Steer Point Change with Maverick Track

[Caldera]

Hey All,

 

I do not know if this is a glitch, fumble on my part, my hardware or working as intended.

 

Sometimes when I am attacking using Mavericks the CDU will auto change Mark points when I put the Maverick in Track.  It has happened enough to me that it has became annoying and I do not understand what is going on.

 

For an example set up:

• Steer Point Switch in Mark
• CDU FPMENU 01 in MAN
• TGP locked on to Mark G
• SPI is Mark G
• MAV is slaved to SPI (Mark G)

 

So at this point all is well and good.  The MAV gate is closed and the MAV is ready.  I wait until the MAV cross comes on screen and then I switch the MAV to track mode (TMS FS).

 

But sometimes, just when I switch the MAV to track mode (TMS FS) the steer point will automatically change.  It usually changes to Mark A or Mark Z.  This, of course, is just about always in the middle of an attack.  I am always "WTFO???", because now the MAV is tracking the wrong target and it takes me a bit to figure that out and to get it back tracking the correct target.

 

I may often have the TGP in Steer Point mode (CH AL).  This is because the TGP will often do its own thing and wander off.  My intention however, is to try and make sure that I have the SPI, the Mark point, the TGP and the MAV all looking at the same thing.  Which hopefully is my intended target.  The picture on the MFCD is so lousy that I need the TGP picture to verify that I am attacking the correct target.

 

Would this be causing a steer point change to happen?

 

Thanks in advance,

Caldera

 

[Zodiacc]

I have never experienced this kind of issue but unless I am going to shoot multiple mavericks in one pass,I always use TMS RS and then TMS RL to have my SPI on the latest mark point.It is time effective and SPI doesnt change by mistake until i put new markpoint (except from creating new SPI from different sensor)

[Frederf]

Marks are not part of the flight plan so man/auto doesn't matter. There are two ways to slave to mark point in A-10C2:

1. Mark point is the steerpoint and the SPI generator is set to "STPT".
2. SPI generator is set to last-created mark point "MARK".

Does the lower left corner of the HUD say the SPI generator is "STPT" or "MARK"?

 

The only particularly interesting thing is that CHA long doesn't slave TGP to SPI but it slaves TGP to STPT even if something else is the SPI generator. That is different than CHF long which slaves all to SPI generator.

 

When you say the steerpoint changes, does the text in the HUD lower right data block change "A/MRK A" to "B/MRK B" or similar? The only HOTAS control which changes steerpoint is DMS forward/aft. If you are in MARK type SPI generator then generating any new mark points (A through Y) will cause that mark point to be the latest and thus SPI will change. Mark point Z is never be last made mark point for SPI purposes.

 

I can't think of any reason this could happen. A short track file or detailed reproduction instructions would help see this behavior.

 

If the goal is to VID with TGP when attacking targets located at mark points I would offer this as a more optimal technique:

• Adjust TGP FOV and zoom for VID purposes
• Set mark points as active steerpoint pool with rotary switch or function 8 on UFC
• Set or confirm STPT as SPI generator by looking at HUD (TMS aft long)
• Change steerpoint to desired waypoint with DMS up/down or steer rocker on UFC
• China hat forward long to slave all sensors to SPI
• SOI MAV
• TMS forward to command missile track

If the target is not located exactly at mark point location then do the following after SOI MAV step to ensure TGP follows missile

• Set MAV as SPIT generator by TMS forward long
• Slew missile video over target and release slew to command track

[Caldera]

Fred,

 

Thanks! 

 

Allot to digest ATM.  I will get back to you.

 

And yes, the mark point on the HUD changes, for example from Mark G to Mark A.  This moves the SPI and the MAV lock / track to what ever is at Mark A.  When I press TMS short to put the  MAV in track I am generally only watching the MAV screen, in a turn, in a dive, trying to find the SPI on the ground blah blah blah...

 

I use CHA long before the attack so that I can verify that the SPI is on the correct mark point / target.  This is so that if the TGP faults or wanders off mid attack then I can quickly reset it back on target and not have to possibly do a fly around.

 

Caldera

[jaylw314]

Given the issue with the FER keybind you posted elsewhere, it may be worthwhile to double-check or even clear out your keybinds?  Something's happening that shouldn't be, and if there is one keybind issue, there could certainly be another elsewhere.

[Caldera]

Jay,

 

Thanks, I actually did check that.  I do not believe that is it in this case.

 

Fred,

 

I finally got a track of this issue that is not too large to post.  Please take a look at the attached track.  You can fast forward to to my attacks with MAV's.  Note,  I had to circle out a bit because I had forgotten to warm up the MAV's so the part of the clip to watch is just after that.  Put the track in slow motion.  Also notice that I very often use CHA long to verify that the mark point and the TGP are both on the target that I intend to attack.

 

As I begin my first MAV attack mark D is on a BTR and mark E is on a ZSU.  Attacking the ZSU first you can see mark E on the HUD.  After firing the MAV I switch to mark D.  At first I had thought that this was a muffed attack as I had meant to shoot two MAV's at two different targets.  But in reality, I shot both MAV's at the ZSU by mistake.  After reviewing the track in slow motion I noticed that the second MAV attack actually began with mark D selected on the HUD.  But, the mark point had switched to mark E when I put the MAV in track.  I did not notice this at the time.  The TGP and the MAV MFCD's had also switched.  That seemed to mess me all up some what for a bit.  At the time as I had thought that maybe I had not actually placed a mark point on the BTR when I had intended to do so.

 

So keep watching as I re-locate the BTR and I put mark F on it.  

 

I began my third MAV attack on a BTR with mark F on the HUD.  This time it is easier to notice.  Just as I press TMSF short to place the MAV in track the mark point switched to mark Z, and again so do the TGP and the MAV MFCD's .   Continuing the attack, I had to go through the process of getting the MAV back in track in order to shoot it.

 

WTFO??? 

 

Caldera

MSN0-00-WP-SHIFT.trk

[Frederf]

Watch the UFC STEER rocker at 08:18:16. The moment you release TMS the rocker also increments up. I would review what keyboard or joystick binds you have to the steerpoint rocker and remove them all for another test. Consider how you are pressing the various actions. Is your joystick bind direct "e.g. DX1 = TMS forward" or is your joystick software pressing an emulated keyboard and that emulated keystroke is activating the action?

 

The mark F advanced to Z because of that UFC rocker input. Why it did that I don't know. I take control a few seconds earlier and TMS forward does not have a coincident UFC rocker motion.