"Error 1721: There is a problem with this Windows Installer Package. A program required for this installation..."

"There was a problem creating the sound system..."

"Error initialising graphics hardware..."

"Please connect your PhoenixRC Interface"

"Please reconnect or switch on your transmitter"

Phoenix is available from a huge number of model stores around the world, as well as from numerous online retailers, and also directly from our online ordering centre.

To find the nearest stockist to your location, please navigate to our Purchase page where you can find a full list of Phoenix distributors, as well as access our online ordering centre.

To successfully use Phoenix, you will need the following:

• IBM-compatible PC computer with 1.0 Ghz Pentium 3/4 or AMD Athlon/64 compatible processor

• Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 operating system
• 256MB system memory (RAM)
• 1.5 GB free, uncompressed hard-disk space*
• ATI Radeon 9800/NVidia Geforce Ti4200 with at least 128MB memory
• Microsoft DirectX 9.0c or higher
• DVD-ROM Drive for installation
• 1 free USB 1.1/2.0 port
• 100% DirectX 9 compatible sound card (optional)

Or alternatively:

• An Intel-based Apple Macintosh computer running Microsoft Windows XP, Vista or 7 under one of the following systems:

• Bootcamp (recommended)
• VMWare Fusion (latest version)
• Parallels (latest version)

More information on using Bootcamp can be found here on the Apple website.

Phoenix does not run on older non-Intel Macintosh computers, or the Apple OSX operating system.

Phoenix is supplied with its own USB interface which must be connected to the training port of a compatible radio/transmitter in order to successfully control the simulated models. Some makes/models of radio may require an extra adaptor. A full list of compatible radios can be found below:

• All JR MC/MX (no adaptor required) - ** MC-series requires "DSC Interface" Accessory **

• Spektrum DX6 / DX6i / DX7 / DSX9 (no adaptor required) - ** NOT new DX7 Special Edition "SE" version **

• Spektrum DX5e older-style with SIDE training port ("DX5e adaptor" required)

• Spektrum DX5e new-style with REAR training port (no adaptor required)

• All Futaba ("Futaba/Hitec round" or "Futaba square" adaptor required)

• Futaba FX-18 with 2.5mm stereo training port ("Futaba FX-18" adaptor required)

• Hitec Aurora (no adaptor required)

• All Hitec except "Aurora" ("Futaba/Hitec adaptor" required - "Aurora" requires no adaptor)

• All Multiplex ("Multiplex" adaptor required)

• All Sanwa RD and RDS series ("Sanwa adaptor" required)

• E-sky ETB41 2.4 ghz (no adaptor required)

• Other E-sky ("Mini-DIN adaptor" required)

• Co-Pilot ("Mini-DIN adaptor" required)

• Blade CX, CX-2, CX-3, CP, CP+, CP Pro, CP Pro 2 and Blade SR (no adaptor required)

• Parkzone Transmitters with training jack ("DX5e adaptor" required)

• Art-tech 100B (no adaptor required)

• Art-tech 100C ("Art-tech 100C adaptor" required)

• Walkera 2401, 2601 (Using "MINI-DIN adaptor" supplied with transmitter)

• Walkera 2402, 2602 ("Walkera 2801 adaptor" required)

• Walkera 2801 ("Walkera 2801 adaptor" required)

Please note that the following transmitters are not supported:

• USB controller devices and joysticks
• Spektrum DX7 "SE" version (This radio has no training output for R/C simulators)
• Hobbyzone transmitters and any transmitter included with ParkZone or E-Flite Ultra Micro products
• All Walkera except 2401, 2601, 2402, 2602 and 2801 (see above)
• Any other transmitter without a compatible training port

 

If you have lost or damaged your Phoenix installation CD or DVD, you can purchase the latest version of the Phoenix software on DVD for a small charge from the accessories section of our safe, secure and fast online ordering centre:

http://www.ekmpowershop4.com/ekmps/shops/phoenixrc/replacement-dvd-version-25-8-p.asp

 

If you wish to completely uninstall Phoenix from your computer, including your personalised settings, variants, and colour schemes, please follow the steps below:

• Uninstall Phoenix using Add/Remove Programs from the Windows Control Panel
• Open the your "C:/Program Files" folder and delete the "PhoenixRC" folder inside (if this folder exists)
• Open your "My Documents" folder ("Documents" under Windows Vista/7) and delete the "PhoenixRC" folder inside (if this folder exists)

If you encounter an error uninstalling Phoenix from your computer, you may wish to use the Microsoft Cleanup Utility:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301

You should then follow the instructions above to delete any folders remaining on your computer.

