Radar: Search One Sweep Not Working

[jazman]

I have SJ surface radar installed. In both TM and stock (unmodded) 1.3 I find that I turn on the radar (the hand is lit), and the normal constant sweep mode is on. I can do a visual check and see the radar scanner spinning up top.

However, I turn off the sweep mode, and try to do a single sweep. The button almost immediately goes dark. I don't get any contacts, and I don't see any visual feedback on the bridge. For all I can tell, the button does nothing.

[MorganThePirate]

Mine is working fine. No problema. Perhaps you need to reinstall the game and mods.

[-Pv-]

It problably works but is easily misunderstood. Make sure you aren't lookig at the conning tower radar displays when you operate the controls. The 3D views of the radar displays automatically place the radar in focus mode until you change it on the 3D controls.

There is no visual indication the radar is making the single sweep when viewing the icons. If, however you go to the bridge view and watch the radar antennae you will see it make a single 360 and stop which takes about 28 seconds. In that single sweep, only the closest and largest contacts within range of the radar will show up. Smaller contacts may require 2 more more sweeps to show up depending on their angle to your boat.

If you are getting hydrophone contacts, you will probably also get radar contacts if the ships are large enough and not facing at or away from you. Again, some ships require more than one sweep to get a report from the operator.

If you have a hand and two dim yellow sweep icons, then you click the single sweep icon and it flashes momentarily, you have engaged the mode properly and it will work. Keep in mind that while in this mode, you have no air search radar.

I should also add that while one or two of your search mode icons are dim yellow (not black) and the Hand is bright lit yellow, your surface search radar is in focus mode. Not a good idea to leave it that way for an extended time. You can get more information on the complex operation of the radar icons in this thread:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=124357

-Pv-

[SteamWake]

Well done PV right on target.

[jazman]

Originally Posted by -Pv-

It problably works but is easily misunderstood. Make sure you aren't lookig at the conning tower radar displays when you operate the controls. The 3D views of the radar displays automatically place the radar in focus mode until you change it on the 3D controls.

There is no visual indication the radar is making the single sweep when viewing the icons. If, however you go to the bridge view and watch the radar antennae you will see it make a single 360 and stop which takes about 28 seconds. In that single sweep, only the closest and largest contacts within range of the radar will show up. Smaller contacts may require 2 more more sweeps to show up depending on their angle to your boat.

-Pv-

Thanks. I understand about looking at the radar console and how it switches out of sweep. I also can sit on the bridge looking at the radar antenna and click the single sweep button, and nothing happens. It sits there, in silent defiance of my will.

Now I've reinstalled the game fresh (includes a reboot, installing the game-supplied DirectX and Windows Media player stuff).

I can sit there on the bridge and click the continuous sweep button on and off and things work as expected.

When I turn it off, though, and click the one sweep button, it sometimes moves about 10 degrees and then stops. Then, if I double-click on the radar station tab, then change the range of the unit, then go back to the bride (using F5), it's rotating. And keeps rotating. And both sweep buttons are dull!

Finally, when I sit at the radar console, and turn it on manually, and don't have it sweeping, when I push the single sweep button, the scope brightens a bit in a single narrow focus and the unit powers off. Just what I'm seeing from the bridge.

I think I have a bug, or a radar operator that is using the other empty radar console to hide his still.

[THE_MASK]

Try changing the men around . Are they fatigued .

[jazman]

Originally Posted by sober

Try changing the men around . Are they fatigued .

No, I checked that. A variety of fresh missions. The men seem to be qualified on electronics, too.

[Iceman]

Submerged or surfaced?...When at periscope depth mine does not work it does that, but rise about 5 meters or so, so unfortunalty ur tower is becoming visible it will work while submerged...get your bearings on contacts and return to periscope depth or below 150 etc if ur spotted.....

[jazman]

Originally Posted by Iceman

Submerged or surfaced?...When at periscope depth mine does not work it does that, but rise about 5 meters or so, so unfortunalty ur tower is becoming visible it will work while submerged...get your bearings on contacts and return to periscope depth or below 150 etc if ur spotted.....

