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Enthusiast Joined: Oct 01, 2007 Posts: 29

When you say "plain Tacan" you mean you get DME and spinning needle on the HSI with the TCN setting and you mean that if you put it in ILS/TCN you don't get anything useful either on the needle or DME reading on the HSI?? Just want to be sure I have it clear Smile

Putting the DME in the CNI DED page seems much more useful than have the channel setting readout be there, at least for AA mode so I can see why the software wonks would have done that.

By the way, total preference thing I know but do you usually fly with DED data up on the HUD or not?? Just curious.

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Senior member Joined: Jul 01, 2007 Posts: 368

Yeah, if you go ILS/TCN then you'll get the localizer (if you are in range and lined up correctly and all that) but no DME because the ILS runs off the ILS freq on the Tacan page. Its separate. I like having the DME in the DED because it is easier to read and frees up the HSI for target location, run in headings, etc.

Most, if not all of us fly with the DED in the HUD. I don't like having it there because it clutters up the HUD for bombing and landing but its required to film the stuff we input for the lawyers when we drop actual bombs.

Enthusiast Joined: Oct 01, 2007 Posts: 29

Hmm, really?! The dash one table seems to say that in TCN and ILS/TCN mode the DME readout and bearing pointer give you readings to the TACAN station and the ILS bit determines what the "flags" do on the HSI and whether you get localizer/GS needles on the main ADI. That's a blk5X dash one though -- the block you fly does something different there??

By the way, apropos of the round gauges powered at start up, if you remember one time, could you look at the NOZ position one before start and during the JFS and main engine spool up and see what that one does, please?? The mavens have pointed me to a couple of different vids now including one with a jet not in shelters and no apparent sign of a power cart and the NOZ gauge showing definite non-zero readings. Dash one seems to indicate NOZ gauge is powered off the emergency AC bus which I think only comes to life when the generators come online (in the normal run of things)...I would assume that no power to the gauge would mean no deflection on the needle there but that's all bookwork theory and so an actual report from the hot seat would help put the matter to rest...I know you said you normally only look at the RPM and FTIT...

Senior member Joined: Jul 01, 2007 Posts: 368

I am not perfectly sure of the tacan subject so remind me at a later date and I'll check on it for you. As for the round gauges, AC lies and DC dies. So on start up, since the NOZ is an AC gauge, it reads last commanded position before loss of AC power. That would be full open, or 100% if you like. The NOZ gauge reads in percent of open, if you will.

Hope that helps.

Enthusiast Joined: Oct 01, 2007 Posts: 29

Aha! Good sound byte Smile

That would explain why we see the NOZ in particular definitely showing non-zero in some of the engine startup vids we can see. I guess that means the fuel totalizer probably gives you some pretty interesting looks sometimes as well... Interesting.

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