2.5 - TACAN

Hi,

In 2.5, I can tune a TACAN, but only get ident. I don't get DME or bearing information.

I tried to tune the TACAN at Kutasi (67X).

Used 31X Friday night successfully. If going from an air start sometimes it takes a little bit to start tracking radials/DME after the ident comes in but I have never had it not work.

Are you set in TACAN and T/R? There is no DME with Mode Switch in DF mode or with the TACAN control switch set to REC.

This got me a couple times early on.

'Gimp

TACAN is broken since I was started flying F-5 in NTTR, I told this couple of times on this forum. It randomly stops working and freezes. Then re-tune it and it starts working.

In the past I reported this issue, they asked me to send .trk file and I did, they said they will track this issue.

Yesterday I was flying F-5 in Caucaus following TACAN 67X, I saw that it froze at 75NM, I quickly reset it and suddenly saw that I was already 45NM. F-5 TACAN is currently broken and not reliable. Please solve this...

Same thing happened to me the other day. Was tuned to 67X in TR. Froze at 75nm with bearing pointer pointing West. I started flying towards the actual TACAN location and noted it wasn’t coming back after several minutes. I cycled from TR to OFF then back and it started showing correct bearing and distance to TACAN.

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Hi,

 

In 2.5, I can tune a TACAN, but only get ident. I don't get DME or bearing information.

 

I tried to tune the TACAN at Kutasi (67X).

It doesn’t immediately work. When you select TR with the station selected you’ll get the audible ID several times before it starts to show bearing and distance on the HSI.

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I can confirm that TACAN in 2.5 randomly freezes on HSI, you have to switch It off and again on to unfreeze It. It is a bug.

Yep, same here.

Same here too... :(

Experiencing the same trouble for several months.

Happened 3 or 4 times last night in Open Beta 2.5.3.21235 Caucasus and Nevada Maps during a 3hr session testing the NS430.

The HSI TACAN distance stopped working (I was flying towards the beacon and the distance stopped decreasing) after 10-20 minutes flight in the Caucasus (Tbilisi) and Nevada (Tonopah Test Range) theaters.

The TACAN ID continued to play but I can't be certain the radial/course deviation continued to work/update.

Once I recognised the distance was wildly incorrect (i.e. 10-30 nm), turning TACAN off and then back to T/R, immediately corrected HSI distance, bearing and course deviation.

Happened 3 or 4 times last night in Open Beta 2.5.3.21235 Caucasus and Nevada Maps during a 3hr session testing the NS430.

 

The HSI TACAN distance stopped working (I was flying towards the beacon and the distance stopped decreasing) after 10-20 minutes flight in the Caucasus (Tbilisi) and Nevada (Tonopah Test Range) theaters.

 

The TACAN ID continued to play but I can't be certain the radial/course deviation continued to work/update.

 

Once I recognised the distance was wildly incorrect (i.e. 10-30 nm), turning TACAN off and then back to T/R, immediately corrected HSI distance, bearing and course deviation.

Yep I had this same exact thing happen to me on Caucasus.

Please someone add a log file to help the devs... TACAN Is the primary f-5 navigation device, It should be fixed ASAP...

Here's a video of the bug.

And a link to the track file:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/yio0rvuz4m0dvni/F-5E%20TACAN%20Bug%2C%202_5_3_21235%2C%20LastMissionTrack.trk?dl=0

Unfortunately, the F-5E crashes before reaching the dam (tried x3 and x1 speeds) but perhaps there's something useful in it.

With regards to Kutaisi TACAN 44X and the track,

• Mission start was 06:20

• it was detected at startup/takeoff,

• lost upon entering the valleys,

• detected 90 nm away after the WPT 7 attack run (Nalchik side of the Caucasus range (07:01) - which is a DCS issue and not module specific ?)

• lost again on entering the valleys near WPT 8

After this point, the track deviates from the live flight and the F-5E crashes into the ground.

In the live flight, I crossed the mountain range and picked up the TACAN signal near the dam at approx 07:17 as shown in the video.

07:17 TACAN is detected nearing the dam @ 40 nm (Morse ID plays)

 

07:18 Approx a minute later the HSI needle and course deviation jump as if the signal was lost for a moment. Distance is frozen at 37 nm.

 

At 32 nm on the GPS, it's clear the TACAN is not updating (Morse ID is still playing).

