Some questions regarding the SA page

[fmedges]

My group and I were flying last night at night in multiple flights and on my SA page I wasn’t able to see them. We had no AWACS plane in the air. I want to make sure that I understand the link 16 network the way I think I do. The way I thought that it works is that a donor to the L16 network would show up on the page irregardless of whether my radar sees them or not. Any contacts that their radar sees also gets added. If an AWACS is in the air then their information is also added. Can ships also contribute to the network? I know the F14 has link 4 datalink frequency that starts with 3, but the L16 in the hornet is 127. What am I missing? Should the L16 donors be on my SA page similar to how the A10 has other A10’s etc on the TAD page when using SADL? Can ships donate to the net?

[Harker]

Yes, Link 16 donors should be visible on the SA page, with a dot on the periphery of their friendly HAFU symbol. No need to detect them with your radar. They do, however, need to turn on their datalink for that, the same as you. The channel itself doesn't seem to matter in DCS, so just leave it at 127.

And yes, certain ships are able to contribute to Link 16, such as the Ticonderoga Aegis cruiser, but that's not simulated yet for the F-18.

[sk000tch]

The role of ships is more complex than that, tactical networks must be managed like any other network. Most of that is not modelled in DCS, but certainly AEGIS systems should contribute like the way SURV/AWACS is modelled (though I am not sure to what extent it currently does).

 

The only thing I would add to fmedges comment is line of sight requirement. I don't know to what level of detail DCS models this, whether LOS to each donor is checked, if there are relays, etc. But you will notice missed messages in canyons and such, so it's in there to some extent.

[Bunny Clark]

Others have described the system well. My guess as to your issue is that either you or your flight members did not have the datalink turned on from the UFC. It defaults to off, even in a hot start, so you need to enable it every flight.