Surfaced. I've tried starting a campaign, and I'm offshore, moving at 1/3 speed, surfaced, fresh crew. I find several ships with radar with continuous sweeping, so that part of radar works. I have "realistic sensors" option on.

I'm going to install it on my second computer. It's a much slower box, totally unsuited to this game, but I'll be just checking basic functionality here.

[-Pv-]

Jazzman, you last idea sounds like a good one...
"Finally, when I sit at the radar console, and turn it on manually, and don't have it sweeping, when I push the single sweep button, the scope brightens a bit in a single narrow focus and the unit powers off. Just what I'm seeing from the bridge."

This particular detail seems normal. Unless you actually place the 3D console in continious sweep on the console (not the task bar icons) the 3D display remains in focus mode. It's best not to use the 3D console when controlling the radar from the navbar icons. Use the icons when you are not at the 3D console, and don't use the icons when at the console. They conflict with each other to some extent.
-Pv-

[jazman]

Shiver me timbers. I installed on my other computer. (Dog slow! Athlon 2400+, 1.25 GB RAM, ATI Radeon 9600 XT) Anyway, I see the exact same behavior there. It's all a mystery to me, so unless someone else sees something we've missed, I'll lay this one to rest and just live with it. At least I have something to check for specifically when the patch comes out!

It might be working properly, even though the visual isn't. Hard to tell that it is, since I don't get any surface contacts doing the single sweeps.

Anyway, thanks to all who took the time to help. I now understand all the radar bits better.

[-Pv-]

aad-marine:


If the hand is bright but the two surface sweep mode icons are black, then your air search AND surface search are both on, but the surface search is in focus mode. If you want to be more stealthy, turn off the hand (dim yellow) and you will stop radiating in that one focused direction with the surface search.

-Pv-

[banjo]

I have read the above but still don't understand it. The text message when you hold your pointer over the hand says "Turns on/off Both Radars". However, I have somehow inadvertantly turned off the air search radar a couple timeseven tho I have the Hand and the sweep icon next to it lit. I have experiented with both sweep and focus icons to get the air search back on. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. I never know what I do when it works. When the air search refuses to work the only way I've discovered to fix it is exit the patrol to Main Menu and then re-enter.

So--again--how does one turn the air search radar back on if it has been turned off? Thanks.

[jazman]

Maybe we need a definitive workup of all the possible states, with commentary on each.

For example:

Hand: Gray
Cont Sweep: Gray
Single Sweep: Gray
State: All radar are off, you do not emit anything detectable, nor do you detect anything with radar.

Hand: Bright Yellow
Cont Sweep: Dull Yellow
Single Sweep: Dull Yellow
State: All radar are on. SD is on, SJ is on in focus mode. You are detectable by anyone due to SD, and by whoever is in the focus of SJ due to SJ. You should detect airplanes (or whatever SD really does), and any ships in the focus of the SJ.

etc. for all possible combinations. Then, this should be put into a definitive radar thread.

-PV-, are you up to it? After all, with three buttons, there are only eight total permutations. I'm not sure I know the material well enough to describe it definitely.

OK, here's a start, maybe you want to use different categories:

Hand: Gray
Cont Sweep: Gray
Single Sweep: Gray
Radar State:
How You Can Be Detected:
What You Should Be Able to Detect:

Copy this for all permutations.

And a section on how it's all buggered up by jumping to / from the radar stations.

I'll do a draft with the best I know, and we can refine it. I'd like the categories defined up front, but of course it is flexible, because someone will come along and make a good suggestion.

Or has this already been done? It's what proper documentation would have, don't you think?

[-Pv-]

"...
Hand: Gray
Cont Sweep: Gray
Single Sweep: Gray
State: All radar are off, you do not emit anything detectable, nor do you detect anything with radar.

"...

Note: This mode is only possible when your radar antennae is submerged enough it's not operable or is damaged assuming you have progressed in the war to the point you have Surface Search installed. If not, you still have Air Search when in this condition when the boat is surfaced enough.

I thought I gave it my best shot for a diffinitive description in my original post linked above, but like anything icon controlled with different controls from two locations, a text description is not enough for everyone. A small handbook in Acrobat seems appropriate.
-Pv-