DCS VR 4K | F/A-18C | How to Master HARM Pre-Briefed (PB) Mode 

Thank you. You are very kind. I’m lucky to be able to enjoy DCS so much. I think back to when I was quite young and loved flying sims like F-15E Strike Eagle on my Commodore 64 computer to today where I strap a Varjo Aero to my face and “sit” in these aircraft. Wow.

@StrIIker-TV yeah same for me. I don't have the aero but to be able to enjoy this in vr is an experience that can only be explained by experiencing it.

@@AR_Parker Yeah, doing anything on flat screens just lacks something. Such an incredible experience being in VR.

Hey thanks! Yeah I started playing around with it and had some success so I tested it out on a self made mission and could see that moving the target designator into the HARM target square on the HUD was very accurate and helped me conduct SEAD missions with greater success and standoff. Tossing out TALDS at range and altitude towards the target and then circling around once before launching helps seal the deal. I've intended on sharing this fore a while via a video but got caught up doing other videos.

It is a game changer for sure! I bought a second one to use incase my main breaks! The flat surface really helps keep my hand stable when I need to click on something repeatedly (radio knobs, setting counter measures, etc) plus it gives me a tactile feeling that I am touching something so it makes my overall experience a little more fun. It's not essential but it certainly helps. I am constantly fiddling with the radar via the buttons so I completely agree. It's also great in the Apache (which I have not used enough! Some day...) I actually made a little wooden panel to serve as the keyboard surface for entering in Waypoint data. It was helpful as it keeps my hand steady vs. hovering in the air. I had considered getting the MFD frames and positioning them so they are roughly where they should be for VR use but the PointCTRL negated that need. The guy who makes PointCTRL has been busy moving to a new home, setting things up, etc. so he's well behind on orders but it's certainly worth getting even if it's "some day". While I was waiting on my PointCTRL (I waited about 8 months) I used only a trackball to click most of the cockpit components so that I would have a better memory of what I need to do and not have to unlearn using all of the throttle buttons to do various things.

I posted a new video last night in which I had that little window of me in the cockpit to show the PointCTRL in action.

That's a great idea as well. When I do that, I use the HARM as you do.. as a sensor for finding the site so I can start setting mark points on targets for precision ordinance delivery. Once I get the location as a mark point, I will send the HARM down range in PB mode and continue to close on the location. Once within FLIR range, I search around for the site (usually pretty close to where I set that mark point) and I can start to assess the area and see what's there and press the attack. Generally the HARM will have taken out the search or tracking radar which helps me with the followup attacks by the time I am closer. With the search radar down, the tracking radar has a harder time finding you so you can get closer.

You know what is there based upon the number displayed for the emitters on the HARM display. So 2 is the radar for the SA 2, SD is Snow Drift search radar, 6 is the SA 6 track radar, etc. I use a kneeboard which lists all of the HARM codes for each radar type. If they are close together, I hit the de handoff button and it gets rid of the others so I can see the number or letter better. I then can hop to the next one and hand off to see what that one is and so on. Once I am on the one I want, I SCS up to set the HUD as SOI and move the cursor to the center of the box and then TDC press to set that as the target for the HARM. I then go back to PB mode and get to constraints for the target (after ensuring I have entered the code). I am making a follow up for this video as well to better explain this all. Hope my explanation here helped ya!

@@StrIIker-TV Thanks! Looking forward to the follow-up.

Hi! I am glad to hear that the video was helpful. I would like to suggest that you view a more recent video in which I demonstrate this. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3oxdKVuMcGE.htmlsi=aSsEidZ2J6N_gLNF It may be a better one to view as I probably explain things a bit better and cut out unnecessary steps (such as creating a mark point or waypoint.) You don't need th pod at all for doing this and I sometimes fly without it while doing SEAD / DEAD missions in the Hornet. I also posted a few videos in which I am using this method which may be helpful to view.. Here's on such video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-j4Mlp3phz3o.htmlsi=uq0waD_nNi6yR4zn So to answer your question.. You do NOT need a pod to create a waypoint or mark point for this method. 1) In TOO mode cycle through the targets seen in the HARM display until you see the one you want, SCS up to put the HUD in command and slew the TDC to the center of the box from the HARM which is on the radar you wish to attack. TDC depress when it's centered and that's it (double check the distance to the emitter so that it's not 150 miles away!) Now you can switch to the PB mode of the HARM, use the UFC to enter the HARM code for that emitter. Select Aircraft Pull up or Harm Pull Up mode and fly to get the launch symbology on the HUD.. I demo this in the second video several times. The first video I linked is more of a tutorial type of thing. I think both will give you a clear picture of how to do it. It's super effective!

