Newbie question re: hydrophones

[captain Guitar]

Greetings all --

I've been a lurker here for the past several months, soaking up information as I figure out how to survive in the North Atlantic! I played stock SHIII for a while, and then bit the bullet and started with GWX. Whew, what a difference!! I knew it was going to be good when I started my first patrol -- I just sat at the dock for a bit, marveling at all of the harbor traffic and the Me109s zipping by. Sat so long that I darn near missed my escort out of the harbor :oops: That first patrol was a dud, but my second patrol went much better, 35,000+ tons around the western entrance of the Channel.

Anyway, I'm curious about upgrading my hydrophones from the starting GHG model. (I'm playing from the beginning of the war, so it's now December '39) The little blurb about the next level up (I can't recall the designation, since I don't have the game in front of me) says that the phones were extremely vulnerable to depth charge damage due to their location. Does that outweigh the benefits of upgrading, or is the new model so superior to the GHG model that it's ok to run the risk of depth charge issues?

Thanks, and major kudos to the GWX team. What a product!! :up:

[SmokinTep]

I upgraded my boat when I could. Haven't had them go out yet and believe me, I have been DC'd...........

[Schöneboom]

Willkommen, Capt. Guitar!

Re the hydrophone upgrade, go for it, definitely. I've not noticed any greater vulnerability to wabo damage (yet). And your crew can repair stuff like that if it breaks. One detail: you'll be hearing ships as far as 30 nm away, so you'll have to take that into account when intercepting long-range contacts.

Mach's gut!

[captain Guitar]

Thanks gentlemen! I should have posted earlier, since I'm now out on my third patrol, but I'll take care of it next time I'm in port. (This assumes that I can stay alive that long!) I'm outbound to my patrol area (BF17), but just received a contact report for a convoy heading into the North Channel, so I'll take a little side trip. The weather is atrocious, but hopefully I'll spot something.

[Corsair]

BF17 - BF 15 are good hunting grounds... good luck and welcome to Subsim;)

[Brag]

Welcome to this nest of ruffians, Guitar.
Yup, get the gizzmo, it works.
Good hunting! :up:

[captain Guitar]

A fellow Marylander -- cool! I'm in Baltimore :)

I mentioned that my first patrol was a dud, but what I failed to discuss was my adventure with a capital ship task force west of Ireland. I'm sailing along mid-day, not a care in the world, when my lookouts spot smoke on the horizon. I wander in that direction, and that column of smoke divides into two ... then four ... my sound man starts yelling about warships, and before you know it, I've got the whole doggone Royal Navy about to run me down. The Nelson, for sure, one of the older dreadnaughts, maybe the Hood, a couple of cruisers, and waaaaaaaaay too many DDs :o This was my first experience with GWX DDs, and I gotta say, I don't like them! Two came my way post-haste and proceeded to hold me down for a good two hours. Classic tactics, one drifting and the other sprinting in for a DC run, over and over and over. Whew. The only reason they left was homesickness, I think. I got away with no damage, but my goodness, those were very tense moments. And this was September 39. I'm not sure I want to see what happens when 42 or 43 arrives!

[TarJak]

Wilkommen zum Subsim Captain Guitar!

I upgrade most of my kit when I get the chance. I've never noticed much difference in DC damage to the phones when using the upgraded version.

Gute Jagd!

[Schöneboom]

Hi again, Guitar,

If you do a little searching here, you'll find all kinds of tips & tricks -- some of which will change as the war progresses. It's actually not hard to throw the DDs off your scent in '39-40, esp. in deep water. One accessory you'll want, if you haven't got it already: SH3 Commander. It's the icing on the GWX cake!!! :up:

Stay alive!

[captain Guitar]

I've definitely been mining the threads, Schoneboom. I must say, this is one of the friendliest, most knowledgeable boards I've run across in my (way too many) years of surfing. The SH3 Newbie Guide sticky thread has been locked into my faves for a while. Dantenoc's "The Hunt" is absolutely magnificent. I had no idea what to do with all of those contact reports that BdU was sending out, but once I started doing things the right way, what a difference! :sunny:

I play at 59% reality. I'm not a realism freak, just want enough to keep things interesting. Manual targeting is a ways into my future, I suspect, and how could I possibly give up the free camera and miss those wonderful ocean vistas?? ;)

[Robert Fulton]

.........

Anyway, I'm curious about upgrading my hydrophones from the starting GHG model. (I'm playing from the beginning of the war, so it's now December '39) The little blurb about the next level up (I can't recall the designation, since I don't have the game in front of me) says that the phones were extremely vulnerable to depth charge damage due to their location. Does that outweigh the benefits of upgrading, or is the new model so superior to the GHG model that it's ok to run the risk of depth charge issues?

....

(Trying to be a good newbie and read the old threads while on holiday.)

Captain Guitar's question is one that has been on my mind. I am eager to have the better hydrophones, but not at the cost of risking losing them altogether. All thoughts from experience captains appreciated.

[nikbear]

You can upgrade your Hydrophone without any worries,its much better range and isn't much more vunerable than the other version,IF a DD lands one on you and damages your Hydrophone doesn't matter what one you have,you are going to have a bad day regardless:up:

[Weiss Pinguin]

(Trying to be a good newbie and read the old threads while on holiday.)

Captain Guitar's question is one that has been on my mind. I am eager to have the better hydrophones, but not at the cost of risking losing them altogether. All thoughts from experience captains appreciated.
Benefits outweigh the risk[s], IMO. Better capabilities with the KDB set, plus you have more coverage around your boat.

And as nikbear said, if someone sinks an ashcan close enough to seriously damage your hydrophones, you'll have more important issues to worry about :lol: