In FS One, real transmitters can be used to emulate the TacCon Controller where the FS One "Software Radio" is used, or real transmitters can be setup so that the real transmitter dual rates, expos, flight modes, etc are used. The description here outlines how to use the Hitec Optic 6-channel transmitter to emulate the TacCon controller and thus use the "Software Radio" settings inside FS One.

This outline will generally apply to all 6-channel Hitec and Futaba transmitters since they follow the same channel order.

This example uses the E-flite Blade CP micro helicopter as the example.

Since you are not using the actual TacCon controller, go to Options and turn off "Auto-Load Radio/Controller". When this is done, FS One will not automatically pick the FS One TacCon controller when an aircraft is selected.

Read your Hitec Optic 6 instruction manual to reset a model in memory. Set your transmitter to the following configuration: Aerobatic Plane, PPM, Ch1-Right Aileron, Ch2-Elevator, Ch3-Throttle, Ch4-Rudder, Ch5-Gear, Ch6-Left Aileron. (This setup is given on page 16 of the Hitec manual.) Only channels 1-5 will be used with the Blade CP. The fact that this is an aerobatic airplane setup does not matter since the channels will be mapped accordingly using the FS One Transmitter Editor.

Plug the FS One USB Interface into the computer. Use the Futaba/Hitec round adaptor cord to plug the Hitec Optic 6 into the interface. Confirm the connections by going to the Microsoft Game Controller gadget. In the MS Game Controller, click on the "Hangar9 FS One v1" controller, click properties, and wiggle the sticks and the move the switches. Six sliders should move since it is a 6 channel transmitter. Exit the gadget. FS One does not use the MS Game Controller calibration. Calibration is done inside FS One.

With all connections still in place, start FS One. Go to "Single-Player | FreeStyle" and select the E-flite Blade CP in the helicopter list. The Blade CP is popular and serves as a good example. Click OK to go back to the fly page.

On this same page, click the "Select Interface" button next to the transmitter icon. Pick the "Hangar9 FS One v1".

Select the transmitter by clicking on the transmitter in the FS One window. In the Transmitter Selection window, go to the categories and pick the "JR 6-Ch Emu + FS One" group. Click on the Blade CP transmitter in this group. Click on "Copy" to make a copy of the transmitter. Give it a name, for example: "MyHitec-BladeCP". The new transmitter will be put into the first category in the helicopter transmitter list (i.e. "FS One" transmitters).

Calibrate your setup. Center the trims on your real transmitter. Click on "Calibrate". Follow the instructions. Make sure you have the latest patch. Move the controls (sticks and gear switch). Six sliders should move in the process. With the Hitec setup described here, the aileron stick will move two channels for the right/left ailerons. Two sliders will not move because this is only a 6-channel transmitter. Then click "Next" to advance through the sliders and then click "Finish". During and after calibration six sliders will move with inputs from the real transmitter.

At this point, write down the axis numbers corresponding to the controls on the real transmitter. The axes numbers are indicated next to each slider in FS One as shown in the graphic below.

Move the transmitter sticks to observe that the aileron stick (right stick right/left) corresponds to Axis 4, the elevator stick (right stick up/down) corresponds to Axis 7, the throttle stick (left stick up/down) corresponds to Axis 6, and the rudder stick (left stick right/left) corresponds to Axis 5. Ch5-GEA (top left 2-pos switch) corresponds to Axis 3. Ch6 which is Left Aileron in this model memory with the Hitec radio corresponds to Axis 2. This mapping is shown below.

Now click "Edit" to reassign the channels to the proper axes. Reassigning the channels is necessary because the JR and Hitec/Futaba channel order is different on the real transmitters. The default in FS One is based on the JR standard.

The Edit Transmitter window will appear as shown below.

Starting with the first line, in the Edit Transmitter window, the blue column indicates that this is the "right stick fore/aft". Click on the source input (purple) and set the axis to the Hitec/Futaba elevator stick, which is Axis 7.

For the next line with the "right stick left/right", set the input to be Axis 4.

For the next line with the "left stick left/right", set the input to be Axis 5.

For the next line with the "left stick fore/aft", set the input to be Axis 6.

For the next line with the "flight mode switch", set the input to be Axis 3.

For the next line with the "throttle hold switch", ignore the input because this is not used with the Blade CP.

Click on the image below to see the new axes assignments.

This bullet item applies only for FS One v1.0.4 and before. For this heli Tx group ("JR 6-Ch Emu + FS One"), the helicopter Flight Modes are based on the joystick axes (axis numbers). This requires some extra steps in FS One. In the Transmitter Editor, click on the Flight Mode button ("Flt Modes"). Click on the Normal Flight Mode, and then click Edit. Change the Joystick axis to Axis 3 (click on it). This is the same Axis used for the "throttle hold switch" on the main Tx Edit window. Click OK until returning back to the Flight Mode Configuration window. Repeat this process for the Idle Up Flight Mode. These steps are indicated below.
  
  

At this point, moving the GEAR switch will change the Flight Mode in the Edit Transmitter window.

A final step, exit the Edit Transmitter window and fly the Blade CP to test whether or not any of the axes need to be reversed. If an axis is backwards, back on the Edit Transmitter window click on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right). For this setup, both sticks right/left were reverse, and the final result is shown below.

In the Edit Transmitter, the boxes at the bottoms of the columns can be clicked to expand and collapse each colored group transmitter information.

When returning to fly this setup (Blade CP with your Tx setup), be sure that the proper transmitter is selected. In this example it was named "MyHitec-BladeCP", and it will appear in the first group of transmitters named "FS One".

The name and description can be edited by clicking on the "Description" button on the Edit Transmitter window.

Although this outline was long, the operation is relatively quick. Decide which "Software Radio" is appropriate for your real transmitter (4 channel, pick the 4-Ch Emu; 6-Ch, pick the 6-Ch Emu; 8-Ch, pick the 8-Ch Emu). Select the transmitter for the aircraft that you want to fly. Make a copy. Calibrate the transmitter. Edit the transmitter to reassign the axes as needed. For helicopters, this includes checking the Flight Mode joystick assignments. Exit the Edit Transmitter window, and fly. For more complex setups, read the Flight Manual for the aircraft/Tx combination to see what functions might be controlled by the keyboard. Your new Tx will be put in the top category in the Tx list.