BETA 4 VERSION 1 PICTURES FROM BETA 2 MANUAL By WarriorX

Just want to start off thanking DCS for making a true Simulator. It has been a long time since the last attempt at a U.S. combat airframe at this level of fidelity. The need for this Radio Guide is a testament to that level of fidelity.

This guide assumes that you have done your due diligence and have a basic knowledge of the layout, knobs, dials and switches on the radios. I will attempt to use pictures cut from the manual to augment my explanations, but this guide will not replace the manual, so it is advised that you familiarize yourself with it first, then come back here when done. This guide is for the realistic radio setting in game, there is an Easy setting also if you so desire

Your A-10C has 3 radios. 1. AN/ARC-186(V) VHF AM Radio 1 (Radio 1) 2. AN/ARC-164 UHF Radio 2 (Radio 2) 3. AN/ARC-186(V) VHF FM Radio 2 (Radio 3) There is a KY-58 Secure Voice Control Panel that encrypts the radio transmission and it will not be covered For the purposes of this guide, I will refer to the radios from here on out as Radio 1, 2, and 3 as this is the way they lay out from top to bottom. It is important to distinguish between the three types of radio: AM-UHF- FM They each have a frequency range that they transmit and receive on. Knowing the frequency ranges and types will help you identify in briefings or radio calls which radio you will need to tune to make the proper contact. They are all activated by the MIC SWITCH on the HOTAS THROTTLE Since Beta 2, it seems to matter when you activate your radio and begin using it, as there is a difference I noticed in radio functionality between radio use on Battery Power and APU/Engine Power. I advise you do not attempt to activate or program your radios under Battery Power, rather wait until the APU and APU Generators or Engine Power is available.

Radio Location: Left Side of Cockpit 1,2,

Throttle MIC SWITCH has 3 directional functions, each direction activates a radio: MIC SWITCH FWD=VHF RADIO 1 MIC SWITCH DOWN= UHF RADIO 2 MIC SWITCH AFT= VHF RADIO 3 The MIC SWITCH and the Radios work together, you can have the radio set up perfectly, but if you dont use the MIC SWITCH, your radios are worthless. With the radios set up, a single press of the MIC SWITCH in the proper direction will bring up the COMM MENU interface on your screen. You can then make your selection by using the F1-F12 keys.

MIC SWITCH is noted as #1 on the picture below.

RADIO 1(VHF AM): 1. The VHF/AM transmits and receives between and MHz. 2. Note: 3 digits left of the decimal, in the range. Watch for this in briefings or in game comms when you are asked to tune to , it is a safe bet to tune Radio 1 for this job as it falls in its frequency range. Most missions will add an AM or UHF or FM designator to the information given to also help you decide which radio to tune.

RADIO 2(UHF): 1. The frequency range runs from to MHz. 2. Note: 3 digits left of the decimal, in the range. Watch for this in briefings or in game comms when you are asked to tune to , it is a safe bet to tune Radio 2 for this job as it falls in its frequency range. Most missions will add an AM or UHF or FM designator to the information given to also help you decide which radio to tune.

RADIO 3(VHF FM): 1. The VHF/FM operates between and MHz 2. Note: 2 digits left of the decimal, in the range. Watch for this in briefings or in game comms when you are asked to tune to 31.00, it is a safe bet to tune Radio 3 for this job as it falls in its frequency range. Most missions will add an AM or UHF or FM designator to the information given to also help you decide which radio to tune.

1.To tune the radio, first turn switch 6 to TR (Transmit/Receive) *Post APU start* 2.Now rotate switch 7 to MAN 3.Use Frequency Selector Knobs 3 to enter the desired frequency. Note on this radio, the left most knob has a range from 1-15, so if you want rotate the first knob to 13, then the one to the right to 1, and leave the ones to the right of the decimal point at 0 4.Now you can either set a Preset with dial 1 that will show up in window 2 and hit the LOAD button 4 to save the frequency to a Preset, or you can hit the MIC SWITCH FWD to activate the radio. 5.Note: The EMER FM and AM settings on dial 7 are for selecting the Guard Channel automatically. They are not for setting this AM radio as a FM radio.

