Estimated ranges and speeds

[Rangoon]

I've read some numbers about estimated ranges and speeds, but now I'm thinking there are some problems with the following ranges:

Short: 0-1km
Medium: 1-3km
Long: 3-15km (edit)

The problem is that my hydrophone operator is telling me a ship is medium range. But when I check through the periscope he is over 6km away - this is confirmed by asking the Weapons Officer. My range estimate from mast height was 6600 and his was 6400. The Hydrophone said Medium, so obviously this is more than a little bit off.

I'm using GWX 3.0. What are the real numbers? And/or are they different from Hydrophone vs. Visual? Or does it have to do with the efficiency in the Sonar/Radio room affecting accuracy?

Also, here are the speeds I saw:

Slow: 1-6kts
Medium: 7-14kts
Fast: 15-24kts
Very Fast: 25+kts

Sound about right?
Thanks!

[KL-alfman]

you are right, range-description given by the sonar-man is not very accurate, it differs greatly ......
regarding the speed:
I think 7knots are considered "slow", too.
up from 8knots the sonar-man tells me: "medium" or "mittel-schnell".

[Rebel]

I use the = hi bow= med bow= low bow and the lines on the pear . I play at 100% all files at true

[Rangoon]

Originally Posted by KL-alfman

you are right, range-description given by the sonar-man is not very accurate, it differs greatly ......
regarding the speed:
I think 7knots are considered "slow", too.
up from 8knots the sonar-man tells me: "medium" or "mittel-schnell".

I wonder if efficiency/experience affect the accuracy then. I mean I can't blame him for getting range wrong...it seems like more of an art than a science, but still.

Originally Posted by Rebel

I use the = hi bow= med bow= low bow and the lines on the pear .

Can you explain this in newb terms? Forgive me...

Does this refer to detecting range with the hydrophone somehow? I assume it refers to visual ranging. The pear is probably the mast measuring tool in the notebook? As I said, I know my range was within 200 meters of the 'cheat' method asking the Weapons Officer for confirmation (hey it's always good to get a second opinion, right? ) The discrepancy was with the hydrophone operator, by more than 3000 meters (according to my understanding of the terms). What does the hi/med/low bow mean?

Thanks!

[Pisces]

The answers are in a specific file:

SilentHunterIII_folder\data\Cfg\contacts.cfg

As you will see the definitions of medium-range and long-range are quite wide (respectively 1 to 8km and 8 to 16km). Any distance within those ranges are just medium or long. So the hydrophone operator simply cannot give an accurate reading. His hearing ability must be in how early or far away he can detect a hydro contact.

Same goes for speeds. The speed is given as a speed-range. (don't get confused with the above 'range') Slow is defined in that file to be between 0.1 and 8 knots. HOWEVER, I have accurately tracked merchants over longer time that went a bit slower than 8 knots (7.5) but were still reported as medium speed. So I suspect the actual set speed in the campaign files, or whatever the speed becomes due to bad weather, it is first rounded (up) before it is applied to those speed ranges. I have never seen merchants with speeds slower than 7.5 become reported as medium. So a speed of 7.6 knots would become 8 knots rounded up and then becomes medium speed. I haven't come across many merchants or convoys that do 12 knots so I can't be sure it holds up for 11.5 knots aswel. But I'm pretty sure it does.

[edit] just though of something. maybe the ranges are first subjected to a round-off operation aswel. I never gave it much thought to compare the watch-officers given range with the distance label.