Autopilot keeps disengaging NAV mode (VOR-to-VOR navigation)

[HansDeVlieger]

@SadBucket
Thanks for your real life insight. I guess the signal quality in general depends also on the place on the planet that your flying in (geographically for example). I know and experience this feature in Black Square's aircraft that mimic signal degradation which adds greatly to the immersion. It's this attention to detail that make me appreciate Black Square aircraft so much. So yes, I do use hdg hold already when it comes to switching between VOR stations that are not that dense in comparison to the earlier days. And of course when crossing a station to pick up a outbound radial later on. I guess that I'm going to follow your suggestion when the problem persists. I pretend that it's all about realism

[HansDeVlieger]

@Black-Square
Thanks again for taking the time to take a look at my issue.
I'm afraid I don't know an awful lot about the magic behind the interacting between add-on airplanes and the simulator, but I understand what you're saying. I don't use FSUICP but use SPAD.neXt instead to manage my hardware. In this case I use the Honeycomb Bravo's autopilot feature.

I must say this is the first time I run into this. I have a fair collection of Black Square aircraft and I don't recall I saw any disconnection issue before. I am not sure about the Dukes and Starship but I did quite a lot of hours in the TBM 850 and the Bonanzas.
What I will do is empty my Community folder except for the Commander 114 and do a test flight without SPAD.neXt or any other program running besides MSFS2024. Then I'll do a flight with my "normal" setup in one of the Bonanzas to see whether it occurs or not. After that, I'll report back.

[HansDeVlieger]

@Voxen
Do you experience the issue only in this aircraft or also in others?

[Black Square]

@HansDeVlieger said in Autopilot keeps disengaging NAV mode (VOR-to-VOR navigation):

What I will do is empty my Community folder except for the Commander 114 and do a test flight without SPAD.neXt or any other program running besides MSFS2024. Then I'll do a flight with my "normal" setup in one of the Bonanzas to see whether it occurs or not. After that, I'll report back.

This will be greatly appreciated! Unfortunately, I think this is going to be a deep simulator level issue, but I've found that unless we can really pinpoint the issue, bug reports are likely to be sidelined. I will really appreciate even one more data point!

[Voxen]

@HansDeVlieger said in Autopilot keeps disengaging NAV mode (VOR-to-VOR navigation):

@Voxen
Do you experience the issue only in this aircraft or also in others?

I don't recall having seen this issue before, but lately I flew only the A2A Comanche that does not have a NAV button.

[ebbsy2]

I bought the plane last night and did a vor vor from Stornoway to humberside using the mx170b and it was constantly disconnecting just like you said.done anther flight today and same thing.swaped over to the turbo version with the gtn 750 and using GPS it never disengaged once

[Tadeus72]

Also have it since around SU4. For me it's happening only in Blacksquare planes and the C310 from Blackbird. Have observed it like a 100 times as I'm doing a radio-navigation only world tour with the Baron

While I don't think it's caused by anything that is wrong in the plane itself some planes seem more susceptible to it, because for example with the Justflight F28 and Bae146 I never had this happen, despite mostly flying them VOR-VOR.

[SebAvi]

@Tadeus72 The manual clearly states that BlackSquare simulates radio signal propagation and does so quite accurately, just like A2A. In real world operations, pilots rarely use the autopilot in NAV mode tracking a VOR. More commonly, they fly in HDG mode, adjusting the heading according to the VOR indications whenever the signal is available for example, when flying through mountainous terrain or other areas where reception can be affected.

There are countless tutorials and training materials available online explaining how radio navigation actually works. Because of that, it’s not reasonable to compare this product with more simplified implementations where VOR guidance works perfectly all the time. If it always works flawlessly regardless of conditions, that’s actually unrealistic behavior.

Unfortunately, many other aircraft developers including the default MSFS/Asobo aircraft prioritize convenience over realism in this area. As a result, they often teach incorrect expectations and poor operating practices.

Best, Seb

[Tadeus72]

@SebAvi Thanks, but I don't think it's about signal degradation. It also happens when the signal is strong and uninterrupted, as well as in planes that don't have custom signal degradation.

[SebAvi]

For everybody who have issue with VOR make this simple steps. In my opinion blacksquare birds working as expected, in msfs vs reality possibilities.

1. Position the aircraft approximately 10–20 NM from a known VOR station and at an altitude that provides a clear line of sight to the transmitter. Best without any hills, min 5000 ft AGL.
2. Enter the VOR frequency manually instead of relying on automatic tuning.
3. Enable the NAV audio and listen for the station’s Morse code identifier.
4. Check the CDI indication, the TO/FROM flag, and verify that the needle responds correctly when you rotate the OBS knob.
5. Repeat the test in another pro dev aircraft A2A , blackbird etc preferably comparing an aircraft with analogue instruments to one equipped with a G1000 - Cows DA40/42.
6. Test the same VOR after restarting the simulator with all Community folder add-ons disabled.
7. If using Navdata, check that the latest AIRAC is installed.

If the VOR works with the G1000 but not with an analogue CDI, the issue is likely related to the specific aircraft or instrument implementation. If only certain VOR stations do not work, the navigation database may be the cause.