Was working through the AGM-65 training mission last night and was using the port facility along the coast to boresight the mavericks. I was having a really hard time getting a point track regardless of what buildings or structures I was targeting. I looked through the manual and also google to see if I could find anything that would explain what the significance is of one vs the other, or why I would only get area tracking vs point tracking, but couldn't find anything.

Anyone have insights on this?

Iv'e had issues with it before also. Found the easiest lock was an isolated building on outskirts of a city or airbase. Water towers work too.
Still fumble with getting the sequence right to get a good boresight.

As you've might have read in other threads i am not the biggest fan of Mav's or TGP's since 4.33 but with the Area tracking being pretty much what I used to call "Ground stabilize" and can only imagine that being too far away from target of interest would keep you from getting a good point track.

You do "TMS Up" once for area and once again to get point, right?

Otherwise maybe the optics are "out of bounds" or simply masked, but if so you should see MASK on your HUD.

Since I totally suck at this new procedure I used my best black belt at Internets and found this, if it can help https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5wS3Bu2juc
I sure as heck needs to read up on this sooner or later.

Area track should be TMS-Up and HOLD. Point track is TMS-Up and RELEASE.

TMS-Right is also area track

See? one learns new stuff all the time
Close but not the same as in A-10C then I guess

Thanks. I wasn't aware of that nuance.

IIRC, what I'm seeing happen is that I press TMS-Up and RELEASE, and then I get "Point" for a second or two, and then it changes to "Area", like it tries to get a point lock but can't for some reason.

Consult TO-BMS1F-16CM-34-1-1

(page96) 1.9.6 Sniper XR ATP Controls and Displays

POINT track mode tracks single objects with well defined edges e.g.vehicles, some buildings. When POINT Track is established a box grows from the center of the crosshairs until the edges of the target are enclosed by it. The TGP tracker continuously updates the tracker box such that, when the aircraft is maneuvered, the tracker box changes to the new viewing aspect of the target. POINT is displayed below the crosshairs, indicating that track has been established. Designating with TMS-up and hold, with TGP SOI, commands AREA track to ground-stabilize the LOS. POINT Track is commanded by releasing TMS-up. If the TGP cannot maintain POINT track because LOS to the target is blocked (pod masked or target hidden behind another object for example) then the pod will drop POINT track and switch to INR or AREA track until the pilot commands POINT track again on the target it will not return to POINT unless a new POINT Track command is initiated. If the pilot commands slewing when in POINT track then the pod will drop the track and will try to reacquire POINT track once the slewing stops.

TMS-aft commands the TGP to break track and return to the SLAVE mode, meaning it is slaved back to the radar
LOS. If the target cannot be POINT tracked because the target does not have sufficient edge detail, the TGP
automatically defaults to AREA Track.

Thank you sir.

That was much kinder than "RTFM!"

We aim to please