Phoenix includes a full electronic user-manual in 8 languages in easy-to-navigate .html format.

To access the user manual from within Phoenix, click the help menu from the main menu bar, then click user manual. The user manual will open in the language you selected when you first started Phoenix.

You can also access the user manual from your Windows Start Menu. Open the Start Menu > Programs > PhoenixRC > user manual folder, then select the appropriate language to open the manual.

There are also green "?" help buttons located on the top-right of many menus in Phoenix. Clicking these will open the user manual at the correct page for the menu.

This rare issue occurs when the included Microsoft DirectX installer cannot run on your computer during installation. This does not affect the installation of Phoenix, but you may need to manually install/update DirectX after installation by doing the following:

• Open your Phoenix installation folder - usually "C: / Program Files / PhoenixRC"
• Open the "SetupFiles / Redist" folder inside
• Locate the "DXSETUP.EXE" application inside this folder and run by double-clicking it
• Follow the onscreen instructions to install the update

 

This message usually means that you either do not have the latest drivers installed for your motherboard and/or sound card, or you do not have the latest version of DirectX 9 components that Phoenix requires installed on your system.

Even if you have a later version of DirectX installed on your system, your DirectX 9 components may not be current, and so you should install the following update from the Microsoft Website: Update DirectX components.

If this does not resolve the problem, you should navigate to your computer manufacturer's website and make sure all of your motherboard and/or sound-card drivers are up-to-date. If you have a seperate sound-card then please navigate to the sound-card manufacturer's website and update your sound-card drivers from here.

This message usually means that you either do not have the latest drivers installed for your computer's graphics card, or you do not have the latest version of DirectX 9 components that Phoenix requires installed on your system.

Even if you have a later version of DirectX installed on your system, your DirectX 9 components may not be current, and so you should install the following update from the Microsoft Website: Update DirectX components.

If this does not resolve the problem, you may need to update your graphics card drivers to the latest available version.

To do this, you will first need to know the make and model of your graphics card. Please follow the instructions below:

Windows XP
• Right-click an empty area of your Windows Desktop, and choose Properties from the menu that appears
• Select the right-most tab from the top of the dialog box that appears, marked Settings
• The make and model of your graphics card is displayed in the box below the monitor graphic, under the text marked "Display"

Windows Vista
• Right-click an empty area of your Windows Desktop and choose Personalise from the menu that appears
• Click Display Settings from the dialog that appears
• Click Advanced from the dialog that appears
• The make and model of graphics card are displayed under the text "Adaptor Type" at the top of the menu

Windows 7
• Right-click an empty area of your Windows Desktop and choose Screen Resolution from the menu that appears
• Click the Advanced Settings link in the middle-right of the dialog that appears
• The make and model of graphics card are displayed under the text "Adaptor Type" at the top of the menu

Make a note of the graphics-card make and model, then navigate to one of the following manufacturer's websites and download the appropriate drivers for your make and model of graphics card or chipset:

• NVIDIA-based graphics cards (e.g. "Geforce" series): www.nvidia.com

• ATI-based graphics cards (e.g. "Radeon" series): www.ati.com

• INTEL-based graphics cards and chipsets: www.intel.com

 

This message appears when you do not have your Phoenix USB interface connected to your computer's USB interface, or your computer is not detecting the USB interface is connected.

If you have your USB interface connected and are still seeing this message, disconnect and reconnect it from your computer's USB port, and then start the software again.

If you are using an Intel-based Macintosh computer and are running Phoenix under VMWare Fusion or Parallels, please note that you may need to enable the Phoenix USB device under VMWare Fusion/Parallels setup for it to be detected by Windows and Phoenix.

If you have done the above and still encounter this issue, please contact our technical support email using the appropriate address above.

