another newbie with a few questions

[Alopex]

I think I have learned most of the systems but have a few minor challenges.

Communication -

I am not using easy communication and have the right freq. dialed in based on briefing.

How can I contact air support (eg. F16) to help during a mission? I cannot seem to contact them on AM/FM or UHF freq. I had this issue with CSAR and a few other missions.

Mavericks –

How do you reset the SPI to a new target? Is it TMS Left Short? I use ‘C’ for setting SPI in TAD but not sure how to reset Mavericks.

Is the time specified for EO power based on clock time in the mission or countdown timer? I have set the clock to say 12:30:00 but when plane clock reaches 12:30 nothing happens to EO power.

 

Thanks.

[GGTharos]

How can I contact air support (eg. F16) to help during a mission? I cannot seem to contact them on AM/FM or UHF freq. I had this issue with CSAR and a few other missions.

 

You can contact them only if/when they become available, which is dependent on the mission creator. Often you cannot ask them to do anything until they reach their station, at which point you'll hear them say so over the radio, and an option to ask them to do one thing or another will appear under the F10 (Other) comm menu.

 

Mavericks –

How do you reset the SPI to a new target? Is it TMS Left Short? I use ‘C’ for setting SPI in TAD but not sure how to reset Mavericks.

 

What do you mean by 'reset the SPI to the new target'? Are you trying to boresight the maverick or do something else?

 

Is the time specified for EO power based on clock time in the mission or countdown timer? I have set the clock to say 12:30:00 but when plane clock reaches 12:30 nothing happens to EO power.

 

Thanks.

 

I forget ... you may want to try the other way since you tried one way already :)

[Alopex]

thanks. Yes, I want to move the boresite to another target but it seems to stay with the previous target and cannot get it to slew quickly to another target especially if I am facing a different heading.

[GGTharos]

Ok, I'll need you to go through the exact steps you're taking to try and accomplish your tasks, please - or better yet, please attach a (short, specifically created mission to demonstrate the problem!) track so we can have a look :)

 

I'm pretty certain its user error, but it can happen for many different reasons.

[Lane]

- China Hat Afterward short ( C short ): reset maverick boresight to initial position ( wagon wheel back to center of the HUD )

- China Hat Forward long ( V long ): - Slew the maverick to the actual SPI ( if you have set it by Tad, waypoint, markpoint, TGP etc )

 

 

 

If you just want unlock maverick from a target and lock it on a near target ( attacking a tank column ), just move the camera ( slew ) and unzoom with china hat afterward short ( v short) if needed for have a bigger zoom. ( TMS UP short for lock on new target then )

 

Useful link for tutorial and video, infos http://dcswiki.com/index.php?title=DCS:_A-10C_Tutorial_Collection

 

Maverick use http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1IoF2xKBCI&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Multiple maverick attack video

Edited August 30, 2011 by Lane

[KaspeR32]

- China Hat Afterward long ( C long ): it will send back the maverick SPI to initial position ( the wagon wheel will come back in the center of your HUD, or to the initial SPI ( waypoint/steerpoint or as set by the TGP TAD etc)

- China Hat Forward long ( V long ): - Slew the maverick to the actual SPI ( if you have set it by Tad, waypoint, markpoint, TGP etc )

 

 

 

If you just want unlock maverick from a target and lock it on a near target ( attacking a tank column ), just move the camera ( slew ) and unzoom with china hat afterward short ( C short ) if needed for have a bigger zoom. when the maverick camera follow have find the target ( TMS UP short)

 

 

I think you're confusing a few things here.

 

China Hat Aft long slews sensors to current steerpoint,

China Hat Forward long slews sensors to current SPI

China Hat Aft short resets your SOI to boresight

China Hat Forward short zooms FOV in and out

 

Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Lane]

No you are right, i do it without think to it when flying, i have mix some little thing when write it then. specially when using the hotas and not the keyboard key. thanks for correct me.

Edited August 30, 2011 by Lane

[Alopex]

Thanks everyone. I got it working with China Hat Aft long.

 

Now, I have another issue. I am trying to play the Hideout mission and my GBU-38s are showing ALN UNS in flight. I tried the mission a few times and I just noticed that the GBUs are showing the same ALN UNS status on the ground. I am not sure what I am doing wrong during startup. I am waiting until INS NAV RDY message before even taxing.

