PLEXSYS Releases Sonomarc 4.11

Release Announcement  

PLEXSYS Customers can now experience Sonomarc 4.11. The new software was developed, designed, and thoroughly tested to create a more intuitive workflow for our customers.

Release Highlights  

Announcing ROIP: Integrates real-world radios into simulations with Radio Over IP (ROIP), featuring radio frequency control, multiplexing, and signal selection.  

Virtual People Integration: Provides voice recognition and response over radio, executing commands via ASCOT 5/7 with customizable grammar and synthetic voices.  

Chat Updates: Instructor-focused chat interface with dynamic scripting, multi-window support, and capabilities for clearing chat history and script management.  

Recorder Updates: Features intuitive timeline navigation, Live Review for monitoring audio transmissions, and tap-to-listen interface with audio filtering.  

Dynamic Weather: Supports time-synchronized weather updates affecting RF propagation and synchronized with exercise time.  

Comm Plans: Allows creation of Radio Communication Plans with named frequencies, simplifying scenario organization and frequency management.  

REST API Changes: Configurations for SIP/ROIP connections, platform phones, and radios, with new actions for controlling radio settings, environmental audio, and exercise time sync.  

Keep reading to learn more about the exciting new updates in the PLEXSYS Sonomarc 4.11 Release!    

ROIP    
Sonomarc now supports Radio Over IP (ROIP), specifically, allowing users to transmit and receive on real-world ROIP radios, bringing real-world assets into the simulation and bridging the live and sim worlds.  Sonomarc can play the role of a ROIP radio, allowing seamless integration with systems that can communicate with ROIP Radios. This innovative solution includes features like controlled radio frequency, advanced radio multiplexing, and selective signal options, bringing more possibilities for your communication needs.  

Virtual People Integration    

Virtual People Integration is a Sonomarc feature providing voice recognition and response over a radio. Once placed on a platform like an operator seat and assigned to a radio, the Virtual Person will listen to radio calls, communicate with ASCOT 5/7 (or another EG) to execute movement or other commands, and respond appropriately over the radio. The system includes a simple, close-control style grammar but is configurable for different commands, responses, and options. Dynamic scenario items such as airspaces are synchronized with the EG/ASCOT and can be referenced by name. The user can configure the Virtual Person's voice to one of four different synthetic voices included with the purchase and can further tailor it by changing speed and pitch. Sonomarc and ASCOT 7 now have a highly functional and modern Virtual People integration via the Sonomarc REST API. PLEXSYS built this system to allow student and sim drivers to dynamically configure new Voice Control grammars and abilities without software modification. 

Virtual Platforms  

ASCOT can see and assign Virtual Platforms to ASCOT entities, synchronizing position and enabling voice control of the entity.  

Scenario Data  

• Sonomarc knows about ASCOT 7 scenario data and is capable of controlling ASCOT 7 entities that will interact with the user-built scenario shapes, such as airspaces and checkpoints, via the dynamic grammar system.  
• (Sonomarc user) “Viper01, Overwatch, radar contact, set squawk 4117, proceed direct CAP Alpha.”  
• Sonomarc automatically sends a programmatic command to the ASCOT 7 Viper01 entity to change its Mode 3 IFF value, transit to, and orbit at CAP Alpha (user-built shape).  
• (Virtual Person) Responds with voice appropriately referencing action taken based on the grammar system. “Viper01 copy, setting mode:3 4117, proceeding CAP Alpha.”  
• Unlimited lists of unique scenario data can be created and maintained over the life of the exercise, keeping the two systems in sync.  

Custom Grammar  

• Grammar can be customized, enabling new REST commands, variables, and responses.  
• This system enables new training, demos, and control.  

CHAT UPDATES  

Sonomarc Chat Link, designed as an instructor-focused role-playing chat interface, helps train more students/operators with less effort and more realism. The instructor can manage multiple personalities easily and drive more effective training. Dynamic and Automatic chat scripting drives background traffic and allows pacing for the user with an intuitive visual interface. XMPP and internal chat networks are supported. All chat history is recorded to text file as well as to database. Available as a standalone application or embedded into Instructor Link.  

