Radio contacts realistic?

msalama · 05-07-08, 12:29 PM

Right-o then, please help a Kaleun out and answer this

For the life of me I just can't understand how the hell is it that my radioman is able to locate ships, etc. and then draw them on the map with the gear he has at his disposal! Well of course one can get a _bearing_ to a radio transmitter whenever its RF power stage is switched on and it radiates around on its carrier frequency, but that IMO should be all if triangulation is not used... So how exactly, pray tell, does the guy do his mojo majik and tells me its exact location, course, speed, etc. with just a SINGLE FRIKKIN' CONTACT?

OK, granted, you can draw some conclusions from the signal strength too - i.e. is the source most likely nearby, or is it in all likelihood further away - but even that's kind of fuzzy, because the effective radiating power of the transmitter is something you don't know!

So what exactly is it, then? Do I have a magician aboard here, and if so, should I dismiss him straight away before he bloody goes and h3XXes us all?

05-07-08, 12:29 PM	#1
msalama Samurai Navy Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: In an octopus's garden Posts: 565 Downloads: 99 Uploads: 0	Radio contacts realistic? Right-o then, please help a Kaleun out and answer this For the life of me I just can't understand how the hell is it that my radioman is able to locate ships, etc. and then draw them on the map with the gear he has at his disposal! Well of course one can get a _bearing_ to a radio transmitter whenever its RF power stage is switched on and it radiates around on its carrier frequency, but that IMO should be all if triangulation is not used... So how exactly, pray tell, does the guy do his mojo majik and tells me its exact location, course, speed, etc. with just a SINGLE FRIKKIN' CONTACT? OK, granted, you can draw some conclusions from the signal strength too - i.e. is the source most likely nearby, or is it in all likelihood further away - but even that's kind of fuzzy, because the effective radiating power of the transmitter is something you don't know! So what exactly is it, then? Do I have a magician aboard here, and if so, should I dismiss him straight away before he bloody goes and h3XXes us all?