US units! help needed!

simonpe · 09-17-07, 04:11 PM

Hello there!

I just installed SH4 and i am very confused about the american units. How do you plot on a chart where distances is measured in nm when ranges are given in feet, yards or whatever? Please give me an explanation of how you go about the conversions and which units all measurements are given in the different gadgets.

Sailor Steve · 09-17-07, 04:21 PM

A nautical mile is roughly 2000 yards, which is 6000 feet. A yard is 3 feet, which is 36 inches. A metre is 39.37 inches. That's about it.

There's really no need to worry too much, as SH4 allows you to use metric if you so desire. All navies used nautical miles, and a knot of speed is one nautical mile per hour, so again all you have to do is think of each measurement as a "unit", and go from there.

simonpe · 09-17-07, 04:29 PM

okay! thanks for the intel.

But how do you think / plot e.g. a 4500 ft line in the chart? do you convert using a calculator or what?

C DuDe · 09-17-07, 04:31 PM

Welcome a board Skiper!!

If you want you can set the measurements in meters, maybe that's easier for you.

When in your office prior of stating a mission, on the book shelve to the left, you can go to your options settings... there you can set up Imperial measurements or metric measurements. (metric being meters).

Altough I'm European myself I have no problems using Imerpial measurements as I don't really look at it...
Just knowing having to be within 1200yrds to have a good kill (closer is better butmore dificult) is enough..

An idea is to go through the training missions and play with the tools on your NAV map to get to know how they work and what you can do with them.. you can always redo the training missions if you want. There's no time limit to them.

Good hunting!

hyperion2206 · 09-17-07, 05:35 PM

As far as I know the game plots your course in nautical miles so you don't need to convert anything.

gutted · 09-17-07, 05:43 PM

i'm american and i can't stand the imperial system.

metric for me.

SilentOtto · 09-17-07, 07:23 PM

What I hate about this is all the distance estimates given by the crew... in feet?
WOuldnt those be yards, or n.m. if really far away???

I thought only planes used feet, for altitude...

ReallyDedPoet · 09-17-07, 08:48 PM

Welcome to SUBSIM

simonpe

RDP

Powerthighs · 09-18-07, 12:30 AM

If you use the very close approximation that 1 nm is 2000 yards, its fairly easy to do in your head. 4500 yards for example would be 2.25 nm.

It's probably not realistic but I find having to do some simple math in my head quickly while playing adds to the stress level, which makes it more fun.

Also, if you use the nomograph (see Trigger Maru for example), there is a line on the map that has nautical miles on one side and yards on the other, which gives you a visual reference to convert between the two.

EDIT: Just re-read simonpe's post. I'm not aware of any situation where ranges are directly given in feet (it's usually yards). The one exception would be the active sonar. Note that the numbers around the outside of the active sonar dial are actually yards. However, if you are tracking a target more than 5000 yards away, you can multiply the number of seconds it takes to hear the reflected sound impulse by .333 to get the distance in nautical miles away. That's 4000 feet per second dived by 3 to get the number of yards divided by 2 to account for the fact that the sound makes a round trip divided by 2000 yards per nautical mile. You can track target by active sonar this way that are 10 nm away.

Taking 1/3 of the number of seconds is easy to do in your head as well.

09-17-07, 04:11 PM	#1
simonpe Nub Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	US units! help needed! Hello there! I just installed SH4 and i am very confused about the american units. How do you plot on a chart where distances is measured in nm when ranges are given in feet, yards or whatever? Please give me an explanation of how you go about the conversions and which units all measurements are given in the different gadgets.

09-17-07, 04:21 PM	#2
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	A nautical mile is roughly 2000 yards, which is 6000 feet. A yard is 3 feet, which is 36 inches. A metre is 39.37 inches. That's about it. There's really no need to worry too much, as SH4 allows you to use metric if you so desire. All navies used nautical miles, and a knot of speed is one nautical mile per hour, so again all you have to do is think of each measurement as a "unit", and go from there. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

09-17-07, 05:35 PM	#5
hyperion2206 Ace of the Deep Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Cologne, Germany Posts: 1,227 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	As far as I know the game plots your course in nautical miles so you don't need to convert anything. __________________ Career of Captain Jack Shaftoe:

09-17-07, 08:48 PM	#8
ReallyDedPoet Canadian Wolf Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Canada. The one and only, East Coast Posts: 10,884 Downloads: 946 Uploads: 5	Welcome to SUBSIM simonpe RDP __________________ Back in the Day

09-17-07, 04:29 PM	#3
simonpe Nub Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	okay! thanks for the intel. But how do you think / plot e.g. a 4500 ft line in the chart? do you convert using a calculator or what?

09-17-07, 04:31 PM	#4
C DuDe Ensign Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 229 Downloads: 17 Uploads: 0	Welcome a board Skiper!! If you want you can set the measurements in meters, maybe that's easier for you. When in your office prior of stating a mission, on the book shelve to the left, you can go to your options settings... there you can set up Imperial measurements or metric measurements. (metric being meters). Altough I'm European myself I have no problems using Imerpial measurements as I don't really look at it... Just knowing having to be within 1200yrds to have a good kill (closer is better butmore dificult) is enough.. An idea is to go through the training missions and play with the tools on your NAV map to get to know how they work and what you can do with them.. you can always redo the training missions if you want. There's no time limit to them. Good hunting!

09-17-07, 05:43 PM	#6
gutted The Old Man Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: New Orleans, LA. Posts: 1,379 Downloads: 487 Uploads: 11	i'm american and i can't stand the imperial system. metric for me.

09-17-07, 07:23 PM	#7
SilentOtto Engineer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: BF79 Posts: 209 Downloads: 71 Uploads: 0	What I hate about this is all the distance estimates given by the crew... in feet? WOuldnt those be yards, or n.m. if really far away??? I thought only planes used feet, for altitude...

09-18-07, 12:30 AM	#9
Powerthighs Beach Leaf Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 287 Downloads: 11 Uploads: 0	If you use the very close approximation that 1 nm is 2000 yards, its fairly easy to do in your head. 4500 yards for example would be 2.25 nm. It's probably not realistic but I find having to do some simple math in my head quickly while playing adds to the stress level, which makes it more fun. Also, if you use the nomograph (see Trigger Maru for example), there is a line on the map that has nautical miles on one side and yards on the other, which gives you a visual reference to convert between the two. EDIT: Just re-read simonpe's post. I'm not aware of any situation where ranges are directly given in feet (it's usually yards). The one exception would be the active sonar. Note that the numbers around the outside of the active sonar dial are actually yards. However, if you are tracking a target more than 5000 yards away, you can multiply the number of seconds it takes to hear the reflected sound impulse by .333 to get the distance in nautical miles away. That's 4000 feet per second dived by 3 to get the number of yards divided by 2 to account for the fact that the sound makes a round trip divided by 2000 yards per nautical mile. You can track target by active sonar this way that are 10 nm away. Taking 1/3 of the number of seconds is easy to do in your head as well.