DCS A-10C QUESTIONS

[JayPee]

I loaded a 65D and 65G last night and tricked the inventory into thinking I had a symmetrical load of two Ds so I can recage+step easily. All of a sudden my G gives an IR feed when stepping the D... :-S

 

Anybody else experiencing this? Seems a lot like a bug where the feed is determined by a DSMS setting instead by what you're actually carrying.

Crap! Nevermind... :music_whistling::lol:

[Archer7]

Should NON526 (Installation of second AN/ARC-210) also be ignored?

 

I'm also not sure what I'm supposed to set the altimeter to.

In one mission the airfield is about 1500 ft elevated and by default the altimeter reads 900 and the small digits 3000-something... should I set 900 to 1500, or 0 and what does the 3000 value mean?

Edited July 14, 2014 by Archer7

[Snoopy]

Should NON526 (Installation of second AN/ARC-210) also be ignored?

 

I know this is going to sound rude but have you read the DCS manual at all? But to answer your question yes ignore it.

 

Page 53 tells you exactly what radios are equipped in the DCS A-10C. Pages 139-141 explain the AN/ARC-186(V) (AM) radio, 141-143 the AN/ARC-164, and 143-145 the AN/ARC-186(V) (FM) radio.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Snoopy

[Archer7]

I know this is going to sound rude but have you read the DCS manual at all? But to answer your question yes ignore it.

 

Page 53 tells you exactly what radios are equipped in the DCS A-10C. Pages 139-141 explain the AN/ARC-186(V) (AM) radio, 141-143 the AN/ARC-164, and 143-145 the AN/ARC-186(V) (FM) radio.

 

I’ve only been through parts of it yet.

This weekend I’ll be travelling though and maybe I’ll go through the whole thing. Until then I thought I might as well ask here.

I would have browsed through it for the information but thought there wasn’t a chance that they included the radio model names in there. Seemed like a pretty unimportant detail but apparently it’s in there.

I don't mean to be rude with my questions either. I'm currently learning all the switches so if I have some other question it's easier to ask than snap out of my switch mania and I'm not forcing anyone to answer anything.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Archer7

[PFunk1606688187]

I'm also not sure what I'm supposed to set the altimeter to.

In one mission the airfield is about 1500 ft elevated and by default the altimeter reads 900 and the small digits 3000-something... should I set 900 to 1500, or 0 and what does the 3000 value mean?

 

The four digits on the altimeter dial that you alter represent barometric pressure in Inches of Mercury. Standard baro pressure is 29.92, which is what you set above the transition level at an arbitrary altitude in any piece of airpspace on the planet (so everyone is on the same altitmeter setting at very high elevations regardless of what it is locally). Transition level throughout all of the US and Canada is 18000 feet for instance, but its much much lower in Britain, like 3000 or 6000 I think.

 

Below that level its almost always prudent to set your altimeter to read actual elevation adjusted for sea level. This is called QNH. The only real reason to make baro pressure read 0 feet at airfield elevation is for doing circuits. So if you want (and I would think its pretty much a smart thing to do) to set your altimeter to read actual elevation set it while on the ground so that the altimeter reads the elevation of the threshold you're taking off from.

 

Of course using transition levels in DCS is an arbitrary thing most people wouldn't bother with, but why anyone would want to fly around at with your altimeter wrong everywhere but over a particular runway is beyond me.

[shagrat]

Have in mind the ATC also gives you a barometric pressure on landing approach for the airfield elevation, so you can set your altimeter accordingly.

[PFunk1606688187]

As far as I know it gives you something other than QNH though.

[shagrat]

As far as I understood it is the same just different name? I found that if you calibrate the altimeter to the value ATC gives you on approach it approaches 0 feet on touchdown...

[PFunk1606688187]

As far as I understood it is the same just different name? I found that if you calibrate the altimeter to the value ATC gives you on approach it approaches 0 feet on touchdown...

 

Thats not QNH. :P I believe thats QFE.

 

QNH will cause your altimeter to read the mean elevation above sea level for the specific pressure zone you're in, which can possibly be varied I believe if you're in different parts of a map under dynamic weather. This means that a correct QNH setting will cause your altimeter to read the elevation of the runway at touchdown as indicated in the charts, not 0.

 

Its a real pain that there's no way to get QNH from DCS other than through observing what setting gives your known elevation on the ground.

[JayPee]

QFE gives local rwy elevation as zero point.

QNE gives world wide standard sea level as zero point.

QNH gives local/regional sea level as zero point.

 

This means that

 

QFE gives alt AGL/height with the rwy as reference. Set pressure according to ATC to get QFE.

