Kc-135 tanker bug or user error?

[MadKreator]

Decided its time to practice AAR after avoiding it for the last few years. Setup a kc-135 in my training scenario I made a couple years back. Kc 135 is set as a tanker. 1 waypoint ( besides 0) setup as racetrack, all is good there. At initial point is advanced action to turn on tacan ( i set it for arbitrary 33x channel) radio is checked and set as default channel 251. Problem is ( two actually) when I hop in a plane, set radio to 251( even though I use easy comms, I still make a habit of tuning the radios) and call the initial contact I get no response, in any aircraft I try. From the ground, in the air, even right on the tankers backside. Also when tuning the tacan to 33x as I have set and set to a/a-t/r it doesn't seem to point me in the right direction, or any real direction for that matter. It’s entirely possible that I I’m not reading it right, but none of the needles/ arrows point towards the tanker. I’m not great with the mission editor so I’m thinking I haven’t got something set right, or maybe its and issue with the kc135 itself? I have also tried, at initial point, advanced action for the tanker to tune radio to 251. But still no response. Any ideas?  

As far as setting it up, all I did was place the tanker( which under advanced it set itself  as tanker -a and setup the turn on tacan), set the racetrack up with alt, speed etc. and change the tacan frequency and hit go. Bear in mind it took me an hour to figure out how to make a simple racetrack, thats how little I know, be easy on me

[silverdevil]

38 minutes ago, MadKreator said:

Decided its time to practice AAR after avoiding it for the last few years. Setup a kc-135 in my training scenario I made a couple years back. Kc 135 is set as a tanker. 1 waypoint ( besides 0) setup as racetrack, all is good there. At initial point is advanced action to turn on tacan ( i set it for arbitrary 33x channel) radio is checked and set as default channel 251. Problem is ( two actually) when I hop in a plane, set radio to 251( even though I use easy comms, I still make a habit of tuning the radios) and call the initial contact I get no response, in any aircraft I try. From the ground, in the air, even right on the tankers backside. Also when tuning the tacan to 33x as I have set and set to a/a-t/r it doesn't seem to point me in the right direction, or any real direction for that matter. It’s entirely possible that I I’m not reading it right, but none of the needles/ arrows point towards the tanker. I’m not great with the mission editor so I’m thinking I haven’t got something set right, or maybe its and issue with the kc135 itself? I have also tried, at initial point, advanced action for the tanker to tune radio to 251. But still no response. Any ideas?  

As far as setting it up, all I did was place the tanker( which under advanced it set itself  as tanker -a and setup the turn on tacan), set the racetrack up with alt, speed etc. and change the tacan frequency and hit go. Bear in mind it took me an hour to figure out how to make a simple racetrack, thats how little I know, be easy on me

check this post. kc-135 stated by IRL crew direction is not given.

 

Edited January 12, 2023 by silverdevil

[rob10]

DON'T use A-A on the TCN or you won't get any info.

As for it not responding, which aircraft are you flying?  The tanker won't respond if you can't use it.  If you have the KC-135 and you're in the F-18 they'll never acknowledge you (it's a boom only tanker, you need the KC-135MPRS drogue tanker for the F-18).  The other possibility is that it won't respond until it's "on station".  If you try to contact it before it's hits 1st point it will ignore you.  Double check that the "tanker" action is activated as well (IIRC it should default to on with the tanker).

[MadKreator]

Didn’t understand the tacan thing until reading above posts, I have only used it for ground, I will play with it some, not as important at the moment lol . I was trying in the  a-10 and f-16. I only have one option for a kc-135 tanker. But it  has both boom at the tail and drogue at the wingtips when it spawns. I figured it was equipped for both types. It was automatically selected as tanker. I have it hot starting in the air. So maybe since my racetrack only has the single waypoint,  aside from the initial spawn point, maybe thats why its not responding right away, since its not technically at the racetrack start? I will test that out, that didn’t cross my mind. I was trying to contact for “intent to refuel”  right away ,before and after takeoff,  long before it ever got to the “racetrack start” waypoint. That would make sense.

Edited January 12, 2023 by MadKreator

[razo+r]

11 minutes ago, MadKreator said:

Didn’t understand the tacan thing until reading above posts, I have only used it for ground, I will play with it some, not as important at the moment lol . I was trying in the  a-10 and f-16. I only have one option for a kc-135 tanker. But it  has both boom at the tail and drogue at the wingtips when it spawns. I figured it was equipped for both types. It was automatically selected as tanker. I have it hot starting in the air. So maybe since my racetrack only has the single waypoint,  aside from the initial spawn point, maybe thats why its not responding right away, since its not technically at the racetrack start? I will test that out, that didn’t cross my mind. I was trying to contact for “intent to refuel”  right away ,before and after takeoff,  long before it ever got to the “racetrack start” waypoint. That would make sense.

 

The one with a boom and two drogues is the KC-135MPRS and in DCS the boom for it does not work. 

You need to select the other KC-135 without MPRS that has a boom only. That one works with the A-10 and F-16.

 

[MadKreator]

4 minutes ago, razo+r said:

The one with a boom and two drogues is the KC-135MPRS and in DCS the boom for it does not work. 

You need to select the other KC-135 without MPRS that has a boom only. That one works with the A-10 and F-16.

 

Ahh okay that makes sense then! I knew that a tanker wouldn't respond if it wasn’t the correct type, but that model have both boom and drogue threw me off I guess.I figured it did both types, and was fully functional. I will change it up and add an additional boom tanker and use two and see if that works out. Thanks for the responses!

[MadKreator]

All fixed, issue was just the tanker type. Just assumed the kc-135mprs did both types. It responds just fine to the f-18 and av8b. regular kc-135 responds to the a-10 and f-16 as it should. tacan displays on the hsi ( on the ddi's/ mfd's) in the 18 and av8b just fine. I guess I just don't know how to fully use the analog HSI correctly in say the a-10. The learning never ends i suppose! Thanks again for the help!

Edited January 12, 2023 by MadKreator