Updated: 23Sep2020 # Radios The radios and dual crew of the F-14 Tomcat are arguably the most critical system in the airframe. The radio turn any aircraft from a single threat into a team member. Dual crew members each having their own radio doubles that threat. Proper usage and understanding of the radios is therefore paramount to your success as a team member and maximizing the amount of fun you can have in DCS. # UHF1 (AN/ARC-159) Located in position 1 on the diagram to below. Capable of UHF transmission only. 20 preset channels are available. These can be loaded at the start of a mission by the mission editor or entered and saved manually by the pilot. Frequency Range is 225.000 to 399.975 MHz adjustable in 25 KHz increments. Guard Channel is 243.000 Mhz. There is a Channel/Frequency repeater or display for both radios located in position 2. The RIO has a Channel/Frequency repeater on his cockpit. ![[F-14 Pilot Cockpit Panels.png]] # UHF 1 Controls ![[ARC-159 Radio Panel.png]] 1. Volume 2. Squelch 3. Frequency select switches 4. Frequency/Channel Display 5. READ button 6. Brightness Knob 7. LOAD button 8. Function Selector (ADF non-functional) 9. Channel Select knob 10. Preset Channel Chart 11. Mode Selector knob 12. TONE button # How it works Using the radio in DCS requires 2 trains of thought. 1. Am I talking to an AI or NPC in the game. 2. Am I talking to another player. To talk to another player, CSG3 uses SRS as its communications provider. This is a free 3rd party application that simulates radio communications. It must be installed and configured correctly before you can communicate effectively. To talk to the AI or NPC, you have to use the communications menu. Bringing up the communications menu with the correct radio selected is critical to smooth efficient comms. There are no buttons in the cockpit you can click with your mouse to select which radio you have selected or is transmitting. These buttons are on the throttle and must be mapped in DCS to get access to them. # How to talk to the AI... To the right are the 3 different communications menus that are available from the F-14. Each of these has to be mapped in DCS to allow access. ![[F14 Pilot Radio Keybinds.png]] ![[ICS Comms Menu Example.png]]![[ARC-159 Comms Menu Example.png]]![[ARC-182 Comms Menu Example.png]] # How to talk to other players... The items highlighted to the right must be correct for SRS to work for you. The ‘SRS Only / No Menu’ options in DCS work as PTT. The red arrows below show the DCS mappings to use SRS. ![[F14 Pilot Radio Keybinds with Callouts.png]] ![[SRS Client with Callouts.png]] # Mapping in SRS If you don’t map the SRS specific controls in DCS you have to map them here. If you map them in both places they MUST match or you will get unpredictable radio operations. ![[SRS Client Keybind with Callouts.png]] # Auto Connect solves a lot.. Allowing SRS to auto connect to the SRS server that is assigned to the DCS server can save a lot of pain on startup. **Auto Connect** - ON (lets the magic happen) **Auto Connect Prompt** - ON (lets you know the magic happened) **Auto Connect Mismatch Prompt** - ON (lets you know when you switch) ![[SRS Auto Connect Prompt.png]] ![[SRS Client Auto Connect Prompt Callout.png]] # Too many voices? You can adjust which radio you hear in which ear to help distinguish who’s talking to you here. ![[SRS Client Audio Channel Balance with Callouts.png]]