the air will not be a problem for me.

[virtuali]

But I think requesting a gate in the air is realistic, and I am always using it that way. So I would appreciate it if you can fix this in the future.

Of course it is, but the default ATC, which controls AI, doesn't allow you to pre-select a gate in flight, so it cannot possibly know about the selection you made in GSX, and so it won't reserve that parking for you.

[stefangr]

But I think requesting a gate in the air is realistic, and I am always using it that way. So I would appreciate it if you can fix this in the future.

Of course it is, but the default ATC, which controls AI, doesn't allow you to pre-select a gate in flight, so it cannot possibly know about the selection you made in GSX, and so it won't reserve that parking for you.

Yes, I know that, and I don't expect that. I can find a work around for this, if it should happen that the gate is occupied in the meantime, as I mentioned.