NDB morse code reports sector, not the NDB code

[virgo47]

I'm going through a user's mission for the cold start on Godauta, with the NDB 395.00 and code XC. This NDB is in the map sector FH27 (or FH2873 if zoomed in all the way). I checked the morse code of the NDB of the Godauta - which should be the morse code for XC (callsign of the NDB). But I was surprised that the morse code of the sector (morse code for FH27) was heard instead.

I don't think various planes should receive different Morse codes for the same NDB, so I assume this is a bug. Also, the loop of the NDB is quite fast (compared to other planes) - unless I'm misled by the longer transmission of the (longer) code itself.

[virgo47]

When I was researching RSBN for MiG-21, I've found that there is no such thing like RSBN for the map - or perhaps there is a default but the module can have its own info, even totally incompatible with the map. In case of MiG-21, this seems to be in <dcs-install>/Mods/aircraft/MiG-21bis/Cockpit/Systems/R_NAV_data_<mapname>.lua files.

I don't know whether this is a mod thing, and I understand why this may be mod-specific, but it makes the navigation system unrealistic because one plane has different signals than another one (in my experience L-39 vs MiG-21).

But now I belive, this is not a bug, but... well, a feature, encoded in the file R_NAV_data_Caucasus.lua:

{
  country = 'GEO - Abkhazia', --1 / absolute 41
  freq = 395,
  lat = 43.09889,
  long = 40.57861,
  location = 'FH27 Gudauta RWY',
  code = '..-. .... ..--- --... ' --/N/ FH27_
},

It is very confusing that modules can see different things on the same map - although it is flexible. I can understand modifications on the mission level, but when a module sees a different RSBN than another module, or NDBs transmit different signals for the same NDB with the same frequency (this one probably still SHOULD be considered a bug and the codes should be fixed), this sounds more like a modeling problem on a DCS/ED level than a module problem.

It definitely makes the matter much more complicated. World objects suddenly are module-specific objects. I don't even know what to make of it at this moment and will have to give it some time and look at other materials with this info taken into account.

[Tarres]

Short answer. The NDB and RSBN in the 21 are leftovers from when the 21 was a Flaming Cliffs unofficial mod.

RSBN navigation has been coded in DCS from the beginning (Ka-50 version 1) but the old code in the 21 has never been updated. 

Same for the ARK-10 operation.

Unfortunately only a rewrite of all the code related to the systems can solve this.

[virgo47]

34 minutes ago, Tarres said:

Short answer. The NDB and RSBN in the 21 are leftovers from when the 21 was a Flaming Cliffs unofficial mod.

RSBN navigation has been coded in DCS from the beginning (Ka-50 version 1) but the old code in the 21 has never been updated.

Aha, so this is not by DCS/ED design, which is good to hear. Considering the MiG-21 module history I can understand how this happened.

Thanks for the explanation.

[Art-J]

The Leatherneck approach at the time had one advantage. Most of MiG players have always wanted to have RSBN available even on airbases and maps that shouldn't have them from realism point of view. So unlike L-39 implementation, which is more accurate but compatible with only 4 airbases on Caucasus, the "fake" RSBN for MiG can be placed anywhere on any map, even Nevada  .

Since L-39 was released years after the -21, one could argue that the former should follow channel numbers of the latter. On the other hand, though one could also argue that ED's can do their own thing without looking at 3rd parties and their imlpementation is better simply because as being more accurate and realistic.

[Tarres]

But remember that you can fly using the RSBN in “manual mode”. I can fly in every map with the 39 using the RSBN “manual mode”. You only have to input the range and the bearing into the RSBN.

In the 21 you need the external file in order to use both, RSBN and ARK.

Edited January 2, 2024 by Tarres

[virgo47]

One can also mess with <dcs-install>/Mods/terrains/<terrain>/beacons.lua files and "mod" those, that makes more sense as it adds stuff into the world, but it's not clean and I'm not sure whether it passes an integrity check. I've seen some threads asking for mobile RSBN or NDBs for concrete missions, I'm not sure what of it is currently possible, but this is a different topic. I understand how this happened to the MiG-21bis module, I believe it should have been fixed and aligned with the "real" world, but I doubt that will happen.

From the look at the MiG nav data file, I believe there are more RSBNs, but way less NDBs on the Caucasus map. So for navigation, you win some and lose some.

At least I understand it now. God knows how much I don't understand yet. DCS ecosystem keeps surprising me.