Trouble Making TGP target SPI

Hey all,

Ive been learning the ropes for the last couple of weeks; still pretty new, but getting better.

I do try to avoid making question posts, but I have been having an issue that I can't seem to find a solution to, be it in the manual, or searching online, namely because I think I am doing exactly what I am supposed to. ('I think' being the main part of that sentence.)

When wishing to employ Mavericks, I find my target in the TGP, and press TMS FWD Short to initiate point tracking. I then press TMS FWD Long to (I think) make the target SPI. I then switch to the Mav page by cycling pages with the throttle button (forget what its called), and from the Mav page press CHS FWD Long to slave to SPI. For some reason, it always goes back to the steer-point. I can't figure for the life of me why. Maybe one time in five, it will work. The rest of the time, its me flying back and forth unable to launch because I keeping dancing back and forth between TGP and MAV.

Is there an indication somewhere that I have made a new SPI? I think there is supposed to be something on the TAD, but my steer-point and target are so close that its difficult to tell if there is a new symbol on the TAD. Would there be an indication somewhere else? Does the TGP require the small square box of point-track to set SPI, or would area track work?

My thanks!

Are you making the MAV page the Sensor Of Interest (SOI) by pressing Coolie Hat (that's the throttle button you're thinking of) either Right or Left long (depending on what side MFCD you have the MAV page on)?

If not, then try that and see if the MAV then tracks to your SPI. If you don't take control of the MAV by making it the SOI, then you're basically resetting your SOI to the steerpoint (which you would see as STPT in the HUD if you do not make the MAV SOI).

Edit: You can tell which MFCD is SOI based on the green square outline around the MFCD (for either MAV or TGP).

Hmm, I'll double check, but Im pretty sure it's SOI when I try to slave it over. As I say, I'll give it another go and double check.

I was under the impression that I was doing something wrong with the TGP and not setting the SPI when I think I am. I'll know more soon!

Thanks!

Take a look at the switch tables starting on Page 88 of the A-10C Flight Manual EN. I put that into Excel and pasted them up in front of my controls. I attached the .xlsx (Excel) file but you will need to change the extension back to .xlsx.

WC

DCS A-10C Switches 20151104.txt

Is there an indication somewhere that I have made a new SPI?

There is indeed. :thumbup:

In the lower left corner of the HUD, you'll always see the current SPI generator. By default, it's STPT (Steerpoint).

If you set a new SPI generator (for example: TMS forward long with TGP as SOI), this readout should change to "TGP", and so on for all other potential SPI generators.

One additional thing, although you didn't ask about it specifically (but it took me a long while to understand this): You don't really assign a SPI (sensor point of interest), you assign a SPI generator.

E.g. with the TGP as SPI generator, the SPI is wherever the TGP looks at. So if you point the TGP at a vehicle, make the TGP SPI generator by pushing TMS forward long, and then slew the TGP over another object -- the SPI will be where the TGP looks at, but it won't be the vehicle (or object, or position) the TGP had been pointed at when you made it SPI.

The same is true for all SPI generators, of course, the TGP is just a very good example for this.

I hope this cleared some things up, but let me know if the explanation was confusing, in that case I'll try to clarify with different words. :thumbup:

Hmm, I'll double check, but Im pretty sure it's SOI when I try to slave it over. As I say, I'll give it another go and double check.

 

I was under the impression that I was doing something wrong with the TGP and not setting the SPI when I think I am. I'll know more soon!

 

Thanks!

Are you making the TGP SOI before you press TMS fwd long?

I seem to have the same problem time to time, although I am pretty sure the MAV page is SOI.

The way I got 'around' it was [ChinaHat: Aft - Short] to bring the sensors to neutral position, followed by [ChinaHat: Forward - Long] to bring it back on to the SPI.

Will check this out over the weekend though.

:joystick:

When in doubt, always to try reproduce the problem in a track (the shorter the better) and upload it here so that we can take at virtual look over your shoulders. :thumbup:

Thanks for the reply, guys! I havent yet had a chance to go back and experiment more, (the life of a shift worker...) but I did want to reply here to express my thanks and answer the questions posed to me (as best I can without having the sim in front of me).

@Wrecking Crew: Thanks very much for that! I'll be printing that out here at work!

@Yurgon: That indication in the HUD could be the thing that solves it for me. I'll be able to nail down at what point I am making a mistake. Thanks for that!!

I think I follow what you mean in your example. To clarify what I am doing, once I point the TGP at the vehicle I wish to utterly decimate, I press the TMS FWD Long so that I can slave the MAV seeker to that vehicle marked for impending doom. I do not slave the TGP anywhere else. From that point I switch to the MAV page and try to slave it to that vehicle living on borrowed time. For some reason, everything seems to instead look at the waypoint, despite the fact that the HUD was never the SOI.

@Xavven The above should also answer what you asked: I am certain that the TGP is SOI. Using my TrackIR, Ive got my virtual face pressed up against the MFD trying to pick out targets (first-world FLIR problems...), so I am certain that there is no NOT SOI indication.

@Kiezer: I have found that too, and I often find myself doing exactly what you said; bringing the Mav back to boresight before sending it to SPI.

@Yurgon again: I will try to do record a track if the problem persists. Though I may be back here asking questions about how to do that... haha Thanks again!

Thank you all for the replies. I will return!