Hey there,
I was wondering what’s the correct procedure to set up the SELCAL code properly for flying on VATSIM?
At the connect window, can I leave “SELCAL Code” blank if I have SEL/xxxx in the flightplan?
Or am I required to fill out SELCAL Code and skip it in the SEL/xxxx in the Flightplan in order for VATSIM ATC to send me a SELCAL?
You need to enter it in the connect window for vPilot to recognize it when ATC sends it. vPilot will automatically add it to the flight plan remarks.
Thanks for your reply Ross!
I’ve done a few tests and I’ve noticed that if you file a flightplan with SEL/AB-CD in the remark section on https://my.vatsim.net/pilots/flightplan prior connecting, you can leave the SELCAL Code field empty when logging in to the network.
VPilot then pulls the selcal code from the flightplan, I guess 
Yes, that’s right … I just checked the code, and if a selcal code is found in the remarks when you file, it’ll use that, even if it’s different from the one you connected with.
Hello Sir,
Just for an “extra help” to you, if you want you can check eventually, all the procedures for the SELCAL code, directly from the official GanderOceanic forum-page here → SELCAL - Gander Oceanic Knowledge Base
Hope to have help you 
Not all aircraft need a SELCAL; it’s primarily those which fly outside of radio reception areas, i.e., if you were flying across the ocean. If you’re in a Cessna, staying on the same continent, you don’t really need a SELCAL.
Not all letters are available for SELCAL codes. From Wikipedia:
“The code is a sequence of four letters, written or transmitted as an ordered two sets of two letters each (e.g., AB-CD ). The letters are chosen from a subset of the Latin script comprising A through S , excluding I , N and O . The letters within a given pair are written or transmitted in alphabetical order (e.g., AB-CD is an allowable distinct SELCAL code, as is CD-AB , but CD-BA is not). A given letter can be used only once in a SELCAL code; letters may not be repeated (e.g., AB-CD is allowable, but AA-BC and AB-BC are not).”
Some cautions, gleaned from experience:
If your aircraft has a SELCAL code printed on the panel, don’t use it. No doubt someone else is using the same aircraft/livery and will try to load the same SELCAL. Especially if you’re flying an event.
I tend to put a consistent SELCAL for all my saved airframes in SimBrief; my initials arranged in a manner that reflects the SELCAL format (alpha order). Not realistic, I know, but I only need to memorize one SELCAL. If I fly an event like Cross The Pond, though, I use the SELCAL they provide rather than my own.
I could probably count on one hand the number of times a VATSIM controller has contacted me by SELCAL over the past 15 years, save for the SELCAL check.