What is MIDS A/B?

[memoric]

Hello

 

 

So in the controlls page on chuck's F/A-18 Guide is a button mapped with MIDS A and MIDS B. I didn't find any information about it in the guide.

 

 

What does MIDS A/B?

 

 

Thanks

[Swift.]

2 voice channels that use the MIDS/Link16 network rather than radios.

[memoric]

Thank you!

[Razor18]

See DCS manual page 236

[Ourorborus]

How are the MIDS channels used in Mission design?

 

In reality the MIDS give an extra two voice circuits. These could be used for AWACS or flight comms for example, freeing up the VHF/UHF circuits for JTAC/ATC etc.

 

How then do I set the flight or the AWACS to use MIDS rather than a UHF/VHF freq?

[randomTOTEN]

How are the MIDS channels used in Mission design?

I probably wouldn't worry about that just yet. Very likely still heavily WIP. I would just assume the Hornet has 2 radios only for the time being.

[Bunny Clark]

As far as I know, they are not implemented in any way in DCS right now.

[Swift.]

Yeah in vanilla DCS MIDS does nothing, SRS has recently been updated with MIDS voice functionality though.

[Oceandar]

It could be an indication that those things going to be implemented soon enough. Just my speculation considering Ciribob is one of ED beta testers (CMIIW) so he should know more than us hehehehe

[RaiderOne]

As far as I know, they are not implemented in any way in DCS right now.

Not completely in DCS, you're right, but enough anyway for the SRS external Radio System to simulate those 2 Full Duplex new digital radios that become available in the F/A-18C !

 

 

So if you use SRS, then you will have 4 radios available in your fighter :

2 classical radios Half-Duplex and 2 Crypted Full Duplex "MIDS" digital Radios !

 

 

Then ... Plenty enough to have 1 channel for your flight, 1 tactical channel for the Package, 1 for the AWACS and 1 on the Guard channel ... for instance ! :thumbup:

[iborg]

Huh, nice. Though VAICOM would need to be updated too.

[anyonebutme]

"half-duplex" isn't a thing, the word you're looking for is "simplex". duplex is dual simplex.

[RaiderOne]

"half-duplex" isn't a thing, the word you're looking for is "simplex". duplex is dual simplex.

I know for sure, but apparently ... in the small world of Radio Communications they call those radio : "Half-Duplex Radio" ... :music_whistling:

 

 

An old habit may be .... I don't know ...

[Ourorborus]

Militaries around the world have a knack for generating words like this. I have seen half-duplex used before in technical publications.

 

Other fun ones include:

"ET tool" Which stands for "Entrenching tool tool"

"Surveilling" instead of "Survey"

And pretty much the entire Navy sub language known as "Jack speak" (I.e decks, bulkheads, the head etc.....)

[Flagrum]

simplex: single channel, single direction. one sends, the other receives. that's it. (i.e. TV broadcast)

 

duplex: single channel, both directions simutaneously. I.e. telephone

 

half-duplex: single channel, both directions but only one at a time. I.e. our comms radios

[RaiderOne]

simplex: single channel, single direction. one sends, the other receives. that's it. (i.e. TV broadcast)

 

duplex: single channel, both directions simutaneously. I.e. telephone

 

half-duplex: single channel, both directions but only one at a time. I.e. our comms radios

Thanks ... very clear !

 

 

So that was right :

 

 

in the F/A-18C (in DCS with the SRS system) :

 

 

COM1 & COM2 are 2 Half-Duplex radios.

MIDSA & MIDSB are 2 crypted digital Full-Duplex radios.

[RogueRunner]

Thanks ... very clear !

 

 

So that was right :

 

 

in the F/A-18C (in DCS with the SRS system) :

 

 

COM1 & COM2 are 2 Half-Duplex radios.

MIDSA & MIDSB are 2 crypted digital Full-Duplex radios.

 

 

How do you switch them on? In SRS mine always says off in the overlay.

[Swift.]

How do you switch them on? In SRS mine always says off in the overlay.

 

DL puhsbutton on the UFC

Press the ON/OFF button to power on the system

Press VOCA (MIDS A) or VOCB (MIDS B) to select which MIDS you want

Enter a number other than 127 (1-126)

Press enter

[TonyG]

Make sure you bind a selector in SRS for radio 3/4.

[Harker]

Make sure you bind a selector in SRS for radio 3/4.

Also works fine with the in-game buttons for MIDS A and MIDS B.

[Habu_69]

OK, but how does one assign a radio frequency to a Mids channel??

[Harker]

OK, but how does one assign a radio frequency to a Mids channel??

You don't assign a radio frequency, you press the UFC D/L button and then select VOCA or VOCB and select a channel between 1-126. You also need to turn on the datalink. After that, you can transmit using the dedicated MIDS A or B buttons on the throttle and receive, to/from anyone on the same channel and same datalink.

[vstolmech513]

OK, but how does one assign a radio frequency to a Mids channel??

 

 

Like Harker said, you don't tune a frequency to MIDS, it's an encrypted 'channel' that you select to talk to your flight or anyone else on the same 'channel'

 

 

 

So say you're a flight of 2 Hornets for a SEAD tasking and a 2 ship for CAP. You can all have MIDS A on channel 1, then the SEAD flight can have MIDS B on channel 2 and the CAP flight can have MIDS B on channel 3. All of the Hornets can communicate on MIDS A and each separate package can have their own comms on MIDS B.

 

 

 

That then leaves you to have COMM 1 tuned to say AWACS, and COMM 2 to common strike package. Now you essentially have four conversations on-going.

 

 

 

All you have to do is turn your D/L ON, select the OSB next to VOC A or VOC B, press the channel you want to assign it and press enter. Ensure you have MIDS A/B assigned a control in DCS and SRS, if you use that, and you should be GTG.

Edited August 10, 2020 by vstolmech513

[Habu_69]

OK. Got it, thanks. Currently use MIDS for MP human comms and ARC-210 radios for AI.

[Steel Jaw]

So this is fully implemented?  Shame on this long-time Hornet flier, first Ive heard of  this.