RT-385A-style NAV/COM

The 1970s-80s Cessna NAV/COM: COM and NAV down the faceplate's ends, a red LED window each with the frequency in use (there is no standby), the 5 / 0 toggle for the COM's last 25 kHz, four black knobs with chrome tops to tune them, and the VOX / ID / T toggle. The knobs tune the simulator's active frequencies directly.

Modeled on: ARC RT-385A-style NAV/COM (the 300 series stack of a 1970s-80s Cessna)
Category: Radios and panels
Size: 2 × 1 cells
Version: 1.0 · 2026-10-19
Plan: Pro
Simulators: MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12

Variants

NAV/COM 1v1.0

The simulator's COM 1 and NAV 1.

Picker: RADIO > NAV/COM 1

NAV/COM 2v1.0

The simulator's COM 2 and NAV 2.

RADIO > NAV/COM 2

Features

Red LED frequency windows, COM at the left and NAV at the right, showing the frequencies in use: no standby, as the real unit
Four black knobs with chrome tops: COM MHz, COM kHz, NAV MHz, NAV kHz, each turning the active frequency directly (the simulator standby is stepped and swapped in, unseen)
5 / 0 toggle between the windows: the COM's last 25 kHz
VOX / ID / T toggle: ID has the NAV station's identifier heard (the simulator's NAV audio); VOX and T only move
OFF / VOL and SQ for the COM, the NAV VOL: they turn as on the real one and say nothing to the simulator
x385A under the photocell (the model disguised); no maker name
LEDs dimmed at night, dark without avionics power; the faceplate takes the red flood light

On the iPad

Drag round a tuning knob (a detent every 20°) or tap it to step the frequency
Tap the 5 / 0 toggle for the COM's 25 kHz step
Tap the VOX / ID / T toggle to hear or mute the NAV identifier
Drag the volume and squelch knobs: they turn, nothing else

Settings

Which radio: NAV/COM 1 or NAV/COM 2 (picker variant)

Keys and controllers

Map any of these to a key, a game controller's button or axis, or a MIDI knob (how):

COM 1 MHz +
COM 1 MHz -
COM 1 channel +
COM 1 channel -
COM 1 swap
NAV 1 MHz +
NAV 1 MHz -
NAV 1 channel +
NAV 1 channel -
NAV 1 swap

Simulator data

What the Hub reads from the simulator for this instrument, and what the instrument sends back. Names are the simulators' own: MSFS SimVars and events, X-Plane datarefs and commands.

Reads

Value	MSFS	X-Plane
COM1 active frequency (kHz)	`COM ACTIVE FREQUENCY:1 (MHz)`	`sim/cockpit2/radios/actuators/com1_frequency_hz_833`
NAV1 active frequency (kHz)	`NAV ACTIVE FREQUENCY:1 (MHz)`	`sim/cockpit2/radios/actuators/nav1_frequency_hz`
COM2 active frequency (kHz)	`COM ACTIVE FREQUENCY:2 (MHz)`	`sim/cockpit2/radios/actuators/com2_frequency_hz_833`
NAV2 active frequency (kHz)	`NAV ACTIVE FREQUENCY:2 (MHz)`	`sim/cockpit2/radios/actuators/nav2_frequency_hz`
Audio panel keys lit, one bit each (AudioBit: nav1, nav2, dme, adf, mkr, spkr) (bitfield)	`NAV SOUND:1 (bool)NAV SOUND:2 (bool)DME SOUND (bool)ADF SOUND:1 (bool)MARKER SOUND (bool)SPEAKER ACTIVE (bool)`	`sim/cockpit2/radios/actuators/audio_selection_nav1sim/cockpit2/radios/actuators/audio_selection_nav2sim/cockpit2/radios/actuators/audio_dme_enabledsim/cockpit2/radios/actuators/audio_selection_adf1sim/cockpit2/radios/actuators/audio_marker_enabled`

Sends

When you…	MSFS	X-Plane
COM MHz and COM kHz knobs, the 5 / 0 toggle (the standby set then swapped in). com2 on NAV/COM 2	`COM_STBY_RADIO_SET_HZCOM_STBY_RADIO_SWAP`	`sim/cockpit2/radios/actuators/com1_standby_frequency_hz_833sim/radios/com1_standy_flip`
NAV MHz and NAV kHz knobs (the standby set then swapped in). nav2 on NAV/COM 2	`NAV1_STBY_SET_HZNAV1_RADIO_SWAP`	`sim/cockpit2/radios/actuators/nav1_standby_frequency_hzsim/radios/nav1_standy_flip`
The ID position of the VOX / ID / T toggle: the NAV identifier heard (AudioBit nav1, nav2 on NAV/COM 2)	`RADIO_VOR1_IDENT_TOGGLERADIO_VOR2_IDENT_TOGGLERADIO_DME1_IDENT_TOGGLERADIO_ADF_IDENT_TOGGLEMARKER_SOUND_TOGGLETOGGLE_SPEAKER`	`sim/cockpit2/radios/actuators/audio_selection_nav1sim/cockpit2/radios/actuators/audio_selection_nav2sim/cockpit2/radios/actuators/audio_dme_enabledsim/cockpit2/radios/actuators/audio_selection_adf1sim/cockpit2/radios/actuators/audio_marker_enabled`