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NCTR help


Guzzo

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Hi all,

I'm trying to understand what is the "value added" by NCTR in SA but I'm really confused :huh:

I'm testing brand new systems of this bird and it seems that when I have a new contact on radar, clicking on "SCS depress" I'm able to identify the target even if my NCTR option on the radar is switched off.

 

If it NCTR is on or off, I can complete the identification. So, my question is, why and when I should switch on this option on the radar?

 

Thanks for help, guys!

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NCTR is a means to identify aircraft by using your own aircraft radar hence why close to a head on aspect is needed to get a good view of the fan blades. If no C2 aircraft are available and you have a bogey inbound hot, NCTR gives you just another tool to ID that contact. My .02

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NCTR is a means to identify aircraft by using your own aircraft radar hence why close to a head on aspect is needed to get a good view of the fan blades. If no C2 aircraft are available and you have a bogey inbound hot, NCTR gives you just another tool to ID that contact. My .02

 

Does NCTR really not display on the radar scope in real life!?! Pretty strange to me that a jet as sophisticated as the Hornet would require the pilot to have to look at two different displays (one between his legs) in order to get a single IFF/NCTR piece of data on radar contacts? The SA page is cool, but it seems like the NCTR/IFF visual data should be overlaid on the radar itself since the radar is the pilot's main tool for a/a weapons employment... As it appears at the moment, the SA page might actually hinder SA when doing A/A. :doh:

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The Sensor select switch depress is to IFF contacts, it has nothing to do with NCTR (I understand this was not very clear in Wags' video). NCTR works with a hard lock, completely independant from the IFF, and it does a very different information:

- IFF tells you if the aircraft is responding correctly to your interrogation

- NCTR tells you what type of aircraft you are looking at (it can't tell you if said aircraft is friendly or ennemy, though depending on the situation you may be able to tell)

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Does NCTR really not display on the radar scope in real life!?! Pretty strange to me that a jet as sophisticated as the Hornet would require the pilot to have to look at two different displays (one between his legs) in order to get a single IFF/NCTR piece of data on radar contacts? The SA page is cool, but it seems like the NCTR/IFF visual data should be overlaid on the radar itself since the radar is the pilot's main tool for a/a weapons employment... As it appears at the moment, the SA page might actually hinder SA when doing A/A. :doh:

 

Can't tell if realistic or not, but surely I find the F-18 to be terribly unergonimic compared to an F-16 (or the A-10), starting with the hotas setup all the way to the SA page, radar and ACM.

One good example is the SA page and Radar page have no direct correlation, they act like two completely separate systems and you basically have to guess if the contact you see on radar is the same you are seeing on the SA page, by looking at BRA and speed... Surely takes practice but I find my self fumbling with the mouse (pushing MFD buttons 'cause the HOTAS is pretty limited) and with the castle switch all the time.

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Can't tell if realistic or not, but surely I find the F-18 to be terribly unergonimic compared to an F-16 (or the A-10), starting with the hotas setup all the way to the SA page, radar and ACM.

One good example is the SA page and Radar page have no direct correlation, they act like two completely separate systems and you basically have to guess if the contact you see on radar is the same you are seeing on the SA page, by looking at BRA and speed... Surely takes practice but I find my self fumbling with the mouse (pushing MFD buttons 'cause the HOTAS is pretty limited) and with the castle switch all the time.

 

It's only partly implemented - we should be able to see the datalink tracks on the radar page (with priority numbers) for example, so it won't be so difficult to correlate. There's a lot of other quality of life additions missing (auto-IFF, soft-locking, one button auto-locking the highest priority target, among many others). I don't think the Hornet will ever be as slick to navigate through the menus as the F-16 is though.

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we should be able to see the datalink tracks on the radar page (with priority numbers) for example,

 

Cool. Do you know if those data link tracks are 'lockable' by the radar, allowing missile-engagment of those tracks?

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I understand that present datalink/IFF features is that we can id contacts in two modes now.

1. Mode 4/manual mode

2. NCTR print mode

 

Mode 4 requires putting the cursor bars on contacts and depressing sensor cursor interrogation/switch to get identification on SA page.

 

NCTR when enabled can id contacts when certain parameter are met like ownship radar being able get enemy fan blade information, contacts should be within 25mile radius and have a positive aspect ratio.

 

These are what I can gather from that intro video from Wags.

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I find my self fumbling with the mouse (pushing MFD buttons 'cause the HOTAS is pretty limited) and with the castle switch all the time.

