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[Plowshare]

First off, this is about 4.12.2 SAS ModAct 5.3 heavily modded.

Can someone tell me what the point is of the in-game command Tab / 9. Ground Control / 7. Request Weather? All I get is ground control saying, "Zero. Good Luck," in whatever weather I'm flying in and whatever language I'm supposed to be speaking.

Also, I noticed when there is a carrier in the game and I hit the Tab key the main menu comes up with a HUD message, under the main menu, that says :

"Ships YE & NDB info:
ID: AM USS Lexington CV2 (KBF/WNH/AUO/CGZ"

Can someone decipher what this information is for a carrier's beacon and how can I make use of this?

Thanks in advance.

Bob

[kukulo]

Hi


Every american carrier in game has its own ID (same for british carreirs). Those numbers (KBF/WNH/AUO/CGZ for Lexington for example) you need write into "cake". Here is example of "cake" with writen letters:


These letters coming from carrier in morse codes. If you do not know morse codes, you need activate morse codes "translating" on you HUD. Go to Misc settings in your game. In "General" bookmark you need activate "Enable Morse Chat Messages". Than go to "HUD" bookmark and enable "Show Morse as Text". And for sure go to "Server" bookmark and enable "Allow Morse as Text Online".

You need map some keys. Yo go to Controls and map keys for "Next beacon" and "Previous Beacon".


Example. You are in Swordfish. You hit "Tab" key. There is Iluustrious with these combinations: DVB/PWR/HKS/FCX. You need write these into "cake".
Than use "Next beacon" and "Previous beacon" to get morse codes for Illustrious carrier. If you are in range, you get letter in morse text. Example:


YOu need look on you "cake" with letters. Carrier is in the midlle. "S" letter is your position to carrier. So you need fly to opposite letter in you "cake" to find carrier. So you get letter "S" this mean you need fly direction "B" between 60 and 90 degrees ------> 75 degrees.

If you get "SK" letters in same time you need fly exactly 60 degrees to carrier.

Ship is sending its ID too. These are informations from "tab" key: "ID: AM USS Lexington CV2 (KBF/WNH/AUO/CGZ). If you get "AM" letters, this mean that Lexington is sending its ID. YOu can not find it in your "cake" -------> (KBF/WNH/AUO/CGZ).


Well, my english is not best. But hope you can understand. All you need is set keys in controls, than enable Morse messages on HUD in needed game settings and you need "cake" without letters. When you hit "Tab" key in game you will see codes for carrier (for example"KBF/WNH/AUO/CGZ") than write them to "cake", enable morse messages on HUD with "next/previous beacon", find needed letter in "cake" and go to opposite course.


Every US/RN carrier has different codes.

[SAS~Malone]

also, this feature is part of stock 4.12.2, and has nothing to do with Modact 5.3 itself

[Plowshare]

kukulo:

So, let me get this into my head. The letters start at the top in the first space east of north (NNE) then continue clockwise. Is this correct?

Does each carrier always keep its own "cake" letters? Could I copy down on "cakes" the letters for all the carriers then keep them on file and pull the relevant one when I needed it?

If this is right then I think I've got it and this will add another dimension to the game - navigating without the onscreen map.

A couple more questions come to mind:

Is there a distance factor to this? Can I get too far away for a ship to signal me?

Does this work for all aircraft such as my trusty F4U-1A Corsair or my P-51 Mustang (yes I have landed on a carrier and lived to tell about it!) among others?

Ever since beacons came out I've had keys to use to scroll through them. I never used the beacons but I liked the way the morse faded in and out and felt it added to the immersion. Maybe now I'll get some real use out of it.

Thanks for the help.

Bob

[Kopfdorfer]

Hey Plowshare,

                      The info you are looking for is in the v4.10 manual , pages 28-35.
                      According to this ( I am not an expert) the code allocations were changed daily for security purposes - I don't know
                     whether the game actually does this , or each carrier has been permanently assigned ZB/YE designations.
                     Also according to this , the effective range was 40-70 miles dependent upon weather and terrain considerations.

                     Bob, If you like navigating over long distances historically this will open up new horizons - I think it is really immersive.

                     

Kopfdorfer

[Plowshare]

I did a little testing based and here's what I've found:

Yes Kopfdorfer, it seems to be distance dependant. I was out at various distances to carriers and found that, generally, anything much over 52 nautical miles (100 kilometres; 60 statute miles) won't be heard. Also, the closer you got to a carrier the longer the morse letter would show on the screen. When the message is first seen it only just blips for a fraction of a second.

The ships keep their "cake" letters in a mission but only stay the same in that mission. Put those carriers in another mission and the letters change. If you remove a carrier, save the game or play it, then put it back into the same mission the letters for that carrier change. This is good in that you can put the ship's code into the briefing and know it won't change.

Hey Plowshare,

                      The info you are looking for is in the v4.10 manual , pages 28-35.
                     

Sorry, I couldn't find any reference to this anywhere in any manual from 4.10 through 4.12.

I've started making a mission using this feature. Now all I've gotta do is remember all this stuff!

Bob

[kukulo]

Here is manual for 4.10:
https://www.mediafire.com/?ti0tgjdvf5fve8b

See pages posted by Kopfdorfer. You will find all you need for radionavigation etc.

[Plowshare]

Thank you kukulo - I dl'd this. Don't know what happened to my copies.

Bob

[kukulo]

No problem. Welcome on the deck!