Drac Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 Is there any benefit to using the Silent Mode? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubbies2003 Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 How about you are not announcing your presence to any enemy fighter in that radar sweep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunny Clark Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 It turns off radar emissions, which is the primary way enemy aircraft can passively detect you. Especially when coupled with datalink info on the SA page, it allows you the option to remain less conspicuous and only turn on your radar when committing to an attack. It's a middle-of-the-road alternative to EMCON, which limits the functionality of any transmitting device on the aircraft including datalink, jammer, and TACAN. Oil In The Water Hornet Campaign. Bunny's: Form-Fillable Controller Layout PDFs | HOTAS Kneeboards | Checklist Kneeboards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weasel Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 Imagine the radar as a flashlight in darkness. When the radar is activated everyone is able to see you like a flashlight in darkness. The silent mode is like you switch off your flashlight and there is a better chance you won't be detected Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habu_69 Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 It turns off radar emissions, which is the primary way enemy aircraft can passively detect you. Especially when coupled with datalink info on the SA page, it allows you the option to remain less conspicuous and only turn on your radar when committing to an attack. It's a middle-of-the-road alternative to EMCON, which limits the functionality of any transmitting device on the aircraft including datalink, jammer, and TACAN. Yes, this describes RL conditions, but does DCS model the effects of EMCON/radar silent? Are enemy aircraft and IADS less likely to detect and engage? Are detection/engagement ranges affected? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drac Posted October 19, 2020 Author Share Posted October 19, 2020 Yes, this describes RL conditions, but does DCS model the effects of EMCON/radar silent? Are enemy aircraft and IADS less likely to detect and engage? Are detection/engagement ranges affected? +1... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbmasonator Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 Anybody know if AI detection works with EMCON (ie: does AI have a harder time "detecting" me if I have radar off)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kengou Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 Radar silent means enemy fighters won't see you on RWR. Unknown if this works on AI (I doubt it) but should work on human pilots. They can still pick you up on their own radar of course if you're within their search cone/range. Best used for sneaking past hostiles at low level on a strike mission or something. I don't believe EMCON silenced radios/datalink/iff is modeled at all in DCS. Virpil WarBRD | Thrustmaster Hornet Grip | Foxx Mount | Thrustmaster TWCS Throttle | Logitech G Throttle Quadrant | VKB T-Rudder IV | TrackIR 5 AMD Ryzen 5 3600 | Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB | 32GB DDR4 3200 | SSD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederf Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 It absolutely works. AI see using their RWRs for hundreds and hundreds of miles. If you paint them once they know where you are and what you ate for breakfast. Their RWRs work at much, much longer ranges than their radars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubbies2003 Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 I use silent mode all the time and yes it works great in DCS. If you are silent then they must use datalink if they have it or more directly they must pick you up on their own FCR. Many a time I've flown the PG map from Bandar Abbas to Jiroft in silent mode to avoid having to deal with the enemy fighters coming from the north. Even if that fighters FCR is showing on your RWR doesn't mean he has actually seen you. Just gotta pay attention to the datalink and RWR as to what the enemy is doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunny Clark Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 As others have already said, yes, radar Silent mode does seem to have an effect on the AI, and it's certainly useful against humans in multiplayer. EMCON is a very different story. For one, it's not functional in the Hornet at all right now. Secondly, I don't believe there's any ability by the AI to detect things like datalink or TACAN transmissions, nor do I think that is a known capability in any of the tactical aircraft we currently have in DCS. Oil In The Water Hornet Campaign. Bunny's: Form-Fillable Controller Layout PDFs | HOTAS Kneeboards | Checklist Kneeboards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon1-1 Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 Well, TACAN will allow everyone with a receiver to home in on you, if they know the channel (although fighter to fighter only gives distance, so it'd be coarse). :) For others, EMCON would matter if there were other signals intelligence assets modeled. Tactical aircraft can't even detect another plane's radar altimeter, and most ground units can't, either. AWACS probably could pick up some of that (but not in DCS), and dedicated passive listening installations definitely could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubbies2003 Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 Well, TACAN will allow everyone with a receiver to home in on you, if they know the channel (although fighter to fighter only gives distance, so it'd be coarse). :) For others, EMCON would matter if there were other signals intelligence assets modeled. Tactical aircraft can't even detect another plane's radar altimeter, and most ground units can't, either. AWACS probably could pick up some of that (but not in DCS), and dedicated passive listening installations definitely could. Well for those who don't use TACAN on the 18 they are already safe there as the sim doesn't turn it on by default on hot starts. However I'm not sure if they model it to that level where they can work off of TACAN and other transmitting systems short of the FCR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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