Currently I am using a headset which works just fine for the busy workload (take off and land). During cruise I would like to use a hand microphone (like in the real world) so I don´t have to wear the headset all the time.
My question: is that feasible? And how can you configure the button on the hand microphone as a PTT switch in X-Plane 12 and the VATSIM client software?
Yes, you can. The only thing you need to do each time you switch from headset to speakersµphone and vice versa is changing the audio device settings in your pilot client.
I am using a Peiker hand microphone for my ATC-sessions, while I am using only my headset when flying.
Depending on the aircraft that you are simulating, it may also be accurate to wear and use a headset throughout the entire flight, but this is a personal choice, due to noise.
In case that you are looking for such a handheld microphone, there are 2 guys on the VATSIM Germany forum who build/convert and sell them regularly.
thanks for your reply! The problem is that X-Plane doesn´t recognize my hand microphone so I can´t allocate the PTT switch to the hand mic. How can that problem be fixed?
For VATSIM you do not need X-Plane to recognize anything at all. Only xpilot or swift, the pilot clients that connect X-Plane to the VATSIM network need to recognize it.
The hand microphone that was built for me emulates a joystick button that I can use with the AFV client (Audio For VATSIM app, needed to ATC).
I don’t use X-Plane, but afaik the PTT setting from xPilot is done through the plugin and it’s set from X-Plane directly, so the sim would need to detect it in this case
I am using swift all the time and just like the AFV app the user defines the PTT and other functions through the user interface of the program itself, never through the simulator.
In this case: @1604932
I remember faintly that there are programs that can read microphone push buttons and assign a virtual “F-key” (for example “F18”) to it. This virtual F-key can then be found through X-Plane or other programs.