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vNAAATS V2 - first-time install guide

After installing, read the user manual to see how everything works. A short video of the EuroScope steps is on the download page, and the app shows it during its setup.

Before you start

• EuroScope installed and working, and a VATSIM controller rating.
• The official Gander Oceanic sector package from AeroNav (it also keeps your AIRAC up to date).
• Your key from ganderoceanic.ca/my/vnaaats. Do not share the key.
• Optional: VACS (voice between controllers, vacs.network) and an audio client: Audio for VATSIM or TrackAudio.

1. Get the Gander package

Download and run the Gander Oceanic package from AeroNav: files.aero-nav.com/EXCXO. Open EuroScope with that package once, so you can see the oceanic map, then close EuroScope. Remember where your EXOCO folder is (the folder that holds Plugins).

2. Install FDD for Windows

Run the installer you downloaded above. Windows may say "Windows protected your PC" because the installer is not code-signed yet: choose More info, then Run anyway. The app opens when it has finished.

3. The one-time setup

The first time it opens you see a short welcome and then the setup screen. It only appears once; afterwards the app opens straight to the display. (Open it again any time from Settings > App setup in the display.) The screen has a how-to video at the top. Work down the steps:

1. Your EXOCO folder - choose the folder from step 1.
2. The vNAAATS plugin - the app looks for VatsimNAAATS.dll in EXOCO\Plugins\vNAAATS. If it is missing or old, press Update now with EuroScope closed. It also installs the airline list and the vNAAATS font next to the DLL.
3. Your key - get your API key at vnaaats.com/get-key (Gander Oceanic controllers can also use their profile on the Gander Oceanic website) and paste it here. The app writes it into vnaaats.cfg for you.
4. EuroScope - point the app at EuroScope.exe. Leave "Open EuroScope for me when I choose my position" ticked.
5. VACS and Audio client (both optional) - point the app at the program. Each has a tick to open it for you after you choose your position.

VACS call alert (optional): to see incoming VACS calls on the headphones button in the FDD, open VACS (version 2.1.0 or newer), go to Advanced Settings and tick Enable remote control. For safety, change the Listen addr. box beneath it to 127.0.0.1:9600, so only your own computer can connect: the default lets any device on your network connect, with no password. The app then shows a green tick, and the headphones button flashes with a pop-up when someone calls you.

When every line is green, press Continue. If the plugin DLL is not in your folder yet, get the plugin pack from the download page (open "Not using the app?"), put VatsimNAAATS.dll in EXOCO\Plugins\vNAAATS, and run the setup again.

4. Load the plugin in EuroScope (once)

1. Open EuroScope with the Gander package.
2. Other SET > Plug-ins > Load, and pick VatsimNAAATS.dll (the one in EXOCO\Plugins\vNAAATS that the app manages).
3. Only vNAAATS should be loaded. Remove any other plugin from that list while you work oceanic. (Discord is fine.)

5. Open the vNAAATS screen (once)

1. Open the file menu and choose New vNAAATS radar screen. You get a blank screen with a blue bar at the top.
2. Open the file menu again, choose Open, and pick vNAAATS.asr (it is in the plugin pack zip on the download page).
3. If EuroScope warns about a different sector file, pick your latest Gander (EXCXO) sector file.
4. The oceanic map appears. Choose Save so you never have to do this again.

If the screen stays blank, check that the Gander package is the one loaded and try the steps again in order.

6. Every day after that

1. Open FDD for Windows. It opens EuroScope, VACS and your audio client for you (each only if ticked in setup) and shows Awaiting an active VATSIM connection.
2. In EuroScope, connect to VATSIM as your oceanic position (for example NAT_FSS, CZQO_CTR or EGGX_CTR) and open your saved vNAAATS screen.
3. Within a few seconds the display opens by itself on that position. There is no sign-in or position to choose: your key and your live VATSIM connection are the sign-in. You are then asked about natTrak, which has to be signed in to each session.
4. If an update is available the app tells you and asks before it downloads anything. Close EuroScope first, then press Update now. Your vnaaats.cfg and key are never touched.

Check it works: open vNAAATS.log (next to the DLL); its first line shows the version. Nothing is shown on the display until you are connected to VATSIM on an oceanic position.

Let the display type commands for you (autotype)

The example config has autotype=1 switched on. The Send buttons for SELCAL, contact me and RCL REQ in the display then type the command into EuroScope for you, and your EuroScope can send the automatic RCL REQ reminders (see the manual). If you would rather copy and paste, turn it off in Settings in the display (the automatic reminders then come from another controller's EuroScope).

If something goes wrong

• The installer will not run, or Windows blocks it: choose More info then Run anyway on the "Windows protected your PC" screen. If your antivirus quarantines it, restore it and add an exception: the installer is not code-signed yet (see the code signing policy). No administrator rights are needed.
• The app opens to a blank or white window, or says it cannot reach vnaaats.com: check your internet connection and that a firewall or VPN is not blocking vnaaats.com, then close and reopen the app. If it still stays blank, install the free Microsoft WebView2 Runtime from Microsoft and try again (Windows 11 already has it).
• The setup screen keeps coming back: a red line in the setup says what is missing (usually the folder, key or plugin). Fix that line and press Continue. It only returns to full setup if the basics are no longer in place.
• "Update now" fails: close EuroScope first. Windows will not let the app replace a plugin that EuroScope has open. The message shown tells you which file it could not write.
• A program says it "needs administrator rights" when the app opens it: open it yourself once, or right-click the app and choose Run as administrator. Some audio clients ask Windows for this.
• I chose a position but nothing opened: the programs are only opened for lines you ticked in Settings > App setup, once per session. A notice at the bottom of the display says if one failed.
• The headphones (VACS) button stays grey: in VACS open Advanced Settings and make sure Enable remote control is ticked, VACS is running, and the port matches the one in the headphones button (default 9600). Your browser or Windows may ask whether the FDD may reach devices on your network: choose Allow.
• The app says the plugin or font is missing or old: close EuroScope and press Update now in the setup. If it cannot write the file, check EuroScope really is closed and that the folder is not read-only.
• The radar screen shows wrong letters: vNAAATS.ttf is missing from the plugin folder. The app's Update now installs it.
• EuroScope, VACS or the audio client did not open by itself: a small notice at the bottom of the display says why. Check the program is chosen in Settings > App setup.
• EuroScope closes when it starts: check server=https://vnaaats.com (with https) in vnaaats.cfg. Install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable (x86) if the plugin will not load at all.
• Wrong version in the log: EuroScope is loading a different copy of the DLL. Other SET > Plug-ins shows which folder it is using.
• The map is wrong or not oceanic: you have another sector file loaded. Use the Gander package from AeroNav.
• No flights appear or changes do not save: the key is missing, wrong or out of date (keys last 90 days). Get a new one from ganderoceanic.ca/my/vnaaats and paste it in Settings > App setup.
• Still stuck: send vNAAATS.log to the Gander Oceanic team.

Without the app

You can use the display in any browser at vnaaats.com/fdd and install the plugin by hand. Get the plugin pack from the download page: VatsimNAAATS-plugin.zip. Unzip it somewhere you will remember. Put VatsimNAAATS.dll, ICAO_Airlines.txt, vNAAATS.ttf and your vnaaats.cfg in the same folder. For the config, rename vnaaats.example.cfg to vnaaats.cfg, open it in Notepad, set server=https://vnaaats.com and paste your key=. Then follow steps 4 and 5 above.

Updating by hand: close EuroScope and replace only VatsimNAAATS.dll. Keep your existing vnaaats.cfg and your saved screen. Do not copy the example config over it or you will lose your key.

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