How to find my location on map?

[AngryViper.101]

On some servers you cannot use F10 map to see your current position on the map.

I know I can use the compass bearing to fly in a direction.

But how do I find my current location on the map?

[Art-J]

By good old dead reckoning and being familair with the terrain - that's the hard way.

There's a bit of a realism-cheat available, however. Once you bring the kneeboard page up with a map on it, you can make the game mark your current position on the map for you. Haven't used the function in years so I don't remember the deafult keyboard combo for it. Might have been Ctrl (left? right?) + down cursor, but you'll have to confirm it in the controls options.

Edited May 9, 2023 by Art-J

[Slippa]

I have the same trouble OP, good shout.

someone told me to use the kneeboard on a server with no map. I pressed K, saw the map but didn’t see me anywhere, will have another look.

Edited May 9, 2023 by Slippa

[Holbeach]

Ctrl + K, for single player. Not a cheat but normal practice IRL, to mark positive posn ident.

Don't know about MP.

..

[Art-J]

Well, "cheat" in a sense that IRL you have to ident and mark position yourself, while here the game magically does it for you.

But that's a dead-horse argument, discussed on this forum ad nauseam. These who want to use it - use it, these who don't - don't.

[Bozon]

The clipboard “mark” is a kind of a “cheat” but I consider it a practical one. Unlike a real pilot that will carefully prepare a mission and familiarize himself with visual navigation points in the mission area, we jump between different maps, different planes with different Nav aids, and different sides of the conflict, in a hop-on multiplayer sortie. Some of us have too little time to study the geography, especially in MP.

A Kneeboard mark will not allow a very precise navigation - especially if the maps pages do not happen to zoom on where you want, but at least you can use the large-scale map pages to not get totally lost.

The Mosquito offers something unique that no other warbird currently has - ADF (radio) navigation. The mission designer must place beacons though for you to home on. Some MP servers do that.

The ADF can be used for more that just flying to/away from the beacon. When I fly Dead Reckoning I often set it up (the ADF ring) to alert me when to turn, so I do not have to maintain a very accurate speed over long distances - Compass & Radio, instead of Compass & Stopwatch. Requires some preflight planning (or a damn AI pilot so I can delve into F10 to calculate in-flight), but most rewarding when it works.

[AngryViper.101]

Hi

 

Okay, can you please direct me to two videos / user guides:

 

1. How to use the knee board to create a spot on the F10 map to indicate where I am? on a multi player server that does not show any aircraft positions.

2. How to use the backseat radio's direction finder to fly toward a signal?

 

Thank you

[razo+r]

4 minutes ago, AngryViper.101 said:

Hi

 

Okay, can you please direct me to two videos / user guides:

 

1. How to use the knee board to create a spot on the F10 map to indicate where I am? on a multi player server that does not show any aircraft positions.

You can only mark your position on the kneeboard. There is no interaction between the kneeboard and F10 map. 

Check the controls for how to bring up the kneeboard and mark your location. 

4 minutes ago, AngryViper.101 said:

2. How to use the backseat radio's direction finder to fly toward a signal?

 

Thank you

Google "DCS Mosquito Direction Finding" and you'll find a few videos about it. 

However, a few notes beforehand: you need to have a beacon transmitting a signal that is receivable by the radio to be able to home on it. On WWII maps, there is no beacon on it by default. 

Edited May 9, 2023 by razo+r

[AngryViper.101]

Does anyone know the keyboard shortcut to mark my current location on the kneeboard? 

 

thank you

[razo+r]

Should be Rshift+arrowUp. Check the controls to make sure. 

[AngryViper.101]

Great stuff, I have now learned how to use the receiver radio's direction finder capabilities and use those two cross needles on co-pilot dash to fly toward a beacon.

however, multiplayer maps sometimes only give beacons for two home airbases. would be great if they did same for targets?

 

 

[Terry Dactil]

8 hours ago, AngryViper.101 said:

Does anyone know the keyboard shortcut to mark my current location on the kneeboard? 

Yeah me. It was so hard to find the kneeboard controls ...  

(Sorry. Couldn't resist)

Edited May 10, 2023 by Terry Dactil

[Slippa]

Well I just learnt something too. I’ll have a look at my bindings as well as more about the ADF ring, cheers. 

Still got some ogg files I made to learn the needles fiddling, didn’t mess much with the ring antenna thingy. Bit complicated at first but brilliant that it’s all modelled.
Wish the Mossie was as quick as I thought it was gonna be though I love flying it. MP server flying I’m a sitting duck.

Edited May 10, 2023 by Slippa
Oggs

[Terry Dactil]

5 hours ago, Slippa said:

Wish the Mossie was as quick as I thought it was gonna be

Don't forget to close the radiators.

I've found out the hard way that it can cost you up to 20 mph at cruise setting 2650/7 (Sea level, dunno the weight... 240 mph vs 260 mph)

Edited May 10, 2023 by Terry Dactil
typo

[AngryViper.101]

1 hour ago, Terry Dactil said:

Don't forget to close the radiators.

I've found out the hard way that it can cost you up to 20 mph at cruise setting 2650/7 (Sea level, dunn the weight... 240 mph vs 260 mph)

Okay , great thanks for the tip.