1.To tune the radio, first turn switch 10 to MAIN *Post APU start* 2.Now rotate switch 9 to MNL(same as MAN) 3.Use Frequency Selector Knobs 4-8 to enter the desired frequency. 4.Now you can either set a Preset with dial 1 that will show up in window 2 and hit the LOAD button (under panel 14) to save the frequency to a Preset, or you can hit the MIC SWITCH DOWN to activate the radio.

1.To tune the radio, first turn switch 6 to TR (Transmit/Receive) *Post APU start* 2.Now rotate switch 7 to MAN 3.Use Frequency Selector Knobs 3 to enter the desired frequency. Note on this radio, the left most knob has a range from 1-9, so if you want rotate the first knob to 3, then the one to the right to 1, and leave the ones to the right of the decimal point at 0 4.Now you can either set a Preset with dial 1 that will show up in window 2 and hit the LOAD button 4 to save the frequency to a Preset, or you can hit the MIC SWITCH AFT to activate the radio. 5.Note: The EMER FM and AM settings on dial 7 are for selecting the Guard Channel automatically. They are not for setting this FM radio as a AM radio.

All radios have 20 preset channels available to be programmed in the radios either manually while in the cockpit, or by the mission designer. This functionality is vital to aiding the pilot in managing multiple frequencies on the same radio. You do not need to master this functionality as the radios can be tuned manually at any time, but it saves a lot of time.

Here are the steps: ( I assume you know the dial/switch names by now) All radios are to be tuned when set to MAN on the Frequency Mode Dial Once radio frequency is set, rotate the Preset Channel Selector Wheel to the Preset Channel you wish to have it on. It will show up in the Preset Channel Indicator Window It is a good idea to write what each preset is so you dont forget. Now hit the LOAD key. This pairs the frequency to the preset. To enter another Preset, just tune the radio, rotate the Preset Channel Selector Wheel to the Preset Channel you wish to have it on, then hit the LOAD key again. Enter any other frequencies you wish to input into the radio using the steps above and just rotate the Preset Channel Selector Wheel as you go. Presets are entered in to each radio while the radio is set to MAN on the Frequency Mode Dial. Now comes the fun part, and your reward…if you are all done setting the Presets, Rotate the Frequency Selection Dial---EMER FM /EMER AM/ MAN /PRE off MAN where it has been this whole time to PRE. Now just rotate the Preset Channel Selector Wheel to one of your programmed numbers and then hit the appropriate MIC SWITCH and voila….radio nirvana….congratulations!

After you have programmed your radio to pair frequencies to presets, and have switched the Frequency Mode Dial from MAN to PRE, rotating the Preset Channel Selector Wheel to your desired Preset will not change the frequency displayed in the windows above the Frequency Selector Knobs. The frequency displayed remains the last one you entered. Some mission briefings either do not list all the frequency's, or may have a frequency incorrectly listed. Make sure you know all the radio frequencies you need before starting a mission. An easy way to do this is to go into the Mission Editor before you fly the mission and left click on the entity you want frequency info on. An information box will pop up on the right side of the Mission Editor that will have a frequency number listed next to the Comm box. Make note of this number and using the known frequency ranges listed in this tutorial, you can figure out which radio to use. When you activate a radio command from the menu you will hear your own command and see it on the screen. This does not mean that your message was received by your intended recipient. It only shows that you transmitted on that radio. If you get the response from the appropriate recipient, then all has gone well.

If you use the Intercom to interact with the Ground Crew before or after your flight, be sure to switch the Rotary Selection Dial on the Intercom Panel back to the original setting (usually VHF). If you do not, you will notice your radios not functioning as expected.