Player Guide/SRS

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SRS (DCS Simple Radio Standalone) is the third-party voice radio layer DCS players use to talk to each other and to the AI services on the server. VRS uses SRS for coalition voice comms, for the Focus GCI bot, for CSAR coordination, and more.

If you intend to fly on VRS, you need SRS installed and running alongside DCS.

Installing SRS

Download SRS from the official releases page and run the installer. SRS only needs to be installed once; on launch it will offer to install or update the in-game DCS plugin as well.

Connecting to the VRS SRS server

Open SRS, then in the connection bar at the top enter:

 server.victorromeosierra.com:10220

Hit Connect. Once connected, SRS will sit in the background and route radio audio through your aircraft's tuned frequencies. With the in-game plugin installed, you can change frequencies in the cockpit and SRS will follow.

Important: VRS services (Focus, CSAR, the stats site) identify you by your in-game DCS name. Current versions of SRS read that name straight from DCS once you're connected to the server with the in-game plugin running - you do not need to type it into SRS by hand. Just set your DCS name correctly (see below) and SRS picks it up automatically.

Setting your callsign in DCS

Your "callsign" on VRS is just your DCS multiplayer name - what you set in the DCS server browser before joining. This is the name that appears on the in-game scoreboard, in the chat window, in Tacview, and to every server-side service.

To set it:

Launch DCS World.
Click MULTIPLAYER.
In the server browser, find the Name field at the top right.
Type your callsign in the format Callsign 1 | yourname (see Choosing your callsign below).
Join the VRS server.

You only set this name in one place - the DCS server browser. When you join with SRS running, SRS reads it from DCS for you. (Older SRS versions made you type your name into SRS as well and keep the two in sync by hand; current versions don't.)

Choosing your callsign

A good VRS callsign is structured so that the Focus GCI bot can recognise it reliably over voice. Pick a name like Mobius 1 | Reaper or Hitman 11 | Monarch - that is:

A 2-3 syllable English word (the callsign itself).
1-3 digits (the flight number).
A pipe character (|).
Your normal username, after the pipe.

A few rules of thumb:

Each digit is worth 2-3 letters in error correction - do not skip the numbers.
Numbers are pronounced individually: Spare 15 is said "Spare One Five", not "Spare Fifteen".
Content inside [] is ignored - [VRS] Mobius 1 reads as Mobius 1.
Callsigns are normalised in capitalisation, numbers, and separation - WARDOG 14, Wardog 14, wardog14, and Wardog 1 4 all count as the same callsign.
Your callsign should be unique within a server. Duplicates will get inconsistent responses from Focus.

Avoid:

Names that sound like brevity codewords: alpha, radio, comm, bogey, picture, declare, snaplock, spiked, bullseye. For example, "Spade" can be misheard as "SPIKE".
Names that sound similar to numbers - "Knight" sounds like "Nine", "Fort" sounds like "Four".
Hard-to-distinguish pairs - "Spare" vs "Spear", "Jester" vs "Gesture", "Witch" vs "Which".
Names that aren't widely recognised English words - "Razgriz", "Beskar". The bot will try, but is less accurate.
Names without digits. The bot will try, but the digits make a very large difference in error correction.
Very short callsigns (2-3 characters). A single misheard letter is uncorrectable.
Names in poor taste.

If you fly with a regular wingman, both of you using strict callsigns - a word plus exactly two digits - lets Focus combine calls for the whole flight into one transmission. For example, Marauder One flight, threat bullseye 070/20... instead of naming every aircraft individually.

What VRS uses SRS for

Service	Frequency	Notes
Coalition voice comms	varies	Talk to your wingman and other players on the same frequency.
Focus (AI GCI bot)	251.00 AM, 133.00 AM	See the SkyEye page for how to talk to Focus.
CSAR	30.00 FM	Helo recovery channel.

Troubleshooting

SRS won't connect. Double-check the server address and port (server.victorromeosierra.com:10220). Confirm you can reach the VRS website in a browser - if the website is also down, the server may be restarting.

Other players can't hear you, or you can't hear them. Check that SRS is connected (not just running), check that your push-to-talk key is bound in SRS Settings, and check that you're tuned to the same frequency. The in-game plugin only works if you've enabled it in DCS - the SRS installer should have handled this automatically.

Focus or CSAR doesn't see you. Confirm that the name you set in SRS matches your DCS multiplayer name exactly, including capitalisation and the pipe-separated suffix.