 

One little trick you might try: I've mapped several of the Right MFD buttons to my HOTAS to make radar ops a little more F-15like. I control radar range, Elevation bar scan options, and azimuth options all from my HOTAS. Works great!

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It seems weird to you guys because the sim isn't complete.

 

IRL NCTR is mainly pulled from the Az/El page and JHMCS.. The L&S symbol (not in yet) also helps associate the same target between pages.

 

Once the Radar Attack page is complete you'll see that there's little room left for more data.

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One little trick you might try: I've mapped several of the Right MFD buttons to my HOTAS to make radar ops a little more F-15like. I control radar range, Elevation bar scan options, and azimuth options all from my HOTAS. Works great!

 

You might want buy the Thrustnaster MFDs. I got them a couple of months ago. Absolute game changer. Love them for immersion and quick DDI changes and selections. I’m thinking about buying a 2nd pack for the HSI / central display.

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You might want buy the Thrustnaster MFDs. I got them a couple of months ago. Absolute game changer. Love them for immersion and quick DDI changes and selections. I’m thinking about buying a 2nd pack for the HSI / central display.

 

They are great, for sure... and I've got three of them up and running. :thumbup: I just wanted to be able to change major radar functions without taking my hands off of the HOTAS (functions that can be manipulated via HOTAS in the F-15C).

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It seems weird to you guys because the sim isn't complete.

 

IRL NCTR is mainly pulled from the Az/El page and JHMCS.. The L&S symbol (not in yet) also helps associate the same target between pages.

 

Once the Radar Attack page is complete you'll see that there's little room left for more data.

 

It's kind of ironic you say that, because I'm actually of the opinion that the Hornet (even in its current, limited state in DCS) displays WAY TOO MUCH information... and yet it doesn't provide the simple info. that I actually want/need. The current radar display has stuff that I never use, and yet it doesn't yet display simple things like numeric range to target, NCTR, etc. I'm coming from the F-15C mostly which kept things clean and simple on the VSD.

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Yes, this is correct as is.

 

Bummer. What were MacAir/Boeing/Hughes thinking?!?! :-)

 

Thanks for all your work, Matt! You and your team have truly created something special with DCS and the Hornet! Thanks for sharing your talents and passion with us, Wags.

 

-Nate

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It's funny, too, because... if you want to place SA on the left DDI so both the RDR and the SA are at eye level, the 'ADV-BIT' data strip across the bottom obscures the NCTR info. And, if you want the RDR on the left and SA on the right... you lose the RDR to the stores display when you change modes/ordinance. :doh:

 

first world "problems."


Edited by wilbur81

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Does NCTR really not display on the radar scope in real life!?! Pretty strange to me that a jet as sophisticated as the Hornet would require the pilot to have to look at two different displays (one between his legs) in order to get a single IFF/NCTR piece of data on radar contacts?

 

Can’t speak for APG-73, but it certainly is displayed on the RDR page for the APG-63/70 series of radars.

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It's funny, too, because... if you want to place SA on the left DDI so both the RDR and the SA are at eye level, the 'ADV-BIT' data strip across the bottom obscures the NCTR info. And, if you want the RDR on the left and SA on the right... you lose the RDR to the stores display when you change modes/ordinance. :doh:

 

'first world' problems.

This is an obvious reality. So much of having to push the buttons again to put Radar on the left ddi after weapon select.

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It's funny, too, because... if you want to place SA on the left DDI so both the RDR and the SA are at eye level, the 'ADV-BIT' data strip across the bottom obscures the NCTR info. And, if you want the RDR on the left and SA on the right... you lose the RDR to the stores display when you change modes/ordinance. :doh:

 

'first world' problems.

 

I'm pretty sure IRL the Advisory Line 'ADV-' should not display if there aren't any current advisories to show. I remember a USN guy did comment on this way back in the summer.

 

Would be nice if it could be tidied up if true.

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SteveD and AvroL,

 

Interesting stuff, for sure. Maybe the Hornet is the oddball 4th Gen? Also, Avro... you'd think the Advisory line would operate like you say... but we also know how much attention to detail the ED team pays. :-)

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SteveD and AvroL,

 

Interesting stuff, for sure. Maybe the Hornet is the oddball 4th Gen? Also, Avro... you'd think the Advisory line would operate like you say... but we also know how much attention to detail the ED team pays. :-)

 

I'm pretty sure the ADV should be corrected. Yeah.

 

ED are doing a good job implementing some things, but yeah, it's still a little frustrating that small (presumably easier coding wise....) inaccuracies are left untouched for months. Still ED, keep the good stuff coming.

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