bonesvf103

On page 174 I read that when you don't have NWS engaged, you can still steer the Tomcat with say +/-35 deg left and right. But with NWS engaged you can steer the Tomcat +/-70 deg. So I tried to steer without NWS engaged and there is no steering control whatsoever. If I engage NWS, then I do get control, but it's the +/-70 deg. Am I doing something wrong to not get the lower steering (not that it's a huge problem, as I can steer fine with it engaged) v6, boNes

OK, I'll post it in the Chuck's Guide sticky. Thanks! v6, boNes

From what I've understood and experienced in the game, I think the 1000 ft and 2000 ft apply when you don't have a radar lock and have guns selected. Otherwise, with radar lock, the diamond shows where the locked target is and the cross pipper shows where the bullets will go. After firing, the diamond will blink showing where the bullets actually went then go back to the lock target. v6, boNes

OK, so having the DDD at 200nm in pulse search or pulse doppler search will and hitting IFF is only really useful for showing where the friendlies are, but it's better than nothing. BTW, thanks all you guys who are responding and helping. I'm finally making and taking the time to learn and understand all the little nuances of the F-14, especially in the radar, so it's great to get such direction and support and time from you all. v6, boNes

I read this in Chuck's Guide for the F-14 on page 174. v6, boNes

Oh, OK, so if I don't see the blip on my DDD (not seen by my own radar) and I hit IFF, if there is a target that the IFF detected, then I will see the horizontal bars on the DDD without a blip? Of course that means that I am able to see friendly aircraft, so if the IFF doesn't get a response from a hostile aircraft, it won't show the bars on the DDD so I still won't be able to see the hostile aircraft even though the IFF knows it's there? v6, boNes

I'll have to check. Jester wouldn't change it on me would he? Oh, yes, that's right. I'm thinking about an uncaged Sidewinder. But that diamond is not bouncing around, but that's a known bug, right? v6, boNes

Yes, so I leave it on but it doesn't seem to lock unless I hit it again. But, looking ahead to the rest of your response...If I'm in gun mode, does that affect anything? Because these phenomena I am asking about is when I'm in a dogfight and have guns selected. v6, boNes

Ohhhh....didn't know that... So what does an IFF-antenna detected target look like on the DDD? Can you tell it apart from an AWG-9 target? v6, boNes

I read that when you don't have NWS engaged, you can still steer the Tomcat with say +/-35 deg left and right. But with NWS engaged you can steer the Tomcat +/-70 deg. So I tried to steer without NWS engaged and there is no steering control whatsoever. If I engage NWS, then I do get control, but it's the +/-70 deg. Am I doing something wrong to not get the lower steering (not that it's a huge problem, as I can steer fine with it engaged) v6, boNes

Provided you can see the target blip at 200 nm to be able to IFF him, right? v6, boNes

Oh, now that makes more sense. I suppose that if in the guide it said it was for a typical fighter sized aircraft it would have made sense immediately. Thanks! BTW, I've been testing out my VSL HI and LO from the pilot seat and if you select it, it's supposed to be on continuously unless you change modes or it finds something. But it seems to me that if I hit VSL HI, it doesn't stay on. If I turn on VSL HI and then a few seconds later have a bandit in a turning fight at 12:00 high it won't lock him unless I hit it again. Also the diamond bouncing up and down isn't there...and in PAL it isn't bouncing around either...but I think that was mentioned as a bug, right? v6, boNes

OK, came across another thing that made me think. Reading Chuck's Guide, it says that Pulse Search has a range of about 60 nm while PSTT has 50nm. When practicing with the radar and knowing this, I realized...what is the point of the range buttons on the DDD going to 200? If I select 200 as a range on the DDD, and it can only see to 60 on pulse search, then why not just hit 100? Now let's go to pulse doppler search. Now you can have a range of 110 nm. But since the DDD in this mode shows closure, not range, again what is the point? You can't use the TID since there is no FM ranging. I'm sure there is a good answer since it is on the real thing...but what am I missing? v6, boNes

When you don't have a radar contact, but you have one via datalink, can you hook it and fire a Phoenix missile at it? It is my understanding that you can, but I haven't been able to find anything saying so. What about if you have a D: target and you fire a Sparrow at it? No, because you need PSTT or PDSTT and since it's datalinked, you can't? No way to display both Link 4A and 4C on the TID at the same time, right? v6, boNes

Thanks, so basically, whether I am entering TWS or already in TWS, I will always be in 20/4 unless I change the knobs to 40/2. Conversely, if I'm in 40/2, TWS is in 40/2 and any change I make from there, TWS will be in 20/4. v6, boNes

Thanks, but that is when entering TWS. I'm asking about of you are already in TWS and then you make the change. So then the radar will stay in 20/4? If I'm already in TWS, then I change the knob to 40/2, then it will go to 40/2? v6, boNes

Just to be clear. Say you are in TWS. You have the knobs set to 20 deg and 4 bar. Then you change the bar knob to 8. Since you are in TWS, the radar will automatically set itself to 40 deg and 2 bar search then? v6, boNes

Same here. I've been hitting the books big time on that and spending most of my flight time in the past week with my head in the crystal ball in back. Getting more of a hang of it and its technicalities. v6, boNes

So very interesting, and I have noticed alot of this phenomena. Thanks! v6, boNes

OK, that's what I thought...and one of the things I love about this great sim you have done for us, the attention to detail is austounding! Thanks! v6, boNes

Frequently when I look at the RWR/TEWS, I see AI radar on there from a single aircraft, and then if I turn hard, say, to beam him, the return shows two indicators as if he just multiplied. Also, sometimes he will flip to the other side of the display, then back to where he was originally. Is this because of where the RWR antennae are and my maneuvering is making them see the threat differently? It gets kinda dicey when I am trying to beam a missile or locking aircraft and suddenly I don't know in which direction the threat is coming from based on the RWR. v6, boNes

How do you cancel it? Tap PLM since PLM only works as long as the button is depressed then goes back to a basic search mode? v6, boNes

Oh, duh, that's right...it's locked up already. On another note, you were saying VSL and PAL will keep scanning until they find a target. But if they don't find a target, will the scan just go back to the last mode (ie, TWS, RWS, etc?) v6, boNes

Yes it does, thank you! So for the synthetic range marker on the left in PD-STT, that is to just give you a guesstimate idea as to range since really the DDD is really telling you the closure? v6, boNes

OK, so I should just think of my aircraft as being "stationary" and so all the contacts are "coming" to me as I gain on them and vice versa. Cool, thanks. So how do you figure target aspect from this display? Go to ground stab and use those absolute vectors? v6, boNes