DCS A-10C Tutorials #5: Sensor Point of Interest (SPI)

[@leifericadventuringexplori8766]

I'm still learning the A-10C, you did an excellent job covering how the SPI interacts with all sensors. One of the best vids covering the SPI. Well done!

[@jeubby5614]

Very good,...AWESOME JOB!!! That's a detailed tutorial; Clear concise instructions. Others could learn from your delivery. You explain the process clearly, articulate the steps, the control inputs and, Your rate of speech yields itself to learning process. Excellent job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@AMGOSUK]

Watching your vids, while also tracking through Chucks Guide is fantastic.

[@dboxer472]

Nice work, been following your set of tutorial. Thanks for helping me enjoy DCS better. Keep up the great work!

[@tysampson648]

This is a excellent tutorial on SPI relative to the A-1OC. I can see you put in a lot of work, Outstanding!

[@Kmbtkrl]

Thank you!

[@alancross7161]

Great help. Reading doesn't always give enough detail. Nice work.

[@JLXcellent]

Best video so far explaining the details of SPI. Appreciate the work you put into this. Tnx!

[@fmpphoto]

Very well done best tutorial on KZbin on the spi... thanks very much ... keep the tutorials coming

[@Kmbtkrl]

thanks, glad it helped!

[@NoFear1979]

Hello Kmbtkrl! I very much appriciate your videos and your slow pace explaining along with mentioning shortcuts and being overall systematic in showing how to makes your guides top notch enjoyable to watch and learn from. Thank you very much for your effort o7 :)

[@kevingove49]

Great video thanks very slowly explained and very clear

[@MoreRudder_FBW]

Very very helpful having just received the TM Hotas. Thank you.

[@BG-hp6mu]

Subbed. These are fantastic, very well done. I actually fell asleep twice during the in-game tutorial. Waking up in VR is weird...

[@bleakbody6610]

ben green I’m actually speechless

[@meshak8107]

Excellent Tutorial. I really enjoyed it. Thank You.

[@TangodownNZ]

Great tutorials. I like your attitude.

[@Kmbtkrl]

HAILSTONE AERIAL FILMS Thanks! Appreciate the feedback!

[@wolfmanDCS]

You're awesome!!! Could you make a tutorial on Navigation?

[@Kmbtkrl]

I gotta think about what I'd include, I'm no expert in radio navigation, or ILS or things like that, but basics like using the TAD to navigate via steerpoints and how to input coordinates and make new waypoints etc, I can do. Just gotta get back in the tutorial making mode :D

[@Kmbtkrl]

Also, what specifically about navigation do you need help with? maybe I can talk you through some stuff?

[@wolfmanDCS]

@@Kmbtkrl Hi Kmbtkrl, that just the sort of info. I'm talking about. The guy that gives instructions in the Training section DCS talks to fast you can't rewind any of the sections. I also just like say i just got excepted to TAW ( THE ART OF WARFARE ) as a Recruit I'm so pumped to start my training with them, just wanted know a little something. Thanks again for the tutorials I just could not wrap my head around that spi info until i came across your tutorial. I've tried the REAPERS tutorial but that guy CAM must drink to much tea cuz he flies thru his tutorials. Lol

[@PhillMagGamerDad]

So in summary: TMS up long sets SPI to the crosshair on the selected SOI, and China hat forward long slews all sensors to SPI? China hat aft long returns SPI to current steerpoint. The only thing I hate, is that there is no indication on the TGP that the SPI has been set. Seems like a huge oversight from the aircraft sensor designers?

[@Kmbtkrl]

You got it. The lack of symbology in the TGP for SPI is frustrating, but remember that it is easily visible in other sensors like your TAD and HUD. The most important thing to remember, at least in my opinion, and the thing that gave me huge troubles until I figured out how it worked, was that the when you set the SPI it is 'locked' to that sensor, so that if you move that sensor again (ie the HUD TDC or the crosshair on the TGP), your SPI will move with it, which can really mess you up. There were many times where I'd set my SPI on the TGP. and then forget to switch SOI to HUD before moving my TDC, and I'd move my TGP and subsequently the SPI, and lose my target.

[@Ninjahat]

THANKS guys! This really makes it much easier to understand :-)

[@Braeden123698745]

Great tutorial, I wanted to add another way to set your spi is to use mark points. They're a little better because if the targeting pod becomes blocked by your aircraft or a mountain it wont move off target because it's locked to a GPS position. Below the CDU is a dial that tells the aircraft what kind of waypoints you want to use. If you switch that to mark and then you hit TMS right long you'll drop a mark point with the targeting pod you'll know you've done it right because your current waypoint will be mark A. If you add anymore you wont automatically go to them so you have to switch your waypoint manually. Works great for me, but it can't track moving targets so I came here.

[@Braeden123698745]

+Braeden Hamson You can also set multiple mark points then cycle through them and fire off a lot of mavs really fast.

