cannot reproduce and missing track file HMD Target Designated Acting Funny

[bonesvf103]

If I have no targets designated and I turn my head and look at one with the reticle then TDC designate it, the dashed diamond appears on it, but it doesn’t stay there. It drifts away so that by the time I turn toward it, it is way off target. I tried hitting TDC designate again just in case but it did nothing.

 

What am I doing wrong? I did it while following along with Wags’ video.

 

v6,

boNes

[Ziptie]

If I have no targets designated and I turn my head and look at one with the reticle then TDC designate it, the dashed diamond appears on it, but it doesn’t stay there. It drifts away so that by the time I turn toward it, it is way off target. I tried hitting TDC designate again just in case but it did nothing.

 

What am I doing wrong? I did it while following along with Wags’ video.

 

v6,

boNes

 

You are not doing anything wrong. There are numerous threads on this already. It's a bug, that has been acknowledged and hopefully addressed soon by ED.

 

 

In the interim - after you've designated via HMD, TDC priority to FLIR and 'bump the tdc' or change from INR to ATRK or PTRK to get the FLIR (TGP) to keep from drifting.

 

 

Quick search would have netted you:

 

https://forums.eagle.ru/forum/english/digital-combat-simulator/dcs-f-a-18c-hornet/bugs-aa/7143660-reported-tgt-designation-drifts-when-jhmcs-on

 

https://forums.eagle.ru/forum/english/digital-combat-simulator/dcs-f-a-18c-hornet/bugs-aa/7143496-hmd-designated-target-is-constantly-shifting#post7145788

 

and a few more I believe. You're not alone, and already marked as [REPORTED]

 

 

Cheers,

 

Ziptie

[bonesvf103]

Thanks. Those searches and resultant threads were in terms of using the HMD with the LITENING though, and I was using it without a TPOD, so that wasn't addressing my concern per se, so it would have not done too much good doing that search. That interim fix probably wouldn't help me since I wasn't using a TPOD. I was iron dumb dropping.

 

But thanks for letting me know that this is probably a bug anyway.

 

v6,

boNes

[Ziptie]

Thanks. Those searches and resultant threads were in terms of using the HMD with the LITENING though, and I was using it without a TPOD, so that wasn't addressing my concern per se, so it would have not done too much good doing that search. That interim fix probably wouldn't help me since I wasn't using a TPOD. I was iron dumb dropping.

 

But thanks for letting me know that this is probably a bug anyway.

 

v6,

boNes

 

Fair enough, sounds like it's probably the issue with the AGR - most likely contributing to the issue in both cases. Apologies for assuming you were using the FLIR in conjunction with the HMD.

 

Cheers,

 

Ziptie

[noisy_lightning]

The same bug is on the A10C 2 as well. Hopefully sorted soon but like Ziptie said, just quickly SSS right/left to the FLIR and bump the TDC.

[Lazerhawk]

Sorry for digging up this old thread, but has this issue ever been resolved? I just did the same thing OP did (target designate with JHMCS, no TGP) and the diamond keeps drifting most of the time and won't ground stabilize.

[AstonMartinDBS]

1 hour ago, Lazerhawk said:

Sorry for digging up this old thread, but has this issue ever been resolved?

AFAIK: yes. I didn't notice the issue with the drifting A/G target designation by HMD since months.

Edited September 27, 2021 by AstonMartinDBS

[Lazerhawk]

8 hours ago, AstonMartinDBS said:

AFAIK: yes. I didn't notice the issue with the drifting A/G target designation by HMD since months.

 

 

Thanks for the response. So you're also using the HMD to look at the target and then depress the TDC? When I do that, especially when looking out of the cockpit sideways or behind me, the diamond will often drift (but not always). Sometimes I feel like it only stabilizes when there is some visual cue on the ground, like a distinct tree line (but that wouldn't really make any sense I guess).

[Swift.]

2 hours ago, Lazerhawk said:

 

Thanks for the response. So you're also using the HMD to look at the target and then depress the TDC? When I do that, especially when looking out of the cockpit sideways or behind me, the diamond will often drift (but not always). Sometimes I feel like it only stabilizes when there is some visual cue on the ground, like a distinct tree line (but that wouldn't really make any sense I guess).

Remember that the aircraft still needs to figure out the range to the designation. When you designate within 70 degrees off forwards, it can use AGR to get an accurate ranging to your new designation, but if you designate backwards like you describe, then it has to rely on the Digital Terrain Elevation Database to get an approximate range, which obviously reduces the accuracy of the designation. Leading to the drifting you might be seeing.