This message appears when Phoenix cannot detect a compatible transmitter connected to your USB interface. If you see this message then you should follow the steps below:

• Install and fully charge your radio's batteries

Your radio must have its batteries installed, and we recommend fully charging them the first time. Most modern transmitters will use a lot less battery power when used with a flight simulator such as Phoenix, but you must still have your batteries installed and charged.

• Connect any adaptors (if required) to your USB interface

Many transmitter makes and models require an extra adaptor connector to join the USB interface to the radio's training port - even if the Phoenix USB interface appears to connect directly without any additional parts or connectors.

If your transmitter needs this extra component, you should connect this to the 3.5 mm plug end of your USB interface before connecting to your radio's training port.

You can see a list of the transmitters that Phoenix currently supports, and which adaptors (if any) are required to successfully connect it:

• All JR MC/MX (no adaptor required) - ** MC-series requires "DSC Interface" Accessory **

• Spektrum DX6 / DX6i / DX7 / DSX9 (no adaptor required) - ** NOT new DX7 Special Edition "SE" version **

• Spektrum DX5e older-style with SIDE training port ("DX5e adaptor" required)

• Spektrum DX5e new-style with REAR training port (no adaptor required)

• All Futaba ("Futaba/Hitec round" or "Futaba square" adaptor required)

• Futaba FX-18 with 2.5mm stereo training port ("Futaba FX-18" adaptor required)

• Hitec Aurora (no adaptor required)

• All Hitec except "Aurora" ("Futaba/Hitec adaptor" required - "Aurora" requires no adaptor)

• All Multiplex ("Multiplex" adaptor required)

• All Sanwa RD and RDS series ("Sanwa adaptor" required)

• E-sky ETB41 2.4 ghz (no adaptor required)

• Other E-sky ("Mini-DIN adaptor" required)

• Co-Pilot ("Mini-DIN adaptor" required)

• Blade CX, CX-2, CX-3, CP, CP+, CP Pro, CP Pro 2 and Blade SR (no adaptor required)

• Parkzone Transmitters with training jack ("DX5e adaptor" required)

• Art-tech 100B (no adaptor required)

• Art-tech 100C ("Art-tech 100C adaptor" required)

• Walkera 2401, 2601 (Using "MINI-DIN adaptor" supplied with transmitter)

• Walkera 2402, 2602 ("Walkera 2801 adaptor" required)

• Walkera 2801 ("Walkera 2801 adaptor" required)

If you do not have the required adaptor, Phoenix may not be able to recognise your transmitter is connected, so you should order this part from your local model store, Phoenix distributor, or directly from our online ordering centre.

More information can be found here on our website

• Connect the USB interface (and adaptor if required) to your transmitter's training port

Once you have connected your adaptor to the 3.5mm jack end of your Phoenix USB interface, connect this firmly into your radio's training port.

Many modern transmitters feature a special Simulator / Trainer Mode which vastly increases battery life when using your transmitter with a simulator. This is activated by connecting the USB interface (and adaptor) to your transmitter's training port with the radio switched OFF. It will then "power on" automatically into the simulator mode. In this case you should not then switch on your radio while using it with Phoenix.

If you have done the above, and the radio has not "powered-on" automatically when you connected the USB interface, you should now switch on your radio.

• Start the Phoenix software

If not already running, please start the Phoenix software by double-clicking the Phoenix R/C Icon on your Desktop or from your Windows Start Menu.

• If the program still does not recognise radio is connected...

Firstly, make completely sure that:

• Your transmitter has its batteries installed and fully charged

• All connections are firmly inserted into each other

If Phoenix still does not recognise that your radio is connected, you may require an extra adaptor for your radio - even if the Phoenix USB interface appears to connect directly to your radio without one. Please consult the list above carefully to check that this is not the case.

Finally, if you are sure that you do not require an adaptor, or have the correct adaptor connected already, please contact Phoenix Technical Support at the appropriate address above.

If you are using Phoenix on your Intel-based Macintosh computer, and encounter any graphical issues or errors on start-up, then please follow the tips below:

If you are using Bootcamp, please follow the steps in this article to make sure that you have the latest drivers and DirectX version installed.

If you are using either VMWare Fusion or Parallels to run Phoenix, make sure that you have the latest version of whichever system you are using, as DirectX 9 applications are only supported under VMWare Fusion version 3.0, or Parallels version 5.0 or above.

