Tracking targets with hydrophone | Forums

[the_rydster]

Having just come across the documentation about determining a targets speed through the prop rpm's I was wondering if anyone knows anything about therfore determining a targets course heading? I figure if you know its speed, if it is getting closer or further way, and its bearing (and the time between them) you can work out its course heading...maybe (and range hopefully to!!

[the_rydster]

Having just come across the documentation about determining a targets speed through the prop rpm's I was wondering if anyone knows anything about therfore determining a targets course heading? I figure if you know its speed, if it is getting closer or further way, and its bearing (and the time between them) you can work out its course heading...maybe (and range hopefully to!!

[Gunnersman]

I've never gotten that technical with it. However, I will "sprint and drift" to try and find a contact. Then I will use it just to get with in sight of the contact before I attack. It is kind of fun.
Theoretically you can determine range. As far as determining speed goes, that is something that takes lots of practice. I mean to say, you can tell whether they are going fast or slow, but to find the exact speed...well that is the challenge. I think you need today's tech for that.

If you figure it out...LET ME KNOW!

[Anton_Reinhold]

Start a track on the contact on the Navigation Map by using the pencil to mark their known positions or bearings. Mark one, wait about 3 minutes, do another mark, then after another 3 minutes make a third mark. Then use the ruler to draw a straight line through the three marks. This will give you a rough course heading of the sound contact. I use this method all the time and it works great. I track targets from a depth of about 20 meters, then when I get close enough, I come up just shallow enough to use the scope, preferably 13 meters, then see what's there.

[CRSutton]

Yes, crude reckoning is possible but only the basics. Remember, if the angle of the bearing remains constant on your map, then the ships is on a convergence course with you. You can adjust your speed and bearing and measure how quickly the bearing of the target is changing reative to you. All stop is the most effective time to measure and if the bearing is constant then the target is running away or going to end up right on top of you. Remember, that all estimates with the phones are very basic as your estimates of range and speed are going to be very crude. Best to pop up and take a peek to get a real distance and speed. Once you know speed and distance, you can track pretty well with the phones using the chart as an aide-assuming that the ship is on a constant heading.

[the_rydster]

The Sound Trainer has some info about working out a targets speed just using the hydrophone. Well done to the dedicated soul who made it!

I need to spend some more time on it to see if you can work out accurate bearings, but according to the manual with the sound trainer you can work out a very accurate speed for a given target. You need to ID the target first though (so this kind of defeats the purpose of the hydrophone being better at beyond visual range)(unless you use the 'cheat o cam'!), unless you are very clever and learn to ID the ship just from the pitch of the screws though!

One problem is that with big convoy is there is a real confusion of noise.

If someone was really clever they may be able to work out a means of quantifying range to a target base on the volume of the screw noise. You would have to ID the ships first, and adjust for the ships speed. If you got a lot of practice you could probably do a good estimate anyway!

[Bubblehead1948]

I have had what I feel is good success with tracking and engaging targets with hydrophone. But it is an inexact science.

Its hard to imagine enough precision to calculate speed, course, and direction just from hydrophone unless you are a savant.
I wonder what kind of prescision the actual
war veterans managed.

I can get a fair idea now which direction the ship is crossing my bow, (port or starboard) and when it is passing me by. (sudden constant distance... then moving away). I can even get 'em at night now without visual contact until they're close enough to collide with.
(I have)

The one thing that will truely mess me up is a rainstorm. Even if you are hot with the hydrophone, the probability of spotting the target long enough to fire before it disappears into a rain squall is poor to nill.

Only once have I got visual on a target in a rainstorm, and before I could turn to attack course, she was gone.

[Kaleun1961]

I'm no expert on sound tracking, but I have noticed the following: I am using the mod which gives you a bearing tool which displays range out from your sub to a distance of 3000 metres. The sound conatact lines shorten when at close range, and under 3000 metres the line ends.

For example: If a warship, red line, is at your 90 bearing and the red line ends at the 1000 ring, then that means the ship is 1000 metres away.

Hope this helps.

As far as maintaining a UZO lock in bad weather, I find that even though the UZO lock breaks at a certain range, if I immediately pres "L" again, it will lock up again. I do this a number of times, and it helps me to keep the UZO locked long enough to be far enough away for the torpedoes to arm after launching. Not a lot of help using the persiscope, but it's at least of use for the UZO on surface firing. Of course, if you are good at launching via hydrophones, you won't need this.

[Messervy]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I am using the mod which gives you a bearing tool which displays range out from your sub to a distance of 3000 metres. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I certainly hope you are not an Ati guy. I am and I am useing it only for bearings - never for determining the range.

P.S This is one and only thing that I know of when Ati users are on the wrong end of the story.