Table Of Contents
1 LEARN
2 SETUP
3 FILTERS EXPLANATION
4 PRACTICE:
5 VSCS
6 vERAM COMMAND QUICK REFERENCE

LEARN

  • You will learn a great deal on how to work traffic and more advanced setup options for your scope during your training, but it wouldn’t be fair to the instructors to have to teach you everything, therefore you are expected to read and attempt to comprehend as much as possible with the software manuals. If you have questions about any of the information within these documents, write them down so that your instructor may go over those few details with you during your next training session.

SETUP

  • DOWNLOAD: https://veram.metacraft.com/Download
  • Run installer
  • Right Click on the vERAM shortcut and select “Open File Location”
  • Now right click on the actual vERAM.exe
  • Select “Properties”
  • Go to the “Compaitibitily” tab
  • Choose to “run this program as an administrator”.
  • Select Apply & OK
  • Open vERAM
  • Choose “Import”
  • Navigate to Dropbox\zlc public\ZLC Facility Files (Live Update)\SECTOR FILES
  • Select the ZLC vERAM.gz file.
  • If prompted, allow your current file to be overwritten.
  • In the vERAM Facility menu, double click “Salt Lake City ARTCC (ZLC).
  • Select the VSCS menu and press your ESC button.
  • Press CTRL+S
  • Ensure “TAB KEY CLOSES TEXT COMMS WINDOW” is checked.
  • Select the NETWORK tab.
  • Enter in your Global Settings
  • Facility Specific:
    • Default Callsign: The callsign of the position you are going to be working most of the time. (SLC_33_CTR for example)
    • Observer Callsign: Your observer callsign (ZLC_KC_OBS for example)
    • Fill out the rating and facility as appropriate.
    • Controller Info: “Pilot Info- WWW.ZLCARTCC.COM”
  • Audio Tab:
    • This page doesn’t really do much now that AFV has been in use however it is required to have some fields entered.
    • Select WAVE options for each of yoru Mic, Headset, and Speaker devices.
    • Current PTT: Select your Push To Talk button.
    • No need to calibrate your mike or do anything else here.
  • Apply and Ok
  • To get rid of the Text Communications popup by pressing your TAB button until it is gone.
    • On initial setup, you may have to select the Text Comms box first for it to work.
  • Click into your main display (blue area) and press CTRL+ENTER.
  • Adjust your main display to fit the screen how you wish.
    • Leave a little bit of room along each edge, as it will expand when you exit the adjustment mode.
  • Press CTRL+ENTER again to exit the adjustment mode.
  • If you do not see a menu in the top left-hand corner with a “views” and “Draw” button, select “TOOLBAR” and “MASTER TOOLBAR”.
  • Select the BRIGHT menu button.
  • To change the values of each of these items, you will use the left click of your mouse to decrease and your scroll-wheel button (AKA “Middle Click”) to increase. The following are suggested:
    • TARGET: 60
    • HIST: 16
    • FDB: 80
    • LDB: 60
    • WX: 60
    • LINE 4: -20
    • DWELL: +20
    • CURSOR: 90
    • BACKLGHT: 90
    • BUTTON: 50
    • BORDER: 40
    • TB BRDR: 40
    • TEXT: 90
    • NEXRAD: 60
    • SLDB: +20
    • BCKGRD: 1
    • TOOLBAR: 40
  • Select the MAP BRIGHT button
    • CTR SEC: 28
    • CTRINF: 12
    • AR MTR: 12
    • AWY: 12
    • APPSTD: 80
    • RVM STD: 40
    • SFC: 40
    • DEP: 80
    • WX: 12
    • APT/EMR: 12
    • TAV: 12
    • SEP: 12
    • NAV: 12
    • RESTR: 12
    • APPALT: 80
    • RVM ALT: 40
    • MVA: 12
    • ARR: 80
    • APTDGM: 40
    • SPEC: 12
    • Select MAP BRIGHT again to close the submenu.
    • Select BRIGHT again to close the menu.

NOTE-For the following menus, select it to open it and select it again to close it.

