How much altitude tolerance does the spo-15 beryoza have?

[rami80]

what relative altitude difference is needed for the spo-15 to display whether the bandit is above or below?

 

Sometimes I feel it's broken because I get locked on by ground defense and both lights are on.

[Ironhand]

what relative altitude difference is needed for the spo-15 to display whether the bandit is above or below?

 

Sometimes I feel it's broken because I get locked on by ground defense and both lights are on.

It's simply telling you whether sensors on the top or bottom of the aircraft are receiving the signals. So, depending on your orientation, it could be hitting any of them. If you're inverted, for example, and it's close by, a ground radar will be received by sensors on top of your aircraft. In the same situation, an airborne source could be lighting up sensors on your bottom.

 

To complicate matters even more, a distant radar could be hitting both top and bottom sensors if your nose is pointing at it. In other words, don't pay too much attention to it. There are far too many variable involved.

[ShuRugal]

personally, i have -never- seen only the top or bottom light up when flying level, unless the threat was almost directly beneath me. Only time upper or lower light comes on alone is when i am in a ~30-degree bank (any steeper and SPO stops receiving) or in a steep climb or dive.

[Stuge]

RWR positions are relative to your aircraft attitude (not the horizon). This means if you roll, rwr signal changes position (in contrast to the radar, where own rolling doesn't affect the radar screen orientation)

 

Both lights are often lit because the signal is not significantly higher or lower.

 

The detection limits of beryoza are +-30 degrees up and down. If you want to visualize the blind spots, imagine a 120 degree wide cone projecting up from your pilot head and another projecting down from your pilot's anus :)