No more CDU messing with JTAC for target location (for starters)

[711Hancer]

One of the most confusing part of the this great sim for the starters is to interact with JTAC properly and one of the most important part of this interaction is to know where your targets are located exactly so that you dont mess around with your TGP searching targets.

 

Here is an easy way for the people who dont want to deal with CDU, OFFSET or WP pages and enter a new waypoint, switch to mission, enter UTM...etc.

 

You can use your TAD.

 

1- After contacting with JTAC and receive the 9-LINE information, he will instruct you to "further talk on"

2- You will simply continue to talk and say "ready to copy"

3- He will instruct you further for weapon and threat type

4- You have to insist on talking :) and repeat the information. You readback. Like in RL and civil aviation.

5- After Readback, he will say "readback correct" and "ready for data"

 

 

6- Make your TAD SOI. If you notice, you will get a new MSG in your MFCDs. You press ACK key on TAD OSB and PRESS WILCO OSB if you want to do this job.

 

7- You will also notice a small red triangle in your TAD screen. (Zoom-in or out with DMS up/down to locate) If this red triangle is over/close to one of your SPI or Steerpoints you can slew your cursor on TAD screen to the location near this red triangle and press china hat FWD two times to get into EXP 2 max zoom mode to separate this triangle from other marks.

 

8- Then with your cursor, move over to the triangle and "Hook" it with "TMS UP SHORT". Now a yellow line is coming from your plane and directing the red triangle.

Now comes the easy part. Press OSB 17 where it says a number and a question mark. i.e 8? or whatever your currently assigned max waypoints.

This will make the red triangle a new waypoint. Which is your target.

 

9- Then from the AAP panel switch from "flight plan" to "mission"

10- Using UFC rocker key, move up to this newly created waypoint ( in our example its waypoint 8 ) and press china hat long while your TGP is your active SOI.

 

Now with your TGP you are looking in the exact location JTAC instructed you to attack.

 

The above method may sound mouthful but believe me its easy. Only 10 seconds after READBACK.

 

To summarise:

---SLEW, locate the red triangle, TMS UP to hook and press OSB 17 for new waypoint---

No more CDU messing.

 

You can alternatively check your message screen and get your heading and range infromation from a particular waypoint and use OFFSET page to enter these data. But you have to use CDU :)

 

 

But....we do all these with CDU :) and take our notes to 9LINE info cards

 

 

This is just an alternate way.

[Kankkis]

One of the most confusing part of the this great sim for the starters is to interact with JTAC properly and one of the most important part of this interaction is to know where your targets are located exactly so that you dont mess around with your TGP searching targets.

 

Here is an easy way for the people who dont want to deal with CDU, OFFSET or WP pages and enter a new waypoint, switch to mission, enter UTM...etc.

 

You can use your TAD.

 

1- After contacting with JTAC and receive the 9-LINE information, he will instruct you to "further talk on"

2- You will simply continue to talk and say "ready to copy"

3- He will instruct you further for weapon and threat type

4- You have to insist on talking :) and repeat the information. You readback. Like in RL and civil aviation.

5- After Readback, he will say "readback correct" and "ready for data"

 

 

6- Make your TAD SOI. If you notice, you will get a new MSG in your MFCDs. You press ACK key on TAD OSB and PRESS WILCO OSB if you want to do this job.

 

7- You will also notice a small red triangle in your TAD screen. (Zoom-in or out with DMS up/down to locate) If this red triangle is over/close to one of your SPI or Steerpoints you can slew your cursor on TAD screen to the location near this red triangle and press china hat FWD two times to get into EXP 2 max zoom mode to separate this triangle from other marks.

 

8- Then with your cursor, move over to the triangle and "Hook" it with "TMS UP SHORT". Now a yellow line is coming from your plane and directing the red triangle.

Now comes the easy part. Press OSB 17 where it says a number and a question mark. i.e 8? or whatever your currently assigned max waypoints.

This will make the red triangle a new waypoint. Which is your target.

 

9- Then from the AAP panel switch from "flight plan" to "mission"

10- Using UFC rocker key, move up to this newly created waypoint ( in our example its waypoint 8 ) and press china hat long while your TGP is your active SOI.

 

Now with your TGP you are looking in the exact location JTAC instructed you to attack.

 

The above method may sound mouthful but believe me its easy. Only 10 seconds after READBACK.

 

To summarise:

---SLEW, locate the red triangle, TMS UP to hook and press OSB 17 for new waypoint---

No more CDU messing.

 

You can alternatively check your message screen and get your heading and range infromation from a particular waypoint and use OFFSET page to enter these data. But you have to use CDU :)

 

 

But....we do all these with CDU :) and take our notes to 9LINE info cards

 

 

This is just an alternate way.

 

True, you can make spi to that triange too with TMS up long with tad, no waypoint even necessary.

[Druid_]

I prefer to leave waypoints for my flightplan, I use markpoints for tactical info.

 

So after you have selected the triangle as SPI with TMS up long, just follow it with a TMS right short. Rotate TAD selector to Mark and there it is.

[711Hancer]

the best part of this sim and A-10C is that you can do the same task with different approaches unlike any other sim.

