pdmarsh

@Suntsag -- I didn't think of CTLD. Thanks for pointing it out. I have used it in other missions, but never for it's JTAC capabilities. Paul

Thanks ex81. I'll do more experimenting. I'd hate to have to give up the the desired lighting effect in the mission. I'll figure something out. Paul

I placed a Reaper JTAC in a mission and assigned a number of targets using "FAC - Engage Group." The mission was meant to have an early AM start, but I have found that JTAC won't call targets until there is more light, i.e. a later start. With regard to standard sensors, this would make sense, but I would have assumed that modern JTAC would have some low light and/or IR capability. Also, I have read posts where it's stated that JTAC will illuminate targets at night with a laser designator. How can they lase if they don't see the target in the first place? I tested the option to make the targets visible, which I understand means LOS is not required, but it had no benefit with regard to the light situation. Should an airborne JTAC be able to see and call targets at night? If so, are there any settings I should be checking to make sure it will work? With enough light it does work, so there would have to be something that specifically needs to be done to get it to work at night or in very low light conditions. Thanks, Paul

@TheHighwayman -- Feeling a bit like a voice in the wilderness? Sorry for not responding to your posts. I recalled writing a short description on how to configure the Switch Panel LEDs that I believe was put into the program itself. I actually forgot about the manual you found. That was done by another volunteer. I just looked it over and see that it was done very early in the development of Flightpanels and before all panels were supported. In any case, I'm glad you stuck with it and got it sorted out. I use Flightpanels just about every day and know I'm going to wear out my Saitek panels eventually. Paul

The test in 2.0 that I did above was done before the most recent update that brought in the Viggen. The 1.5 tests were done in the most recent release. I ran the test mission again in 2.0 after the update and the results now look a lot more like the 1.5 experience, which might indicate that both recent updates have introduced this issue. TacView screen capture of this 2.0 test attached.

I have been running some tests to convince myself that there is a problem. I set up a very simple mission. I pitted two groups of 10 infantry each, all set to “Excellent” and none to "Immortal," and let them go at it. After three minutes or so they ran out of ammo and only a few deaths occurred. In some cases, infantry were getting hit five times and not dying. I set up the exact same scenario in 2.0 and most, but not all, infantry died. Also, there was a stark difference in the TacView results. In the image I posted above, notice that there isn't any red, which I assume indicates more damage than a green highlight (yellow indicates a death). That was the case for the entire event log. In the 2.0 results, not only were there more deaths, but a whole lot more red highlights, not all of which are seen in this image. This indicates to me that the same weapons are more effective in 2.0 than in the current version of 1.5.

In two separate missions in the latest version of 1.5 I have observed that infantry are not dying in spite of taking hits from dozens of shells. I have attached a portion of a screen shot from TacView that shows this. I made sure that the infantry were not set to immortal and, in spite of the shell counts in the image, I did not have unlimited weapons set either. I was flying the Mi-8 in both of the missions. While it might appear that all infantry are somehow immortal, a few did die, so a global setting does not appear to be the issue. Or, it could be that the shells are simply ineffective, or hit and shoot counts are out of whack. I have attached one of the mission files and a TacView file along with the screenshot. In the mission, it is the infantry that spawn in the asset extraction zone that appear to be nearly immortal, although 2 out of 6 did die. I thought I was simply missing until I had a look at the TacView file. Thank you, Paul Dock Strike.miz Tacview-20170310-204909-DCS-Dock Strike.zip.acmi.zip

OK, I found the root cause. Although it was self-inflicted, I'm not prepared to say there isn't something that needs to be fixed. I placed a FARP within the confines of the airfield and placed the Viggen flight near that, but on the ramp of course. This was done for dramatic effect, i.e. seeing a flight of choppers land as you prep for flight. The data cartridge is using the code for the FARP, 9024, instead of the airfield code of 9005. If I delete the FARP from the mission, the problem goes away. When the plane starts on the runway, it is far enough away from the FARP for this to not be a conflict. Using FARPs in this manner has been done before, but it appears to be a problem unique to the Viggen with its use of a data cartridge. I will try manually changing the code and see if that is a workaround for now. So, warning to all, don't cross the beams, or something like that! Paul