Scripting  

Sonomarc has now added a sleek and easy-to-use scripting capability uniquely designed for the role player. Supporting the role player is one of the primary goals of Chat Link.  

There are two modes of scripting possible: Assisted Scripting and Automatic Scripting. Students aren't robots and can't be expected to perform identically to each other or in the order you anticipated. Assisted scripting allows the instructor to easily tailor a script to changing real-world timelines and events by notifying the instructor of upcoming events but requiring the instructor to press send for each script event.  

Chat supports a single script file covering scripted chat conversations in multiple rooms and multiple personalities, and now, you can load a script on the personality itself, which results in the script loading in all of the rooms contained in the script that match the rooms the personality is in.   

In addition, new script icons are now shown next to rooms to show which rooms have scripts quickly and if they are set to auto-scripting or assisted scripting mode.  

Multi-Window Chat  

Chat Link now supports multiple separate windows across multiple monitors. This new feature supports a popular use case of monitoring many rooms on a second/third screen while your mouse/keyboard focuses on ASCOT or a similar primary function.  

Any room or private conversation can be placed into a separate window, moved/resized, and cycled between. 

Clear Chat History  

It is now possible for administrators to quickly clear the chat history within Chat Link for all personalities. This feature is helpful before an exercise to ensure nothing remains from the previous run-in chat rooms or private/direct chats. Users can access the new option from within Core Connector, which applies to all personalities.  

Jump to Time  

The Sonomarc recorder has an intuitive timeline display, allowing you to navigate extensive recordings by scrolling and swiping around. Now, Sonomarc users can jump to Exercise Time and System Time, as well as other times. The jump-to-time function allows for quickly locating a specific time by entering a time in any format and syncing with the time display mode toggle.  

Sonomarc Live Review  

Live Review provides a tap-to-listen interface during live or AAR playback and allows audio transmissions to be monitored live or during VADAAR playback; regardless of whether an operator is listening or not and regardless of propagation loss, volume levels, etc. It allows notification of and reason for missed calls. It can also filter audio to specific radios, platforms, or sites. 

DYNAMIC WEATHER 

Sonomarc now supports time-synchronized (aka dynamic) weather and WSC (Weather Scenario Content) CSV files containing weather in addition to GRIB/GRIB2. You can now use all StrataSim-supported terrain file formats.  

You can enable this feature by the following:  

1. The user specifies a folder of time-based weather files (i.e., 24 1-hour data sets)  
2. Start an exercise and sync time with ASCOT/EG  
3. Weather now updates with exercise time  
4. Weather changes affect RF propagation 

COMM PLANS  

Sonomarc now supports creating Comm Plans. With a Comm Plan or Radio Communications Plan, organizing a scenario by giving names to unique frequencies and saving them with the scenario is possible. For example, instead of memorizing that the "RED1" frequency is 325.125 MHz, you can now create an entry named RED1 with that frequency. Then, when this frequency shows on the Operator Link or (New) Instructor Link Canvas, it can automatically display as "RED1".  

 Platform SIP and ROIP Seats  

• Configure SIP connections  
• Configure ROIP role (VCS vs GRS)  
• Configure Local and Remote URIs  

Platform Phones  

• REST action to place phone call  
• Add, remove, and modify phones on a platform  
• Phone actions on a seat (mute, volume pan, direct call, answer, reject, end, join, leave call)  

Platform Radios  

• Modify all radio settings/parameters  
• Actions to control Radio Crypto profile, settings  
• Actions to change radio type (i.e., change UHF to HAVEQUICK)  
• Actions to control HAVEQUICK and SATURN radios  

Users can now control Environmental Audio over REST API.  

• Environmental Audio profiles  
• Get, Create, Update, and Delete  
• Environmental Audio sounds  
• Get, Create, Update, and Delete  
• Play Environmental Sounds  
• Play once  
• Play forever (loop)  
• Play X times  
• Volume, Pan  

Exercise Time  

• Sync and Virtual People. These REST API features were added for both internal and external interfacing.  
• Exercise time control and sync  
• Start/stop timer, sync with timer