[@Kmbtkrl]

+Braeden Hamson yep! mark points are really good for marking targets and keeping good situational awareness. it's a good habit whenever you locate a target to drop a mark point on it for easy reference. multiple mark points are also really good for quickly dropping GPS guided bombs in one run in quick succession.

[@Kmbtkrl]

+Braeden Hamson don't forget to switch your steer point selector knob to mark when you want to use your mark points!

[@OffTheHizzle]

Learning the theory before even putting my hands on HOTAS, I am going through your tutorials and really enjoy them. I got a question though. @23:25 you reset the SPI to your steerpoint. Still the right MFCD (TGP) was locked on the just removed SPI. Is that because you did slew your sensors (using china hat) to the SPI? Meaning, the TGP will stay locked and you can deploy weapons on it? Even the SPI is set to your steerpoint?

[@Kmbtkrl]

So it's been a while and I'll have to confirm this in the sim when I get home, but when you slave your sensors to SPI (China hat fwd long), they don't necessarily lock to it, it just gives the sensors a point to look at. So you can move your SPI after that and the sensor remains where it is. Keep in mind the SPI is what designates the point for weapons delivery solutions, so if for example you are setting up a CCRP bombing run with a JDAM and your SPI is at steerpoint one, but your target is 500m west, so you move your TGP the target but don't redesignate the SPI with TMS up long, Your HUD will still give you a solution for the SPI back at steerpoint one, even though the TGP is on the target. Inversely, if you set your SPI with a sensor, for example the TGP, and then move that sensor, the SPI will move with it, because it is always locked to a sensor, be it the HUD TDC, TAD, TGP, or it's default steerpoint position. Hope that made sense!

[@OffTheHizzle]

@@Kmbtkrl Thanks for your reply! So basically it is REQUIRED to designate and keep the SPI on the target area (plus slew the TGP/MAV on it), if you want to deply weapons on it? Still trying to figure that out. I guess I should just play around with it.

[@Kmbtkrl]

@@OffTheHizzle pretty much, yes. Hard to explain in the abstract but yes the SPI has to be down for computed releases (CCRP). You can slew your sensors all over the place but without the SPI you won't get a delivery solutions for CCRP. Other weapons like Maverick or LGBs can work differently or independently of the SPI depending on how you are employing them, but the SPI can still be used in those instances for aiding target acquisition.

[@OffTheHizzle]

@@Kmbtkrl Roger that, thanks.

[@Ninjahat]

VERY good explanation sir, thank you :-)

[@StubbeFres]

your tutorials are great!!!

[@Myterriers]

Great video learnt a heap of stuff. Subscribed. :)

[@Kmbtkrl]

Glad it helped!

[@figjam5181]

Nicely explained. Thank you

[@boseimm1]

Ok, here is where I am confused. I understand how to set SPI. I do not understand how to lock the target. Any input? Thanks by the way...great info!!!

[@TangodownNZ]

You should do a landing one. The in game tutorial is very hard to understand.

[@cryonisc]

Very good tutorial, exactly what I was looking for. One question though, with the TGP, what is the key to actually SET a spi? And is this SPI visible on the TAD? Thank you very much

[@cryonisc]

Nevermind, TMS Up(long). I was not done with the video yet :)

[@tomdaigon8707]

Excellent job!

[@boseimm1]

Are you still around? I'm a newbie and I understand the spi now...thanks to you. What I do not gather is once I set the spi my weapons won't release. Do you have any feedback for that? I go through the training with the a10c and with all, accept for air to air, my weapons will not release. Help, please. It sounds as you know it pretty well.

[@firefox0884]

How do you broadcast a SPI? What all do I and my wingman need to do in order to share a SPI?

[@Athomeintheshed]

another great vid well explained

[@Scoobydcs]

Is steerpoint 1 always the runway you took off from?

[@ferrabras]

Never quite understood SPI! Several times I ended up change SPI to steer point and lost target. Now all make sense.

[@Kmbtkrl]

glad i could help. it baffled me for a long time too. remember that whatever you have your spi mode set with (STPT, HUD TDC, TGP etc) shows up in the bottom right corner of the hud.

[@TheSateef]

very nice but how to i select which sensor is SOI? don't worry, found it To set SOI, you can either select the desired SOI page from OSB 9 - 15, or use the Coolie Hat functions on the HOTAS:  Up. Set HUD as SOI  Left Long. Set Left MFCD as SOI  Right Long. Set Right MFCD as SOI

[@Kmbtkrl]

there ya go. i also have a sensors/SOI tutorial on this playlist too. also, keys are J,K, and I for lef right and hud respectively.

[@jeremy41234]

i watched a 30 minute video and this comment helped me actually perform the task i needed to do. thanks

[@jjsemperfi]

Weird how you were scrolling through your different SPI’s while you weren’t in SOI on that display.

[@jjsemperfi]

Oh never mind. You were just changing your steer pointe on with your hud on SOI and it was showing it on your Map.

