Radar

[Berserker]

Is there a way to shut down sd and sj radar?? One at a time without shutting down both..

[propbeanie]

In Stock, no. SD is always on, unless you are underwater below RD (PD with mods), and if you have SJ, it turns on automatically when you surface - but there is a reason for that... waves...

In FotRSU, instead of an up / down for the SD, we use On / Off, so that you can approach any place, but especially home, and not be interrupted with "Radar contact..." That also helps if you are trying to "stealth" your way somewhere after dark. The SJ still turns on automatically when surfacing or at RD, but the reason being you do want it to come back on if a wave washes over it. But you can turn it of separately from the SD.

No matter the mod set, or Stock, always consult your SH4_Q-Ref_Card_Back.jpg and SH4_Q-Ref_Card_Front.jpg images in the game's root folder for the key combinations for both (and other stuff, of course).

[KaleunMarco]

Originally Posted by propbeanie

In Stock, no. SD is always on, unless you are underwater below RD (PD with mods), and if you have SJ, it turns on automatically when you surface - but there is a reason for that... waves...

In FotRSU, instead of an up / down for the SD, we use On / Off, so that you can approach any place, but especially home, and not be interrupted with "Radar contact..." That also helps if you are trying to "stealth" your way somewhere after dark. The SJ still turns on automatically when surfacing or at RD, but the reason being you do want it to come back on if a wave washes over it. But you can turn it of separately from the SD.

No matter the mod set, or Stock, always consult your SH4_Q-Ref_Card_Back.jpg and SH4_Q-Ref_Card_Front.jpg images in the game's root folder for the key combinations for both (and other stuff, of course).

while we are on the subject of Radar, why is it that in non-clear weather that Radar performs no better than Visual detection?
i have encountered numerous times, when the weather is between clear and rainy (light fog?), where a first contact with the enemy is well within the detection range of Radar...like range of 4000 yds. Much too close for an initial contact.

Radar should have picked up that contact much further out than 4000 yds.

is this lack of detection by Radar a game option or another example of Ubi design ineptitude?

[Macgregor the Hammer]

Originally Posted by KaleunMarco

while we are on the subject of Radar, why is it that in non-clear weather that Radar performs no better than Visual detection?
i have encountered numerous times, when the weather is between clear and rainy (light fog?), where a first contact with the enemy is well within the detection range of Radar...like range of 4000 yds. Much too close for an initial contact.

Radar should have picked up that contact much further out than 4000 yds.

is this lack of detection by Radar a game option or another example of Ubi design ineptitude?

Water (rain) & fog are excellent radar energy attenuators! A basic radar set doesn't have the power or the means to adjust for weather. Modern radars adjust frequency, change pulse repetition frequency and power when certain conditions appear in the returning signal. Newer radars can 'burn through atmospheric interference. Without computer controls, it's kind of crap shoot on what you're going get with the return signal.

The SJ radar used a very rudimentary magnatron for the output. The Brits invented the magnatron in the mid-thirties. The SJ set operated in the 2cm (4 Ghz) which is much better than the German sets which operated from 200-600 Mhz. Microwave is highly focused with very low dispersion. It was very high tech for it's day.
I think the radar model, which was tweeked by CapnScurvy is pretty close to real life.

I worked on fire control and navigation radar for the A-6 and F-4 in the Marines.

[KaleunMarco]

Originally Posted by Macgregor the Hammer

Water (rain) & fog are excellent radar energy attenuators! A basic radar set doesn't have the power or the means to adjust for weather. Modern radars adjust frequency, change pulse repetition frequency and power when certain conditions appear in the returning signal. Newer radars can 'burn through atmospheric interference. Without computer controls, it's kind of crap shoot on what you're going get with the return signal.

The SJ radar used a very rudimentary magnatron for the output. The Brits invented the magnatron in the mid-thirties. The SJ set operated in the 2cm (4 Ghz) which is much better than the German sets which operated from 200-600 Mhz. Microwave is highly focused with very low dispersion. It was very high tech for it's day.
I think the radar model, which was tweeked by CapnScurvy is pretty close to real life.

I worked on fire control and navigation radar for the A-6 and F-4 in the Marines.

so, the SJ performance that i experienced is normal for WWII?

i thought that radar could perform regardless of the weather, even in WWII.

[Macgregor the Hammer]

Originally Posted by KaleunMarco

so, the SJ performance that i experienced is normal for WWII?

i thought that radar could perform regardless of the weather, even in WWII.

Even today, heavy snow, rain and fog wreaks havoc on radar performance. That being said, not detecting a target until it's at 4000 yds. is rather strange. The radar antenna is not that high on the mast and if the boat is pitching in rough seas, yet another problem

The questions that come to mind:

Are you depending on your radar operator or interpreting the sweep yourself?

Are you using the PPI or A scope? Once you know what to look for, the A scope can give you much more accurate data. You can manually sweep the antenna using the home/end keys to zero in on a 'tent' in the weeds. I always wished SH included a J scope display. Much easier to interpret and very accurate. I guess radar is not radar unless you have the circular sweep.

Here's and apples to apples with the German sets:

SJ SJ-1 Characteristics:
Range: Varies with target: SJ ~8 miles SJ-1 ~12 miles
Peak Output Power: SJ 20Kw SJ-1 50Kw
The average expected error in range measurement: +/- 15 yards plus 0.1% range to +/- 40 yds
The average expected error in bearing measurement: is from +/- 2 to +/- 4 mils (+/- 1/10 degree to +/- 1/5 degree)


FuMO 30 Submarine Surface Search Characteristics:
Frequency: 368Mhz
Range: 6-8KM
Average Bearing Error: 100m
Accuracy: +-5 degrees.