Commnet & antenna confusion.

[Synyster31]

So i've just started a new career mode with commnet & lowered science/rewards. Having got enough building upgrades & unlocked the necessary tech i'm trying to make a 3-probe KSO commnet cluster. I launched all 3 probes on the same rocket & deployed them using the 4 hour orbital period method to space them evenly. Now when I come to drop my 3rd probe it's always out of range of the KSC (extra ground relays disabled). I thougt this would be fine as the other 2 probes would provide a link but this isn't happening?! They also aren't providing a relay for a probe I have orbiting the Mun equipped with a Communotron 16.

Im using the HG-5 antenna which I believe is a relay antenna & the probes all have sufficient battery power keep going in Kerbins shadow. The Mun probe can reach the KSC just fine on it's own but it doesn't even try to connect to my relays.

Any thought on where i'm going wrong as I can't see it?

 

[bewing]

You are probably not fully grokking the antenna range calculation. Sqrt (range1 * range2) -- means that the range between two HG-5s is 5Mm. The range between an HG-5 and a single Comm16 is a little over 2Mm.

The Tracking Station has an extremely powerful antenna for picking up weak signals, so thinking an HG-5 will perform similarly to the Tracking Station is not right. BTW, that antenna calculation is physically correct -- it's how antennas really work.

 

[Synyster31]

So two HG-5s in a 3 probe KSO set-up are too weak to communicate? And a Communotron 16 can't relay through them from the Mun?

EDIT - Got the next grade antennas & they work great. Thanks for the help!

Edited November 11, 2016 by Synyster31