I usually forget the two (blue) radiators ON!

[Terry Dactil]

58 minutes ago, AngryViper.101 said:

I usually forget

This is where Voice Attack is perfect for a 2 crew operation.

I have set mine up so I can ask the navigator for an apropriate cheklist at various times.

As it is challenge and response (like in real life), the coding can be a bit tricky, but I can share it if anyone is inerested. (The actual challenge and response items  can be modified to whatever you want if you don't like mine).

It is also possible to select who should perform the required action.  Very handy to have the navigator find and press some of the buttons and stuff for an engine fire/feather drill.

Edited May 10, 2023 by Terry Dactil
spilling errers

[Slippa]

Good shout on closing the rads, I’ve always left them open too in flight. 20MPH? Not to be sniffed at so cheers. I thought the wooden wonder was gonna be doing 400 odd out-running 190s . Still, great to fly. 

Voice attack sounds like a good idea. Visions of me shouting “extinguish starboard, feather starboard” at 4 in the morning not so good. Wouldn’t make me popular with the OC indoors but maybe some day I’ll get around to looking at it. DCS World really is chewing the clocks whenever I load it up, there’s a ton of stuff to learn, then practice forevermore. Didn’t know what I was getting into, there should be a warning label on it.

Thinking of starting a crowdfunder for a better chair. My poor chuff thinks it’s been sat on a church pew for days. Had to buy something during a 'lockdown' and followed a youtubers advice (apparently an ex Arrow and DCS pilot) but my scrawny ass is turning to stone on it. Don't buy Noblechairs, build one with lego, it'll be more comfy.

So, rads closed, kneeboard check, check bindings. Ta. - Does the compass in the Mossie work properly? I read ages ago that the Mossie and Spit compasses (P8?) weren't working properly.

[Bozon]

Quote

Does the compass in the Mossie work properly? I read ages ago that the Mossie and Spit compasses (P8?) weren't working properly.

Forget about the P-8. You have the Remote Indicating (RI) compass (rotating needle) and the Gyro compass (the horizontal one).

The gyro works at all angles but may drift over time. You use this one while you are banked in a turn.

The RI you have to remember to turn on (switches on the left). It only works correctly when you are about level, so this is the one you use while maintaining course and it is very reliable. The needle is high above the dial so your “reading” changes awkwardly depending on your viewing angle. The correct way to use it is to set the broad arrow to the direction you want to keep, and then just keep the needle parallel to the arrow.

While maintaining course, check occasionally that your gyro did not drift relative to RI - it usually holds pretty well for a very long time.

Edited May 10, 2023 by Bozon

[Ramsay]

3 hours ago, Slippa said:

Does the compass in the Mossie work properly? I read ages ago that the Mossie and Spit compasses (P8?) weren't working properly.

The RMI doesn't work correctly on the ground i.e. as part of a taxi/pre-flight check, however once airborne and in level/unaccelerated flight - they can be used/adjusted to match the magnetic compass.

29 minutes ago, Bozon said:

The gyro works at all angles but may drift over time.

Setting the remote magnetic compass while on the ground does not work reliably i.e. setting a compass heading and then taxiing to face 4 known compass directions or a known runway direction can have upto +/-20° of error.

AFAIK IRL the magnetic, RMI and gyro compass are adjusted/checked i.e. during the taxi, etc. to match each other prior to take off.

I suspect the RMI compass gimbal isn't modelled as it reads correctly in level flight but if that's so, it seems to be a low priority for ED (effects most/all tail draggers with a RMI).

 

Edited May 10, 2023 by Ramsay

[Slippa]

Cheers, the pair of you.

I'm alright following a bearing, gyro makes sense, if a little wonky at times but that's lovely, simulated musty technology for ya .

I couldn't always make sense of the compass in the Spit or the Mossie though. I'd be flying from places I know well, set a heading but I could be heading North, looking like I was heading somewhere else. Add everything else I had to learn just to get in the air, I was doing too much at once, reading, watching video tutorials, impatiently trying to suss everything out.

Chuffed to see the Radio sets in the back of the Mossie. I left those for another day, watched a bit, read a bit and ended up down a rabbit hole when I did start on them. I was up til dawn. While the birds outside were chirping, I was slit-eyed flying around the Channel coast listening to 40s tunes I'd made oggs of transmit from a Bedford. Those needles crossing gets pretty sexy when you've been awake that long. Grandad was a WOPAG so I love having those in there. Shudder to think what his eyebrows would be doing if he could see me now.

Cheers for the pointers. (No pun intended)

 

[Terry Dactil]

6 hours ago, Ramsay said:

AFAIK IRL the magnetic, RMI and gyro compass are adjusted/checked i.e. during the taxi, etc. to match each other prior to take off.

The main problem is getting an accurate magnetic heaing. The RI has a horrendous paralax error.

The easiest solution I learned a long time ago on DC-3s which had similar ancient suck and blow instruments was to use the runway heading when yo lined up for takeoff.

Here we are at Manston where the runway is 113°M and the RI is nowhere near corrcct.

At least you can have an accurate DI for a while after takeoff.