UTM coordinate fail, even using WarriorXs guide. What now?

[Ptroinks]

I guess this is just another "user error" thread, but I just don't understand what I could possibly be doing wrong here :mad:.

 

I'm trying to fly the Shooting Gallery mission. I take off and contact JTAC, who gives me the 9-line. The coordinates are UTM (two letters and six digits), and in this case, they are GG329668. I'm following WarriorXs UTM guide to the letter, and it all works great, until I find out that the coordinate I entered, is 850 miles away. What am I doing wrong? I restarted the mission a couple of times just to see if that would give me some reasonable coordinates, but I get the same every time.

 

So if the coordinates are OK, is there some switch or setting that I don't remember (I have WarriorXs guide printed out, so I know I'm not skipping anything there) that has to be set before I can get the coordinates to work?

[RIZLAHQ]

Had the same thing when i've been doing it, Target point is never where that action is. I've i remember hearing somthing about leaving off the first 3 numbers on the 9 line cos there already on the system but never tested...

[STP Dragon]

The coordinates you entered are in the wrong zone.

Georgia is splitted in two zones: 37T and 38T.

 

 

 

If you are taking off in e.g. 38T and you copy this INIT POSITION for your new WP, this new WP have also 38T.

If the targets are in 37T you are able to enter the "37T" in the line above the new coordinates in the CDU.

 

Please take a look at my videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/SpareTimePilot?feature=mhum#p/c/24181A658668FAC0

Edited March 18, 2011 by =STP= Dragon

[uri_ba]

I actually tend not to create a steerpoint at all. I write it down and manually slew the pod. because it's JTAC we are talking to our TGP is slaved to the IP or to another target waypoint in the same grig block. so all I need to do is slew the TGP to the coods given and seek for the targets/mark. for me, it's faster this way.

[Ptroinks]

Entering 37T shortened the range to 160nm, so it's closer. I also tried adding both one and two zeros to make it GG03290668 and GG0032900668, and both coordinates were accepted and were even closer, about 50nm away. I would still like my coordinates to point to the target area, though...

[PlainSight]

The coordinates you entered are in the wrong zone.

Georgia is splitted in two zones: 37T and 38T.

 

 

 

If you are taking off in e.g. 38T and you copy this INIT POSITION for your new WP, this new WP have also 38T.

If the targets are in 37T you are able to enter the "37T" in the line above the new coordinates in the CDU.

 

Please take a look at my videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/SpareTimePilot?feature=mhum#p/c/24181A658668FAC0

 

WHY ISN'T THIS PICTURE INCLUDED IN THE MANUAL?? ED spent a lot of time implementing JTAC, it's a big feature, but they left out this very important information :doh:

 

Thanks for the info :thumbup:

[STP Dragon]

Well... maybe they suppose that the user knows what UTM-coordinates are and how UTM works...

 

You'r welcome

[Ptroinks]

If any of you want to take a short A-10 flight, please try the "Shooting Gallery" mission and tell me if you got those coordinates to work (or maybe you even got different coordinates! Now, that would be interesting!).

[STP Dragon]

@Ptroinks:

 

Step by step:

 

- Switch the STEER PT knob to MISSION

- Press the [WP] button of the CDU

- Press 1st [<-] button to choose the waypoint menu

-> You should see the INIT. POS. WP now.

- Press 4th [<-] button to switch from L/L mode to UTM mode.

- Press 3rd [<-] button to copy the WP.

- Enter "TGT1" as WP-name

- Press 1st [<-] button to overwrite the old WP name.

- Enter "37T" or "38T" depending on the position of the targets.

- Press 3rd [->] button to overwrite the old UTM-zone.

- Call the JTAC and ask for the coordinates.

- Enter the coordinates (two letters and six digits)

- Press 4th [->] button to overwrite the old coordinates.

- Press Cooliehat UP to set the HUD as SOI.

- Zoom to the HUD and switch the WP by pressing DMS up till "TGT1" appears.

- Press Chinahat forward long to slew your TGP to the SPI (target).

Edited March 18, 2011 by =STP= Dragon

[McVittees]

How will you know, in game, whether or not you or your target are in either the 37T or 38T area?

[STP Dragon]

How will you know, in game, whether or not you or your target are in either the 37T or 38T area?

 

If you are operating close to the UTM-border -> You don't know and have to try and error.

If your target area is e.g. in Anapa you know you'r in 37T. ;)

[Ptroinks]

@Dragon

The only difference between your short (and excellent) guide and WarriorX's guide is that you're telling me to set the STEER PT knob to MISSION before I enter all the data. WarriorX tells us specifically to set that knob to FLT PLAN before entering data (so I guess I'm blaming my frustration on WarriorX ;)). And wouldn't you know it, that short item on the list apparently made all the difference! I'll test it some more to be sure, but right now, I have the target WP 3,5nm to my 3 o'clock, so I'm officially in hot :smartass::thumbup:.

 

Just for the record, WarriorX has excellent guides that I use, and his work is invaluable to any new Hog pilot!