 

Any suggestions?

Edited September 1, 2011 by Alopex

[GGTharos]

Try waiting for it until it's actually finished aligning.

[nomdeplume]

I am waiting until INS NAV RDY message before even taxiing.

Actually finished aligning == INS NAV RDY message is flashing on the display. The message will appear when the system has achieved a minimal level of accuracy, but it will continue to refine for four minutes, and the INS NAV RDY text will start flashing/blinking. At that point you can put it into NAV mode and start on your journey.

 

If you are waiting for the full alignment to occur, you may need to just make a bit of a turn to get the GBUs to align properly - I think 90 degrees is sufficient and it doesn't need to be sharp or anything. But normally you'd do enough maneuvering on the way to the target to cover it.

[Druid_]

Is this realistic?

Surely the alignment time required for a GBU is significantly less than that required for the aircraft (even if the GBUs are using old gyro type INS's). The INS is only required for attitude on the GBU since the navigation is controlled by the on-board GPS.

Also since the GPU INS is used in ATT mode, are they not able to align correctly in-flight whilst in a straight,level & unaccelerated condition?

I never had this problem pre-09 patch btw. I could scramble when it had completed the initial align and they worked fine.

If its modelled correctly then fine, but it's worth asking the question(s).

[Hoozin]

Is this realistic?

 

Surely the alignment time required for a GBU is significantly less than that required for the aircraft (even if the GBUs are using old gyro type INS's). The INS is only required for attitude on the GBU since the navigation is controlled by the on-board GPS.

 

Also since the GPU INS is used in ATT mode, are they not able to align correctly in-flight whilst in a straight,level & unaccelerated condition?

 

I never had this problem pre-09 patch btw. I could scramble when it had completed the initial align and they worked fine.

 

If its modelled correctly then fine, but it's worth asking the question(s).

I learned this the hard way. It doesn't seem to let the GBU's align if the EGI didn't get a full 4.0 0.8 align.

 

I too would like to know if this is accurate. It would also be good to know that if they got a good align and then I did something stupid (say, a strange stall that caused a temporary power failure to all instrumentation and stalled an engine) which requires a new inflight alignment, would my GBU's be 500 pound paperweights or would they be able to be dropped?

 

Why am I asking this? I should just go test it tonight.

[kylania]

Why are people taking off from a ramp start without fully aligning and bringing up all their systems? :)

[Eddie]

Is this realistic?

 

Yes.

[Druid_]

Why are people taking off from a ramp start without fully aligning and bringing up all their systems? :)

A full alignment is required if you intend to use the INS for navigation. Anything less and the accuracy is degraded. Since the C model uses GPS primarily for navigation, a full alignment is not required. There are various stages of alignment the most important one being full ATT alignment whereby the instruments are fully aligned (in particular the horizon is valid on the HUD and AH). If you have time then sure fully align, if however you are scrambling for TIC then you have the option to forgo a full alignment without any degradation (unless you are carry GBUs it seems).

 

Yes.

care to enlightne as I am genuinely interested. Surely the GBUs can align in-flight?

 

This excerpt from ausairpower.net is all I could find that came close to an explanation. Nothing on timing unfortunately.

 

The JDAM employs the US standard Mil-Std-1760 umbilical interface, incorporating the Mil-Std-1553B digital multiplex bus. Before launch the JDAM's embedded software communicates with the launch aircraft's stores management processor, no differently than a computer peripheral. Prior to release the JDAM is powered up using an umbilical feed from the launch aircraft. The JDAM executes an internal self test, warms up and aligns the HG1700 inertial unit. Once the JDAM is ready, it communicates status information to the launch aircraft, which then downloads GPS timing, GPS Almanac (ie nav message), GPS Ephemeris (constellation) and the GPS PPS crypto key. This information is used to initialise the GEM-III receiver.

Once the inertial unit is aligned and the GPS receiver initialised, the launch aircraft can download into the bomb the target GPS coordinates, fuse settings and impact parameters, all of which can be reloaded at any time before release. Prior to release the aircraft's position and velocities are downloaded.

After the weapon is released, the thermal battery is initiated, the GPS receiver acquires a satellite constellation, and the weapon autonomously flies itself to impact, using pre-programmed parameters, penetrating cloud with no loss in accuracy. Should the GPS signal be impaired, lost or jammed, the weapon can rely on its inertial unit and will suffer some modest loss in accuracy, dependent upon how late in the flight the signal was lost, and also depending on the tolerance errors in the HG1700 (some units may be slightly more accurate than others).

