Things afecting active sonar:
-Target's aspect and size. If you face pinger, you will give little return. The difference is really big (try it with mission editor), but I doubt you could get close enough for visual ID.
-Position - pinging ships can't cover full circle. This is however VERY tricky, since ships can (and do) turn quiclky.
-Layers. With strong layer you can get about 5 miles away. But you must be under the layer, and sometimes even at very specific depth. No visual ID possible.
-Surface noise. Rough seas makes it really hard for active sonar. Especially if the other player is human. AI sonar is somewhat simplified, I can't tell how much. But, for visual ID too.
-Last, but not least .. pingers speed. Pinging ships sometimes move too fast to really detect anything.
All around, to visual ID pinging ship is usually not popssible. It is possible how ever to get close enough for good sonar ID and for radio-waves ID.
10nm is about the distance you usually get detected, until you are very carefull.
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