Subs & sonar - Which green rings represent which sensors?

[ColonelMolerat]

I'm playing through the sub tutorial, and my sub has three 'types' of ring:

- A small, thin one, almost with a red edge, rather close to the sub.

- The thick convergence zone rings a bit further out

- The furthest ring, a thin green ring, furthest out.

How can I tell which sensors have which ranges?

(ie, is my sub's sonar range the first narrow ring, the second, or are the two rings each representative of a different sensor?)

EDIT:

I've worked it out. I'll leave this post up and explain here, for anybody else wondering:

The first ring is actually two, on top of each other - a red ring, representing the range of the sub's surface weapons, and a green one, representing the range of its underwater weapons.

The thick rings represent convergence zones. I don't really understand these, but think they're an effect of sonar in deep water - these rings represent the areas in which it can detect objects.

The furthest green ring represents the range of the sonar itself.

[Rory Noonan]

Correct. The thick green rings are indeed convergence zones.

(Edited in light of posts below)

[magi]

Darn... I thought it was the areas between the thick green rings that were the dead zones... Thank you for correcting me....

[ExNusquam]

ORIGINAL: magi

Darn... I thought it was the areas between the thick green rings that were the dead zones... Thank you for correcting me....

You are correct, magi. The CZs are the ~5 nm rings. You can check the manual (page 132 for more info on the C:MANO sonar model).

[DerGrenadier]

ORIGINAL: ExNusquam

ORIGINAL: magi

Darn... I thought it was the areas between the thick green rings that were the dead zones... Thank you for correcting me....

You are correct, magi. The CZs are the ~5 nm rings. You can check the manual (page 132 for more info on the C:MANO sonar model).

I really should look more often in the manual. Thx for pointing that out.

[Rory Noonan]

I stand corrected; sorry for the incorrect info before.

[SeaQueen]

ORIGINAL: ColonelMolerat
I don't really understand these, but think they're an effect of sonar in deep water..

That's correct. The combination of pressure, salinity and temperature means that the speed of sound in water varies with depth. That means that the path of sound waves in the ocean is bent in very much the same way that the paths of light waves are bent in a lens. If the water is deep enough, convergence zones appear where sound is essentially "focused" due to the lens-like effects of the ocean.

[Dimitris]

See here for a primer on sonar propagation principles, including convergence zone (figure 15): http://fas.org/man/dod-101/navy/docs/es ... r_prop.htm

[ColonelMolerat]

Thanks!