Question re: "ping"

[NFunky]

Really? Damn. That's definately going to make manning all the stations even harder than it already is. If you're doing manual TMA, its really hard to devote the amount of time needed in sonar. I depend heavily on active intercept (can be heard from all stations) and TIW messages to survive if I'm tracking multiple contacts.

[goldorak]

Originally Posted by NFunky

Really? Damn. That's definately going to make manning all the stations even harder than it already is. If you're doing manual TMA, its really hard to devote the amount of time needed in sonar. I depend heavily on active intercept (can be heard from all stations) and TIW messages to survive if I'm tracking multiple contacts.

Active intercept still works, you just won't hear torpedos at your six.
On the other hand, going against subrocs loaded subs you will thank the RA team for having included an "underwater missile launch" warning.
And this waring you get even if the launch is way beyond 3nm because underwater missile launches are much noiser than torpedo launches.

As for doing manual tma, first you have to learn to descriminate between contacts of interest and other contacts. Then, use all the sensors and that includes in the new subs the photonic mast to gain a tma solution for surface contacts.

For those pesky hostile subs, make informed guesses as to their speed if demon is not available, use waterfall display to deduce the type of los, and use the tma station only every 2 minutes.

Last but not least download the red book from CADC website. It explains how to keep updated the tma solution even when the contact changes course and or speed.

[Buck_O]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by goldorak

Active intercept still works, you just won't hear torpedos at your six.
On the other hand, going against subrocs loaded subs you will thank the RA team for having included an "underwater missile launch" warning.
And this waring you get even if the launch is way beyond 3nm because underwater missile launches are much noiser than torpedo launches.

As for doing manual tma, first you have to learn to descriminate between contacts of interest and other contacts. Then, use all the sensors and that includes in the new subs the photonic mast to gain a tma solution for surface contacts.

For those pesky hostile subs, make informed guesses as to their speed if demon is not available, use waterfall display to deduce the type of los, and use the tma station only every 2 minutes.

Last but not least download the red book from CADC website. It explains how to keep updated the tma solution even when the contact changes course and or speed.

fantastic tips! esp the "red book" im printing it out now as I write. I'm so thankful for the forums, ...so much helpful advice, its a goldmine for knowledge about this sim. My wife walked by my desk and shook her head, seeing the large pile of already printed documents plus the "Red Book" being printed out...
Anyway thanks everyone!!

[NFunky]

Active intercept is important, but only against surface ships really. A good torpedo shot will not start pinging until its very close. I do really enjoy the 'underwater missile launch' message though.

Originally Posted by goldorak

As for doing manual tma, first you have to learn to descriminate between contacts of interest and other contacts. Then, use all the sensors and that includes in the new subs the photonic mast to gain a tma solution for surface contacts.

For those pesky hostile subs, make informed guesses as to their speed if demon is not available, use waterfall display to deduce the type of los, and use the tma station only every 2 minutes.

Last but not least download the red book from CADC website. It explains how to keep updated the tma solution even when the contact changes course and or speed.

Yep, I've read the Red Book, the Blue Book, TACMAN, etc., but it stilll takes almost the full two minutes to adjust the solutions for four different contacts (all contacts of interest). If there are more than four COIs, then it becomes even more time intesive since it requires cycling trackers. Also, if you're trying to identify a narrowband contact, it takes a little while to scroll through the various possibles until you find the right one, but this is a minor issue. It's balancing checking the sonar picture, scanning for new contacts, reassigning trackers to newer/more intersting contacts, merging/splitting/dropping/classifying the right trackers, assessing possible solutions for ALL COIs, trying to acquire BB contacts on faint trackers (for DEMON data), and I'm sure a few other things I forgot. Maybe its because I'm legally blind, but I find I never have and idle moment when I'm in a high contact environment.

I'm using the RA mod right now and I really do miss those TIWs when I'm in a confusing fight, as when I'm doing anything but gazing at the sonar display, they let me know I should stop whatever I'm doing and determine whether any new high-frequency screw noise could be an immediate threat. I absolutely think that you should be able to manually detect a torpedo before you get a TIW, but the 3 nm range seems oddly short. I'm sure a TB-23 could strongly detect an incoming torpedo at 10 nm at least. I wish the TIW could be activated when the fish had at least two strong lines in the towed array.

I can do a competent manual sonar watch when I only have one or two COIs, but in many situations I'm not 100% sure what my COIs are. A quiet sub at moderate range can look a lot like a distant surface ship, especially if hostile forces are under EMCON. I just don't know how you do it all when you have four or more COIs.