  • Open the “VIEWS” menu.
    • Configure it to where only the ALTIM SET and WX REPORT buttons/menus are active.
  • RANGE
    • Using your Left and Middle Click buttons of your mouse, adjust the range to 800.
  • CURSOR
    • Adjust the Size option to whatever you would like. (No more than 3 is recommended)
  • CENTER ON ZLC
    • Click into the center of your screen/scope and type “.CENTER KIDA” and press enter.
    • Open the ZLC Filter by selecting “ZLC” in the toolbar menu. Now select “CTR SEC”
    • Hold down your CTRL, ALT, and your number “1” along the top of your keyboard.
      • You have just saved this view position. To come back to this position and map view, just perform CTRL+1. You will learn more about how to save more views and use them later on.
    • Select ZLC again to close the menu.
  • If the ALT LIM button does not display 000B999:
    • Select the button, click into the ALTITUDE box and type: 000B999 and press enter.
  • FONT
    • LINE 4: 1
    • FDB: 1
    • TOOLBAR: 1
    • LDB: 1
    • RDB: -2
    • OUTAGE: 1
    • Select FONT again to close the menu.
  • RADAR FILTER
    • All should be selected except “ALL LDBS” and “STROBE LINES”
    • HISTORY: 5
    • Select RADAR FILTER again to close the menu.
  • DB FIELDS
    • Only DEST should be selected.
    • FDB LDR: 1
    • Select DB FIELDS again to close the menu.
  • VECTOR: 1
  • Weather Reports Setup:
    • To add weather reporting stations, the format of the command will be: WR (space) (Station ID) (enter). Perform the command for all of the following towered fields within ZLC:
      NOTE-If you are comfortable editing the vERAMConfig.xml file located here: AppData\Local\vERAM then you may use the file located here: \Dropbox\zlc public\Other Downloads\ZLC vERAM QD and WR Config.txt to copy/paste into the appropriate spot in the vERAMConfig.xml. Be sure to first quit your current vERAM session so that it saves all of your current work into the config file first.
      • BIL
      • BOI
      • BZN
      • GPI
      • GTF
      • HLN
      • IDA
      • JAC
      • MSO
      • OGD
      • PIH
      • PVU
      • SLC
      • SUN
      • TWF
  • Altimeter Set Setup:
    • To add Altimeter reporting stations, the format of the command will be: QD (Station ID) (enter). Perform the command for all of the following standard altitmeters for all ZLC sectors:
      • BIL
      • BKE
      • BOI
      • BPI
      • BTM
      • BZN
      • CDC
      • COD
      • CTB
      • EKO
      • ELY
      • GDV
      • GGW
      • GJT
      • GPI
      • GTF
      • HLN
      • HVR
      • IDA
      • JAC
      • LWT
      • MLS
      • MSO
      • MUO
      • OGD
      • PIH
      • PVU
      • RIW
      • RKS
      • SDY
      • SHR
      • SLC
      • SUN
      • TPH
      • TWF
      • VEL
      • WMC
      • WRL
      • XWA

FILTERS EXPLANATION

NOTE: To view the following as a slide show with a visual guide, view the following slideshow. Otherwise, please read below

NOTE: TDM = “Top-Down-Mode”. When a Filter is prefixed with an (*), there is another map that may be drawn by toggling TDM on by CTRL+T.

