F-4E / Jester Radar – How to Make Him Track a Contact Without Locking?

[Zev]

Hi all,

I’ve got a question about handling radar contacts in the F-4E with AI Jester.

Let’s say I already see a (IFF) contact on the radar. At this point I don’t want to hard lock it yet — I just want Jester to keep following that contact area so he doesn’t lose it when he resumes his wider search pattern. Sometimes it feels like if I don’t lock immediately, Jester just keeps scanning, contact is lost and it can take too long before he reacquires the same blip.

So my question is:

Is there a way to tell Jester to “track” or “focus” on a contact without going to a hard lock?

Do you guys use specific Jester Wheel entries or context button tricks to make him hold a radar focus on a contact?

Any tips or workflow that help reduce the chance of losing a contact before I’m ready to commit to a lock?

Curious to hear how others handle this — thanks in advance!

Cheers,

Zev

[Zabuzard]

Yes, this feature is called "focus" in Jester for the F4. You can use the context command (V) or the Jester Wheel for it. Details in the manual:

https://f4.manuals.heatblur.se/jester/combat/radar.html#target-selection