If you are using VMWare Fusion 3.0 and still encounter an issue, please make sure that you update to version 3.1 from the VMWare website now, as this resolves most graphics-related issues.

If you notice that the background movement when flying a model is jerky, inconsistent or is not scrolling smoothly, or you notice a lag in control response between moving a stick on your radio and the model reacting onscreen, then you may be running Phoenix in too high graphical quality for your system specification, or your graphics drivers/DirectX components may need an update.

Before adjusting your graphical quality settings, please follow these instructions for updating your graphics-card drivers and DirectX components.

If this fails to resolve the problem, then you may have your graphical quality settings at too high a level for the graphics hardware installed in your computer.

To adjust your graphics quality settings, open the system > program setup > display menu from within Phoenix.

The first recommended step is to run Phoenix in fullscreen mode with vertical sync enabled. This lets the system use all of the available graphics processing power, and in most cases will give you much smoother performance. To do this, make sure that both the "use fullscreen mode" and "use vertical sync" options are highlighted, then click accept.

If you find that the program is still not responding smoothly, then you should also reduce your graphics quality by doing the following:

• Open the system > program setup > display menu again from within Phoenix
• Using the slider at the top of this menu, drag the graphics quality scheme control one step to the left
• Click accept
• Repeat until you have smooth performance on your computer, each time moving the slider one step to the left

If after setting up your transmitter the simulated models do not react as expected to your controller inputs, this can be due to a number of reasons:

Calibration
Calibrating your transmitter lets Phoenix know the full extent of travel of your radio's sticks, and also whether you have any switches or sliders on your radio. If your radio is not calibrated correctly then the model will not fly as you expect in the simulator.

To check your calibration, open the system > your transmitter menu, and look at the orange bars on the menu:

When you move the throttle stick only, either one or two bars should move smoothly from one extent to the other as you move the stick, and these bars should be central when the throttle stick is centered.

If the orange bars do not move smoothly, and jump from one extent to the other then you may not have had your throttle stick centered when prompted to "centre all sticks" during the calibration process. In this case you should recalibrate your radio again by clicking the calibrate button at the top of the menu, making sure to have your throttle stick centered (not at the idle position) when prompted, and to make sure that you do not have your idle-up or throttle-hold switches (if your radio has these) active at any time before or during calibration.

If more than two bars (i.e. three or more bars) move when you move your throttle stick up and down then you may have CCPM or swashplate mixing enabled on your radio. When using your radio with an R/C simulator such as Phoenix your radio should have the CCPM mixing disabled or the swashplate settings set to single-servo / 90-degrees. After you have done so you should recalibrate your radio by clicking the calibrate button at the top of the menu.

All of the other sticks (rudder, aileron and elevator) should each move an orange bar fully up and down when you move the stick, and be central when the stick is centered. If this does not happen then you may have CCPM/swashplate mixing enabled, and you should follow the instructions above regarding disabling this.

Control Profiles
If you have followed the instructions above, and have confirmed that your transmitter is calibrated correctly then you may not have the correct control profile selected, or your radio may not be set to factory defaults.

A control profile tells Phoenix which channels (sticks, switches, etc) on your radio control which functions (throttle, aileron, gear, etc) on the simulated model.

You should make sure that you have the nearest make and model of transmitter to the one you are using selected from the list under the system > your controls menu.

If you have done so, then your radio may not be set to factory defaults, or you may be using a different mode than the default mode 2 used in all preset control profiles. In this case, please follow the steps below to create a new custom control profile for your radio:

• Open the system > your controls menu
• Click the button marked New
• Type a name for your radio in the box provided (e.g. "My Futaba 10C")
• Make sure that Quick Setup is checked
• Click Continue
• Follow the onscreen instructions carefully to create a new control profile for your radio

If your throttle control is moving from one extreme to the other with no smooth change between then you may not have calibrated your throttle channel correctly.

Open the system > your transmitter menu and look at the orange bars on the display. Find the first bar that moves when you only move the throttle stick on your radio.

Does this bar move smoothly from one extent to the other as you move the throttle stick, and is it centered when the stick is in the centre of its travel?

