Create markpoint from SPI?

[Newbie62]

Is there a way to create a markpoint from a SPI?  If I set a SPI and am working on refining it in preparation to attack, but a greater threat appears and I break off, it would be nice to be able to save the current SPI to come back to it after the greater threat has been neutralized.  Seems like the way to do that is a markpoint.  But I've combed the manual and don't see a way.  Is there a way to do it?  Or would one be better off creating a mark point rather than SPI, nearly always, because a markpoint can be readily set as SPI?

On a peripherally related note, I have found that MAV seekers are pretty horrible at locking onto targets.  I'm finding that refining SPI with TGP then slaving MAV to the SPI is the way to go, but even that is hit-or-miss.  I'm new to this game, so I don't know for sure, I've just observed that so far.  But along the way, I've noticed that when I slew the TGP right to where I see the target visually (or more often "cheating" by slewing TGP just up and left of the label) and set a SPI, and come back around several times like "where the heck are you", in the TGP, no matter what the zoom level, the target just plain doesn't appear.  I can zoom in, zoom out, crawl all over the place around that point and most of the time all I see is blank ground.  Especially going after ZSU-23s.  Every once in a while, there it is, plain as can be.  It fills quite a bit of the TGP display at max zoom, I can even see the guys sitting in the gunner's chair, so it seems like at lesser zoom levels while searching, the gun should have been visible in profile or farther out, as a speck.  It's almost like the terrain is being rendered over the ZSU, even though the ZSU is on top of the ground.  While looking at forum topics on this, I saw a reference to "Barthek's mod" and the accompanying text made sounds like this (ground being rendered over a target sitting on top of the ground) may be a persistent known issue which has been addressed by the community because ED didn't.  But it was from like 2016 and the link was dead.  Does anyone have any insight into this?

Edited May 29, 2023 by Newbie62

[jaylw314]

Just make sure your SPI sensor is also SOI, then press TMS Right-short.   I assume both are set to the same sensor since you were 'working' it, but the distinction is important, e.g. if my TGP is SPI, but my TAD is SOI, TMS Right-short will make a mark point at the TAD cursor.  So make TGP SOI first (coolie switch left/right-long), then make the markpoint.

MAV seekers are pretty terrible.  IRL, I've heard they were used as within visual range weapons, not really standoff weapons, so that at least correlates with being unable to lock or locking on the wrong target more than 4-5 nm away.

The problem you described with losing targets is not clear to me, and it could be just spotting difficulty or a cold vehicle in IR.  I have not seen a terrain issue cause that problem.

[Newbie62]

Thanks.  So do you recommend what I speculated, "would one be better off creating a markpoint rather than SPI, nearly always, because a markpoint can be readily set as SPI?"  Whereas a SPI apparently cannot be converted to a markpoint if one has a SPI but decides to put a pin in that and get back to it later?

As for the peripheral note (blank ground where a unit is), I shall attempt to document the issue adequately to raise a separate topic...  It's kinda hard to prove, because the obvious counterpoint is "well duh, your TGP must not be on target".  I need to try to catch the threshold, not just when the target is visible on the TGP, but the moment before when it is not.  See if I can catch it in the act of appearing out of nowhere (in which case it should have been visible prior).  I expect that to be difficult though, because it's a chicken-or-egg situation.  Have to be looking right at something I can't see, ahead of time...

[jaylw314]

There is always a SPI, designated by one sensor, be it the TGP, TAD, HMD, HUD, MAV, IFFCC, STPT or MARK (I'm sure I missed something else).  The sensor designating the SPI is always noted in the lower left of the HUD (and nowhere else).

So when you 'set a SPI', you're only really designating which sensor's target is the SPI.  That means if you move that sensor, the SPI will move around.  That's not good for bookmarking stuff or setting a reminder.  I'll often hear people finding something with the TGP, pressing TMS Forward-Long and then slew the TGP around to something else, thinking they set the point on the ground as the SPI.  It does not, it just means that setting TGP as SPI will make whatever the TGP is looking at at that moment the SPI.  So once you slew the TGP, that point on the ground is now lost.

So yes, use markpoints to give yourself reminders.  You have 25 of them, so knock yourself out.  Some other random uses I've found for markpoints:

• drop them on moving vehicles every minute or two so you can see a trail of breadcrumbs.  That will cue your vision to look ahead to find them and see where they're going
• Drop one on your position and one out in the direction of an RWR contact.  Fly a bit and do it again.  Look on the TAD and drop a markpoint at the intersection of those two lines, the emitter is around there
• Make your HMD SOI and make sure the HDC is on the center cross.  Now when you fly cover for someone attacking, just look at smoke trails and AAA and rapidly mark them.  Note if you want to drop a very accurate markpoint, you can look in the general area and slew the HDC until it's right on top of the target, then drop the markpoint.  TMS Right-short actually drops the markpoint on the HDC.  But if you just want a markpoint in the ballpark, you can just keep the HDC on the center cross
• If you want to figure out the elevation of terrain nearby, just drop a markpoint on it and look at its info.
• Draw smiley faces on the ground if you're bored

Edited May 30, 2023 by jaylw314

[Spirale]

3 hours ago, jaylw314 said:

There is always a SPI, designated by one sensor, be it the TGP, TAD, HMD, HUD, MAV, IFFCC, STPT or MARK (I'm sure I missed something else).  The sensor designating the SPI is always noted in the lower left of the HUD (and nowhere else).

So when you 'set a SPI', you're only really designating which sensor's target is the SPI.  That means if you move that sensor, the SPI will move around.  That's not good for bookmarking stuff or setting a reminder.  I'll often hear people finding something with the TGP, pressing TMS Forward-Long and then slew the TGP around to something else, thinking they set the point on the ground as the SPI.  It does not, it just means that setting TGP as SPI will make whatever the TGP is looking at at that moment the SPI.  So once you slew the TGP, that point on the ground is now lost.

So yes, use markpoints to give yourself reminders.  You have 25 of them, so knock yourself out.  Some other random uses I've found for markpoints:

• drop them on moving vehicles every minute or two so you can see a trail of breadcrumbs.  That will cue your vision to look ahead to find them and see where they're going
• Drop one on your position and one out in the direction of an RWR contact.  Fly a bit and do it again.  Look on the TAD and drop a markpoint at the intersection of those two lines, the emitter is around there
• Make your HMD SOI and make sure the HDC is on the center cross.  Now when you fly cover for someone attacking, just look at smoke trails and AAA and rapidly mark them.  Note if you want to drop a very accurate markpoint, you can look in the general area and slew the HDC until it's right on top of the target, then drop the markpoint.  TMS Right-short actually drops the markpoint on the HDC.  But if you just want a markpoint in the ballpark, you can just keep the HDC on the center cross
• If you want to figure out the elevation of terrain nearby, just drop a markpoint on it and look at its info.
• Draw smiley faces on the ground if you're bored

 

Awesome thx!