Thanks, Cpt. Pisces. I actually follow a specific process to figure out whether the hydrophone volume is loud enough: when I enter the hydrophone room, I still have the engines running. Then I turn the hydrophone to show 180deg, and hit the volume button until the engine noise reaches maximum loudness. Only then do I turn the engines off and start the normal use of the hydrophone, knowing that I have maximized its potential.

About the volume control knob, where do you click to have it's volume turned to the highest setting? I think that it's done by clicking the top of the little handle itself?

edit: so to have it's highest volume output, you have to click the top of the handle 4 times?

I generally click on the upper right side repeatedly until I don't notice any improvement to the volume, as to the ambient sounds interfering, I think it varies somewhat depending on sound-card and setup, because while I sometimes get confused by ambient noises (which seems right) I never have trouble finding ships in range if they're audible at all, though some are remarkably difficult to hear, MTBs at slow speed for example

I don't know who made this mod but it was recent. It is JSGM ready and places enemy mine fields on your navigation map. You still have to use the pulldown for friendly mines. I use the mod and it looks great.

http://the-silent-hunter-.com

When I approached Dover Strait, I had been observing Allied merchants and warships where they going, their routes, then assumed its ok for me to follow their routes or paths to get thru. I never encountered a mine in Dover Strait in 2.0. Only mine I encounter was by Firth of Forth and killed me couple weeks ago because I was off the path where merchants and warships commute. It really risky to travel submerge by Firth of Forth since there destroyers patrolling and they would detect me because not enough room to avoid with two lands being 1-2km apart for long way and there shallow water. I tend to go on merchant routes between Scapa Flow and Lerwick during early war years, have not encountered any mines there yet but still have to assume there's mines somewhere and best to stick onto merchant routes.