Radio Beacons and Altimeters

[LukeFF]

Does PWCG currently make use of airfield radio Beacons?

Edited January 31, 2016 by LukeFF

[PatrickAWlson]

Nope.  No such thing in WWI so it's new development.  If I can get the necessary info on their use in BoS I can look into adding them.

[LukeFF]

I don't have any info at hand, but my guess is that the larger airfields would be equipped with radio beacon equipment. Outside of that, I don't really know much, so someone else will need to fill in the gaps.

[Gunsmith86]

Well i have some Books about how they work and what the names for these radio equipment is but there is no info in it which airfields are equipped with them.

If this is of any help i could translate parts of the texts?

[Sokol1]

At least the airfields in Stalingrad used be ill fated Air Bridge had beacons, I read account of flights in blinds conditions for there.

 

From Stalingrad.net:

"Thick fog shrouding Pitornnik and Basargino (the main airfields within the

pocket) often forced even the most courageous pilots to turn back without attempting to land, 
despite the presence of radio beacons at each field."

 

Usage in ME is simple, place a vehicle "ndb" (a house with antenna) over map, create a Linked Entity, and in advanced properties set the Country and put 1 in Beacon Channel.

 

 

In the game radio beacon is simplify for gameplay purpose, the instrument needle point the antenna and not the signal beam - no way to fly over the beacon signal away from antenna as IRL.

Edited January 29, 2016 by Sokol1

[PatrickAWlson]

While there may be historical accuracy is there a game purpose to adding radio beacons?  I imagine it would be for players since the AI probably couldn't care less (could be wrong here).  So what are the scenarios that a player's experience would be enhanced by the presence of a radio beacon?

[LukeFF]

While there may be historical accuracy is there a game purpose to adding radio beacons?  I imagine it would be for players since the AI probably couldn't care less (could be wrong here).  So what are the scenarios that a player's experience would be enhanced by the presence of a radio beacon?

 

The big plus would be for navigating in heavy cloud cover/poor visibility and/or in an area that does not have a lot of easily-recognizable features. Beyond that, radio navigation was a very common method of guidance for bombers. For AI, it wouldn't make any difference, correct.

Edited January 29, 2016 by LukeFF

[Jason_Williams]

Hardcore users like them. Please add Pat when you have time.

 

Jason

[Skoop]

I like the beacons as well, I wish more scenario makers used them. The system is really crude compared to dcs or prepar3d, but it works for WWII forsure. I wish all the air craft had a way to use the beacons, not all of them have the capability.

[PatrickAWlson]

I like the beacons as well, I wish more scenario makers used them. The system is really crude compared to dcs or prepar3d, but it works for WWII forsure. I wish all the air craft had a way to use the beacons, not all of them have the capability.

 

I'm not trying to be belligerent, just ignorant.  Can you give me the use case?  A radio beacon is located at an airfield and you use it as a guide to navigate?  

[LukeFF]

 

 

Can you give me the use case?  A radio beacon is located at an airfield and you use it as a guide to navigate?  

 

That's pretty much their current use in the game, yes. In the stock campaign mode, the game automatically generates an airfield beacon for the player's home base, and then the plane's RDF equipment automatically points to it when within range.

[JimTM]

For what it's worth, here's an extract from the up-coming manual:

 

Mark the Airfield with a Radio Homing Beacon

 

You can place a radio beacon on or near an airfield to allow friendly pilots to find the airfield by using a radio homing receiver. You can mark other locations with a beacon too.

 

Do the following:

1. Place vehicle object "ndb" (non-directional beacon) on or near an airfield and make it a linked entity.
    

2. In the Advanced Properties, set Country to the friendly pilot's country, Beacon channel to 1, and other fields according to your requirements.
    

3. Place an icon translator near the beacon and do the following in the advanced properties:

• In the Coalitions table, set the friendly coalitions to True and the enemy coalitions to False.

• Set the name and the other advanced properties appropriately.

Note:

• Where multiple friendly beacons are available, the pilot's radio detects the closest one.

• Enemy pilots cannot detect a friendly beacon.

• You can place a friendly beacon in enemy territory. For example, you could create a clandestine transmitter near a target.

Edited January 30, 2016 by JimTM

[Jupp]

~S~ Fellows,

 

Jim and I did some further testing on this, :

 

http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/15286-anyone-know-how-get-rpkbeacons-working/?p=243513

 

and so far have concluded that there is a distinction as to how these components boil down, from Single, and Multiplayer Use.

 

It would be really nice if the call signs and separate beacon channels for ai, and players alike, all worked in unison in both modes, the same as they would in a real world setting...

 

However, it still remains to be that in Multiplayer, you just pop down an NDB, set it's coalition, and beacon channel =1.

 

Your avionics will pick up the nearest friendly beacon in use. Period. I haven't enough time or knowledge about Single Player usage to comment further with any authority.

 

Recall though that Check Zones only recently became available for use in Multiplayer Mode, which has greatly improved performance and possibilities within that modality... so... 

 

I hope that will become the case then, with the communications and navigational side of things like this, down the line.

 

In the future we could have distinct Beacon Channels for individual Airfields (as in ADF Automatic Direction Finders), as one would expect.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_direction_finder#Automatic_direction_finder_.28ADF.29

 

As it is now, we can only navigate reliably to the nearest active friendly NDB.

 

Hats off to Roy Harper,

 

!S -Jupp-

Edited January 30, 2016 by Jupp

[Sokol1]

I'm not trying to be belligerent, just ignorant.  Can you give me the use case?  A radio beacon is located at an airfield and you use it as a guide to navigate?  

 

Yes, in game NDB (Non Directional Beacon) are used to guide pilots (player) back for home base  - or for the nearest base with NDB antenna, if are more than one.

 

But are some limitations, the range of signal is around 200 KM - no big issue as players tend don't fly long distances -  and only some aircraft's are equipped for that:

 

He 111, Ju-87, Bf 110, Pe-2, Yak-1, La-5... as far I remember.

 

 

 

I wish all the air craft had a way to use the beacons, not all of them have the capability.

 

Because the real aircraft modeled in game has no equipment for radio navigation for that period (1942) e.g. Bf 109 F-4, IL-2... For these use "IFRR". 

Edited January 30, 2016 by Sokol1

[Jason_Williams]

I would say that in PWVG the logical step would be to have the beacon at your home airfield. That way you can use it to RTB in bad weather or say at night.

 

Jason

[PatrickAWlson]

...

Hats off to Roy Harper,

 

!S -Jupp-

 

Good song.  I always liked III.   Wish it would get a bit more play on the radio,

[LukeFF]

Pat, another new feature in BoS is the ability to switch the altimeter between the airfield's atmospheric pressure level and the altitude above sea level. When you get the time, this would be another good feature to add, as it would greatly help in takeoffs and landings.