whats your favorite way to calculate speed?

[duelen]

topic says it...also where and how do you reset the tdc so i can put new numbers in, when i need a new range i cant do it cause the device to line up the pictures does not pop up.

very hard to use manual tdc with no detailed guide and the only way to calculate speed as said in the game manual is bugged.

[davest]

The only and real guide was kindly put together by Neal Stevens,

Thanks Neal!

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=108689

Otherwise I don't think I Would of ever tried the manual TDC myself, looking forward to the implementation of the speed chronometer one day. Until then doing ok with my guessmates at close range and having a blast.

[duelen]

that stinks

[AVGWarhawk]

This is how I do it. I get distance and AOB. I then guess on the speed. I click the PK. If the PK shows AOB changing to fast as to what my scope is showing, I know my speed is off....either fast or slow depending how the AOB has changed since first input. I adjust the speed until the PK shows AOB not changing as I progress towards the target. In other words, if my PK AOB does not change I know I have the speed down to actual speed.


Another way to explain. If I show the AOB at 90 degrees. speed 8kts and feed this to the PK I watch actual scope and PK movements. If the AOB starts to move higher than 90 degrees yet my scope still shows me at 90 degrees then I know I have judged the speed to fast. I drop it a kt or two and watch it again. Once that AOB stays consistent with what I see I know my speed is correct.

That is how I do it anyway. I use the time piece to determine when dinner will be ready

[LukeFF]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

This is how I do it. I get distance and AOB. I then guess on the speed. I click the PK. If the PK shows AOB changing to fast as to what my scope is showing, I know my speed is off....either fast or slow depending how the AOB has changed since first input. I adjust the speed until the PK shows AOB not changing as I progress towards the target. In other words, if my PK AOB does not change I know I have the speed down to actual speed.


Another way to explain. If I show the AOB at 90 degrees. speed 8kts and feed this to the PK I watch actual scope and PK movements. If the AOB starts to move higher than 90 degrees yet my scope still shows me at 90 degrees then I know I have judged the speed to fast. I drop it a kt or two and watch it again. Once that AOB stays consistent with what I see I know my speed is correct.

Excellent method, thank you! I just tried this out and it worked perfectly.

[Banquet]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

This is how I do it. I get distance and AOB. I then guess on the speed. I click the PK. If the PK shows AOB changing to fast as to what my scope is showing, I know my speed is off....either fast or slow depending how the AOB has changed since first input. I adjust the speed until the PK shows AOB not changing as I progress towards the target. In other words, if my PK AOB does not change I know I have the speed down to actual speed.


Another way to explain. If I show the AOB at 90 degrees. speed 8kts and feed this to the PK I watch actual scope and PK movements. If the AOB starts to move higher than 90 degrees yet my scope still shows me at 90 degrees then I know I have judged the speed to fast. I drop it a kt or two and watch it again. Once that AOB stays consistent with what I see I know my speed is correct.

That is how I do it anyway. I use the time piece to determine when dinner will be ready

This sounds pretty good, especially if playing without map updates (which I'm going to try *shudder*)

[AVGWarhawk]

@Luke/Banquet


Good deal. I'm glad it helps in you solutions.

[Banquet]

Should the TDC be 'remembering' data for separate ships? I'm sure I read somewhere it would do this but all it remembers for me is the ship type.

I.e I have to input range, AOB, and speed for each ship and then if I point the periscope at another ship I had previously input this on - the data stays the same as the previous ship.. I was under the impression the TDC would remember AOB, speed and range for each ship I had input it for.. or did I get the wrong idea on this?

[duelen]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

This is how I do it. I get distance and AOB. I then guess on the speed. I click the PK. If the PK shows AOB changing to fast as to what my scope is showing, I know my speed is off....either fast or slow depending how the AOB has changed since first input. I adjust the speed until the PK shows AOB not changing as I progress towards the target. In other words, if my PK AOB does not change I know I have the speed down to actual speed.


