Radar Useage 1944+

[silentwayIII]

Although my submarine is equipped with a radar set, when is advisable to use it? I'm concerned about my radar signal being picked up, but at the same time, I've had several very narrow escapes from aircraft that were not using radar, or their sets were turned off and they got awfully close to me before they were spotted.

Currently, I always turn my radar set off. If I were to leave it on, and something was picked up in the distance, does the radioman notify me or not? The late war radar detector works fine and usually there is ample time to dive, but, I'm concerned about the aircraft who don't have theirs on.

I thank you in advance for your help.

[Letum]

I only use radar in fog.

What TC do you cruise at? High TC may explain why aircraft are only spotted when they are close.

[silentwayIII]

I only travel at 128 max...at night. Daylight 64 max. I tried using the radar after a save. Got an aircraft warning from my radioman..long range. The aircraft (2 fighters) were only about 10k away when I got the warning.

Ironically, it was the same time that the aircraft were spotted by my conning tower crew.

Seems that the range is very short for the radar!

[Mooncatt]

ive only had the pleasure of having radar once and that was because i started a career in 1944!!!! i used it when the weather was bad i.e fog other than that i turn it off leave it on you may as well paint your sub bright pink with yellow spots and have a mass party on board to make as much noise as possible.

[Keelbuster]

I've never had a use for radar. When I've tried it it's about a 15 degree cone off the front of the boat, which is almost useless - like a spotlight. Even when I've known there's been a ship out there, it's never given me info that a hydrophone check couldn't. And I'm not big on cruising around the atlantic with a electromagnetic loudspeaker on. I do subscribe to active sonar, for lone merchants, or merchant-only convoys. A couple of pings beats fumbling around with the stadimeter and rec manual.

Kb

[melnibonian]

Radar can be really useful especially in bad weather conditions. Be really careful though if you are close to enemy ships as they can detect you via your electromagnetic signals.

[Keelbuster]

Originally Posted by melnibonian

Radar can be really useful especially in bad weather conditions.

Really? It's just as easy to shadow the convoy via hydrophone with a rough course estimate. And, you can't really attack in bad weather anyway so there's no need to pull in exact information about target position. I don't know of one reason that you _have_ to use radar. I guess, if you are in good weather, looking for a single merchant contact, you might as well throw on the radar to help hasten visual contact.

Now wait - I guess, if you have 'Update Map Contacts' on, then a radar contact gives you exact course information for your target. This is something that the hydrophone doesn't do. As far as I remember, without update map contacts, you just get bearing/range info from radar. So - I guess the utility of radar may depend on your difficulty settings.

[melnibonian]

Originally Posted by Keelbuster

Really? It's just as easy to shadow the convoy via hydrophone with a rough course estimate. And, you can't really attack in bad weather anyway so there's no need to pull in exact information about target position. I don't know of one reason that you _have_ to use radar. I guess, if you are in good weather, looking for a single merchant contact, you might as well throw on the radar to help hasten visual contact.

Now wait - I guess, if you have 'Update Map Contacts' on, then a radar contact gives you exact course information for your target. This is something that the hydrophone doesn't do. As far as I remember, without update map contacts, you just get bearing/range info from radar. So - I guess the utility of radar may depend on your difficulty settings.

I totally agree with you on this one. With respect to bad weather the use of radar helps you either to avoid the targets or to position yourself in their path and fire from really short distances. It's true also that if you have the update map contacts your life becomes much more simple. The use of hydrophones to follow a convoy or a target is much better than the radar but there is a significant problem. Enemy Destroyers can pick you up in their hydrophones from large distances. That means that you cannot travel fast underwater and targets tend to move away from you.

[Puster Bill]

Originally Posted by Keelbuster

Really? It's just as easy to shadow the convoy via hydrophone with a rough course estimate. And, you can't really attack in bad weather anyway so there's no need to pull in exact information about target position. I don't know of one reason that you _have_ to use radar. I guess, if you are in good weather, looking for a single merchant contact, you might as well throw on the radar to help hasten visual contact.

Now wait - I guess, if you have 'Update Map Contacts' on, then a radar contact gives you exact course information for your target. This is something that the hydrophone doesn't do. As far as I remember, without update map contacts, you just get bearing/range info from radar. So - I guess the utility of radar may depend on your difficulty settings.

Even with the difficulty set at 100%, (ie., no "Update Map Contacts"), you can manually plot the range and bearing from the radar operator on a 'maneuvering board', or similar polar plot-type of sheet. Heck, you could do it with a protractor and ruler on blank paper, if you *HAD* to.

More than one plot will give you course and speed information. It's kind of nice to have that, it makes figuring the AOB easier if you know your course and his course. You can even just lay a protractor down on the paper (you did save your protractor from school, right?) and do it that way.

I even do it that way for visual targets: I get the range (either myself through the periscope, or from the WO). I plot them on the board, and go from there. Usually works fine until they zig-zag, but even then they are on the same base course. Occasionally, you will be plotting them and they do a pre-programmed course change, which screws you up, but that is rare.

You could probably do the same thing with the hydrophones if you did a blade-rate count. Knowing the speed and the two (or more) bearings, you could work out the range to a single target if you are pretty much stationary (like 1 knot). Becomes iffy for a convoy (too many targets), although I suppose if you could hear the lead or trailing escort you could do it.