DKS ATC: How-tos

Open DKS ATC for your squadron's server

1. Open Tools → DKS ATC.
2. Under Your squadron servers, pick the Side you control and the Picture (Coalition unless you need Sensors or Truth).
3. Click Open on the server, and wait for LIVE in the top bar.

The next time, Tools → DKS ATC → your server opens straight away with the same side and picture.

Reopen the same picture after a reload

Just reload: the page address keeps the server, side and picture. Bookmark it to come back to the same picture any time.

Connect to a server by its address

1. On the launch screen, click Enter an address under Connect by address.
2. Pick Tacview (port 42674) or Olympus (port 3001), enter the host, and the password.
3. Tick Save this connection to list it on the launch screen next time.
4. Click Connect.

A direct connection shows everything (truth) and is never shared with other controllers.

Open a Tacview recording

1. On the launch screen, drop the .acmi file on Open a recording, or click Choose file.
2. Press K to play; see Replay a recording for the controls.

Practice with a drill

1. On the launch screen, open a track under Training (or Free practice) and pick a lesson or drill.
2. Your flight is already your working flight. Make the calls and copy them with C (or P for the PICTURE) to score them.
3. Watch your score in the Training panel; Try again restarts. Drills with Steps list what to do and what you should see, in order (see Drills).

Tell other controllers your position

1. Open Settings → Controllers (the gear in the top bar).
2. Enter your position (your radio callsign, for example DARKSTAR), pick your role and enter your frequency.

Do this every session, even alone: it is how handoffs, {ctl} in data blocks and the Radios filter know who you are.

Make the map darker

1. Click the Map icon in the scope controls (bottom left of the scope).
2. Set Style to DCS map (dark) (the default), or Off for no map at all.
3. Lower Brightness to taste.

Make the tracks glow

1. Click the Map icon.
2. Tick Bloom. Aircraft, vectors, history and missiles glow; the map and labels stay sharp.

Name the bullseye

1. Click the Map icon.
2. Under Bullseye, type the name in Name (for example ROCK).

Every bullseye call now says "ROCK 090/40". The name is kept per mission.

Show range rings around an aircraft

1. Select the aircraft.
2. Press Shift+R (or tick Range rings in the Map menu, and set Every and Rings).

Without a selection the rings center on a pinned airfield, else the middle of the scope.

Show enemy SAM rings

Press Shift+T (or tick Threat rings in the Map menu). Hover a ring for its type and range. Tick Friendly SAM coverage to add your own side's.

Show navaids and fixes

Tick Navaids or Fixes in the Map menu (both are on in ATC mode). Navaids draw with their chart symbol and ident; untick Frequencies to hide the frequency or TACAN channel beside them. More fixes appear as you zoom in. Hover one for its name and type.

Hide ground units

Press Shift+G, or untick Ground units in the Layers menu. To keep nearby ones only, open Filters and set Ground units to a range such as Within 40 NM.

Show only the air threats

1. Click the Filters icon in the scope controls.
2. Set Preset to Threats.

The Filters icon shows a dot while a filter is on; Reset clears it.

Save your own filter

1. Click the Filters icon and set the classifications, kinds and bands you want.
2. Click Save as preset, name it, and click Save.

It appears in Preset from then on, in this browser.

Measure a distance and bearing

1. Hold Alt (⌥ on a Mac) and click where to start.
2. Alt+click each next point; each leg shows its distance and bearing, and the cursor readout shows the total.
3. Click the map (or press Esc) to clear it.

For a quick one, right-drag from one point to another instead.

Follow an aircraft

Double-click it. The scope keeps it centered and the wheel zooms around it. Double-click empty map to stop following (the scope centers where you clicked).

Save a view and come back to it

1. Pan and zoom to the view you want.
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+1 (to 9) to save it.
3. Press Shift+1 (to 9) to jump back to it. Views are kept per theater.

Switch between NM and km, or change the coordinate format

• Click the distance in the cursor readout, or press Alt+N, for NM/ft ↔ km/m. The planner and debrief follow the same setting.
• Click the coordinates in the cursor readout, or press Alt+K, to cycle DD → DDM → DMS → MGRS.
• Fuel has its own unit: Settings › Fuel, lb or kg.

Read the ground elevation somewhere

Point at the spot: the cursor readout at the bottom left shows the ground elevation under the pointer, in your altitude unit.

Move a data block out of the way

Drag it. It keeps its place relative to the aircraft's direction of flight. Ctrl+Z puts it back.

Hide one aircraft's data block, and bring it back

1. Hover the aircraft and press Shift+X.
2. To bring it back, open the block again (hover or select the aircraft) and click its +, or use Layers → Data blocks you changed → Show hidden.

Show data blocks for aircraft and vehicles on the ground

Tick Data blocks on the ground in the Layers menu. They are off to start with, so parked and taxiing aircraft only show a block when you hover or select them.

