Planeplotter: Automatic air band tuning of SDR#

Feature: Automatic Tuning of VHF Receiver

Function Description: By clicking on an aircraft displayed in PlanePlotter, the VHF receiver will automatically tune to a previously set radio frequency.

Preamble: This feature could be extremely useful for aviation enthusiasts, but it is complex, partly because the necessary software for its operation is quite outdated. This software may cause installation errors, which will be examined later. Nevertheless, we will proceed to explain the theoretical procedure for its use.

Activation and Configuration:

1. Feature Activation: This function must be activated at the beginning of every PlanePlotter session, and settings are cleared at the end of the session.
2. Configuration of Sectors and Frequencies:
   • Define one or more sectors on the map.
   • Input the radio frequencies used by ATC (Air Traffic Control) and specify at what altitude these frequencies are used. This step assumes knowledge of operational frequencies.
3. Activating ATC Sector Frequencies:
   • To activate and configure frequencies, navigate to the menu: Options > ATC sector frequencies > Add a new sector frequency.

If properly configured, this function allows real-time following of radio communications between aircraft and control towers

and then select some custom parameters that will be shown on the map portion you can draw.

This functionality requires the installation of two additional software components:

SDRSharp Net Remote 1.2 (version September 30, 2016, 1.2.6378),
which can be downloaded from the following site:
https://github.com/EarToEarOak/SDRSharp-Net-Remote.

Before downloading this add-on, you must install the SDRSharp program from the AIRSPY website:
https://airspy.com/download/,
a virtual radio interface displayed on your computer screen.

The integration of SDRSharp-Net-Remote theoretically uses the file sectorfreqs.txt, located in Tools > COAA > PlanePlotter > Chartfiles, which is empty by default.

I tested it on several computers running Windows 10, but the result was as follows:

I tried in different directories, but without a positive result. As I mentioned earlier, the program might be outdated, as the file dates back to 2017.

To activate the function, however:

In Options, click on Airband receiver tuning > SDR# tuning enable.

It is essential to have an aircraft visible on the map, click on the aircraft, and then draw the sector boundaries on the map.

The PlanePlotter help is also rather outdated, so the link to the download is obsolete. When searching the help for "Airband receiver tuning," the only potentially relevant topic, "Automatic frequency control of SDR," is described as follows:
"To enable control, you need to put a tick mark against Option...Airband receiver tuning...SDR# tuning enable."
Unfortunately, the Airband receiver tuning option does not appear in Options, or at least, I could not find it.

Considerations:
If PlanePlotter were a free program, these issues might be more understandable. However, considering that it is a paid software, having outdated help documentation and having to rely on forums for solutions seems unacceptable.