How do I tune radios in the FSX Acceleration F/A-18?

In FSX Acceleration and FSX: Steam Edition, tune the default F/A-18 through FSX’s radio commands: press C for COM1 or N for NAV1, change the whole-MHz and fractional values with =/- and Shift+=/Shift+-, then press X to swap the standby frequency to active. The Hornet’s cockpit radio controls are simplified.

How to tune the F/A-18 radio manually

FSX’s keyboard radio commands are the most reliable method because they work without a conventional civilian radio stack.

1. Choose the correct receiver. Use COM for ATIS, ground, tower and other voice services. Use NAV for VOR and ILS frequencies.
2. Select the radio. Press C for COM1 or N for NAV1. For the second receiver, press C then 2, or N then 2.
3. Set the whole-MHz portion. Press = to increase it or - to decrease it.
4. Set the fractional portion. Use Shift+= to increase it or Shift+- to decrease it.
5. Make the frequency active. Select the intended receiver again if necessary, then press X to exchange its standby and active frequencies.
6. Check the result. COM1 must contain the active voice frequency, while an ILS or VOR normally needs to be active on NAV1.

Keyboard layouts and customised control profiles can change these bindings. FSX lists them as commands such as COM Radio (select), NAV Radio (select), Increase Selection, Decrease Selection and Radio Frequency Swap. Our FSX keyboard and radio command chart provides a useful full reference.

Can FSX ATC tune the Hornet radio automatically?

FSX ATC can tune COM1 automatically when its menu offers a command to tune a named facility. Open the ATC window, choose the offered tuning entry, and FSX will place that facility’s frequency on the active communications radio.

This does not tune NAV1 for an ILS or VOR. Those frequencies still need to be entered manually, and the frequency in FSX’s own airport or scenery data should take priority over a modern real-world listing.

Why do the F/A-18 cockpit buttons not tune the radio?

The stock Acceleration F/A-18 does not model real Hornet radio entry with the depth found in a dedicated combat simulator. Some controls around the up-front panel are simplified, so keyboard commands are often required even when a cockpit control appears related to communications.

An altered aircraft panel may provide a pop-up under the simulator’s Instrument Panel menu, but panel shortcuts differ between installations. If you prefer visible frequency windows and clickable knobs, a functional FSX radio-stack panel add-on can provide COM, NAV, ADF and transponder controls.

Why does the tuned frequency still not work?

The usual cause is a correctly entered frequency left in standby rather than active. Press X after selecting the intended receiver, then check these other common faults:

• Wrong receiver: tuning COM2 does not help when FSX ATC is listening through COM1; the same distinction applies to NAV1 and NAV2.
• Lost keyboard focus: close text boxes or other pop-up windows and click inside the simulator before entering radio commands.
• Changed assignments: confirm the radio commands in FSX’s Controls settings, especially after importing a control profile.
• Different scenery data: an add-on airport may use frequencies that differ from the stock FSX database.
• Unsupported channel spacing: default FSX radio logic predates widespread 8.33 kHz spacing, so some modern published frequencies cannot be entered exactly.
• No electrical power: if the cockpit displays and radios are dead, load the ready-to-fly state or restore the aircraft’s electrical supply.

Which radio should I use for an ILS or carrier approach?

Use NAV1 for a normal land-based ILS, then make the frequency active and select the appropriate navigation or approach display in the aircraft. COM frequencies carry voice only and cannot generate localiser or glideslope guidance.

For an Acceleration carrier mission, use the navigation frequency supplied by that mission or aircraft package rather than assuming every carrier shares one value. Moving-carrier add-ons may use scripted gauges or their own navigation method instead of the stock FSX ILS system.