Good catch, Bullitthead, I missed that. However, I meant to post that the landing waypoint takes you in a totally different direction, which seems to fit. One thing I am going to try is manually entering the airport code. I also need to see what code is used by the cartridge. Thanks, Paul

Hi Bullitthead. Thanks for your comments. I do wait to turn on NAV mode until just before taxi or takeoff. In a different mission I can see the compass snap into position when I press the reference button. It is a reassuring thing to see. In this mission, pressing the reference button after lineup makes the Nav Syst warning light come on and I do not get that nice snap of the compass. If I don't press the reference button, the Nav Syst warning still comes on, but only after takeoff. I am beginning to suspect that the airbase itself might be the issue, or how data associated with the base is used by the Viggen. Starting up hot on the runway works perfectly. Starting up hot or cold on the ramp does not work at all with regard to navigation. I have not seen this issue in other training missions. Thanks again, Paul

Hi razo+r. In the case of the cold start, I am inserting the data cartridge at the time instructed in the checklist, after ground power is on and before anything else is done. I am also loading the data properly at the time instructed in the checklist. In the case of the hot starts, the cartridge is loaded for you and the data has been loaded as well. Yet, in the case of the hot ramp start, navigation is still not functioning properly. Mastermode NAV is not set until just before taxi or takeoff. Regarding tower comms, I have selected the correct frequency and easy comms is disabled. An interesting thing about the reference button is this, also associated with the cold start. After turning on NAV mode and lining up on the runway, the Nav Syst warning light is out. After I press the reference button, the warning light comes on and stays on. If I don't use the button and just take off, the warning light will come on after takeoff. Thanks for the comments, but I am fairly certain there is a bug lurking here somewhere. It seems associated with this mission file, or possibly the airbase, as it has all worked well in a different training mission at a different starting base. Paul

In the attached mission, if I have the Viggen start hot and on the runway, the navigation system works perfectly. On autopilot, the aircraft will fly directly toward a given waypoint without any deviation. There is no need to press the reference button while on the runway or make a visual or radar fix in flight. My BX8 waypoint is directly over the target convoy on the radar screen. However, if I start either hot or cold on the ramp, no matter what I do the navigation system never comes into alignment and the "Nav Syst" warning light comes on and stays on. I have tried using and not using the reference button after lining up on the runway from both directions and I have tried performing a visual waypoint fix in flight. Nothing solves the problem. On autopilot, the waypoint in question will drift to one side or the other requiring constant course correction. The BX8 waypoint is off to one side of the target convoy on the radar screen. At first I thought I was doing something wrong in the cold start, but the hot ramp start showed that was not the case as the hot runway start works fine, but the hot ramp start does not. For what is worth, tower communications are not working either and I have experienced a number or crashes to desktop while testing this mission. I have also experienced the issue of not being able to fire Rb-15 missiles after rearm. Search code 800001 seems to work in that multiple ships get targeted in a dual missile launch, but 800002 and 800003 do not seem to work. It's a great module and I am looking forward to fixes to the various issues. I hope this helps. Paul Dock Strike.miz

Navigation is working much better now. Definitely pilot error. Thanks for the help. Paul

@Kelevra9987 -- Thank you very much for taking time to look at this and post your track file. I will check it out this evening. I am fairly certain that my startup procedure is wrong, which I'll probably find when I watch your playback. @scaflight -- Good to know about the need to reload data. Thanks. Paul

After creating a new mission from scratch, waypoint navigation does not appear to be working. Shortly after or during takeoff, the waypoint does switch to B1 as expected. However, as I head toward that waypoint, the system changes to L1. I am unable to select B1, or any other waypoint, after that. The kneeboard shows all waypoints as I set them up in Mission Editor, e.g. B1, B2, etc. The navigation training mission that came with the Viggen works fine, though. I have attached my mission here. Thank you, Paul 10 - AJS37 Training RB75 PDM.miz

Neither "numpad" nor "pad" show up in a search of the lua file, so I have to assume these are all upper keyboard keys, not numpad keys. Paul