  • *CTR SEC
    • ZLC Sectors.
    • Neighbor Sector Reference Lines.
    • Delegated airspaces.
    • TDM: All ARTCC Boundaries from FAA NASR data.
    • TDM: All Approach Control Boundaries.
    • TDM: All ZLC RADAR Sites
  • CTR SEC INFO
    • ZLC Sector ID, Frequency, Stratum
  • AR MTR
    • Air Refueling Tracks (dashed).
    • Military Training Routes (solid).
  • AWY
    • All Airways (long dashed).
  • APP SEC STD
    • TRACON Sector information when in “Standard Operations/Flow”.
  • RVM STD
    • TRACON Basic RADAR Video Maps when in “Standard Operations/Flow”.
  • SFC AREA
    • Class B, C, and D boundaries and stratums.
  • DEP
    • All Departure Procedures (including non-towered) from the FAA Database.
  • *WX
    • Weather stations that are in the “ZLC Standard Altimeters List” are larger text, opaque, and have a nuclear symbol over the station location.
      • The first part of the line is the station ID, the second is the name of the airport/facility it is associated with.
    • TDM: All Weather Stations.
  • *APT
    • Shows all airport locations (square symbol).
    • TDM: Displays airport ID and Name.
  • TAV
    • Terrain Alert Volume (acts as the Enroute “MVA”).
  • SEP
    • Metering lines based off of OAL, FFU, CARTR, and BEARR.
    • Enroute 3NM Separation Areas (Short Dashed Lines)
  • *NAV
    • All NAVAIDS including NDB and DME only station (oval symbol).
    • TDM: Displays NAVAID ID, Name, and Type.
    • All ZLC Significant points.
    • TDM: Displays Significant Point name.
  • RESTR AREAS
    • Restricted areas within ZLC boundaries.
  • APP SEC ALT
    • TRACON Sector information when in “Non-Standard Operations/Flow”.
  • RVM ALT
    • TRACON Basic RADAR Video Maps when in “Non-Standard Operations/Flow”.
  • MVA
    • TRACON Minimum Vector Altitudes.
  • ARR
    • All Arrival Procedures (including non-towered) from the FAA Database.
  • APT DGM
    • ZLC Towered Airport Diagrams.
  • SPEC
    • Reserved for miscellaneous/special maps.

PRACTICE:

  • Log onto the network as an observer, QL a sector online and start workign with moving datablocks around and finding a good setup for your scope. Your instructor may give advice on how to adjust your scope during your sessions but don’t leave it to the instructor to tell you everything.
  • RECOMMENDED BASIC WORKSTATION TEMPLATE

VSCS

  • AIR to GROUND pg 1 (A/G 1)
    • The 6 standard CTR splits.
  • AIR to GROUND pg 2 (A/G 2)
    • 12 of the most likely enroute splits other than the 6 standard.
  • GROUND to GROUND pg 1 (G/G 1)
    • 26 of the 27 ZLC sectors within ZLC.
    • Not currently a supported feature on VATSIM but may in the future.
  • GROUND to GROUND pg 2 (G/G 2)
    • The last of the 27 ZLC sectors within ZLC.
    • All S56 approach sectors except “Final”.
    • Other TRACON primary combined position sectors.
    • All Towered positions within ZLC.
    • Not currently a supported feature on VATSIM but may in the future.

vERAM COMMAND QUICK REFERENCE


TERMS:

  • L-CLK: Left click
  • C-CLK: Center click (mouse wheel button).
  • R-CLK: Right click
  • LOC: Location. Usually selected with the cursor.
  • FLID: “Flight ID”. This can be either the Flight ID, Assigned Beacon Code, or Computer ID Number.
  • CID: Computer ID Number.
  • AID: “Aircraft ID”. (Callsign)
  • FIX: Any Airport, Intersection, Waypoint, NAVAID, or FRD.
  • FRD: “Fix Radial Distance”. Used to specify a location relative to a Fix. The Location 35 miles south of MTU would be expressed as “MTU180035”
  • FDB: Flight Data Block
  • SEC ID: Sector ID. The computer identifier of the controller/sector.
  • Scratchpad: Assigned Heading and Speed values that appear in Field F of the FDB.
  • 4th Line Data: This is a Free Form Text or Scratchpad data that appears in Field F (the literal 4th line) of the FDB.
  • Clear Weather Symbol: vERAM uses (`) to draw a large circle when dealing with 4th line data. This large circle is called the “Clear Weather Symbol”. Therefore, ` may be referred to as the Clear Weather Symbol at times.


NOTES:

  • C-CLK does the same thing as L-CLK but also serves as the “Enter” key. If the Syntax calls for (L-CLK LOC) (AID), just (AID), or (FLID) when target is tracked by someone: using (C-CLK LOC) will suffice.
  • Unless using C-CLK, Pressing “Enter” is used to execute the command.
  • QX Should not be used to refuse a handoff, as this is not realistic. Reach out to the sector attempting to hand the aircraft off to you and tell them where it is suppose to be sent.
  • These are commonly used commands for vERAM and are recommended for memorization.
  • This card does not supplement the requirement to read the vERAM Manual and Command Reference pages.