reported earlier FCR GM Problems. Are these bugs??

RPY Variable · August 24, 2022

I have 3 different problems that have no logic, are they bugs?.

Problem 1:

When I'm in expanded mode 2, or whatever on Ground Mapping, if I want to zoom, when I press the obs button, the radar resets itself. This wasn't the case before this makes work with the ground radar very cumbersome. Is this a bug?

https://streamable.com/6u084b

Problem 2:

Trying to make mark points on Freeze DBS. If I select TMS up twice in other to store the mark points , the FZ image just disappears, it appears again a millisecond and the disappears again, so I'm unable to make a second mark point on the same FZ screen. So a) multiple mark points are not possible. B) The screen is black on after the first mark point. Is this a bug?

Same goes If I TMS Right or TGT/OA1/OA2. As soon as I do it once, FCR screen goes blank, So OA1 and OA2 are useless.

https://streamable.com/r6uprl

Problem 3:

If I'm on a DBS screen and find something, and want to make a mark point, when I select "7" (MARK) on the ICP, the FCR goes to AGR screen, so I have to go again to GM->DBS1->DBS2. So every time I want to make a mar point I need to configure the FCR all over again and find the tgt's again with the ICP previously configured. Is this a bug?

https://streamable.com/2yih7g

Edited August 24, 2022 by RPY Variable

Frederf · August 24, 2022

1. I'm not sure. I would hope that the previous FOV imagery (except switching from DBS2 to NORM) would persist into the next FOV expansion. The most likely continuum of imagery would be NORM->EXP since they're essentially the same. Moving into DBS or between DBS may be less likely for a continuation of imagery. Nothing in the radar description mentions blanking of imagery when changing FOVs (or the inverse).

I do know that the scale can change without changing FOV (DCS reverts to NORM). Also it should be possible to change GM/GMT/SEA mode while in FTT without interrupting FTT (DCS drops FTT and reverts to NORM).

2. FCR mark with FZ is an interesting case. Markpoint mechanization says that you can't FCR mark unless "FCR is tracking" which might mean FTT/MTT (how DCS seems to interpret it). In which case TMS forward in FZ is not going to make a mark point. I tried it in DCS and on first designate in FCR GM FZ mark it erases the map (empty gray bg), second puts a square/diamond* at cursors (empty gray bg), third records a mark (empty black bg) and then 5sec later returns to empty gray bg. So it's recording a mark point with a TMS forward designation after you establish a hollow square at cursor intersection and will cause the MFD to go true black background for 5 seconds on the actual record of the mark. The behavior seems to vary based on if your point is a square or a diamond*. Just keep mashing TMS forward until you get a mark recorded (watch DED).

I think it's not accurate behavior but realistic behavior might be less useful. My understanding is that designating in FZ should cause GM to enter FTT which won't be frozen any more. Map will show the old picture for 10 seconds (or 10 degrees of turn) and then show the live FTT view (which has no map picture, just the solid diamond at cursor with a pure black background). Right now DCS isn't doing this automatic image timeout and only displays the true FTT with a manual designation again. If FTT drops track it would return to search. So once in FTT FCR would be considered tracking and then your second (and third, fourth, fifth, sixth) TMS forward would record a mark at the tracked FTT target. To target a different location you'd have to return to search (re-enter FZ if desired) then go track something else and designate then designate again to record the next mark point.

3. Mark automatically picks marking sensor based on sensor status. Because FCR wasn't tracking it's going to pick HUD as the default initialized sensor. Notably this really sucks when you had something on FCR GM that you wanted to mark. No worries, either FTT a target before pressing ICP MARK or allow the sensor to initialize to HUD and DED SEQ to the FCR sensor and then track it/ mark it.

*NOTE: When you designate FCR GM you'll get either a hollow square (not tracking) or solid diamond (tracking). A hollow square indicates that the radar is in process or failing to track that spot. If you pick the "radar shadow" backside of a mountain you won't get track and after a few seconds it will fail back to search. You can still mark a hollow square but you have to do it before the track attempt fails. Presumably this doesn't have the same accuracy of an actual radar track mark point in real life because there's no radar range/elevation data. I think in real life steerpoint elevation is recorded as equal to current steerpoint (so inaccurate) if it can't actually range the ground.

Edited August 24, 2022 by Frederf