Here is a quick extraction of keyboard commands from the AJS-37 lua file: [TABLE]Afterburner fuel valve (LTkran EBK) A + RAlt Airbrake out (force) B + RAlt Airbrake in B + RShift Airbrake out/in/force out B Aircraft Bank Left Left Aircraft Bank Right Right Aircraft Pitch Down Up Aircraft Pitch Up Down Aircraft Rudder Left Z Aircraft Rudder Right X Altimeter setting down A + LCtrl + LAlt + Altimeter setting pull-out A + LCtrl + LAlt + LShift Altimeter setting up A + LCtrl + Lshift Altimeter pull-out H + RShift + RAlt + RCtrl Anti collision lights switch L + LShift Autopilot yaw trim Left Z + RAlt + RCtrl Autopilot yaw trim Right X + RAlt + RCtrl Autopilot mode ATT (Attitude hold) A Autopilot mode HÖJD (Altitude Hold) H Autothrottle 12 or 15.5 alpha mode J + LCtrl Autothrottle mode AFK J Cannon Rate Of Fire / Cut Of Burst select C + LShift Canopy open C + RAlt + RCtrl Canopy close C + RShift + RCtrl Center trim O Check indicator lights V + LCtrl + LShift Datapanel Digit 0 0 + LAlt Datapanel Digit 1 1 + LAlt Datapanel Digit 2 2 + LAlt Datapanel Digit 3 3 + LAlt Datapanel Digit 4 4 + LAlt Datapanel Digit 5 5 + LAlt Datapanel Digit 6 6 + LAlt Datapanel Digit 7 7 + LAlt Datapanel Digit 8 8 + LAlt Datapanel Digit 9 9 + LAlt Datapanel Rotary Clockwise W + LAlt Datapanel Rotary Counterclockwise Q + LAlt Datapanel RENSA cover C + LAlt + LShift Datapanel IN/UT Input / Output switch IN N + LCtrl Datapanel IN/UTInput / Output Switch OUT (UT) N + LShift Datapanel RENSA (Clear) C + LShift Easy mode - Air-to-air 4 + RShift Easy mode - Grond attack 3 + RShift Easy mode - Landing 2 + RShift Easy mode - Navigaton 1 + RShift Eject (3 times) E + LCtrl + down Ejection seat arm E + RShift + RCtrl Emergency Trim Pitch Down Down + RShift + RAlt + RCtrl Emergency Trim Pitch Up Up + RShift + RAlt + RCtrl Emergency Trim Roll Left Left + RShift + RAlt + RCtrl Emergency Trim Roll Rght Right + RShift + RAlt + RCtrl Engine De-ice switch I + RAlt Formation lights switch L + LCtrl Fuel tank jettison Cover J + RCtrl + RAlt Fuel tank jettison Button J + RCtrl + RShift High-pressure fuel valve (throttle to idle) I + LAlt HÖJD CISI X + RShift + RCtrl HUD shift to lower position H + RAlt IR-missile fast select S + LAlt + LCtrl IR-missile uncage C + LAlt + LCtrl Landing Gear Up/Down G Low pressure fueld valve LT Kran F + LAlt Magnetic correction left Z + RShift + RAlt + RCtrl Magnetic correction right X + RShift + RAlt + RCtrl Manual fuel regulator switch M + RAlt Master caution reset V Memory mode M Mode select - BER Q + LAlt Mode select - FK Q + LCtrl Mode select - NAV Q + RAlt Mode select - ANF Q + RCtrl Mode select - LANDNAV W + RCtrl Mode select - LANDPO W + RShift Mode select - SPA Q + RShift Navigation lights switch L + RCtrl Navigationpanel Waypoint 1 1 Navigationpanel Waypoint 2 2 Navigationpanel Waypoint 3 3 Navigationpanel Waypoint 4 4 Navigationpanel Waypoint 5 5 Navigationpanel Waypoint 6 6 Navigationpanel Waypoint 7 7 Navigationpanel Waypoint 8 8 Navigationpanel Waypoint 9 9 Obstacle detection mode H + LCtrl Parking brake W + LCtrl + Lalt Passive radar mode P + LCtrl Pitch gearing Automatic/Landing T + RShift + RCtrl Radar altimeter switch R + RAlt Reversal on P + RAlt Reversal off P + RShift Roll centrering (Roll trim reset) O SAS mode SPAK flight stabiliser E Seat adjustment up S + RAlt + Seat adjustment down S + RCtrl Show controls indicator Enter + RCtrl SLAV SI Z + RShift + RCtrl Startknapp S + LAlt Throttle down + Throttle up - TILS rotary counterclockwise T + LAlt TILS rotary clockwise T + RAlt TILS rotary layer switch T + RAlt + RCtrl Toggle caution light full/half V + LShift Trigger O + RShift + RCtrl Trigger safety bracket S + RShift + RCtrl Trim: Rudder Left Z + RCtrl Trim: Rudder Left Z + RCtrl Trim: Rudder Right X + RCtrl Trim: Rudder Right X + RCtrl Trim: Left Wing Down , + RCtrl Trim: Nose Down ; + RCtrl Trim: Nose Up . + RCtrl Trim: Right Wing Down / + RCtrl Weapon jettison Cover J + LCtrl + LAlt Weapon jettison Button J + LShift + LCtrl Wheelbrake W [/TABLE]

