I’m using VoiceAttack to manage the F1-F12 buttons, and also the radio, in DCS.
Since I use VR I quickly got tired of fumbling for the F10 key to show the map. Instead I say «Map». Or «Cockpit»for F1, «Flyby» for F3, etc. I also say «Radio» to bring up the comms menue, and then whatever F key I need.
This works really good, but I have been looking at this VAICOM plug-in for VoiceAttack, and I’m interested in hearing from anyone with experience with it.
Will definitely need to try this for the same reasons. Would it work if I say “screenshot” as well? That would be immensely helpful…
I’ve used Viacomm 2.5 for a few months now. Prior to that I had been slowly trying to get used to using Voice Attack on its own. I find that Viacomm maintains some of the shortcoming of stand alone Voice attack. Primarily my fault because of my voice confusing the Windows speech recognition. Also because it uses key word recognition to send commands, you have to get used a slight pause between the recipient and the command, and are required to use the viacomm phrasing. Awkward at first but you get used to it. It does incorporate a way to expand the key word list if you like to tinker a bit. The best thing about Viacomm is that you do not need to build profiles for each aircraft because it automatically recognizes what aircraft is being flown, loads the correct profile, and communicates with the sim without using the F key menus. Furthermore it retains the ability of Voice Attack to modify the profile and add more commands like “screenshot” or “display map.”
Even with its few awkward moments, I find that it has been well worth the asking price, especially in VR so I dont have to squint down the nose gap for the F keys, or spend hours building a voice attack profile for each aircraft I fly.
You can absolutely get VoiceAttack to do that.
In Voice Attack, I use the phrase “photo” and have that tied to my Print Screen key function. It works well.
Do y’all use a key function to trigger VA, say one if the mic keys, or do you just keep it active in the background?
IIRC, I have it “Not listening” the whole time and put in fron of every command “Wake up if you hear this”.
I know it sounds odd but it works.
I have it on all the time. The only talking I do is to VA… But if I start using VAICOM I guess I will need a PTT switch.
I just bought VoiceAttack and downloaded the free vaicom plugin. Not gonna pay for it until I get it working. Which I havent.
It wants six(!) hotas buttons. Well it can have four. Will that do? I rather have just one PTT button, and another left for voice comms if and when I use that.
I installed it all, and it seems ok, didnt throw any error messages. When I boot up DCS and fly an F-15C, It does not seem to do what it said on the tin. All it seems to do (so far) is keep opening the radio menu. Which it should surpress, not show at all.
Slightly frustrated so far, but its a PC, this is to be expected. I will run the thing through some speech training, perhaps that’ll help.
Some tips -
You have to do the speech training. It uses the Windows engine for understanding you and if that doesn’t have a voice record file it will struggle.
I will assume you have installed the Vaicom folder and loaded the profile. Follow the PDF guide in the Vaicom folder.
You shouldn’t need any more than 3 buttons hotas mapped and possibly only one depending on how you have the DCS Easy comms set.
If you don’t turn on Easy comms in your mission or you are on a multiplayer server that doesn’t have it enabled:
TX 1 - VHF AM
TX 2 - UHF
TX 3 - VHF FM
If you enable Easy comms in your mission or the Multiplayer you are joining has it enabled:
TX-4 Auto
You must use the Vaicom commands to get it to work. You must know how they are set up - go through the command list and print it out if need be. Having said that there are some that you will use alot, particularly tanker commands so use those to get it working and then branch out with other commands.
Batumi…Select
ATC, Request Engines Start
…are good ones to try for example
So here is a method to get it working-
Open up Voice attack and go through the Vaicom profile. Set TX - 4 to a hotas key
Make a mission in Caucasus with a plane with a ramp start at Batumi. Add a tanker not too far away and an Awacs as well. Make sure to turn on Easy Comms in the mission options.
Make sure the button you have mapped to TX-4 is not mapped to anything else, anywhere!
By default you jet will be tuned to ATC you are at:
Say: “ATC, Request Engines Start” They should respond back to you as if you did it via menus.
Go from there. Fly around and contact Batumi. Join the Tanker and get him to Pre-contact via voice. Call Awacs.
Read pages 15-19 in the guide for command examples and try them till you get it.
Once you have done that and you like it, Edit your mission and assign freqs to the Tanker and Awacs and turn off Easy Comms. Assign Hotas buttons to TX-1 thru 3 depending on your jet and Tune the radio to Tanker and then voice command and see it that it works.
It works really well for AI wingmen.
Once you have it working the only challenge is to learn to speak, and spell, Vaicom.
