TGP Laser Coordinate Marking INOP?

Cannot get the TGP laser to provide a coordinate. It has been over a year since flew the A-10C, but I cannot figure this out now. This worked great before.

 

Followed steps on several tutorials. TGP SOI, laser on, "L" flashes while marking coordinate. Location result is same as without using laser.

 

Laser marking INOP; or, what am I missing? Thanks.

Followed steps on several tutorials. TGP SOI, laser on, "L" flashes while marking coordinate. Location result is same as without using laser.

 

Okay. And... what's wrong with that?

Clarification

 

Yurgon,

 

Guess I wasn't clear enough.

 

Trying to lase a building. The TGP shows the ground coordinate behind the building. Lasing, the coordinate does not change.

 

Can you lase a building and get a different coordinate than originally shown by the TGP?

Is the designator for the TGP on the building? Do you have the TGP in Point-Track mode, locked on the building when you lase and then set the mark point? As far as I know, using the laser when setting a markpoint only gets the range to target a little more dialed in. If you have the TGP pointed at the ground behind the building, the laser is going to do its range-finding to the ground behind the building.

Trying to lase a building. The TGP shows the ground coordinate behind the building. Lasing, the coordinate does not change.

 

Can you lase a building and get a different coordinate than originally shown by the TGP?

 

Okay, I see. As I understand it, you're right, lasing a building (roof) should give coords slightly different from unlased TGP LOS ground intersection. Then again, maybe the building is already "known" to the elevation database and the spot is already on the building in the first place?

 

Might be worth setting markpoints and also creating new waypoints manually from the coords shown in the TGP, in order to figure out what exactly happens in this case.

Updated problem with images

 

Image 1 shows the TGP at the base of the building. Image 2 shows the same face location of the building except at the top. Image 3 shows a long range view of the building.

 

Notice TGP in point mode, easily within range, and laser on when latch the laser.

 

The coordinates of image 1 and 2 (base of the building and top) should be the same with the altitude different by about 180 feet. Can view the coordinates in the images.

 

I remember when flew over a year ago that toggling the laser on immediately showed the change in the TGP coordinate.

 

The TGP point at the top of the building is reporting the coordinate to the slant point which is behind the building, approximately 210 meters away. Also, both points are showing elevation of 16 feet.

 

Could someone please try their laser and see if it is working for ranging?

Do you think it could be different on other maps (especially third parties)?

Update with video linked - worked in past

 

This video

by ExcessiveHeadspace at the 8 minute mark shows TGP laser employment. Can clearly see the TGP coordinate change when lased as well as having the mark point with a different coordinate from the lasing.

 

Can someone confirm or deny that the laser is ranging?

 

1. If you can confirm working, then it is something I am doing wrong.

 

2. If can confirm not working, then how do we get this bug reported?

Forget about the Laser.

The TGP is nativly a camera system. Combined with a Computer which makes the calculation from the Point your A/C actually is and where you are looking to via TGP (vactor/range).

 

So you are in Point mode. Point mode was designed to track moving targets by following a point. Here you are targeting a cirtain point on the ground. In your case the ground through and behind the building.

Area Mode will not look for a point. It will stay in the wider area around your view axis....

Okay, finally found the time to test this myself.

 

At first I tried to lase random buildings in Tbilisi and it turns out they pretty much don't exist as far as the TGP is concerned. The TGP just kept looking straight through the buildings and the target elevation never changed, regardless whether I was lasing or not (more precisely: the elevation sometimes changed by 1 or 2 ft, but did not account for height of buildings).

 

Then I placed a few static objects, and these behaved as one would expect: without lasing, the elevation was like on the surrounding ground, but with laser active, elevation and coords both changed, just like in ExcessiveHeadspace's brilliant video that was linked above.

 

Finally, I tested this in the SoH map, and it turns out even landmark buildings like the Burj Khalifa and the Burj Al Arab don't exist as far as the TGP is concerned (I went as close as 2 NM to make sure I wasn't out of range).

 

Long story short, with objects placed by the mission designer, everything seems okay, but with objects that are part of the maps, they don't seem to exist from the TGP's point of view. But I don't know if this is new, or if it's always been like that (not one to engage many buildings myself :smartass:).

Issue Resolved *****

 

Yurgon -- you are an Ace. Thanks.

 

Just tried with static objects. Laser works as expected and as you reported. Nothing else is detected.

 

Resolves my issue. Though disappointing that the laser doesn't actually work map wide.

 

That would seem to indicate that the only targets DCS wants us to engage are static objects.

 

I on the other hand like to fly around and see if I can hit random objects. Gives me a better understanding of the systems.

I was having issues with this in the Operation Piercing Fury campaign where targets are placed on top of buildings. Lasing AAA units on the roof still put the mark point on the ground beyond the building.

That would seem to indicate that the only targets DCS wants us to engage are static objects.

 

I assume it's either an engine limitation, or a decision based on performance.

 

And I think by far the most common scenario is to place active objects (tanks, SAMs, trucks, you name it) for players to engage. Or to put it differently: Since I've flown the A-10C, I never even noticed the TGP doesn't take map buildings into account. ;)