 

 

@McVittees

If your waypoint is too far away to be anywhere near a target area, you know! I guess all you have to do is to enter 37T/38T (the one you didn't use the first time) into the CDU to fix it.

 

 

Edit: Oh, Dragon already answered that one...

[ScEBlack1]

"The only difference between your short (and excellent) guide and WarriorX's guide is that you're telling me to set the STEER PT knob to MISSION before I enter all the data."

 

In Dragons excellent video he sets it to Mission after all input is in and not before.

[Mule]

This all makes sense but i'm like a kid and need pictures to show me which lsk keys are used and where that info goes.

 

Would anyone be kind enough to do that? rep inbound of course!

[STP Dragon]

@ Mule:

Are moving pictures ok?

http://www.youtube.com/user/SpareTimePilot?feature=mhum#p/c/24181A658668FAC0

 

 

@ STEER PT isue:

It doesn't matter if you switch to MISSION before or after entering the coordinates.

You have to switch to MISSION to be able to choose the new "TGT1" WP in the HUD.

If you are on FLT PLAN you only gets the WPs of your flightplan.

If you are on MISSION you gets all available WPs including all airports and "self-made-JTAC-WPs".

[Ptroinks]

In Dragons excellent video he sets it to Mission after all input is in and not before.

 

Uh oh! Maybe it has to do with timing, then. I waited a little longer before I started punching in the UTM coords the last time around. I still had to change to 37T, though. I don't know if that has anything to do with where my aircraft is when I enter the data. From what I understand, the CDU "defaults" to the UTM-zone where the player spawns.

 

I'll have to test this a little more...

[WRFirefox]

It makes no difference, actually how the topical position is. The input in the CDU refers exclusively to agreed map co-ordinates.

[Ptroinks]

I think I figured it out!

We can enter the data in any order we want, but if the UTM zone has to be changed, it must preferrably be done prior to entering the UTM coordinates. If we enter everything, and notice afterwards that the zone is wrong, we have to input the correct zone, and then re-enter the coordinates.

 

I can't believe I didn't see this before... When I entered the wrong zone the very first time, the coordinate line changed to all zeroes. I noticed it, but didn't think that it mattered. So what I got, was the very correctly displayed coordinate of GG0000000000 in grid 38T :music_whistling:. Then, when I changed to the 37T zone, I got GG0000000000 in that zone (obviously!), making me think that there was some JTAC bug.

 

Now, I'm just wondering how anyone managed to get the correct waypoint to the target in that mission. Of course, you get the JTAC data to the TAD, and that's really all you need, but it really bugged me (no pun inteded) that I couldn't get those coords right! Strange that the manual doesn't mention anything about UTM zones, though...

 

Well, now I just feel kind of stupid, but if someone else gets the same problem, I hope they will find their way to this thread :).

Edited March 18, 2011 by Ptroinks

[radical.ghost]

Hi,

I made a small illustrated tutorial on this topic in PDF-Format:

"Creating a Waypoint from UTM coordinates in a different UTM-Grid"

 

It is attached to this post.

 

 

Thank you for your attention,

r:g

Creating a Waypoint from UTM coordinates in a different UTM-Grid.pdf

[WarriorX]

I think the most efficient solution for the wide variety of people flying this Sim, would be to have JTAC include the UTM Zone in the 9-line brief.

 

That way you could look at the existing UTM Zone in your Waypoint, compare it to the 9-Line, and change it if needed.

[PlainSight]

I think the most efficient solution for the wide variety of people flying this Sim, would be to have JTAC include the UTM Zone in the 9-line brief.

 

That way you could look at the existing UTM Zone in your Waypoint, compare it to the 9-Line, and change it if needed.

 

Chances of crossing from 37 to 38 grid are very small, so it most cases the default zone setting will work. Otherwise you can always check the mission planner, if the flight plan crosses the 42 degree meridian.

[effte]

If there is any doubt at all about what grid zone a coordinate falls in, the grid zone should be included. In other words, JTAC should include the grid zone in the nine-line. The A-10 JTAC not doing so is a bug.

 

ED? You listening?

[STP Dragon]

I think the most efficient solution for the wide variety of people flying this Sim, would be to have JTAC include the UTM Zone in the 9-line brief.

 

That way you could look at the existing UTM Zone in your Waypoint, compare it to the 9-Line, and change it if needed.

 

 

+1 :thumbup:

[eedenn]

L/L entry question

 

Hi guys

My UTM entry went fine, but for the Lat Long (eg. N4312.282) when i put in the whole thing including ".282" i got CDU INPUT ERROR. only lat long without decimals would be accepted. Any ideas?

 

eedenn

[Mule]

@ Mule:

Are moving pictures ok?

http://www.youtube.com/user/SpareTimePilot?feature=mhum#p/c/24181A658668FAC0

 

 

@ STEER PT isue:

It doesn't matter if you switch to MISSION before or after entering the coordinates.

You have to switch to MISSION to be able to choose the new "TGT1" WP in the HUD.

If you are on FLT PLAN you only gets the WPs of your flightplan.

If you are on MISSION you gets all available WPs including all airports and "self-made-JTAC-WPs".

 

Moving pictures are great :) I got it now no problem.