QNE gives alt MSL based on an average/normalised sea level. Set 29.93 to get QNE.

QNH gives true alt MSL based on the local/regional sea level. If you want to set QNH you'll have to Google the pressure setting for the local/regional sea level and pray that the elevation of the DCS landscape is accurate.

 

Fortunately though, Europe states that above 6,000ft. alt MSL QNH pilots should use QNE, indicating that it's at least reliable enough. Since you can assume that no single airport in our DCS theatre is below sea level you might as well use 6,000ft. AGL QFE as your cue to switch to QNE. It's an approximation of reality but at least it comes closer to it than DCS' approach.

[Archer7]

I think I understand.

 

At the start of a mission I set my altimeter big numbers to the runway altitude. When I descend they tell me a value that I adjust the small numbers to so the big numbers are 0 on the runway.

 

So I have the sea level as zero until descent.

 

What about the standard barometric pressure of 29.92? When do I set the small numbers to it? Whenever I’m above 6000 ft.… according to… which altimeter… and only if I desperately want it to be accurate so high such as if my other altimeters break?

 

And it’s only accurate up to 9,999 ft. since it doesn’t go any higher?

[JayPee]

DCS A-10C QUESTIONS

 

Ehm.. I suggest you read the manual topic on the altimeter again. Be sure to know precisely which number means what because now you're mixing everything up.. Get an understanding of what the altimeter does, how it does that, and how it displays what it does.

 

Big and small numbers, breaking an altimeter and using another.. I'm not following.

[JayPee]

DCS A-10C QUESTIONS

 

Btw, since when can we carry 38s on 3 and 9? Can the real jet do so?

[GripenNG]

I think I understand.

 

At the start of a mission I set my altimeter big numbers to the runway altitude. When I descend they tell me a value that I adjust the small numbers to so the big numbers are 0 on the runway.

 

So I have the sea level as zero until descent.

 

What about the standard barometric pressure of 29.92? When do I set the small numbers to it? Whenever I’m above 6000 ft.… according to… which altimeter… and only if I desperately want it to be accurate so high such as if my other altimeters break?

 

And it’s only accurate up to 9,999 ft. since it doesn’t go any higher?

 

Hey send me a PM, and I´ll explain in Swedish if you want!

[Archer7]

Ehm.. I suggest you read the manual topic on the altimeter again. Be sure to know precisely which number means what because now you're mixing everything up.. Get an understanding of what the altimeter does, how it does that, and how it displays what it does.

 

Big and small numbers, breaking an altimeter and using another.. I'm not following.

 

The manual doesn't say much.

 

Big numbers = XX00, small numbers = XX.XX.

 

During start-up I set the big numbers to the airfield altitude.

 

During descent I set the small numbers to whatever the ATC tells me.

 

All wrong maybe?

 

It’s when I’m supposed to use 29.92 I don’t get at all anyways.

You said to use it when above 6000 ft. but how do you know when you’re above 6000 ft. though? Am I supposed to be looking at the HUD altitude or watch the altimeter?

 

If I wanted to know my elevation I would watch the altitude displayed on the HUD so I’ve never had to use the altimeter. However if my HUD is shot out, which happens, I have no idea how high I am which is why I should use the altimeter as a back-up, no? Isn’t it designed to tell me about how high up in the air I currently am?

 

Maybe the altimeter isn’t for measuring altitude though?

[GripenNG]

The manual doesn't say much.

 

Big numbers = XX00, small numbers = XX.XX.

 

During start-up I set the big numbers to the airfield altitude.

 

During descent I set the small numbers to whatever the ATC tells me.

 

All wrong maybe?

 

It’s when I’m supposed to use 29.92 I don’t get at all anyways.

You said to use it when above 6000 ft. but how do you know when you’re above 6000 ft. though? Am I supposed to be looking at the HUD altitude or watch the altimeter?

 

If I wanted to know my elevation I would watch the altitude displayed on the HUD so I’ve never had to use the altimeter. However if my HUD is shot out, which happens, I have no idea how high I am which is why I should use the altimeter as a back-up, no? Isn’t it designed to tell me about how high up in the air I currently am?

 

Maybe the altimeter isn’t for measuring altitude though?

 

Forget anything you `know` read up on page 124 in the DCS A-10C manual again. Set the altitude before take-off to whatever the airfield elevation is (yes the big numbers).

 

If you want to be hardcore realistic, you should set the altimeter to 29.92 when passing > 10.000` MSL. But since DCS does´nt support any global weather systems or realistic ATC/FIR - you should do better without this change - especially if you play in SP, since the AI (tanker for example) don´t change their altimeter settings.

