questions about TWS mode with datalink

[flankerjun]

I am confused about how to use the radar  TWS mode with datalink, i know how to use the radar without datalink,i know the system target,track target,and bug target,and what they look like in FCR, but with datalink on,i can not distinguish which is from datalink，which is tracked by my own radar, when the target became filled box,i read the manual said that repesent onboard radar contact,  i press TMS right,but nothing happened, sometime there is a while dot on the target,then the dot disappear，and again TMS right ，nothing happened. 

with the same mission i delete the AWACS，on my FCR there is white dot（search target），then it became filled box（track target），TMS right ，hollow box（system target），TMS right again，with a circle on target（bugged target），then fire AIM120，everything seems OK.

but the datalink make me do not know how to use the TWS mode.

[Exorcet]

Enemies need to be in your radar's field of view to be locked on. What I think is happening if that you're seeing a DL target, but your radar is looking somewhere else. Move the azimuth bars and elevation so that the target you want to attack falls in your radar FOV.

 

You can also turn radar datalink information on and off with the transmit switch on the throttle if you're confused.

[flankerjun]

17分钟前,Exorcet说:

Enemies need to be in your radar's field of view to be locked on. What I think is happening if that you're seeing a DL target, but your radar is looking somewhere else. Move the azimuth bars and elevation so that the target you want to attack falls in your radar FOV.

 

You can also turn radar datalink information on and off with the transmit switch on the throttle if you're confused.

I know it is not tracked by my rardar,my main question is what is the difference on my FCR, which is tracked by my radar,which is from datalink

[Machalot]

I have similar problems with TWS. Often I'm unable to turn correlated tracks into system tracks using TMS right. Either nothing happens, or only one target is upgraded, or in the strangest case the FCR display range decreases to 20 nmi and one target is upgraded. I don't know how to reproduce these situations because it's so inconsistent. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. 

[Florence201]

The radar needs to see the contact twice in 6.5 seconds to create a system track. At that point, you’ll see a hollow box. If you TMS right, that symbol is then filled. 

[Exorcet]

14 hours ago, flankerjun said:

I know it is not tracked by my rardar,my main question is what is the difference on my FCR, which is tracked by my radar,which is from datalink

This is the screen when your radar can see the contacts:

 

This is the screen when your radar cannot see them (notice altitude bracket):

[PicklePicklePickle]

I am having similar TWS issues to the OP, although my issues seem to be mostly in multiplayer. Most of the time I get almost no radar contacts even though I have the azimuth/elevation set exactly to match what AWACS and the F10 map say. I might get a sporadic single search target white dot but the it goes away in the next radar sweep.

 

Exorcet pointed out something I didn't know, I didn't realize that 'filled in' data link icons mean that the data has been correlated with internal sensors, which I imagine this means the on-board radar(?) If those filled in datalink icons are correlated with the radar then why are there no white search target/track target symbol on top? I imagine you can't lock onto just a filled in datalink symbol...

Edited March 13, 2021 by PicklePicklePickle

[Machalot]

1 hour ago, PicklePicklePickle said:

If those filled in datalink icons are correlated with the radar then why are there no white search target/track target symbol on top?

A white symbol on top of hollow data link symbol would mean there is a radar contact at the same location but has not been correlated.  Once the filled symbol replaces the white symbol, it means the data link and radar track are correlated.

 

When you "lock onto a filled data link symbol" your radar is locking onto the actual track it has at that location. 

Edited March 13, 2021 by Machalot

[_SteelFalcon_]

2 hours ago, PicklePicklePickle said:

Most of the time I get almost no radar contacts even though I have the azimuth/elevation set exactly to match what AWACS and the F10 map say

In MP i usually set azimuth to 3 and bars to 2, in order for the contact to become a big filled square, you‘ll want the radar to sweep over it twice within 6.5 seconds. It may not be able to do it if it has to scan 4 total bars, since it scans too much sky (altitude wise) before it sweeps over the contact again.

you rarely need 6/4 scans if you already know where the contact is supposed to be due to AWACS information on DL. 
it becomes a different story if you dont have AWACS, then i suggest RWS to search a large area at first with 6/4

[Csgo GE oh yeah]

In multiplayer everything is borked. 
Many times, (ESPECIALLY) if enemy is close you can not rely on datalink or even a 'filled box'. 

The actual radar return (starts with a tiny white dot) is what you need to lock on to. The actual radar return and the filled datalink contact are sometimes pretty far apart. 

[VampireNZ]

Easiest thing to do is just map the DATALINK display switch to your throttle hat if you have one (RL is mapped to comms transmit hat - you need 2 free hat positions) and that way you can quickly remove any datalink overlay information on your radar to check for actual radar returns and strength (box size).

Once you know something is there via DL you don't need the DL symbols on the display anymore and can tighten the radar beam right down to try and get a return on the target - this is where SPOTLIGHT radar mode is really handy (when we get it - Depressing and holding the TMS to the designate (up or forward) position for longer than 1 second will command the radar to spotlight scan (±10 degrees azimuth by 4 bars elevation)).

Just quickly cycle back to DL symbols now and then to check position of tgt if you need to.

[ice41]

symbols for datalink tracks override the usual symbols in TWS
I've not seen any Unknown or Suspect datalink tracks so this is for Hostile tracks only

hollow icons are datalink tracks that your radar does not see

white dot shows up for radar returns that do not have a track file yet

the hollow icon becomes filled in when TWS builds a Track target and the Track target matches a datalink track

 

with datalink tracks visible on the FCR, System target does not have any visible difference than a Track target. Only difference is the radar cursor will magnetize and stick to a System target. So you have to remember yourself.

 

The bugged target has a circle draw over it so that is easy to see.

[PicklePicklePickle]

Well as it happens for the first time on the server last night I actually saw the 'filled in' data link symbols for a group of MIg-29S! I was able to select all of them in TWS and cycle through them, worked pretty nice! I wonder if the server got updated because I had never seen that actually work online, I barely even got any contacts for bogeys on TWS. Learned something new, thanks!

[SCPanda]

12 hours ago, PicklePicklePickle said:

Well as it happens for the first time on the server last night I actually saw the 'filled in' data link symbols for a group of MIg-29S! I was able to select all of them in TWS and cycle through them, worked pretty nice! I wonder if the server got updated because I had never seen that actually work online, I barely even got any contacts for bogeys on TWS. Learned something new, thanks!

Great news you got it working!