[@Kmbtkrl]

@@jjsemperfi Yup! There's only ever one SPI, so scrolling thru the steerpoints (using DMS up/down with the HUD SOI) will just move the SPI to the active steerpoint, unless you have set the SPI manually somewhere else. If I'd had the TAD as SOI while I was doing that, you would have seen me cycling thru map scales, as that's what DMS up/down does with that sensor SOI.

[@stefanzarezankov6859]

How do u zoom ur tgp

[@Kmbtkrl]

Combat Bananas is right, and if you have your joystick set up, DMS up and down will zoom the TGP while it is SOI, and China Hat Fwd (short) will toggle the two FOV modes for a 'quick' zoom.

[@KenMac-ui2vb]

I wish you would state HOW you're doing what you're doing. What you're clicking as far as dms,tms,china,boat, pinky etc. good tho.

[@colinboone9920]

HOW THE HELL DO I GET A GUN SIGHT? Mine doesn't do it when I activate the weapons like you did...

[@colinboone9920]

Even when the guns are already active when I start a mission, it's not on.

[@ExplodedGG]

Colin Boone read manual and do training mission, you need to arm guns press the button on the stick that changes it to guns, it should say "GUNS" on the hud if it is still not there make the hud the SOI and press the right DMS command (short) until it appears

[@colinboone9920]

Thank you, I'm sorry man, I figured it out... it's just hard because I don't have many key assignments on my stick, sorry for getting pissed off over a simple fix on your channel

[@ExplodedGG]

Colin Boone not my channel

[@Kmbtkrl]

Also if you cant find it on your stick, or want to rebind it, it's the Master Mode button in your controls menu, under the HOTAS control category. Or "M" on your keyboard. It'll cycle through all your master modes (NAV, GUNS, CCIP, CCRP). Also remember that DMS right/left will switch your gunsight style/type with "GUNS" mode active.

[@Relax2437]

Nice thanx !

[@Kmbtkrl]

Glad you are liking these!

[@fmpphoto]

liked and subscribed

[@Scoobydcs]

I was with you until you went into the tad, I have no clue what you were seeing or talking about in there, I'm watching this on a table so not the bigger screen but I didn't even know you were flying east looking at the tad lol

[@Scoobydcs]

this is NOT intuitive at all lol im struggling to get my head around this

[@Kmbtkrl]

eatthisvr6 what are you struggling with exactly?

[@Scoobydcs]

all of it lol, im still trying to get used to tms and dms hats. when i try to adjust something as simple as steerpoints i cant even remember what to press

[@Kmbtkrl]

eatthisvr6 yeah it takes a lot if time to get used to everything. It's tough when you start, because you might hit a button and it doesn't seem to do anything, but it will change things and mess with you later...once you get your head around how things fit together it becomes easier.

[@Kmbtkrl]

One of the biggest things is remember to have the right sensor active for what you're trying to do. Example: if you're trying to adjust steerpoints with SMS switch, make sure your HUD is SOI (active sensor) or that DMS switch will be doing something different, in another sensor

[@Scoobydcs]

thats where im at right now lol

[@teknikal_domain]

Here's the problem: Learning how to do a thing is free. having all the right hardware and equipment to actually do it is not.

[@Kmbtkrl]

i feel you. simming can get expensive pretty easily. that said, you can find a decent HOTAS setup for around 75-100 bucks, and with a little tweaking you can make it work with most sims, even DCS.

[@teknikal_domain]

And if I want to get the actual HOTAS stick and throttle controls, thats $500. TrackIR is another $110... extra keyboard with custom caps is about $25... Why not just save the money and buy an actual simulator?

[@Kmbtkrl]

True, IF you want to spend the money. But you just listed under $1000 worth of peripherals. I doubt you will get into a simulator of any quality for less that $5k, and probably not for a lot more. Especially if you want any kind of motion-simulation. As I said before, you don't HAVE to get the fancy sticks, an X-52 from Saitek will get you thru 100% of the HOTAS functions for the A-10C, and its only $100. You can drop the $120 on the TrackIR, It is absolutely worth every penny and you will never go back, but it is not a necessity. People played sims for years before that technology was available. When I started with DCS, I had an X52, a regular keyboard, and a home-built head tracking setup that used free software and an converted webcam. Cost to me was about 30 bucks. I flew like that for almost 2 years until I was in a place to buy the Warthog. I have friends that I fly with who use just a Logitech 3D pro. You have a lot of options, and there is no "Right" setup. Don't get caught up in the fancy flashy stuff, just find something that works for you that's in your price range.

[@teknikal_domain]

Kmbtkrl unfortunately, my price range isn't too great at the moment. Might as well just enjoy your videos and learn what I can.

[@teknikal_domain]

Miam ga that sounds pretty good. Funny thing is: my computer was recently destroyed, so we built one with triple the power on an 1.2k budget.