Another way to explain. If I show the AOB at 90 degrees. speed 8kts and feed this to the PK I watch actual scope and PK movements. If the AOB starts to move higher than 90 degrees yet my scope still shows me at 90 degrees then I know I have judged the speed to fast. I drop it a kt or two and watch it again. Once that AOB stays consistent with what I see I know my speed is correct.

That is how I do it anyway. I use the time piece to determine when dinner will be ready

are you looking at the top or bottom dial on the PK? not sure what they represent as I dont know how to check my calculations like osme of you are saying. I mostly look at the attack map

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by duelen

are you looking at the top or bottom dial on the PK? not sure what they represent as I dont know how to check my calculations like osme of you are saying. I mostly look at the attack map

I only use the attack map to get the track of the target and range. After that it is all scope or TBT. What you look at is the top dial. The top dial represents the AOB that you set. If the top picture starts to change compared to what you see in the scope/TBT then your speed calculation is off. If the AOB starts to change, adjust your input on the speed of target until that top picture representing AOB on the target does not change relative to what you see in the scope/TBT. This is the hardest to find but the most critical piece of the puzzle...IMHO. Do not fire until you are 1000-1500 yards away.

I just used this method and my two torpedos hit in the exact same spot. I started my target at 8kts(rough seas slow the targets). May AOB set started to move ahead of what it should have been. I adjusted speed on the TDC to 7kts. My AOB on the TDC looked and stayed just like I see from my scope. These observations took over 5 minutes. Constant change and updating until the PK is dead on to what is happening in my scope view. Once your are dead on, then sit back and wait for the moment. These calculations are slow and methodical. The race is not won by the swift in submarines. I was dead on at 7kts. The rest was just lessening the distance to 1000 yards and I let them fly. Two hit and one prematured. 7100 tons sunk Not the most scientific but it works.


When you are in the attack mode....slow yourself down and plan your work and work your plan. I get excited and want it all to happen fast but I have to slow myself down and take as many observations that I can without being spotted.

[PeriscopeDepth]

Originally Posted by duelen

that stinks

That there's no working magical auto speed stop watch? I don't recall there being one in WWII either. If you're going for the challenge/realism in manual TDC I don't understand why people use the speed chrono.

PD

[Snowman999]

Originally Posted by PeriscopeDepth

That there's no working magical auto speed stop watch? I don't recall there being one in WWII either. If you're going for the challenge/realism in manual TDC I don't understand why people use the speed chrono.

PD

If you're going for realism the primary way speed was input was from sonar turn-counts. On-line sonar manuals give precise methodologies, down to determining three- or four-bladed screws. It was a fire-control PARTY--a team effort.

Since I read here that the game doesn't allow sonar to be used at PD (!!!) there is no "realistic" way to determine speed.

[PeriscopeDepth]

I wish there was blade counts too... But there's not. Distance = Speed X Time is realistic enough for me. It's not tough to get a good range/AOB with practice. You can then use error in the position keeper to adjust for speed.

PD

[Captain_Jack]

Originally Posted by Snowman999

If you're going for realism the primary way speed was input was from sonar turn-counts. On-line sonar manuals give precise methodologies, down to determining three- or four-bladed screws. It was a fire-control PARTY--a team effort.

Since I read here that the game doesn't allow sonar to be used at PD (!!!) there is no "realistic" way to determine speed.

Exactly! A Fire Control Team Effort.. So the so called "magical" stop watch simulates this team effort....Plus the fact there is no way in the game to count propeller revolutions.

But the Fire Control Party could also determine speed by how long it takes the target to get from one point to another based on its range. Is that not what the stopwatch also simulates? Timing the target as it travels?

But, back to the original topic, I also use AVGWARHAWK's method. If the TDC position keeper bearing is wrong then i know I screwed up. In fact I was watching the Silent Hunter Series last night and the actual skippers also said that they knew their data was wrong if the TDC Bearing solution was off, so they would input new data....So AVGWARHAWK wins the Realism Award!

[duelen]

oh yea, if u read in the manual they said they purposely made the ruler inaccurate to simulate how hard it was to calculate speed using the map... doing that, using the chart someone posted, and just starting at half are the only ways i know how to calculate speed and all are very inaccurate