Radio
Radio
In multiplayer, drivers and the dispatcher talk by voice over the radio, just like a real train radio: press the PTT, speak, release. Voices sound like a radio: narrow band, noise, crackle.
There is nothing to install: the radio turns on by itself when you join a session where the owner has enabled it. All you need is a microphone.
Talking
Press and hold F8 (PTT) while you speak, then release it.
- While you are transmitting, TRANSMITTING is shown on the right of the screen.
- When someone else is talking — Talking: … with the train number and the player's name, or "Dispatcher" and the dispatcher's name.
- Air is busy — the dispatcher of your area is talking or listening to someone else right now. Better wait until the air is free.
A single transmission cannot be longer than the session allows (60 s by default). When the time is up, the transmission is cut and Transmission time limit reached is shown. To talk again, release the PTT and press it again (Release the PTT key to talk again).
Note
In menus, in the open chat and when the game window is not active, the PTT is released automatically.
Who hears whom
- Drivers hear each other within the radio range (10 km by default, set by the session owner). Closer to the edge the link gets worse: more noise and dropouts.
- The dispatcher hears the trains in their area at any distance, and they hear the dispatcher.
Calls
A call is a short tone signal to the addressees to get their attention before talking.
| Key | Call | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|
F10 |
Dispatcher (ДНЦ) | the dispatcher of your area |
F11 |
Loco (ЛОК) | drivers nearby (within the radio range) |
F12 |
Station (ДСП) | the station duty officer — in multiplayer this is also the dispatcher of your area |
When you are called, a tone sounds and CALL Dispatcher: … (or Loco / Station) appears with the caller's name. The message stays for 20 seconds; in the ChS7 cab the "CALL" lamp is lit for the same time.
A Dispatcher or Station call gets an answer: Call received or No answer to the call.
Handset and duty reception
Shift+F8 lifts and hangs up the handset. The PTT F8 lifts the handset by itself if it is hung up; you can hang it up only with Shift+F8 (in the ChS7 — also with the handset in the cab).
The handset matters when duty reception is on:
- handset in its holder — you do not hear voices, only call tones;
- a call for you opens reception for 20 seconds so you can hear what is said next;
- handset lifted — you hear the whole air, Handset off hook is shown.
Duty reception is turned on in the settings (see below). The session owner can require it from all drivers — then it applies regardless of your setting.
Without duty reception the handset does not matter: you always hear the air.
Radio in the cab
On some locomotives the radio has to be switched on in the cab, like on a real locomotive. While it is off, you hear nothing and cannot talk, and Radio is off is shown.
| Locomotive | In the cab |
|---|---|
| ChS7 | Power — the train radio switch, with charged batteries. The ЛОК, ДНЦ, ДСП buttons on the radio panel are the same calls as F11, F10, F12. The handset can be lifted and hung up with the mouse. The "CALL" lamp is lit when you are called |
| VL80k, VL80s, VL80t, VL82 | Radio switch |
| TEP70bs | Radio switch |
| other locomotives | The radio is always on |
Settings
Launcher → settings:
- Radio microphone — the microphone to talk with. If none is selected, the Windows default microphone is used.
- Radio voice volume — volume of voices on the radio.
- Radio effect — how much voices sound like a radio: band, noise, crackle. 0 is a clean voice.
- Duty reception — see above.
Pause menu → SOUND (multiplayer only, applied immediately):
- Radio voice — volume of voices;
- Radio effect — strength of the radio effect;
- Radio duty reception — duty reception.
The microphone can be changed only in the launcher.
Keys can be reassigned in input.ini, section [.Radio]:
| Action | Default |
|---|---|
radio_ptt — PTT |
F8 |
radio_handset — handset |
Shift+F8 |
radio_call_dnc — Dispatcher call |
F10 |
radio_call_lok — Loco call |
F11 |
radio_call_dsp — Station call |
F12 |
For the session owner
The radio is set up on the multiplayer website in the session settings, section "Radio":
- Enable the radio station — whether the session has voice radio (on by default). If it is turned off during the game, players see "Radio unavailable"; when it is turned on again, the radio reconnects by itself.
- Radio range, km — how far drivers hear each other (1–100, 10 by default). Does not affect the dispatcher.
- Max transmission time, s — after this time the transmission is cut (5–600, 60 by default).
- Require duty reception from all drivers.
- Record the air — transmissions are kept for 30 days; the session owner and admins can listen to them. After connecting, players see the warning Radio traffic is recorded.
The dispatcher can forbid a player to transmit — for a while or until the end of the session. The player then sees Transmitting forbidden or Transmitting forbidden until 18:30, and the PTT does not work. They can still listen to the air.
On-screen messages
Messages appear on the right, below the track profile bar.
| Message | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Radio: connecting... | the radio is connecting to the server |
| Radio unavailable | no link — see "Troubleshooting" |
| Radio is off | the radio is switched off in the cab |
| TRANSMITTING | you are on the air |
| Talking: … | someone is talking and you hear them |
| CALL Dispatcher / Loco / Station: … | you are being called (20 s) |
| Call received | your Dispatcher or Station call was answered |
| No answer to the call | nobody answered your call |
| Air is busy | the dispatcher of your area is busy on the air |
| Transmission time limit reached | the transmission was cut by the time limit |
| Release the PTT key to talk again | after a cut, release F8 and press it again |
| Transmitting forbidden (until …) | the dispatcher forbade you to transmit |
| Microphone unavailable | the microphone could not be opened |
| Handset off hook | duty reception, handset lifted — you hear the whole air |
| Radio traffic is recorded | the air of this session is recorded |
Troubleshooting
"Radio unavailable"
- The session owner turned the radio off. When it is turned on, it reconnects by itself.
- The radio program
ZDVoice.exeis missing next to the game or is blocked by an antivirus. Verify the integrity of game files in Steam and add the game folder to the antivirus exclusions. - The radio program failed to start several times in a row — the game does not retry until restarted. Restart the game.
"Microphone unavailable" — choose another microphone in the launcher, check that it is connected and that Windows allows apps to access the microphone (Settings → Privacy → Microphone).
I hear nobody
- Duty reception is on and the handset is in its holder — lift it with
Shift+F8. - The radio is switched off in the cab.
- Other drivers are beyond the radio range.
- Voice volume is at zero (launcher or pause menu).
Nobody hears me
- Make sure you hold
F8all the time while speaking and TRANSMITTING is shown. - "Transmitting forbidden" — the dispatcher forbade it.
- The wrong microphone is selected in the launcher.
The voice sounds too much like a radio — lower "Radio effect"; at 0 the voice is clean.