A-10C II, how to reset TDC cursor? China Hat re-assigned to only engage laser search in TGP

[salsantana]

I've scoured the controls mapping page for how to re-assign laser search to a different key than "C" so I can retrieve China Hat LONG and/or SHORT....... problem is that "C" key now has no such options? The ability to reset that TDC cursor must have been re-assigned; I can't imagine why it'd be ditched.

Thanks, hope all are well and this is Day 1 of a much better year

[jaylw314]

This was changed last year, there are a few other threads on it.  The controls were change to conform to what is allegedly more accurate IRL.  There is no longer a HOTAS control to return the TGP to boresight.  OSB 4 on the TGP MFD page will do so, if you so wish.

[Yurgon]

17 hours ago, salsantana said:

The ability to reset that TDC cursor must have been re-assigned; I can't imagine why it'd be ditched.

Caging the TDC to the TVV with HUD as SOI remains unchanged, this is still China Hat Aft Short.

If you're referring to the TGP, as jaylw314 said boresighting is now done with an OSB on the TGP page - but I believe it's OSB 5, not OSB 4.

[jaylw314]

1 hour ago, Yurgon said:

Caging the TDC to the TVV with HUD as SOI remains unchanged, this is still China Hat Aft Short.

If you're referring to the TGP, as jaylw314 said boresighting is now done with an OSB on the TGP page - but I believe it's OSB 5, not OSB 4.

Ha!  You're probably right about OSB 5

I assumed OP was actually talking about boresighting the TGP as SOI, since he mentioned "laser-search"

[Yurgon]

6 hours ago, jaylw314 said:

I assumed OP was actually talking about boresighting the TGP as SOI, since he mentioned "laser-search"

I assume the same, but wanted to give OP a bit of a nudge to chose words a bit more carefully next time, so as to avoid confusion. 

[ex81]

On 1/2/2022 at 11:12 PM, Yurgon said:

- but I believe it's OSB 5, not OSB 4.

Those buttons should have numbers on it. Could locate them quicker.

[Caldera]

Jay,

On 1/2/2022 at 12:49 PM, jaylw314 said:

This was changed last year, there are a few other threads on it.  The controls were change to conform to what is allegedly more accurate IRL.  There is no longer a HOTAS control to return the TGP to boresight.  OSB 4 on the TGP MFD page will do so, if you so wish.

I have found that this works most of the time and I use this allot,  So much that it is mapped to my HOTAS.  However, I notice that some times it just will not work.  At those times I have to switch the TGP to standby and then back to AG.

Have you noticed that?

Caldera

[jaylw314]

19 minutes ago, Caldera said:

Jay,

I have found that this works most of the time and I use this allot,  So much that it is mapped to my HOTAS.  However, I notice that some times it just will not work.  At those times I have to switch the TGP to standby and then back to AG.

Have you noticed that?

Caldera

No, I almost never use it, so I've not seen that.  I find I'm constantly throwing the TGP around using the HMCS and DMS Right Long, and glancing at the TGP page to confirm what I'm seeing (I find the TGP repeater on the HMCS is too low-res to help).  It's amazing how it keeps your head out of the cockpit and gives you better SA.  I rarely if ever have the TGP boresighted.

[Caldera]

Jay,

1 hour ago, jaylw314 said:

No, I almost never use it, so I've not seen that.  I find I'm constantly throwing the TGP around using the HMCS and DMS Right Long, and glancing at the TGP page to confirm what I'm seeing (I find the TGP repeater on the HMCS is too low-res to help).  It's amazing how it keeps your head out of the cockpit and gives you better SA.  I rarely if ever have the TGP boresighted.

I find myself doing just as you do.  I agree the TGP repeater is just about useless when used on a monitor (VR IDK) as it just blocks other stuff that I could see. 

With the TGP on the right wing, I usually repeat attacks from right turns.  Like you, often using zoom, I throw the TGP down close to what I want attack with the HMD and then adjust it to the the target from out of cockpit.  Then I lock (fine tune) the TGP onto the target from inside the cockpit. 

At this point, the whole process becomes a confidence issue for me.  If I am fairly confident (or happily wishful) that the TGP will not fault, then I simply ensure that it is SPI and I carry on.  If I am not confident, then I will mark the target and make the marked point SPI.  A marked target will allow me to get the TGP back on target should it 1) fault -or- 2) go off somewhere in Nah-Nah Land.  I can do this very quickly mid attack with the reset on my HOTAS.

Is it just me or can Point Track Mode get really weird sometimes by suddenly jumping off, for example, a moving target?  This is particularly noticeable in Narrow Mag zoomed way in.

Caldera

Edited January 4, 2022 by Caldera

[jaylw314]

29 minutes ago, Caldera said:

Jay,

I find myself doing just as you do.  I agree the TGP repeater is just about useless when used on a monitor (VR IDK) as it just blocks other stuff that I could see. 

With the TGP on the right wing, I usually repeat attacks from right turns.  Like you, often using zoom, I throw the TGP down close to what I want attack with the HMD and then adjust it to the the target from out of cockpit.  Then I lock (fine tune) the TGP onto the target from inside the cockpit. 

At this point, the whole process becomes a confidence issue for me.  If I am fairly confident (or happily wishful) that the TGP will not fault, then I simply ensure that it is SPI and I carry on.  If I am not confident, then I will mark the target and make the marked point SPI.  A marked target will allow me to get the TGP back on target should it 1) fault -or- 2) go off somewhere in Nah-Nah Land.  I can do this very quickly mid attack with the reset on my HOTAS.

