A problem with sonobuoys

[Drag0n]

I have just started to play DW and am currently in the process of learning how to use hte SH-60. After doing some reading I have decided to try the SH-60 demo mission, and I have encountered a somewhat weird problem with sonobuoys. The predeployed buoys work fine, as well as any other DICASS I deploy. VLAD's however seem to be dead in the water. They don't pick up anything, even if the contact is virtually on top of them. Am I doing something wrong?
And while I am at it, how do you guys monitor sonobuoys? I mean it is easy to say when a sonobuoy picks up first contact, but how do you do to find out if any of the already active ones has picked up a new contact?(cycling through all fo them can beceome cumbersome when you ahve a lot of buoys).

[Molon Labe]

Originally Posted by Drag0n

I have just started to play DW and am currently in the process of learning how to use hte SH-60. After doing some reading I have decided to try the SH-60 demo mission, and I have encountered a somewhat weird problem with sonobuoys. The predeployed buoys work fine, as well as any other DICASS I deploy. VLAD's however seem to be dead in the water. They don't pick up anything, even if the contact is virtually on top of them. Am I doing something wrong?
And while I am at it, how do you guys monitor sonobuoys? I mean it is easy to say when a sonobuoy picks up first contact, but how do you do to find out if any of the already active ones has picked up a new contact?(cycling through all fo them can beceome cumbersome when you ahve a lot of buoys).

The water in that scenario is probaby too shallow for VLADs. Any buoy placed in water too shallow for it to deploy will not function. It's not your fault for being caught off-guard though; SCS changed the depths of sonobuoys in 1.03 and didn't bother to announce the new settings in the Readme. IIRC, they copied the LW/Ami depth settings, which was 600/1200 for the VLAD.

For monitoring, it's a bit tough for the helo since you only have 4 grams, but basically you need to create a system for cycling through the hot buoys efficiently. Number works fine, location makes a bit more sense; but, if you arrange your buoys in a pattern instead of randomly, it's easy to select a row that you're interested in and stay organized.

[Smaragdadler]

Originally Posted by Molon Labe

...
For monitoring, it's a bit tough for the helo since you only have 4 grams, but basically you need to create a system for cycling through the hot buoys efficiently. Number works fine, location makes a bit more sense; but, if you arrange your buoys in a pattern instead of randomly, it's easy to select a row that you're interested in and stay organized.

At subguru in the DW Download Section there is a file called Kegetys' Dangerous Waters Mods. It contains beside others the MH-60 Sonobuoy Channel mod.

With this mod the MH-60R Sea Hawk will have sixteen sonobuoy
channels instead of the default four.

[Drag0n]

Yep.You were right. The water was too shallow for VLAD's.
And while I am at it, one more question about sonobuoys: what happens if I set the frequency alert for an acitve bouy that already has a contact on the set frequency? Will the alert trigger immendiately, or the next time a buoy picks up a contact on the said frequency?

[OneShot]

The Alert should be triggered immediatly, but only if you have that buoy "dialed in" i.e. already displaying on one of the grams. Alerts only work in conjunction with the grams.

Btw. this grams mod might be a nice thing, but only if you intend to keep playing Single player. Playing MP with this mod will cause errors, besides in the Helo your buoys are only your secondary sensor ... your main one is the dipping sonar. So basically, you dont need those extra grams.

Cheers
OS