F16 Radio Com 1 or Com 2 set to BOTH not working for Guard

[Hotdognz]

Hi guys just a quick question re the F16 in DCS and running SRS in the background for our server, we have a GUARD channel set to UHF 243.00

 

If we have Com1 UHF set to say 235.00 for talking to our flight and we have it set from MAIN to BOTH on the DDI we are not getting any transmissions coming in from guard 243.00 when some one transmits on our server, From what I have read this is the setting to have transmissions from Guard and allow us to transmit on 235.00.

 

Is this a bug with the DCS F16 radio, we have done a bit of testing today and can not get it to work at all.

 

Cheers

[Sharpe_95]

[OP:You can ignore most of this - I think Blades comment/pic below has the fix for you, although some of the info below may be useful/of interest?]

Couple of points (hopefully helpful)

 

1) Com2 (Victor) is your intra flight channel (for talking to wingman etc), not com1 (Uniform), which is more commonly used to talk to AWACS, AAR, tower etc.

 

2) I think guard is set in mission editor (sorry i dont know if it can/cant be changed)? But 243 may be the guard freq as I can't remember and not at my pc [edit, in the DCS manual it states guard is 243.00 so you are on the right one - as you probably already knew].

 

3) Your backup radio panel is a Uniform radio so has nothing to do with Com2.

 

4) You can turn the backup radio off and providing your C&I dial is set to UFC (Up front control) it makes no difference to your ability to transmit/receive on normal UHF channels. I think when the back up UHF panel is set to both you should still be able to hear Guard (based on the freq pre-set in the mission editor) even when set to UFC (but I think this is where any bug may lay). You should not need to set the C&I dial to BACKUP to hear guard.

 

5) If you want/need to use the backup radio you need to move the radio C&I dial from UFC to BACKUP. Then depending on if you have set the backup radio or either manual or pre-set you will /should broadcast on whatever channel you have set. Note if you are in manual and you are on the BACKUP on C&I dial you will need to dial on the freq you want on the UHF backup panel not into the DED.

 

6) Radio presets are set in the mission editor and if you are dialling in a freq but selecting 'preset' on the backup rad this will not work (again assumes C&I is on BACKUP).

 

From what I can tell from your post you have have one or a combination of the following issues:

- Guard freq set in mission editor (may/may not be editable(???)) you may therefore be broadcasting on the wrong guard freq as Guard is (I think) pre set in the aircraft and only changeable in the mission editor (maybe).

- Not set the C&I dial to BACKUP (I dont think this should be the case but its worth testing).

- You may be using the ICP/DED to set up your freqs when set to BACKUP on the C&I? If you are using the ICP to change freqs wont work you will need to use the backup UHF panel.

- May have incorrectly set preset vs manual freq input (if C&I set to backup and using backup UHF panel).

- May not have dialed the correct freq into the backup UHF panel (if C&I set to backup and mode set to manual on backup UHF - again this is for broadcast not for guard as I understand it)

- Person broadcasting may not be on guard freq.

 

That said, from the (very) limited testing I have done with this in DCS I am not 100% sure the C&I dial and backup UHF is working 100% properly but I could be WAY OFF HERE as I've not really looked that much!

 

Hope something in here helps.

 

-S

Edited May 11, 2020 by Sharpe_95

[RuskyV]

Underneath the volume knobs for Com1 and Com2 you have two rotator switches set either of these to (GD) for either com1 or com2 and confirm by checking the DED to see guard underneath the listed freqs for com1 or com2.

 

As mentioned the guard freq can only be changed in the editor.

 

See picture highlight in yellow

Edited May 11, 2020 by (504)Blade

[RuskyV]

- Not set the C&S dial to BACKUP (I dont think this should be the case but its worth testing).

- You may be using the ICP/DED to set up your freqs. If you are (and have set the C&S to BACKUP) using the ICP to change freqs wont work you will need to use the backup UHF panel.

- May have incorrectly set preset vs manual freq input (if C&S set to backup and using backup UHF panel).

- May not have dialed the correct freq into the backup UHF panel (if C&S set to backup and mode set to manual on backup UHF - again this is for broadcast not for guard as I understand it).

-S

 

 

Hey Sharpe just and FYI

 

This is the C&I panel and is linked to IFF only so this will not control the radios:thumbup:

[Sharpe_95]

Hey Sharpe just and FYI

 

This is the C&I panel and is linked to IFF only so this will not control the radios:thumbup:

 

Not only the IFF Blade.

