[CANNOT REPRODUCE]HSEL AUTOPILOT

Has the functionality change recently because im struggling to get this working now. Selecting the desired heading with the HSEL bug and then activating HSEL autopilot has no effect. Please find attached track.

Bug HSEL AUTOPILOT.trk

I also wondered whether I'm doing something wrong...

I'm not sure if it is required... but I did successfully use it on Sunday when I had both BALT and HSEL selected.

Deadzone ?

It works just as I am used to. I never use it without altitude hold though, so maybe that's a thing.

I've never been able to get HSEL to work under any circumstance. Alas, all the autopilot modes seem flakey at best... often try use BALT and RALT (and I am familiar with the tip re: no stick input) and they activate maybe 30% of the time, or worse, activate with a slight descent that doesn't inspire confidence while head down working the t pod or other instruments.

I've never been able to get HSEL to work under any circumstance. Alas, all the autopilot modes seem flakey at best... often try use BALT and RALT (and I am familiar with the tip re: no stick input) and they activate maybe 30% of the time, or worse, activate with a slight descent that doesn't inspire confidence while head down working the t pod or other instruments.

I followed some threads about this and had it with my first joystick and the F-15's AP.

It has always been a deadzone issue. Even if it was a very small deflection. Since I now have a HOTAS with perfect center I didn't encounter any AP problems.

To test if this is your problem too, disconnect your HOTAS, fly with keys and engage AP modes. You wouldn't have any problems if the above is true for you.

Odd as I use HSel AP all the time in the 18 without issue. I haven't combined it with any other modes just HSel by itself so I'm never at a set altitude but normally am anywhere from slightly nose high above the artificial horizon to 15 degrees nose up.

Odd as I use HSel AP all the time in the 18 without issue. I haven't combined it with any other modes just HSel by itself so I'm never at a set altitude but normally am anywhere from slightly nose high above the artificial horizon to 15 degrees nose up.

Congrats to your HOTAS. Here the same since I got a better one (than my first).

Congrats to your HOTAS. Here the same since I got a better one (than my first).

Well I wouldn't say it has to be a dead zone issue as even when HSel is active I can add in input pitch down to adjust my attitude to maintain airspeed without disabling HSel. If I enter too large of an input yes it will break out of AP but unless that is a really bad pot on the HOTAS I wouldn't limit it to just that.

Well I wouldn't say it has to be a dead zone issue as even when HSel is active I can add in input pitch down to adjust my attitude to maintain airspeed without disabling HSel. If I enter too large of an input yes it will break out of AP but unless that is a really bad pot on the HOTAS I wouldn't limit it to just that.

Agreed. Can you add input (other than pitch) to disengage the HSEL mode?

EDIT: Can we assume that the HOTAS is involved in this issue if AP does not disengae without HOTAS connected (for a test period)?

Agreed. Can you add input (other than pitch) to disengage the HSEL mode?

Haven't tried a roll or yaw input with HSel on so cannot say myself.

EDIT: Can we assume that the HOTAS is involved in this issue if AP does not disengae without HOTAS connected (for a test period)?

Well HOTAS or a configuration issue with the HOTAS would seem logical.

OK...the problem for me was increasing my deadzone on the warthog. I had it at 1, but increasing the value to 2 seem to make the difference. Overly sensitive if you ask me. Suggestion to the devs would be to increase the amount of stick movement required to exit HSEL.

OK...the problem for me was increasing my deadzone on the warthog. I had it at 1, but increasing the value to 2 seem to make the difference. Overly sensitive if you ask me. Suggestion to the devs would be to increase the amount of stick movement required to exit HSEL.

Exactly. I found it too sensitive in the F-15 and imho it is too sensitive in the Hornet. Some guys also see a very small degradation of the stick's center position with time and suddenly getting this AP issue.

And larger deadzones are not a good solution caus they don't feel real and sure not good.

So I asked for a less sensitive implementation of AP. And I ask for it now again. I hope ED listens.

The problem is: people with a good stick center don't even know this issue. The others can't use AP the way they should or at all. And larger deadzones are a pain for realistic and precise sim flying.

I think I've got a 1º deadzone in my warthog now - have been reluctant to go much higher; as others here have said, I don't want to degrade sensitivity in other areas of flying.

Is this something that can be solved in the TARGET software? Like a calibration or something to achieve a perfect center on the hall effect sensors?

I find the autopilot on the F-16 works exactly as I expect an autopilot should. Still wondering why HSEL is nonexistent for me, deadzone or not.

ok, I've got a strange thing to add, caus after a short while off from DCS I reviewed this issue in a Hornet with the newest stable version and found:

my HSEL AP mode does not disengage even if I pull/push almost have the axis nor does it disengage if I do 25%+ ailerons(*) or full rudder left or right.

(*)EDIT: rechecked again and the HSEL does't disengage at all(!!!) because of aileron input. Just if you exceed a certain bank angle. If you don't, you can play around with aileron like crazy and HSEL stays on.

weird...

(BALT still is sensitive to pull/push inputs. but it seems ok.)

is it possible that some sticks have peaks of deflection to any direction that the red axis-indicator-window does not show? but why should a deadzone be able to eliminate those?

:huh:

I actually can do infinite, medium circles with the stick and HSEL stays on. Have to correct my own initial post.

HSEL isn't working anymore for me either. It worked absolutly fine half a year ago, but recently it stopped working. I just can't engage it anymore.

Hmm, that's how I try to use it (and used it successfully in the past). Only difference is that I usally engage altitude hold before engaging HSEL, but that shouldn't be an issue?

Hmm, I guess I have to do some more testing on my side then.