If not, then you should recalibrate your radio by clicking the calibrate button, making absolutely sure that:

• You have your throttle stick centered when prompted, and not at the idle position

• You do not have your IDLE-UP/STUNT mode switches active at any time before/during the calibration process

If the throttle bar appears to be reacting correctly - i.e. moving smoothly from one extent to the other as you move the stick then you may just be experiencing the rotor governor which is fitted by default to many of the helicopters in Phoenix. The governor will attempt to keep a preset RPM whenever the throttle stick is above 25%, and is the most common way of flying an R/C helicopter model. To test if this is the case, fly a model which does not have a rotor governor such as the model > change > helicopters > electric > Blade CX2 model - does this fly as you would expect?

This problem is usually due to your collective pitch setup.

If you are flying a 6 (or more) channel radio, and wish to fly helicopter models in Phoenix then you should make sure that it is set to HELI mode. If it is not, please do the following:

• Set the radio to HELI mode (we recommend using a new, blank model memory for this)
• Setup your radio so that CCPM mixing is disabled / that the swashplate settings are 90-degrees / single-servo
• Recalibrate the radio using the system > your transmitter > calibrate wizard

If you are flying a 4-channel radio then you may need to create a new custom control profile so that Phoenix can map both throttle and collective pitch together - allowing you to fly collective-pitch models:

• Open the system > your controls menu
• Click the button marked New
• Type a name for your radio in the box provided (e.g. "My Futaba 10C")
• Make sure that Quick Setup is checked
• Click Continue
• Follow the onscreen instructions carefully to create a new control profile for your radio

 

New models and flying sites are regularly released for free download, and these are announced on our News page.

When new content is released, it is added to the Automatic Updates system, and the next time you start Phoenix you will be prompted to install new updates (if you have this option enabled).

If you do not have the automatic update check option enabled, then you can manually check by opening your System > Check for Updates menu from within Phoenix.

Please note that you must have a working internet connection, and have allowed Phoenix access to the internet through any firewalls you may have active for this system to function.

You must also have the latest 2.5 version of Phoenix installed to use the Automatic Updates system. More information on checking your version and updating can be found here.

If you have used the system > check for updates menu to install new models, flying sites or program updates, and after the update has appeared to download and install the program is still the same version, or the model/flying site does not appear in the model > change or flying site > change menu then the Phoenix update installer may not be able to change your installation folder on your computer correctly.

The most common reason for this is that you are not logged in as the Administrator on your computer, or you have logged in as a different Windows User than the one you were logged in as when you installed the program.

You should make sure that you are logged in as a user with Administrative priveleges, and then attempt the installation again.

We regularly release new models for free download, and when these are available they will appear in your Automatic Updates list, as well as being announced on our News page.

If you own a model that you would like to see in Phoenix, you can request it by sending an email to our modelling team at the following address: aircraft@phoenix-sim.com

If you own the model you are requesting and have access to a digital camera then you can speed up the time taken to produce your model by taking the digital photographs that our modelling team requires yourself.

Full instructions on this process can be found here.

This message usually means that your computer either does not have a working internet connection, you have a firewall or virus-checking application blocking Phoenix from accessing the internet, or you are not running the appropriate version of Phoenix.

Online multiplayer and automatic updates are now only supported in versions 2.5 and above. If you have an earlier version of Phoenix installed, please update to the latest 2.5 version using our Downloads page.

If you have version 2.5 installed and are still seeing this error, you should make sure that you can access the internet using this computer, and also "allow" Phoenix access to the internet through any firewall software or virus-checking software you may be running. Please note that you may have more than one firewall active, and all need to be configured to allow Phoenix access to the internet for online multiplayer or automatic updates to function correctly.

Phoenix uses a complicated system including a dedicated "master" server in order to make connecting as easy as possible, even if both the session creator and joiner are both behind routers and/or firewalls.

Despite these extra measures, some routers and firewalls will not allow this process to happen. This is partly due to the protection this gives your computer against malicious attacks from the internet.

In these cases, you may need to "open" or "forward" the internet ports on your router that Phoenix uses for online flight to your computer's own address.

The ports that Phoenix uses are UDP PORTS 26500 - 26505.

There is a great deal more information on how to accomplish this on the internet, on website such as PortForward.

If this fails to resolve the problem, you may consider changing your router to a more compatible make and model.