@@StrIIker-TV wow thanks so much for all this helpful info

@@NorthernRealms happy to help you out! Let me know if you have any more questions. Eagle Dynamics recently added the option to have radar operators shut down and move if they detect HARMs so it can be a bit more of a challenge now.

Hi! Thank you for the compliment. When I shoot videos with external stuff like I did in this video, I always use a spare computer to run the mission as a dedicated server. The track files a dedicated server never corrupt. You just can’t hop into the aircraft like you can with a local track file however that’s useless when the file craps out all the time. So I make the mission, copy it to the other PC and then connect to it from my flight system. I fly the mission (often several times) and try to get everything done which I want to show. I then figure out what kind of shots I want for B Roll type stuff and run the track file (now copied to my flight PC) and capture the various external shots, target hits, etc. I usually don’t do voice while flying as i like to focus of flying and there can be background noise plus my good mic is a large condenser type on a boom arm and I bump into it at times flying in VR although I did an in cockpit voiceover for my most recent F-15E IFF video and then replaced a few snippets here and there as needed with additional voiceover. So the main thing, you need a second system to run a dedicated server. It’s super easy to set up and it’s free (just authenticate using your DCS account.

I also made a How I Record DCS video but I didn’t get into the specifics detailed here as I focused more on the software and basic process.

@@StrIIker-TV After my comment, I saw your video where you explain editing etc.🤪 I understand that correctly...You have a second PC that runs as a dedicated server and you then play through your mission on this. Then take the track file created by DCS and bring it to your gaming PC. This track file is then played via DCS in the mission editor? to create angles for video cuts etc? and then in the background the recordings with OBS...

@@astroedCH Heh! That’s how it goes! So on the server, you grab the track file and bring it to your main PC and then you select that track from the Replay option (the one you use for replaying track files). It will start up and I use the various keys to go to the various external shots near the aircraft or somewhere on the map where enemy units are etc. I am running OBS and configure it to capture the full screen for the replay tracks vs the OBS setup to capture the VR window. Continually go through the track a few times and record the stuff I want and then pull those into the video editor.

@@astroedCH Another thing I started using and it's VERY helpful is an XBox game pad controller to control external views and get smooth movement and rotation. Have a look at this.. It's pretty easy to setup and helps a lot. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1zjFx0ovNSA.htmlsi=13No64I9aV20HKyk I also have a Stream Deck from Elgato and I assigned view keys to it so I can more easily jump around. It's not needed but I'm too lazy to remember all the shortcuts. I had the Stream Deck sitting around as I used it in a different game so I use that to help with external views etc. The gamepad is much better for different views though.

Hi! Thank you for watching the video and more importantly, asking for clarification around some aspect of it. That is a great question and thankfully, I have a simple answer for you! The S denotes a specific type of search radar and not search radars in general, specifically the Flat Face search radar which can be used with different SAM sites (SA-2, SA-3, SA-5 etc.) There are other types of search radar which show up with different HARM codes. Examples of other search radars and their representation on the HARM display.. Big Bird (BB), Clam Shel (CS), Dog Ear (DE), Snow Drift (SD), Tin Shield (TS).There are no targets for HARM codes for 101 or 102. There WAS for the Early Warning Radars which I think had these designations on older HARM code sheets, but that was incorrect and was removed from DCS and the HARM can no longer target these types. This has to do with the wavelengths of these emitters which the HARM is not designed to track. They show up on the Radar Warning Receiver as a distinct symbol now. There is a generic one for AAA (A on the HARM display) which has three different codes associated with it. I have given up on those ones and just drop a JDAM on them or something :) Even when I knew I was targeting a Gepard with the A and coded it correctly, the HARM never did damage to it. I suspect that you have an old HARM code kneeboard or reference. Here's a link to an updated one. www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3314315/ I hope this was helpful for ya!

tks for the reply, I placed the current harm card in my kneeboard, always used TOO for my harm killing, will try out this way you showed in the video, I never use SP mode@@StrIIker-TV

@@jebb125 Great! Let me know how it goes for you! I always use this method. It’s in several of my videos. I show it in the recent bunker busting and SAM blasting video.

yep , it works, and I tried something new, harm without pod when you need another 120 , soi hud, put designator in harm square, TDC depress, read miles . now I can see how far I am out and or MP that position for a later time. @@StrIIker-TV

@@jebb125 Yeah that's how I typically fly SEAD/DEAD missions when I need a HARM heavy load or when the air threat is high. I only grab a pod if I have JDAMs loaded as well. I made a newer video for HARM PB mode where I think I clarify some things after spending a lot of time doing SEAD/DEAD missions. It's worth a vew ... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3oxdKVuMcGE.html

This is the kneeboard which I use: www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3314315 I made another video in which I better demonstrate how I do this. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3oxdKVuMcGE.htmlsi=I-pT5QH-q6uI27Rr