Hmm, this is interesting. I have looked into this and all hydrophones have a maximum range of 20000m :o
What more factors are affecting listening distance, if you can hear beyond that?

Hmmm, that is very weird. How did you determine that all hydrophones have a max range of 20km? Is it plainly in some .cfg file or something? And it again brings up the question: what's the point of upgrading to the newer hydrophones if they have the same range? I personally don't care if it can hear 20 degrees more in either direction. My sonarman may lose contact when the bearing is near the bow or stern, but I can still hear them when I go to the hydrophone.

Well, maybe the range is a limitation for what the sonar officer picks up??

Possibly. It seems my sonar guys don't pick anything up till around 13km or so. Even if they are sonar qualified. Maybe if I have a sonar qualified stabsoberbootsman instead of just a qualified bootsman, then he could hear 20km.

Got a shock when this old thread resurfaced. :o

20 Km is the maximum range that a crewman will detect a ship. By then you can quite clearly hear it, and it can be frustrating when your own operator cannot. :damn:

The KDB does not have a greater range but is more sensitive, which I believe translates in the operator recognising a sound more quickly; again no difference for us "Captains". :ping:

Now days I'm not so sure that you can actually pick up convoys at greater range. However, I am now playing at 91%+ realism so cannot use the map to measure distances anymore.

Hope it helps. :up:
:lurk:

Okay, that sound about right. Thanks for clarifying.

actually guys, the max range of the hydrophones, the radius that is, is 34km. the diameter of the hydrophone listening range is 68 km. i used the sh3 mission editor to find that out, so that i could make a sonar overlay on the map. i draw ten concentric circles, 3.4km apart.

Greyrider, thanks for the heads up. :up:

So if I have this right, then we can hear anything up to 34 Kms away, but the operator can only hear to 20 km?

Have you been able to determine what the operator defines as long, medium and short range?

:hmm:

It's in the sensors.dat (data\Library\sensors.dat)

This is very interesting.
:hmm: In stockgame the worldradius is 20km, so I wonder how it can be possible to hear 34 km out? Not that I doubt you, just cant make any sense in this. Do you use any of the visibility mods? If so the world is bigger and in this case I can see some logic. Im trying to see if there is possible to extend the hydrophone capacity to more real values. Lone ship up to 20 km, convoy up to 100km. Then all depends of weather and seaconditions. This is datas I have found.

What I can read there was no improvements in range for developments in hydrophones GHG -> KDB -> Balkon Great , but improvements was made in operational angle, and also senstivity in detected sound.
GHG:It consisted of two sets of hydrophones mounted on each side of the bows, covering two arcs of 140 degrees on the sides of the U-boat
KDB:The KDB (Crystal Rotating Base Apparatus) was an improvement of the GHG in that it was rotatable and hence able to provide more accurate readings from any direction.
Balkon Great: The Balkon had 48 hydrophones and improved electronics, which enabled more accurate readings to be taken

I doubt this is simulated in game except for the better angle

well i wanted to know how far out i could hear a sound contact.
alot of times i hear screw sounds, then ask the sonar man to listen and he says no sound contact. i can get a turncount at 34km, and he doesnt hear a thing.
i used the sh3 editor to find out by measuring off distance for a t-3 tanker with the measuring tool from the center of the u-boat. i started at 17 km, heard it, so then moved the t-3 out to 25km, heard it again as the mission started so i kept moving it out until i couldnt hear it as the mission started. that turned out to be 34km.
i made this mission to go along the the other mission for the sound trainer, the objective would be to calculate range by the amplitude of the screws in the hydrophones. the captain in the sound trainor would be updated to range of the t-3 by radio messages, so that he could with practice be able to estimate range to target just by how loud the screws are.
the mission also shows you how to build a sonar overlay on the map, 10 concentric circles of 3.4km apart . this visually lets you see your listening range , and also for sound plotting. the mission starts out with the t-3 at 34.96km from the u-boat, you begin to hear it 3 minutes after the mission starts. at that moment , when the t-3 enters your listening range, you know the t-3 is 34km from you. the t-3 has a turncount, you take one and now you know what speed its making. now its easy to plot on the sonar overlay its progression to you.

Now we're all aware that the earth is round so if Im submerged does that mean I can hear 34km in any direction but at a straight line out that doesnt follow the curvature of the earth thus meaning that the curve is longer than the straight line beneath the water's surface. Therefore I can hear in an area thats actually larger than simply 34 km? Or does SH3 not model the earth's curvature?

You are absolutely right. I did this test myself and could hear very faint from 34km.
Have you tried what distance you can hear a convoy? Should be much further away.
What I have read, realistic values for german subamrine hydrophones was a spottingrange of 20km for single ships and up to 100km for a convoy. Then weather and seacontitions had influence.
I'll open a new thread about how to alter this in the modforum.

Would like to have the following settings:
1. Sonarman react on a contact when I myself can hear it. Not like it's now with this huge difference

2. Have possibility to alter detecting range so single ships can be detected at maximum 20km and convoys at maximum 100km.
Hope its possible. Will perform some tests with detecting range for large convoys

If you are interested, check this thread

greyrider: Where could I find the instructions for building the sonar overlay with the concentric circles? Also, where is that mission you were talking about where you can listen to the T3 as it approaches? I downloaded the sound trainer a couple weeks ago, but I didn't play any of the missions, I mainly just read it and printed off the RPM chart. Is it one of those missions?

bladeheart wrote:

So if I have this right, then we can hear anything up to 34 Kms away, but the operator can only hear to 20 km?

Have you been able to determine what the operator defines as long, medium and short range?

34km is the max listening distance of the hydrophones blade, as far as the operator recognizing sound at 20km,
or what ranges he defines as long, medium, and short ranges, the mission that im planning to add to the sound trainer
will answer those good solid tactical questions you asked, right now i dont have the answer to them, as the mission is
still in developement.i will send 4 additional radio messages covering the ranges of 20km, long, medium and short ranges
with your permission, ok?

rulle34 wrote:

I did this test myself and could hear very faint from 34km.
Have you tried what distance you can hear a convoy?

thanks for validating that finding rulle, i havent created a mission yet for a convoy,
this is also something that needs to be known. ill work on that too shortly.

trav_r wrote:

Where could I find the instructions for building the sonar overlay with the concentric circles?

i havent written down the instructions yet, it will come with the mission when its finished.
it will take awhile because theres alot of TSD calculations to sync radio messages with ranges

[/quote]

Hello Kaleuns :)

greyrider wrote:


I have checked this several times by plotting the course of a closing single merchants and "asking" sound contacts at the same time.

Short: 0m - 1000m
Medium: 1000m - 3000m
Long: 3000m +

EDIT: Noup, this was true for only one patrol. With different career ranges were different. :-?

Questions:

1) I have changed those "decay" times in contacts.cfg file to get rid of any single ship contacts and "hydrophone lines" for sound contacts. What is it that I need to change so those small rings (around the target when putting mouse over it) won't be visible anymore. It shows the exact location of the target wich makes plotting too easy and accurate.

2) I'm using IUB mod and would also like to know if there is any convoy radio contacts to show on the map? I have seen many enemy warship group contacs, but not a single convoys in my four (total of 118 days) patrols so far. I have seen and attacked two convoys, but finding them was just luck.

K