Edit: I just looked up what is not in the Pro version and you don’t have auto-select. That means you must use the select command to talk to the resource that Vaicom will interact with first. It will then talk to that until you use the command to talk to another resource. So say Batumi…Select and then issue commands and so on. I am used to Auto-Select which just as it sounds changes the focus automatically when you say Batumi…Inbound.
Edit again: Lets get the name right this time
Sorry, @Tankerwade!
You’re not the only one doing it. I see it all the time.
I guess it’s the power of a brand name…
Whoops LoL. Thats the first time I have noticed its spelling! It never even occured to me the copyright issues they would have had.
And I still say Prepar 3 d…
Me too!
After all, I’m not in my t33nz, anymore…
Ok, turns out the auto-install does not work anymore because DCS has decided to put the radio menu stuff in a seperate folder. I took care of that(1) and the sim seemed to react to my commands.
I also spend hours reading to my computer. Then I read all four hundred and flipping eighty of the VAICOM commands until it received them with a confidence of 70% or greater.
Then I flew a short hop and with a bit of jank (repeated commands, speaking slow and carefully) I got Two to activate his radar and ECM and engage a bandit. The AWACS also understood my desire for bogey dope.
This stuff sure is dope 
I also made three commands in the voiceattack thing directly: change input to goggles, change input to desk (mic) and recenter goggles. Those work like a charm . It’s almost as if plain voiceattack is better at recognition than VAICOM. Ah well.
Tomorrow I will train the thing some more. It’s so cool. To think I never got into this before, and it only costs a tenner or so.
(1) RTFM’ed until my eyes bled, faq’ed stuff up until it smelled of old cheese and stale milk and hackerized all kinds of .lua in the darkest dankest reaches of my computer.
I have VAICOM Pro and Voice Attack, as I incorporated both into my DCS TARGET Profile. I’m impressed with VAICOM, but to be honest I haven’t been able to put in the time to customize it for my use. I also understand the frustration with getting it to work. I went through much of the same, and I’m still not over the hump on this one (I mainly got it working seamlessly with the profile, and stopped there). However, there is a lot to love about VAICOM once you get it working.
While Voice Attack is a “vox to keystroke macro” type software (like VAC), VAICOM takes it a step further and acts as a radio simulator. Instead of simply mapping voice commands to Function Key macros, VAICOM acts as a DCS plug-in that deals with the communications engine directly rather than navigating F-key menus. It also parses the existing mission for callsigns, so if your AWACS is “Darkstar” you can say “Darkstar Request Picture” and it will do so bypassing the Comms/F-key menu. Same for “Texaco Request Refuel”. Also depending on your VAICOM and DCS settings, that command may also automatically set the proper radio frequency to speak with AWACS or the Tanker. For ATC, you can either call the field (e.g. Batumi) or just say “ATC” and it will call the closest airfield for you. Again, frequencies automatically switch if optionally set in DCS and VAICOM.
VAICOM Pro is complex, and as a result the manual needs a bit more work in the hand-holding department. However, there are a lot of people who can help on the ED forums, and Hollywood is active in promoting and supporting VAICOM. It’s definitely on my list of things to tweak in the near future.
Slowly getting to grips with it and yes it is sweet.
quick question to those who are more experienced with this, but which of the 6(!) tx buttons should I bind?
Most planes I use have only two radios, like the Mirage, the F/A-18 and so on. I found TX4 (auto) is useful for the FC3 planes, but useless in full-pit machines. You can’t double up, can you? Have one button push both Tx3 and Tx4?
I have about five positions available on my HOTAS (the thumb hat on the warthog throttle) I’d prefer to have the Mirages’ green and red radio on button fwd and aft.
I’m about to start falling down this rabbit hole now too- just downloaded Vaicom last night, and I figure I’ll start looking at Simple Radio this weekend as well- I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? No answer yet to your question @schurem, but I’m going to be using it in conjunction with @HomeFries TARGET scripts. Stand by for a flurry of confused posts this weekend.
quick question to those who are more experienced with this, but which of the 6(!) tx buttons should I bind?
I have about five positions available on my HOTAS (the thumb hat on the warthog throttle) I’d prefer to have the Mirages’ green and red radio on button fwd and aft.
The way I do it is map TX1-TX3 to the mic switch fwd, down and aft like the A-10C, then TX4 to mic sw up as a catch all. Of course, this would mean using forward and down for the Mirage and F/A-18, so you can switch it up as you see fit. I haven’t found a need yet for Intercom or Aux (TX5/6), and I think these are just coded for possible future use.
In my TARGET profile, I set it like I just described it, but based on the aircraft module I remap the DX buttons, so for the F/A-18 and Mirage TX1/2 are mapped fore and aft.
Its a rabbithole but doing comms with push-to-talk buttons and voice instead of mousing a menu is worth it.
Ask away, I have it right in the front of my brain now how to do this stuff.
