How?

[Colman]

i have looked all over and i dont know how to set it up, what to use, and anything else a newbie should know. Any help?

P.S.:i dont have a microphone, will this affect anything?

[SurvivorSean]

Welcome:

Unfortunately without a microphone you would only be able to listen in on a session, and otherwise would not be able to participate.

Make sure you have read all the anchored messages above as they will give you some general guidelines.

In a nutshell the program TeamSpeak at www.teamspeak.org is used to connect so a server (listed in the anchored messages), provided by Lee. Think of Teamspeak as a radio. This radio is quite similar to the radio that railroad crews, and dispatchers communicate with.

MSTS is used by train crews to run their trains. You will see various posting come up here on upcoming sessions. Normally you reply to the thread to indicate your intention to join a particular session, log on to Teamspeak, and run MSTS.

MSTS is run in explore mode. This is so you have control of all the switches on your train. You make up the train either the way you want, or the way specified in the announcement of the session. You may be able to simply log in to a session and ask the dispatcher what is available.

The dispatcher does not require MSTS to dispatch. He may use it to assist him in finding different areas. He may use TD3 or other dispatching charts to keep track of where the trains are. The only requirement of a dispatcher is once again TeamSpeak. By this he is able to give clearances to crews, and in turn crew are able to indicate their location.

MSTS is not a multi-player program, and you will not see other trains. You go where the dispatcher dispatches you to dispatch, and the rest is up to your imagination.

You can listen in to a session if you wish by logging on with Teamspeak to the Teamspeak server. You should put "Listening" along side your identification name so dispatch knows not to bother seeing if you want a train.

Hope this helps! - If this sound like as much fun as it actually is I'd recommend you pick up a microphone at some point or a headset.

Take Care

Sean

[Colman]

so if the dispatch tells you to take a siding for a train and you acknowledge, you wont see what your meeting and he wont see you?

[SurvivorSean]

That's correct. All the operators in a session will be online. So when Train 1 pulls into the siding and clears the switch he will OS the dispatcher. Train 2 will hear this conversation (provided they're on the same channel).

There are times where two trains may communicate to each other too. Say Train 1 gets a clearance, then train 2 gets a clearance to follow Train 1. The dispatcher will give a protect against order, and it will be up to train 2 to keep track of how far ahead train 1 is.

In a busy session you will hear alot of clearances, and alot of operators calling their signals. As trains call their signals this gives the dispatcher an indication of whrere the trains are for future meets, but also gives other trains the sense that they are trully part of a transportation network.

Sean