Hydrophone plotting newbie question

Nachoen · 05-06-06, 02:36 AM

Just started playing on full realism after realising it was too easy when i could sink 12-13 ships in one run, with the help of "gods-eye" and hydrophone range markings on the navigation map

But after skimming the net for tutorials on how to plot contacts with the hydrophone, im still in the dark in some areas.
How do you figure out the range of a hydrophone contact?
Do you have to take a reading and draw a line, change course and then take another reading to get 2 intersecting lines, and then do this all over again to get 2 points that you can calculate an estimated course and range from?

GreyOctober · 05-06-06, 09:51 AM

You cant plot a distance using the hydrophone. In a good day youd be able to say if the contact is close, medium or far but thats it, and its general direction of travel. Do do this, slowlly scan untill you first hear something, then scan further to see where to contact fades. This small arc encompassing a numer of degrees is your contact. If its close, it might describe lets say 10 degrees or more. If its far, it might describe 1-4 degrees. For the general direction of travel simplly follow the sound contact with the hydrophone. I say general direction for good reason because the contacts course depends on the angle on bow.

Good hunting!

Manock · 05-06-06, 11:39 PM

Preface this with an arrogant statement. I can figure out out to do something, thats probably how it was done.

Distance can easily be approximately plotted good enough for plotting but not firing by volume. The hydrophone operator has the most important job in the sub, & some effort would be made to find sailors who have excellent hearing & a talent for the job rather than say anyone can load a torpedo. Comparing a base line volume learned in training, and applying to live conditions can quite effectively give you distance. Thats why I dont have any problem with using the hydrophone lines on the overhead map.

However, we are not trained, that plus it doesnt sound as if the sim is all that accurate about its soundings, so we probably cannot use this sim for our own training. We will have to rely on our well trained hydrophone operator for input.

05-06-06, 02:36 AM	#1
Nachoen Nub Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 3 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Hydrophone plotting newbie question Just started playing on full realism after realising it was too easy when i could sink 12-13 ships in one run, with the help of "gods-eye" and hydrophone range markings on the navigation map But after skimming the net for tutorials on how to plot contacts with the hydrophone, im still in the dark in some areas. How do you figure out the range of a hydrophone contact? Do you have to take a reading and draw a line, change course and then take another reading to get 2 intersecting lines, and then do this all over again to get 2 points that you can calculate an estimated course and range from?

05-06-06, 09:51 AM	#2
GreyOctober Sonar Guy Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Bucharest, Romania Posts: 394 Downloads: 30 Uploads: 0	You cant plot a distance using the hydrophone. In a good day youd be able to say if the contact is close, medium or far but thats it, and its general direction of travel. Do do this, slowlly scan untill you first hear something, then scan further to see where to contact fades. This small arc encompassing a numer of degrees is your contact. If its close, it might describe lets say 10 degrees or more. If its far, it might describe 1-4 degrees. For the general direction of travel simplly follow the sound contact with the hydrophone. I say general direction for good reason because the contacts course depends on the angle on bow. Good hunting! __________________

05-06-06, 11:39 PM	#3
Manock Bosun Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 68 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Sim Limitations Preface this with an arrogant statement. I can figure out out to do something, thats probably how it was done. Distance can easily be approximately plotted good enough for plotting but not firing by volume. The hydrophone operator has the most important job in the sub, & some effort would be made to find sailors who have excellent hearing & a talent for the job rather than say anyone can load a torpedo. Comparing a base line volume learned in training, and applying to live conditions can quite effectively give you distance. Thats why I dont have any problem with using the hydrophone lines on the overhead map. However, we are not trained, that plus it doesnt sound as if the sim is all that accurate about its soundings, so we probably cannot use this sim for our own training. We will have to rely on our well trained hydrophone operator for input.