On this page
Unfamiliar word? Select a dotted-underlined term for its meaning.
Make the call
- Left-click the track you want to investigate. Confirm its callsign in Flight Info and its track number on the scope data block.
- Press the backslash key \. With default bindings this opens ASMA and calls ATC for the selected contact.
- Read the reply and compare it with Flight Info, Aircraft Data and the observed track before changing identity.
- Opening or changing the controller line switches ASMA to ATC. If you reused an open line after choosing a COMMS tile, select ATC if it is not highlighted to see the reply. Enter HANGUP when finished. Until the line ends, other ordinary typed commands are treated as questions to that controller. Changing away from ATC with ASMA’s category buttons ends that call. A call to a different controller replaces the previous line and shows a new CONNECTED TO reply.
If ASMA says “No track selected”
An ATC HOTKEY message saying No track selected means no contact was selected when you pressed the key. Look for this reply in the unfiltered view or under SYS, not under ATC. Return to the scope, select the intended track and make the call again. If you are typing into a text field, leave it before using a shortcut. Check Escape → SETTINGS → KEYBOARD if the binding differs.
An incomplete reply is still information
A response without a usable Mode 3 code does not establish that an aircraft is hostile. Record what could and could not be confirmed. HELP → ASMA Liaison explains the liaison commands; HELP → Mode 3 opens the game’s code reference.
Do not confuse the slash keys
Backslash \ calls ATC. Forward slash / is the separate Squawk IDENT control.
Slash also starts the contact route
The forward-slash track-focus shortcut also opens ASMA and starts the ATC contact route. It centres and highlights the track as well; backslash is the direct CALL ATC shortcut.
When the radio name differs from the track label
BAW436 can appear as SPEEDBIRD 436 under RT Callsign. They are two forms of the same flight name. Use the civilian callsign examples and checks to distinguish the flight name, registration, Mode S address and track serial.
An attempted call and a confirmed identity are different
For a valid selected contact, an automatic call that fails because there is no Mode 3 code can still record the ATC step of the identification procedure. You still need this contact’s information panel and Aircraft Data checks before choosing a letter. Missing Mode 3 alone proves neither friendly nor hostile identity.
Read the reason when a call fails
| Reply | What it means | Your next check |
|---|---|---|
| No track selected | The shortcut has no selected contact to ask about. This ATC HOTKEY reply appears in the unfiltered view or under SYS. | Leave any text box, select the live contact and check its track number before calling again. |
| Has no Mode 3 code assigned | The shortcut cannot choose a controller from this aircraft’s squawk. | Read Flight Info and continue the other identification checks. Missing Mode 3 is not a hostile identity. |
| Has no controller allocation | The game cannot match that Mode 3 code to a controller for the automatic call. | Check the code and contact. Do not invent a controller ID or change identity to make the call work. |
| No live track matches | The query did not find that callsign or track number. | Check the current contact in TRACK LIST. Use its track number on an open controller line, rather than an old name from message history. |
The automatic shortcut and a manual controller query are different routes. An open manual line can return a summary without Mode 3. That does not create a transponder reply or confirm who the aircraft is.
Check which aircraft the reply describes
- Before calling, note the selected contact’s callsign in Flight Info and track number on the scope data block.
- Read the aircraft label at the start of the ATC summary. Match its track number and callsign to the contact you meant to investigate.
- If two contacts use the same callsign, use a manual TRACK query with the intended track number. Do not choose an identity from a reply about another aircraft.
- Compare the reply’s type, route and height with the information for that same contact. Missing fields are gaps in the report, not proof of hostility.
- Before using a SET choice, check the report’s contact again. The choice belongs to that report; it does not automatically follow the last aircraft you clicked.
A summary is a report, not a live instrument
An ATC message stays in ASMA after it was received. The aircraft can move or change afterwards. Repeating a query immediately can also reuse recently gathered information. Read the current Flight Info and TRACK LIST alongside the reply.
If you need another check, allow time to pass and query the same track again. A repeated height or speed in two quick replies is not proof that the aircraft has stopped.