 

See DCS F16 manual P42:

"The upfront controls are available during normal operations when the C&I knob (IFF Control panel) is set to the UFC position. This provides for control of communications, navigation, and IFF primarily via upfront controls. In the event of failure of the upfront controls, the BACKUP position provides for alternate operation of the radios and IFF, using their cockpit panels."

 

Also for what (little) its worth, the way BMS models the backup radio and the C&I 'seems' correct in terms of my understanding of how this should operate and serves as a good indicator of the likely function of the radios in backup in DCS (*assuming they are not working correctly yet - which I do not know for sure).

 

But thanks for the shout on setting the rad knob to GD - new one for me!

 

-S

Edited May 11, 2020 by Sharpe_95

[Frederf]

This is a limitation of SRS. When COM1/UFC is set to BOTH then guard frequency should be heard but it is not. SRS behaves no differently between MAIN or BOTH. SRS seems to understand COM1/BU MAIN/BOTH.

 

Be aware SRS as software has limited access to information from DCS. It can know switch and animation states but not necessarily internal software values. This is why the SRS IFF for the F-16 relies on the backup panel solely even though primary IFF setup is done through the UFC. Similarly because the DCS F-16 has no animated movement for the COM switch SRS requires a direct push to talk command and cannot use DCS World-supplied data to know when the radio is being used.

 

When C&I set UFC then UHF panel controls have no function for controlling the ARC-164. However AUDIO1 and AUDIO2 panels control ARC-164 regardless of C&I knob position with the exception of the GD position of the SQL knob which is UFC-only.

 

Presets for UHF panel and UFC for ARC-164 are independent. The former is loaded by manual entry into the UHF panel or by the fill cable socket under the cover while the later is loaded by DTC or pilot UFC input. It may be the case that the operator of the airplane chooses to or chooses not to harmonize the preset frequencies for both control devices. In DCS this independence can be tested by altering the UFC preset frequency (e.g. channel 1) and noting that the UHF preset changes to match (it should not).

[RuskyV]

See DCS F16 manual P42:

"The upfront controls are available during normal operations when the C&I knob (IFF Control panel) is set to the UFC position. This provides for control of communications, navigation, and IFF primarily via upfront controls. In the event of failure of the upfront controls, the BACKUP position provides for alternate operation of the radios and IFF, using their cockpit panels."

 

Also for what (little) its worth, the way BMS models the backup radio and the C&I 'seems' correct in terms of my understanding of how this should operate and serves as a good indicator of the likely function of the radios in backup in DCS (*assuming they are not working correctly yet - which I do not know for sure).

 

But thanks for the shout on setting the rad knob to GD - new one for me!

 

-S

 

Thanks Sharpe, i guess the C&I panel in backup mode locks out the ICP panel from normal use and you would have to revert to the backup radio, so this makes perfect sense. Thanks for pointing that one out, "wood for the trees and all that":thumbup:

[Hotdognz]

Underneath the volume knobs for Com1 and Com2 you have two rotary switches set either of these to (GD) for either com1 or com2 and confirm by checking the DED to see guard underneath the listed freqs for com1 or com2.

 

Thanks Blade, but setting Com1 or Com2 to GD doesn't allow us to monitor the Guard Channel at all we have done the following

 

Com 1 is on 305.00 Guard is 243.00 on server.

 

Set backup radio switch to Both

Set Com 1 to GD

Set Com 1 on the DED from Main to Both and we still dont see a G by the AN/ARC 164 radio on the SRS display

 

Out of curiosity where is the Guard channel set in the mission editor ??

 

 

Cheers

Edited May 12, 2020 by Hotdognz

[Hotdognz]

We have it sorted now the radio is on Back up on the C&I panel and the front DED one is disabled.

 

Cheers

[Stubbies2003]

Thanks Sharpe, i guess the C&I panel in backup mode locks out the ICP panel from normal use and you would have to revert to the backup radio, so this makes perfect sense. Thanks for pointing that one out, "wood for the trees and all that":thumbup:

 

 

It doesn't "lock out" the ICP. It simply tells the aircraft what to look at for control of different systems. The ICP still works just fine if C&I is set to backup for DED functions where the DED is the only entry method. Steerpoints are a good example. The UFC is the only way to enter manual steerpoint information into the aircraft so the C&I knob position has no effect on UFC operation for bits like that.

Edited May 12, 2020 by Stubbies2003