 

A great tip from me, is that you do not rely solely on the HUD when flying. Learn the basic analog avionics (and learn them well). Don´t forget to turn on your Pitot Heat too - as it might make things a lot worse if not turned on!

[JayPee]

A great tip from me, is that you do not rely solely on the HUD when flying. Learn the basic analog avionics

Hah! I bet 9 out of 10 simmers here cannot control their a/c and will get lost with their HUD and MFDs off.:harhar:

[Yurgon]

Btw, since when can we carry 38s on 3 and 9? Can the real jet do so?

 

Well, the manual says:

 

Stations 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9 are 1760 smart stations and allow the A-10C to talk to stores such as IAMs, targeting pods, and Maverick.

 

I don't recall any changes in this regard, and I think the real A-10C can do so as well.

[JayPee]

I don't recall any changes in this regard, and I think the real A-10C can do so as well.

I could swear 3 and 9 were not 1760s somewhere around 1.2.5 or earlier... Guess memory's failing on me.

[PFunk1606688187]

So I have the sea level as zero until descent.

Or you just leave it alone because thats the altimeter setting most aircraft use on landing and the one DCS is giving you is weird. Go to liveatc.com and try to find a single aircraft being instructed to change to QFE for landing. I doubt you'll find many. The standard is QNH.

 

What about the standard barometric pressure of 29.92? When do I set the small numbers to it? Whenever I’m above 6000 ft.… according to… which altimeter… and only if I desperately want it to be accurate so high such as if my other altimeters break?

This is an airspace organizational thing. Its used to ensure that the thousands of aircraft in the sky are all operating on the same parameters across much larger areas of airspace than a given altimeter setting might be relevant in, meaning that controllers will tell aircraft to be at a given flight level (they're called flight levels above the transition level) and that deconfliction of several aircraft is automatically achieved with basic heading and altitude instructions. With everyone on different altimeter settings you end up with a confused mess.

 

This has no bearing on DCS. You can easily choose to never change to standard altimeter. The transition level is arbitrary though, and a place like Britain has a lower one for a reason, not the least of which being that there aren't many terrain obstructions at low altitude. Having the transition level at 6000 near the Rockie mountains... well that'd be silly.

 

 

but how do you know when you’re above 6000 ft. though?

When you pass 6000. In real aviation commercial pilots actually will often change their altimeters to standard before they cross the transition level because they've been cleared to or above it. It doesn't matter when you cross the exact altitude, it doesn't have to be exact. But if you had to pick an exact moment to do it its when you cross the transition altitude with your altimeter set to QNH, local baro, because thats your only reference point.

 

But 6000 is low, particularly with the mountains in Georgia, so if you're going to respect a transition level try and find out what the real one is. The people I fly with use 10 000.

[SuperSix2]

CLASS A(Have to file flight plan) starts at 18,000 and yeah like the guy said above once you get cleared to or through you flip to standard. No idea what how the military does it.

[Yurgon]

I could swear 3 and 9 were not 1760s somewhere around 1.2.5 or earlier... Guess memory's failing on me.

 

I just checked the manual from my old A-10C standalone, it already mentioned the same stations. Unless someone more knowledgeable corrects me, I'd agree it's probably your memory. :D

[Archer7]

Why does the anti-collision switch spring back to aft sometimes during start-up?

 

I believe I've had the EAC switch do the same thing despite everything being set up as should but then when I click and hold and ALT+C twice they stay on even and don’t spring when I’m doing other stuff...

 

Unless I can get a sound explanation for the anti-collision switch I would believe this is some sort of bug… otherwise the EAC thing maybe just was some minor, unpredictable technical miss.

 

Does having the pinky in the wrong position actually make it impossible to set the switches in the correct position? I thought it only ignores whatever setting you do set.

Edited July 16, 2014 by Archer7

[Hansolo]

Anti-collision, EAC, SAS YAW, SAS PITCH and Anti-skid are magnetic held toggle switches.

If you move throttle pinky switch to middle/forward position then anti-collision goes to off. If throttle pinky is in middle/forward position then you cannot turn anti-colission light on.

 

EAC will not turn on and stay on unless CDU is not fully aligned, NMSP is set for EGI and both SAS YAW as well as SAS PITCH is set on.

 

Cheers

Hans

Edited July 16, 2014 by Hansolo
Additional info

[shagrat]

Pinky switch Forward - standard lights, normal position lights, no flash. Middle position - all lights off. Aft position - manual select, set position lights, anti collision etc. as you wish... only in aft position you're actually able to select anti collision or flash etc.