Show more, or less, in every data block

1. Open Settings (the gear in the top bar).
2. Under Data blocks, pick Callsign and altitude for less, or Detailed for more.

Customize what data blocks show

1. Open Settings → Data blocks → Customize….
2. Pick the kind of track and collapsed or expanded, and edit the text: words in braces such as {fl} or {squawk} are filled in (see the list).
3. Watch the preview; click back when done. Your layout now reads Custom.

Pick the flight you are talking to

Click it in Flights, or hover it on the scope and press W. ' and ; step to the next and previous flight.

Declare a group hostile

Hover or select any aircraft in the group and press F2 (or 6). The whole group turns hostile. F4 is friend, F3 unknown, F5 neutral. To declare one aircraft, right-click it › Declare TN …; Properties lists each aircraft in the group with its own declaration.

Declare several groups quickly

1. With nothing selected, press the declaration key (for example F2): it arms.
2. Click each group, or Shift+click to sweep every group within 30 px.

Declare every bogey hostile at once

Press Ctrl+Shift+F2. One Ctrl+Z undoes it.

Undo a declaration

Press Ctrl+Z. It undoes your own last declaration, assignment, JUDY, rename or BRAA, never another controller's.

Hook a BRAA between two aircraft

Hold Ctrl and right-drag from one aircraft to the other. The BRAA follows both and is listed in the BRAA panel with aspect, closure and time to intercept. Shift+right-click its label to remove it.

Give a flight bogey dope

Hover or select the friendly (or rely on your working flight) and press B. DKS ATC hooks the nearest hostile or bogey group and words the answer; copy it from the Call deck with C.

Call the PICTURE

1. Open the Picture panel (or press P).
2. Read it out; P also copies it and clears PICTURE CHANGED in the top bar.

Set a threat sector

1. In the Picture panel, open Threat sector.
2. Pick where it starts (From), set the Axis, Width and Depth.
3. Click Set sector. The wedge is drawn on the scope and the PICTURE covers only groups inside it.

Assign a group to a flight and call JUDY

1. Make the flight your working flight (W).
2. Hover the group and press A to assign it.
3. When the flight calls JUDY, press J: calls about that group to that flight go quiet.

Rename a group

Right-click any aircraft in the group, choose Rename group…, type the name and confirm. The name is shared with your side.

Rename a flight or a pilot

In Flights, hover the flight and click the pencil. Type the callsign and the pilots' names, then press Enter (Escape cancels). The names are shared with your side. Empty a field to go back to the feed's name.

Split an aircraft out of its group

Right-click the aircraft and choose Grouping › Split from …. To undo, choose Grouping › Return to automatic grouping. A split lasts 20 minutes of mission time.

To put it in another group instead, choose Move to group › and pick the group; the nearest are listed first.

Set the weapons ROE

Click the ROE badge in the top bar (GCI mode) and choose weapons free, tight or hold. Every controller on your side sees it.

Bring in the mission's planned flights

1. In Flights, open Mission plan.
2. Pick the DKS package being flown.

Its flights fill in with callsign, airframe, task and interflight frequency, matched to the live flights by callsign.

Find an aircraft by callsign

Press / and type a callsign, track number or airfield. Pick a result to select and center it.

Work an airfield

1. Press Alt+M (or click ATC in the top bar).
2. Pick the airfield in the top-bar picker, or right-click it on the scope and choose Focus this airfield (ATC).

The Strips, Airfield and Approach panels open; switching back to GCI restores your GCI layout.

Change the runway in use

Press R to cycle through each runway end and back to automatic (into the wind).

Resequence the arrivals

Press S to put the keyboard on the strips, move to an arrival with the arrow keys, and press

Alt+↑ or Alt+↓. Or drag the strip. Ctrl+Z undoes it.

Watch an aircraft on the approach window

Right-click its strip (or the aircraft) and choose Strip › Watch on the approach window. The Approach panel shows it against the glidepath and centerline.

Set the glideslope for a runway

1. Open the Approach panel (ATC mode) and pick the runway end.
2. Pick the glideslope in GS, from 2.0° to 6.0° in half-degree steps.

The glidepath on the approach window follows at once; Ctrl+Z undoes it.

Put a jet in the marshal stack

Select the jet and press M. It goes on top of the stack with an EAT one minute after the slot below. M again takes it out.

Set the recovery case and publish a BRC

1. In the Carrier board's header, pick Case I, II or III (DKS ATC suggests one).
2. When the ship steadies on a new course, the header offers to publish it as the BRC; click it. Ctrl+Z undoes it.

Acknowledge alerts

Click Acknowledge on the banner card or the Log row, or press Alt+A for all of them.

Find who is squawking an emergency

Press Alt+Q: DKS ATC selects and centers the next aircraft squawking 7500, 7600–7677 or 7700–7777, then anyone holding IDENT.

