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Choose a station from the menu
- Open RADARS on the main game menu.
- Select the station name you want. The station view changes and the camera centres on that station. Selecting it from this menu does not issue a power-on command.
- Select that same active station again to show or hide its range rings. These circles help you judge distance from the station; they are not a switch that turns radar detection on or off.
- Use BACK to return to the main menu.
Select on the map
| Your action | What changes |
|---|---|
| Left-click another working radar station | The station view changes. This does not issue a power-on command. |
| Left-click the selected, visible station again | Its range rings switch between shown and hidden. If you chose that station with Tab or a map click, this can still toggle its rings while it is powered off. Rings are only a distance aid. |
| Left-click a different station that is powered off | The click can be refused, leaving the previous station view selected. Use RADARS to choose its view; selecting a view does not turn its power on. |
After choosing a station through RADARS, select that same menu item again to change its rings. A visible view or ring is not proof that its radar is powered.
Switch station views with Tab
- Close the Escape menu and finish editing any text box, then press Tab once. The game cycles to an available station in its fixed station order and centres the camera on it. The cycle has its own order; it does not follow the station you last chose in RADARS.
- Press Tab again to continue through that order. This chooses a view; check the separate radar power controls below before relying on coverage.
- If Tab does nothing, leave text entry and close the Escape menu. Use the RADARS menu to choose a named station directly. Tab is not the shortcut for changing radar power.
Right-click has three stages
| Current state | Next right-click on that radar marker | What changes |
|---|---|---|
Normal radar state | Clutter display state | The radar stays switched on, but its sweep line is hidden and clutter display is requested. Clutter appears as extra dots or patches representing unwanted returns; what appears depends on the enabled clutter settings. A missing sweep line does not mean the radar is off. |
Clutter display state | Radar off | The station power state changes to off and its clutter preference is removed. |
Radar off | Normal radar state | The power state returns to on and sweep suppression is cleared. |
Change the state deliberately
- Find the intended station marker on the map. Finish any aircraft-placement task first so you are not mixing controls.
- Right-click the radar marker, rather than an aircraft or empty map. The game advances that station’s state; it is not a simple two-position switch.
- In ASMA, select INTEL if it is not highlighted to see RADAR OFFLINE notices. Leaving ATC ends the current controller conversation. Check the resulting picture and ASMA messages. Starting from normal, one click reaches clutter display, two reach off and three return to normal. If the starting state is unknown, do not assume a fixed number of clicks will restore it.
- If RADAR OFFLINE reports that the station is awaiting repair, the game has locked that station’s cycling. Repeated clicks do not repair it. Check available AWACS coverage and retain the message when reporting a problem.
Keep the controls separate
RADARS chooses the station view; range rings are a distance aid; right-click changes the radar state. RADAR OPTIONS changes the game’s EW and clutter settings. The clutter stage also requests the game’s clutter display, so it is more than hiding a ring. For an E-3D, L11 and RINGS are separate aircraft controls.
If aircraft disappear
Check missing-track visibility and sensor checks. A missing sweep, hidden datablock and faded track are different observations. Record the station, last menu or mouse action, starting state if known, ASMA message and affected tracks. Range rings alone do not guarantee detection of every aircraft inside them; see radar coverage and height.
Off, awaiting repair, or reduced range?
| What you see | What to do next |
|---|---|
| The sweep line disappears after one right-click | The first stage can be clutter display while the radar is still powered. Read the three-stage cycle above; do not call every missing sweep a failure. |
| ASMA says RADAR OFFLINE and awaiting repair | The station is locked against right-click cycling. Keep the station name and message. Check other coverage; clicking again will not repair it. |
| The radar is running but fewer distant contacts receive updates | Read any incident messages. Reduced range is different from power off. Compare nearby contacts and the affected area; rings are a distance guide, not a promise of detection. |
| Plots disappear when you select another station | Changing the station view clears the old station’s displayed history. That alone does not mean it stopped reporting aircraft. Check the track information and later updates. |
| A track flashes and then vanishes | Use the faded-track checks. Loss of fresh reports is different from hiding text or plots. Another sensor may still be updating other contacts. |
What should I do while a station is offline?
- In ASMA, select INTEL if it is not highlighted to see RADAR OFFLINE notices. Leaving ATC ends the current controller conversation. Read the ASMA message and note the station. Keep the affected area in view using pan and zoom, rather than repeatedly cycling its marker.
- Compare nearby contacts. Is one aircraft missing, or are several contacts in the same area losing updates? Check display settings before assuming every disappearance has the same cause.
- Check which other ground station can help using the radar directory. Selecting a view does not turn that station on and a ring does not guarantee coverage.
- If an E-3D is available, use the AWACS tasking guide and its reporting checks. Allow it to reach its working area; a task marker is not coverage already delivered.
- Keep monitoring messages and fresh reports. If the expected recovery does not occur, preserve the save, station name and before/after evidence for a problem report.
Does “resolved” mean the radar is on again?
For a temporary offline incident, the game restores the power state the station had before that incident. If it was on, normal recovery can show RADAR ONLINE with the station name. If you had already switched it off, resolving the incident can leave it off. Read the actual message and observe new reports before relying on its coverage. Do not treat the end of an incident as a command that turns every radar on. The game does not provide a repair button through repeated right-clicks. A destroyed station is a separate case; do not assume it follows this temporary-repair path.
Observe a station without switching it off
- In an ordinary session, start with a working ground radar already in view. Note its name, visible plots and track information. Keep its power and clutter settings unchanged.
- Use RADARS to select a different working ground station, then return to the original one. Do not use the right-click state cycle for this exercise.
- Watch later updates with the simulation running. Old history plots can have cleared during the change of view; compare new reports rather than expecting the old trail to reappear.
- Restore the original station view and ring preference if you changed them. This exercise needs no power-off test, aircraft order or new launch. Follow a training lesson’s instructions instead if it restricts the available controls.
The game models interruptions and reduced range. Weather effects in real radar are explained separately; these controls are not a forecast or a full model of every real sensor.
If ASMA reports RADAR DESTROYED
Open ASMA with M, then choose SYS and read RADAR DESTROYED. Note the station named in the report. This is different from a temporary RADAR OFFLINE incident; repeated right-clicks will not rebuild the destroyed station.
Use the remaining ground stations and available AWACS coverage, following the offline coverage checks. Keep checking fresh reports: other sensors may still update contacts. Keep the full report and station name for a problem report if the display or later messages contradict the loss.
Does VAMPIRE MISS mean the radar is working again?
Open ASMA with M, choose INTEL and read the station named in VAMPIRE MISS. The game reports that this station survived that missile attack. The message does not switch its radar back on, and survival of one attack does not guarantee safety from the next.
If you switched that station off, use the three-stage right-click controls above to return it to the normal state when you intend to resume its coverage. Check the resulting state and fresh reports, rather than treating the miss message as proof of coverage. While it remains off, use the remaining-station and AWACS checks. If a later RADAR DESTROYED message names it, follow the destruction checks instead.
Use the radar state cycle, remaining coverage checks or destroyed-station checks for the state you actually see.
Why is the radar still offline after loading?
In v0.8.16.0, a temporary radar incident saved while it is still active can continue after loading. Loading that save is not a repair command and does not mean full coverage has returned.
Open ASMA with M and read the report for the affected station. If it is still awaiting repair, follow the remaining-station and AWACS checks above; repeated right-clicks will not repair it. When the incident ends, check the actual power state and fresh reports as described above. If the loaded situation looks wrong, keep the original save and include the station name, report and game version in a problem report.