[Lazerhawk]

3 hours ago, Swiftwin9s said:

Remember that the aircraft still needs to figure out the range to the designation. When you designate within 70 degrees off forwards, it can use AGR to get an accurate ranging to your new designation, but if you designate backwards like you describe, then it has to rely on the Digital Terrain Elevation Database to get an approximate range, which obviously reduces the accuracy of the designation. Leading to the drifting you might be seeing.

Thank you, that is a very interesting point. Coming from A-10's HMD I just figured that it will magically behave the same way in every aircraft, which of course is not the case.

[BuLLeT.ZA]

Necro time. I'm still seeing the same issue, if not worse.

If I use the HMD to designate a spot, then the diamond instantly starts drifting, and rapidly moves to 500+ NM distance.

Flicking to FLIR immediately is the way I get around it as well, but it's not ideal.

[Swift.]

1 hour ago, BuLLeT.ZA said:

Necro time. I'm still seeing the same issue, if not worse.

If I use the HMD to designate a spot, then the diamond instantly starts drifting, and rapidly moves to 500+ NM distance.

Flicking to FLIR immediately is the way I get around it as well, but it's not ideal.

Rapidly moving 500NM sounds like its a TDC axis noise issue.

Is it similar to this bug I reported a long time ago:

If you are having noise issues, then you might be seeing the TGT jump to somewhere in the HUD (hundreds of miles in front), when you look forward.

[wilbur81]

Haven't read the whole thread here, but if you are speaking of the TDC drift whilst using the HMD... did you align the HMD? An unaligned HMD will present drift and other anomalies like it.

 

[Hulkbust44]

3 hours ago, wilbur81 said:

Haven't read the whole thread here, but if you are speaking of the TDC drift whilst using the HMD... did you align the HMD? An unaligned HMD will present drift and other anomalies like it.

 

Nice thought, but HMD alignment wasn't implemented at this time...

[Swift.]

1 hour ago, Hulkbust44 said:

Nice thought, but HMD alignment wasn't implemented at this time...

It is for the second issue that this thread was resurrected for.
The OP is probably an issue with elevation resolving at high off axis designations (no AGR). 
The second issue seems to be a combination of the OP issue and the thing I spoke about with the TGT snapping to the current viewport (HUD) when a TDC input is made (jitter/noise)

[robgraham]

Please include track files showing the issue so it can be looked into. The skewing is likely that your axis is bumping as mentioned but with out a track file is hard to see what is going on. As I can not reproduce this one and i have tried. 

 

Also if you have mods installed ie the A4 or the older macchi files etc try removing and reproducing with out those please.  As some times word bugs are from mods even when they aren't in mission they still are sometimes the cause.

 

Thanks

 

[BuLLeT.ZA]

On 2/7/2022 at 3:43 PM, Swift. said:

Rapidly moving 500NM sounds like its a TDC axis noise issue.

Is it similar to this bug I reported a long time ago:

If you are having noise issues, then you might be seeing the TGT jump to somewhere in the HUD (hundreds of miles in front), when you look forward.

Not quite what I'm seeing. I can keep looking at the same spot and the TGT still starts buggering off to the front. By noise, do you mean that setting a deadzone on the TDC might solve it?

 

On 2/7/2022 at 4:36 PM, wilbur81 said:

Haven't read the whole thread here, but if you are speaking of the TDC drift whilst using the HMD... did you align the HMD? An unaligned HMD will present drift and other anomalies like it.

 

I had issues with the HMD alignment and haven't bothered with it since. I assume that it should start off decently aligned?

 

On 2/8/2022 at 2:54 AM, robgraham said:

Please include track files showing the issue so it can be looked into. The skewing is likely that your axis is bumping as mentioned but with out a track file is hard to see what is going on. As I can not reproduce this one and i have tried. 

 

Also if you have mods installed ie the A4 or the older macchi files etc try removing and reproducing with out those please.  As some times word bugs are from mods even when they aren't in mission they still are sometimes the cause.

 

Thanks

 

I will record a track file this evening. Seems to be constant for me so replication on my side shouldn't be an issue.

Edited February 10, 2022 by BuLLeT.ZA

[wilbur81]

3 minutes ago, BuLLeT.ZA said:

 

 

I had issues with the HMD alignment and haven't bothered with it since. I assume that it should start off decently aligned?

 

HMD Alignment has nothing to do with how the HMD is positioned to your eye in the cockpit, it has to do with how Datalink and Targeting information is aligned. So, if you fail to properly align the HMD, on the ground or in flight, your Datalink tracks and Target designations will be off by a good bit. Spudknocker has a nice little tutorial on this on YT.

[BuLLeT.ZA]

That makes sense. I'll check it out, thanks!

[BuLLeT.ZA]

Just to confirm: HMD alignment was indeed the issue. With the alignment completed the target designation remains where it was placed by the HMD.