How to make Jester stop losing lock?

Hi - so this is my classic scenario - I have STT lock on a bogey and closing. Everything going okay. At 45miles I fire a Phoenix - invariably i hear Jester doing some clicking in the back seat and he says he lost lock... every damn time.

It seems to me Jester adjusts the radar mode and thus loses the lock. Is there a way to prevent him from playing around with the radar modes when I have a perfectly good STT lock? Him losing lock means that there is no way I can do a long range Phoenix shot because he will invariably lose the lock.

Comment lease help!

Hi - so this is my classic scenario - I have STT lock on a bogey and closing. Everything going okay. At 45miles I fire a Phoenix - invariably i hear Jester doing some clicking in the back seat and he says he lost lock... every damn time.

 

It seems to me Jester adjusts the radar mode and thus loses the lock. Is there a way to prevent him from playing around with the radar modes when I have a perfectly good STT lock? Him losing lock means that there is no way I can do a long range Phoenix shot because he will invariably lose the lock.

 

Comment lease help!

Target is going defensive and notching you because you fired a missile at him. Notching is what's causing you to lose lock.

Target is going defensive and notching you because you fired a missile at him. Notching is what's causing you to lose lock.

I would agree with you but invariably the loss of lock happens at the exact same time that that Jester is playing around with the radar mode

Stay below the target and tell jester to go PSTT

Stay below the target and tell jester to go PSTT

I don't think phoenixes can be guided in pstt mode. You would go below the target to keep the target painted against the sky but flip the main lobe clutter mlc, off while still in pdstt to guide phoenixes.

Okay - thanks - that is helpful I will try to shoot the phoneix and then fly low below the target altitude!

I don't think phoenixes can be guided in pstt mode. You would go below the target to keep the target painted against the sky but flip the main lobe clutter mlc, off while still in pdstt to guide phoenixes.

Can you do it from the front seat? or will it automatically be turned off once you are at say 5 degree nose-up?

My experience as well.

He loses lock at a bugged or abnormally stupid level. I get not making him super human, but Jester is worse than having an empty backseat when it counts the most. He makes the constant vertical looping AI look like members of Mensa when it is Phoenix time.

Still won’t stop flying and recommending the Tomcat despite the bugs. It is still so amazing despite flaws that will eventually get fixed. I might need a 12 step program...

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By default Jester is set to automatically handle the radar in the manner he sees fit. Sadly, in practice this doesn't work out so well. If you fire a Phoenix in TWS radar mode, Jester is very likely to switch the radar mode to RWS, essentially trashing the shot. To prevent this command Jester to only use TWS radar mode via the Jester wheel if you want to take a TWS shot or command him to only use RWS if you want to take an STT shot.

There is an additional problem with Jester if taking STT shots. He has a high probability of switching the mode from Pulse Doppler to Pulse (PD-STT vs P-STT), and vise versa. When he does this often times the lock is broken. There is an option in the special settings for the F-14 to prevent him from automatically switching pulse modes. Be default it isn't checked. I highly recommend you check this option, and command him to use pulse when you actually want it.

 

There is an additional problem with Jester if taking STT shots. He has a high probability of switching the mode from Pulse Doppler to Pulse (PD-STT vs P-STT), and vise versa. When he does this often times the lock is broken. There is an option in the special settings for the F-14 to prevent him from automatically switching pulse modes. Be default it isn't checked. I highly recommend you check this option, and command him to use pulse when you actually want it.

Can you tell jester to switch pulse doppler to pulse in the wheel?

There is an additional problem with Jester if taking STT shots. He has a high probability of switching the mode from Pulse Doppler to Pulse (PD-STT vs P-STT), and vise versa. When he does this often times the lock is broken. There is an option in the special settings for the F-14 to prevent him from automatically switching pulse modes. Be default it isn't checked. I highly recommend you check this option, and command him to use pulse when you actually want it.

Can you tell jester to switch pulse doppler to pulse in the wheel?

Yes, see P-STT.

Can you do it from the front seat? or will it automatically be turned off once you are at say 5 degree nose-up?

Unfortunately no to the first yes to the second if mlc is in auto. The mlc switch is high left of the DDD display in the RIO seat and as far as I know, there's no control in front.

I'm not sure what pitch degree turns the mlc off though. But when mlc does turn off, you want to be nose down not up, because if the target ends up in the ground clutter, there is a high chance the radar will lose it.

Unfortunately no to the first yes to the second if mlc is in auto. The mlc switch is high left of the DDD display in the RIO seat and as far as I know, there's no control in front.

 

I'm not sure what pitch degree turns the mlc off though. But when mlc does turn off, you want to be nose down not up, because if the target ends up in the ground clutter, there is a high chance the radar will lose it.

Thanks :thumbup:

By being nose up, i meant keeping the target in a look-up state, that is above our nose :)

Honestly, I've given up on using Jester for anything other than TWS. I'll fire all my Phoenixes in TWS at 40~50nm, once I get closer to 10nm I'll use PAL/PMS (I get the two confused) to lock something myself for Sparrows or Sidewinders.

It would be nice to add "MLC OFF" to the Jester wheel or have him do it automatically (if it's possible ?)