[CANNOT REPRODUCE] Datalink help starting from ground

I set up an E-3 in a mission already in the air and when I start from the ground in the F-16, it will not show the E-3's track or other aircraft on the HSD. Only when I can pick it up on my radar will it display as a white track.

L16 is set to XMT, although not sure if that matters. MIDS is set to ON.

Same mission if I choose an aircraft in the air, the datalink works.

What am I missing from the ground? Thanks.

Follow up:

I tried it with another mission I created (E-3 airborne, F-16 starting from parking hot), and it works without toggling anything.

The mission in the first post I was referring to originally started the E-3 about 325 nm away. I take off and even when I'm within 50 miles, I can't get any friendly/enemy tracks.

Follow up to the follow up:

In the first scenario where I take off from parking hot at 325nm away, I fly up close to the AWACS and then after some time (5 minutes?) it starts displaying friendly/enemy tracks. Continuing to test...

Flying towards the E-3, it first appears on HSD at 160nm (limit of radar) as a white square.

After forming up right behind the E-3, it still displayed as a white square on HSD. Then after approx 7 min, he showed up as a green friendly track.

Not sure if any of this is helpful or if this is intended behavior.

Update: Then I break off formation with the E-3 to engage an enemy, and as soon as I point away everything falls off the Link. I then re-form up behind the E-3 and approx 7 min again, the tracks show back on the Link. I'll upload the track later on when I'm back - have to run out.

Ok, it appears to be a proximity issue and not a timing issue.

If the E-3 starts too far away, the only way to be on the Link and have tracks show on your HSD is to be within 0.4 NM of the E-3. As soon as I get farther away, it drops all links.

Track was too large to upload to the forum, so here's a link to the track:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RQyoDBY34mKplLYEoouYMjqRdJaOijtP/view?usp=sharing

Check you EHSI if there is a red INU flag which indicates INS is not aligned correctly

Yeah sounds like invalid INS alignment to me. Not seeing this issue in the current version when aligning Properly.

Thanks for the responses. I am starting the mission from the ramp hot - aircraft is already on and INS is aligned. I see no red flags, and I verify the LAT LONG from the F10 map. I also ensured the INS was back in NAV mode. I also selected both LAT and LONG and pressed ENT within 2 min of starting.

I uploaded the mission I'm using (select the F-16 that starts on the ground).

What happens is, I do/verify those steps and I see the E-3 on the link as a green circle. Then I get airborne and after a few minutes, they all drop again. I'm sure it's user error.. but I'm just not sure what I am doing wrong or not doing correctly.

HVAA escort.miz

Be advised that the Training Mission for start up procedure, the corresponding youtube video AND the flight manual do not show those steps.

Ahh, well good thing I found this thread. I wasn't getting the datalink to work AT ALL. I had no idea you were supposed to select LAT and LONG and press ENT when doing the ILS alignment. When I did that everything worked just fine!

AND the flight manual do not show those steps.

Just thought I'd share an update on this as I could never get the datalink to work in that mission I created.

I created that mission under 2.5.6.43453 Open Beta (released 13 Feb).

Well, I created from scratch the exact same thing under the new 2.5.6.43872 Open Beta (released 20 Feb) and it works now.

I also tried just deleting the AWACS and recreating it from the last open beta, but that didn't work. It would appear you would have to create a new mission from scratch if you did so under the 13 Feb OB version.