Find who is on a squawk code

Type the code in the Radios panel's search and press Enter, or choose Find squawk code… from Ctrl+K. Everyone on it flashes for 15 seconds. To see every code at once, hold Q.

Give an aircraft its squawk

Right-click it (or its strip) and pick Squawk › Assign squawk…, or Auto-assign from the code bank. Block for a flight gives every member a code in a row. The Squawks panel shows them all, and flags anyone squawking the wrong code (CODE) or the same code as someone else (DUP).

Turn off an alert you do not want

1. Press E to open the Log, then click Settings.
2. Switch the alert off for the mode you are in, or change its minima.

See squawks at all

Ask a squadron admin to turn on External AWACS Mode on the SRS server and enter the SRS address and both EAM passwords on the server card in Squadron Settings → Server Integrations. Then reopen DKS ATC.

Link your own SRS client

1. Connect your SRS client to the server and sign in to External AWACS Mode with your side's password, as you would for LotATC (close LotATC first).
2. Download DKS SRS Link from the Radios panel (My SRS client › Download), run dks-srs-link.exe on the same PC. It sits in the notification area by the clock (green when linked and SRS is running); right-click it for Start with Windows or Quit. Windows may warn about an unrecognized app the first time: More info › Run anyway.
3. In the Radios panel, tick Link under My SRS client. If Chrome asks to let the site use Apps on device, allow it.

You still talk and listen in SRS. DKS ATC shows who is talking on each of your radios (with TX on their track) and gives SRS your position (the focus airfield, or right-click the scope › Transmit from here) with terrain line of sight. Names show only when the SRS server shares transmitter names.

Your radios sit on the right of the scope while the link is up:

• Transmit: click a radio, or press Alt+1–9.
• Tune: scroll the MHz or kHz digits, or click them and type (2515 is 251.500). T opens the Tune bar on your transmit radio with the selected aircraft's frequencies; type a frequency or a name, Enter tunes.
• Backup: set the small frequency on the right of a radio the same way, then ⇄, S or Alt+Shift+number swaps it in.
• G switches the guard receiver. SIM on each radio picks the ones you transmit on together (dim until you turn on SIMUL at the top, then bright). ‹ › step preset channels, and the bar sets volume. GRD means you're hearing guard, STEP two stations at once, the lock shows the encryption key (set it in SRS).

A new frequency shows in the accent color until SRS confirms it. SRS only lets you tune radios set to overlay mode in SRS.

Take control of a track

Right-click it and choose Take control of …, or use the Coordination panel. Your position shows in its data block ({ctl}).

Hand a track off

1. Take control of it first: you can hand off only a track you control.
2. Select it and press H.
3. With one other controller online it goes straight to them; otherwise pick who in Coordination.

Accept a handoff

Press Alt+H when the HO chip appears in the top bar, or accept from the chip or the Coordination panel.

Pass a strip to another position

In ATC mode, open the strip's menu (⋯ or right-click) and pick Strip › Send strip to … and the position. It stays highlighted on their board until they click ✓ (or Accept on the note that pops up). Recall the strip takes it back.

Point a track out

Select it and press O, add a remark if you like, and pick who (or everyone). They acknowledge with Alt+O, or answer Unable from the chip in the top bar or the Coordination panel.

Leave a note on a track

Select it and press N, type the note (up to 280 characters) and confirm. It shows beside the symbol and in the expanded data block, for your whole side.

Release a departed controller's groups

Open Controllers; under the departed controller's groups and tracks, click Release.

Restore your picture after a reload

Click the restore chip in the top bar within two hours of the reload. DKS ATC never restores by itself.

Cover two positions at once

Name both in your position (for example DARKSTAR/MAGIC) in Controllers, and set the frequency you listen to most. See Working more than one position.

Draw a CAP orbit, area or line

1. Open the Draw panel (left dock) and pick a tool: Line, Area, Circle, CAP, Text or Point.
2. Click on the scope to place points; Enter finishes, Backspace removes the last point, Esc cancels.

Share a drawing with other controllers

Select the drawing in the Draw panel and tick Share with controllers.

Show the NAV GRID and share it

1. Press Shift+N (or open the NAV GRID panel and switch it on).
2. Pick Fan or Keypad, set the origin and rings.
3. Under Share, click Share to give every controller on your side the same grid. Others adopt it when Follow shared grids is on.

Replay a recording

K plays and pauses, ←/→ steps 10 seconds ( Shift for a minute), Shift+↑/↓ changes speed.

Jump to the next kill or shot

Press PageDown (or PageUp for the previous one). DKS ATC lands 10 seconds before it.

Rewind the live picture

Press ← to go back (up to 15 minutes), K to freeze, and L to return to live.

Export a session debrief

Open the Training panel and click Debrief (Markdown) (to paste into Discord) or JSON.