[WarriorX]

Great write-up 711Hancer, I just need to add my cautionary 2 cents...:smilewink:

 

You are right of course, hooking the red data linked triangle is the easiest, but I would advise you make sure to know to enter the JTAC provided UTM coordinate into your CDU just in case.

 

Only knowing the "hook the red triangle" method will come back to bite you.

[delta9856]

Thanks for posting this. I was watching one of zamboni's Devil's Cross videos and saw him using this technique (or similar) but I wasn't able to see how he did it. This will definitely save me the time of writing the co-ordinates down on my 9-line card and entering it all in the CDU.

[711Hancer]

.

 

Only knowing the "hook the red triangle" method will come back to bite you.

:thumbup:

 

 

so well said warriorX. Very true.

For that case I wrote in my first post "But....we do all these with CDU and take our notes to 9LINE info cards"

[zamboni]

Thanks for posting this. I was watching one of zamboni's Devil's Cross videos and saw him using this technique (or similar) but I wasn't able to see how he did it. This will definitely save me the time of writing the co-ordinates down on my 9-line card and entering it all in the CDU.

 

Yea, in the videos, I use the hook the triangle and then china hat forward long to make it my SPI. I probablay should also creae a markpoint when I hook the triangle but usually don't either. WarriorX is correct in putting it in the CDU (which I usually don't), because if you forget to hit the "wilco" button to accept the data, that triangle will eventually disappear, and then you would have to go back to the CDU and enter the data to get that point again!

[Panzertard]

The red triangle may not be given - it depends on the JTAC capabilities and other factors.

Make sure you take note of the COORDS and other paramaters.

[711Hancer]

Hmm interesting

 

is it related with skill level of JTAC? or type effect (type 1 2 or 3)

[ZaltysZ]

I usually modify my flight plan on startup and add one additional waypoint for target. I select it and open its page in CDU before contacting JTAC, so that I can change its coordinates quickly. This approach has advantage in that, I don't have to switch to Mission or Mark modes, whose lack flight plan. Having target, ingress, exgress or other important waypoints at the same time in TAD is very handy sometimes.

[Xxx]

I believe it adds to the immersion in the sim if you add the coordinates into the system. Warrior has some fine tutorials and if you make it habitual to enter the JTAC Coords, well, it does become second nature!

 

Any RW Hog pilots who can say how they actually do it?

 

 

I have now started to use a more accurate LL input that discounts the "seconds" and uses decimal place :

 

LL: lat/long e.g. N42 25.559 E042 31.812

 

Also if you are using AWACS and want to "mark" the calls you can change your hook point to the bullseye (press osb18 on TAD 6 times). Then move the pointer to the coordinates AWACS gave and mark it. Switch steerpoint dial to mark and thats your markerpoint. Of course its an airborne target so it wont be there for long. I just use the bullseye hook to get a situational awareness of what he has seen.

 

There are many ways to fly and fight this superb sim and its up to the individual pilot as to how he/she achieves combat efficiency:)

 

[Baggy MacDouche]

Heed what WarriorX and others have said since you can't always rely on getting a data link target from JTAC. Manually inputting UTM as well as L/L coords is essential, especially in multiplayer. You should also be comfortable with making mark points(one of the most valuable tactical tools in your arsenal).

 

For example, if you are making a new WP by inputting in L/L coords into the CDU, you may find that your TGP will be looking at a point in space rather than at the ground. If you want to quickly translate that into a ground point you would then switch your steerpoint selector to mission, hover over the WP with the TAD cursor, and then make a mark point with TMS Right Short. Switch Steerpoint selector to Mark, cycle your steerpoint to the mark point you jsut made, and slave the TGP to the steerpoint(China Hat Aft Long).

[ZaltysZ]

Or just enter target altitude, which was told by JTAC.

[Druid_]

If the target co-ords are close to my current location, I hate being heads in pushing buttons. Therefore an alternative method I use is to change the TGP displayed co-ords to the same format as sent by JTAC/FAC/Message, then slew it to the given co-ords. Then MARK.

 

Doesn't take long, especially when you become familiar with the co-ord system and the given targets position relative to your own. To slew the TGP quickly, turn the A/C in the approx direction, boresight it, then start matching up the co-ords.

 

Using this method I am nearly always quicker on target than my wingmen (button mashing) mates.

[Kaiza]

I write the coords down, but use data. If data doesnt work, or the JTAC is not data capable, I have the coords and plug them in. Plugging coords saps SA and time on what could be a time sensitive target. I do believe in being prepared, but IMO plugging coords is a waste of time if link is sweet.

[Fish]

I write the coords down, ............ but IMO plugging coords is a waste of time if link is sweet.

 

I just plug them in directly while JTAC is listing 9 line. No wasted time.

[WildBillKelsoe]

I prefer to leave waypoints for my flightplan, I use markpoints for tactical info.

 

So after you have selected the triangle as SPI with TMS up long, just follow it with a TMS right short. Rotate TAD selector to Mark and there it is.

 

Me too. Specially if you RTB and perform hot refuel and rearm (dunno the true military description for rearming and refuelling without shutdown if you're not hurt, but its what I do if I sustain no damage..)

[supraman2turbo]

If you use the TAD method if something is in the way of the triangle. I think (haven't tested this but see the potential) you can use the off profile to clear the clutter.