This is not strictly for DCS, but I'd like to post some links in the event that this is useful to others. I have made sets of VFR and World Hi IFR texture tiles for Tacview for the states of California and Pennsylvania. I'll be making a few more sets for other states as well. The zip files in the links below contain SRTM1 and SRTM3 terrain tiles and VFR and IRF texture tiles for the given state. These are large downloads, but at least you don't have to go hunt for the SRTM tiles. Keep the texture tiles in their folders and just copy the files into Tacview. If you move them you might inadvertently overwrite and lose a set of tiles. I am posting links as I don't want to use ED's storage as these really relate to other flight sims, e.g. X-Plane. Then again, maybe this anticipates the release of future theaters! Finally, I have just about completed a lat-long matrix of the U.S. on a state-by-state basis to make it easy to see what tiles are needed for any given state. I'll post a link for that when it is complete. Thanks, Paul Download links: Tacview-CA Tacview-PA

Air & Space Smithsonian, January 2017 Call in the A-10 Why a Ground-Attack classic has so far survived Air Force efforts to kill it. http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/why-the-a-10-survives-180960962/ Sidebar in above article: The Warthog’s Final Test Colonel/Congresswoman Martha McSally wants proof before she sends the Warthog to the boneyard. http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/old-not-obsolete-180961108/ The following is from the sidebar noted above. While the Air Force has not yet been able to kill off the A-10 wholesale, they are getting what they want through piecemeal efforts (bold highlight mine). "In fiscal year 2017 legislation, McSally demanded a fly-off between the F-35 and the A-10 to validate the former’s credentials as a replacement before any more A-10s are mothballed. (Four A-10 squadrons have been decommissioned so far, and of the nine remaining, only four are on active duty.)"

Development of Flightpanels has pretty much ended as the developer has moved on to other interests. While Flightpanels can be used with any module as a keyboard emulator, higher functionality, like using the radios or having access to the MultiPanel display, will be limited to the modules currently enabled in FP (A-10C, UH-1H, MiG-21 and Ka-50). All of these use DCS-BIOS for the higher functionality. Also, newer modules don't even have DCS-BIOS support yet, if ever. The developer has offered to let others take Flightpanels to the next level. If anyone is interested, let us know. I hope I understood your question correctly. Thanks, Paul

This seems to be a problem in general after DCS updates. It's a good idea to save all of your controller profiles for each aircraft. After an update, I delete profiles in the controller GUI and reload the saved ones. Paul

@Goteron -- Can you post your Flightpanels profile? I'll look it over. Any chance that you have one of the Saitek panel buttons programmed in Flightpanels for auto start as well? Paul

Never mind. I wasn't thinking. The X-55 would not have been programmed in Flightpanels. I deleted that message. If I can think of any reason for the conflict, I'll post again. Thanks, Paul

@Bignewy -- If you do fly the mission, you will be given primary target coordinates at the start. Do NOT attack that target until you work through the JTAC assigned targets first. When flying this mission as a single player, I take out all of the threats first. This leads to the DCS crash. If you get through all targets and JTAC says no further tasking available, RTB and rearm. I you actually get that far, chances are you will not be able to reproduce the DCS crash. It has always occurred before that point for me, and every time I try. Thanks, Paul

Both of the missions in the zip files show the problem. Unfortunately, it takes a good 30 minutes or so to get to the crash point. You work through the JTAC assigned targets and the crash occurs toward the end of the list. I would suggest using the original mission, which is V3 and in the first zip file that I attached (Logs.zip). It seems to cause the crash a bit sooner than the remade mission (V4). Thanks, Paul