Edited September 14, 2011 by Druid_

[Eddie]

care to enlightne as I am genuinely interested. Surely the GBUs can align in-flight?

 

They can, and they do. However the accuracy of their alignment is only as good as data they are provided by the parent aircraft's nav system. So in other words, poor EGI alignment = poor GBU alignment = insufficient GBU alignment for release.

 

And for the record, JDAMs are not GPS guided, they are INS guided with GPS updates to the INS (yes there is a difference).

[159th_Viper]

Why are people taking off from a ramp start without fully aligning and bringing up all their systems? :)

 

More to the point, why are they ignoring the indications on their Caution Panel? :)

[Hoozin]

More to the point, why are they ignoring the indications on their Caution Panel? :)

I'm pretty sure I can take off with no warnings and JDAMs that won't fall off the plane when I tell them to. Not sure what you're getting at here.

[159th_Viper]

Not sure what you're getting at here.

 

Your JDAM's fail to align in-flight due to reasons mentioned, ie failure to attend to full alignment at start-up.

 

With me so far?

 

OK - had you noted your Caution Lights Panel prior to take-off, you would have seen that full alignment had not been completed as per the relevant illuminated warning lights.

 

Had you heeded the caution and attended to full alignment, your JDAM's would have aligned and you would not have problems.

 

That help?

[Hoozin]

Your JDAM's fail to align in-flight due to reasons mentioned, ie failure to attend to full alignment at start-up.

 

With me so far?

 

OK - had you noted your Caution Lights Panel prior to take-off, you would have seen that full alignment had not been completed as per the relevant illuminated warning lights.

 

Had you heeded the caution and attended to full alignment, your JDAM's would have aligned and you would not have problems.

 

That help?

The DSMS will tell you that the JDAM isn't aligned, but the panel (if we're talking about the same thing that is...) doesn't care if the EGI has a 1.4 minute align or a 4 minute align as long as it's legitimately in NAV mode.

 

(And a quick edit for the record, I know what you're saying is otherwise true ... I'm mostly arguing semantics on the caution light panel.)

Edited September 14, 2011 by Hoozin

[159th_Viper]

The DSMS will tell you that the JDAM isn't aligned, but the panel (if we're talking about the same thing that is...) doesn't care if the EGI has a 1.4 minute align or a 4 minute align as long as it's legitimately in NAV mode.

 

(And a quick edit for the record, I know what you're saying is otherwise true ... I'm mostly arguing semantics on the caution light panel.)

 

Run a start-up with an interrupted alignment and note the relevant warning light/s on the caution panel - and no, it will not be NAV :)

[Hoozin]

Run a start-up with an interrupted alignment and note the relevant warning light/s on the caution panel - and no, it will not be NAV :)

 

Dammit ... if I'm completely wrong about this I'm going to facepalm hard.

[KaspeR32]

Not much of a reason to not wait anymore, considering they fixed the power hit when switching from APU generators to the main Left & Right Generators.

 

It no longer resets alignment. So the moment you get the APU up and APU Gen on, you can start the aligning process, then ask permission for engine start and move forward. But I'm curious also about the warning light by not aligning fully. Haven't taken off without aligning fully.

[Hoozin]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/39311950/InflightAlign_JDAMsBroke.trk

 

(Edit: I haven't actually watched the track, so if it looks more like I just exploded on the runway, that's wrong...)

 

Here's a short track of Inflight Alignment and takeoff from Batumi, something close to how I'd scramble ... still need practice there. (Yes, there's a ton wrong with this startup, but if anything specifically other than the EGI alignment is causing the JDAMs to not arm, please point it out.) No warning lights, no master caution aside from the APU Generator, and the JDAMs list themselves all as ALN UNS.

 

There's nothing in the flight manual that says they require a 4 minute alignment. If that's the case, fine, but I want something that says that other than our observations.

[Brutal]

thanks. Yes, I want to move the boresite to another target but it seems to stay with the previous target and cannot get it to slew quickly to another target especially if I am facing a different heading.

 

Just make sure you have the maverick set as SOI and then press 'C' to boresight. I think your getting reset SPI and boresight SOI confused.