 

07:19 I turn the TACAN off and on, distance correctly displays 28 nm, course deviation and bearing also work for the rest of the flight i.e. approach and landing.

EDIT:

Playing the track at x3 and taking control at WPT 8 / 07:05, allowes the bug to be reproduced by following the flight plan / valleys and overflying the dam.

The HSI needle and course deviation again jumped as if the signal was lost for a moment at 37 nm.

• Adjusting the HSI course setting showed that although TACAN distance was not updating, course deviation continued to work.

I have also filled 2 bug reports about F-5E TACAN issues. No response from devs, no fix either...

I have also filled 2 bug reports about F-5E TACAN issues. No response from devs, no fix either...

TACAN line of sight signal loss and phantom long range reception is DCS related, rather than module specific.

However, the F-5E seems to have a problem dealing with these events in 2.5.x

Flying the same mission in Razbam's M-2000C, it also had distant phantom signals near Nalchik and lost the TACAN signal after passing over the dam (it seems the small hill blocks the signal if you fly to the right of it).

However, the signal loss was momentary (20 sec), and no action was needed for the HSI TACAN needle and distance to resume working.

The most obvious difference to the F-5E's behaviour were the HSI flags and covered distance counter.

Tested in DCS Open Beta 2.5.3.21235

A very similar bug appears with the F/A-18C Hornet.

Simplifying the mission to a single aircraft at Batumi and the Stennis (TACAN 71X) sailing north @ 20 knots, I replicated a Tacan update bug for ED's A-10C, F/A-18C and BST's F-5E - so this effects multiple modules.

TACAN update BUG occurred at the same time and distance (10:25, 311°M/34.1nm) for

• Cold starts as long as fast forward was x4 or less

• Hot starts ? (had NOBUG tests but that may have been down to too high fast forward speed during tests)

• There was a test where F-5E distance stopped at 34nm but the bearing to the Stennis @ 327°T/76nm was correct - so the F-5E bug may not be an exact copy of the F/A-18C HSI info.

• At 20 knots, the distance to the Stennis increases 1 nm every 3 minutes.

There was NOBUG for

• a static TACAN i.e. X16 at Batumi, so it seems the TACAN must be updating

• fast forward speeds greater than x4 i.e. x7

• Razbam's AV-8B or M-2000C

At x4 each track takes approx 15 min to play.

Tested in DCS 2.5.3.22176

A lot of useful informations for the devs, I think...

At least now we know the TACAN-freeze bug is not only f-5 related.

Maybe less noticeable in the a-10c since the a-10 is provided with more sophisticated navigation devices than TACAN, while this is not the case in the f-5.

Nevertheless, today the bug is still present.

Tried a cold start in Creech and navigate through TACAN towards Groom Lake, something was visually wrong in my route and f10 map confirmed it, so I switched TACAN off then on again, and I had my set route suddenly on my back: TACAN has freezed and I did not realize it.

A long time known bug, is it possible to have a hint from the devs?

"We are aware you have to wait" could be enough, just to know it, so we can put our hearts in peace.

Yesterday night I tried to fly some F-5 in Caucaus just for fun and tried to navigate only by instruments. TACAN did not work at all for Maykop 34X.

I have also tried ADF navigation to some other NDBs. Nothing worked... I checked tutorials again, I couldn't be failing to tune the aircraft because in past I used both TACAN and ADF a lot in F5.

I do not know why devs do not solve this issue which is ongoing for so long time. I think it is a very critical issue.

Yesterday night I tried to fly some F-5 in Caucaus just for fun and tried to navigate only by instruments. TACAN did not work at all for Maykop 34X.

 

 

I have also tried ADF navigation to some other NDBs. Nothing worked... I checked tutorials again, I couldn't be failing to tune the aircraft because in past I used both TACAN and ADF a lot in F5.

 

 

 

I do not know why devs do not solve this issue which is ongoing for so long time. I think it is a very critical issue.

But, Maykop doesn't have a TACAN station!

TACAN did not work at all for Maykop 34X.

Maykop has a RSBN beacon that transmits on channel 34, while the Russian system is similar, it is not compatible with TACAN.

Ah okay then, it was my mistake. I didn't know that since F10 map shows that channel, I tried to tune.

Maykop has a RSBN beacon that transmits on channel 34, while the Russian system is similar, it is not compatible with TACAN.