Is it just me or can Point Track Mode get really weird sometimes by suddenly jumping off, for example, a moving target?  This is particularly noticeable in Narrow Mag zoomed way in.

Caldera

 

I haven't seen POINT suddenly jump off, but I have noticed that if you get outside the (poorly understood) POINT track envelope and it switches to P-INR, the TGP will actually continue to follow a moving target by rates even though the camera is not tracking.  This can give the false impression it is still tracking, and when the target makes a right turn suddenly, the TGP continues straight and follows the main road with no vehicle.  Then when you turn and the location is back in the POINT track envelope, the camera suddenly latches onto a spot on the ground and stops again.  It can be very annoying and surprising, and I've avoided using POINT track for anything except the few seconds for laser guidance.

[MadKreator]

On 1/4/2022 at 1:48 PM, jaylw314 said:

I haven't seen POINT suddenly jump off, but I have noticed that if you get outside the (poorly understood) POINT track envelope and it switches to P-INR, the TGP will actually continue to follow a moving target by rates even though the camera is not tracking.  This can give the false impression it is still tracking, and when the target makes a right turn suddenly, the TGP continues straight and follows the main road with no vehicle.  Then when you turn and the location is back in the POINT track envelope, the camera suddenly latches onto a spot on the ground and stops again.  It can be very annoying and surprising, and I've avoided using POINT track for anything except the few seconds for laser guidance.

I was noticing this doing one of the pre made ED missions on the a-10c2. I would lock on a target ( non moving mind you ) with tgp spi in pt track, launch some laser guided rockets. Fly around for another pass thinking ill just pick another target next to the first one when it one’s back in view, just like I do routinely in the f-16. As soon as I come around and original target is in view of the tgp ,  its Looking 50 feet to several hundred feet away , then it stabilizes on a random point on the ground and I have to scramble around to find the targets again.  I thought I was going crazy! I was thinking maybe it was just that particular mission that’s bugged out. When I do the same process in my practice mission I made in ME , it seems to stay right on point…now my practice mission is in the open in syria and the ED mission was in the forest with lots of trees and shrubs.. perhaps the other objects were messing with the tgp once back in view? There were a couple of times where I came around and it was off, but close, and re-latched to its intended target.. Is it normal for the tgp to deviate going in  and out of INS? Iv’e never experienced that in the f-16 or 18

 

In the post about dropping bombs that we were in a couple days ago the gentleman OP  mentioned the tgp deviating off target just before or after the bombs launched and were in flight. I had never experienced (granted I’m only a couple weeks into the a-10) anything like that until i had the targeting pod going in and out if INS as i’d fly away from the target and turn back in and .. wait.. what…where’s my target?.. what the hell is it doing way over there?

wonder if its just an issue in point track? Maybe precursor to flying away, switching it to area track before INS kicks in would help keep it looking at the correct area?

Edited January 29, 2022 by MadKreator

[ASAP]

10 hours ago, MadKreator said:

I would lock on a target ( non moving mind you ) with tgp spi in pt track, launch some laser guided rockets. Fly around for another pass thinking ill just pick another target next to the first one when it one’s back in view, just like I do routinely in the f-16. As soon as I come around and original target is in view of the tgp ,  its Looking 50 feet to several hundred feet away , then it stabilizes on a random point on the ground and I have to scramble around to find the targets again.  I thought I was going crazy!

 

Tip: Before doing all that, create a mark, make last mark SPI with TMS RIGHT LONG and then when it jumps off you can china hat forward long to quickly recage it on the last target. Its a good habit even if they do fix the bug. I know I've accidently bumped the slew switch a lot. Even when the sensors are working perfectly I screw myself up.

[MadKreator]

8 minutes ago, ASAP said:

Tip: Before doing all that, create a mark, make last mark SPI with TMS RIGHT LONG and then when it jumps off you can china hat forward long to quickly recage it on the last target. Its a good habit even if they do fix the bug. I know I've accidently bumped the slew switch a lot. Even when the sensors are working perfectly I screw myself up.

That’s what I ended up doing is dropping a mark so I could slew back quickly.  I was so confused if it was me , the mission, the module, or combo of everything. My slew stick is analog on my hotas and as much as I’d like to say I never accidentally bump it, i definitely do from time to time. Especially after playing with the f-18 for a while using tdc depress them jumping back to a-10 or f-16 using TMS, I find myself going for the wrong switch. Still working on remembering all of the hotas controls. Was doing some training/ practicing with markpoints and was fumbling around trying to get spi to change from tgp to markpoint. I was changing tads from steerpoint to mark and re-caging the sensors so spi would go back to steer/ mark/waypoint then cycling.. tms right long is going to be a good one especially for current TOO’s. I have all the hotas commands printed for reference but there’s so many functions it’ll take time to get them down. I’m just getting out of the basics stage I’d say with the a-10. Its a great plane, so much fun, but definitely a lot going on in comparison to some other modules!

[salsantana]

For those using the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro stick, I've mapped base buttons 9 & 10 to TGP OSB's 2 & 3, for A/G and STDBY.

Seeing a good bit of mark points mentioned; a habit I'm about to resurrect...... it was really great for multiple MAV's.