Hello another newbie from Oz.

Hi Guys & Gals,
Been a member here for a few weeks now and thought it was time to say hello. I'm living in Sydney in the land of Oz where the sun shines bright (most of the time) and the grass is dead(no water.):cool:
About to start construction on my sim(you guessed it....737NG)
Been gathering up some bits and pieces for a while now, second hand FDS MIP panels, a few interface boards from Open Cockpits etc.
Last year my family bought me the PM software for my 60th and I've really got the bug to start.
It's going to be Capt side only as that's all the space that I'll have and I'll start off with a 21" monitor for visuals although I do have a projector but don't know if wife will let me take it from our home theatre setup....(maybe if I promise to replace it with a new TV).
Anyway I'm sure that I'm going to have a few questions from time to time so hope you don't mind if I steal some of your ideas.
I've been enjoying the posts on the forum especially from the ladies and it's nice to see them take such an active interest in their mens hobbies.
My wife is into patchwork and quilting and I somehow don't see a place for a quilt in my pit. (There again maybe there is if she decides to kick me out and it does get cool in Oz on winters nights.):D

cheers

Paul

G'day Paul and welcome. Always good to see another Aussie join the ranks. We'll be overtaking those Canadians soon!

All the best with your sim - sounds like you've made a good start already. Ask questions, steal ideas .. go for it, that's what this site is for.

G'day and welcome Paul to the oz crew!

Gwyn

Welcome,

I hope you find what your looking for here. Everyone is at your disposal. Please ask as many questions as you can, and offer your support to others.

Best regards,

Trev

Welcome to the forum Paul.

I too am building only half a cockpit. Well, 2/3rds actually. But like you, I'm a little space restricted myself.

If I move the sim to another room or move to a different locale I've made provisions to add the rest of the FO side.

Questions are always welcome. Lord knows I've asked my share lately.

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome.
Nice to see a forum where everyone seems to get on with one another.
I hope that I can add something to help others also.
Wife permitting I hope to start construction this weekend....
My first question is addressed to my fellow Aussies... Does anyone know of a local supplier of 45 degree Rotary switches. I know that I can order from various overseas suppliers but being the impatient type it would be cool if I could source some locally.I've had a look on ebay and the Jaycar and **** Smith catalogues but only seem to find the normal 30 degree ones.
For my sim I intend to use the PMDG 737 flight model with PM systems and Glass cockpit software, and while it would be nice to purchase all those nice plug and play cdu's and mcp's out there my budget is limited and I'll be making my own.
Gwyn, I've been looking at your overhead photos and it really looks great, how did you do the lettering? ie what font and size did you use?

cheers

Paul

Hello and welcome. 45s are harder to find then the 30s. At least I have had trouble finding them. I get 30s from Mouser. If you guys know where I can get 45s reasonable, I am all ears.....

Hi Bob,

45's are available from the FDS website in Canada. Also I think Engravity sell them too.
I'm hoping to find an Australian supplier however if not I will order from one of the above.
cheers
Paul

Hi Paul,
I made all of the bitmaps for my overhead in Photoshop 6, I am in the process of making a commercial CD with all you require to DIY an overhead panel like mine. It's not quite ready yet but should be available soon on this website. If you want to copy my methods, see the May & June issues of Computer Pilot magazine for detail on how I do it. I suggest you build other parts until the CD is ready.

Regards Gwyn

PS, check your private messages.

Thanks Gwyn,
I'll get those magazines. I'll also look forward to the cd. I've got plenty to do so I'll leave the overhead for the time being.

Paul

Gwyn,
Got your private message. I'm sort of in a bind at the moment as I'm caught between going just the PMDG way or using it and PM.
I already have 5 PC's available and the PM software so think that I should use that, however as I said funds are tight, especially as I'm retired.
I hope to try and be a bit smart and somehow have the best of both worlds by using both yet not quite achieving the same high standards as some other pit builders.
I plan to aim somewhere in the middle....time will tell.;)

cheers
Paul