Probe Cores VS Remote Guidance Units

[NewtSoup]

What's the difference between Probe Cores and Remote Guidance Units?

I'm not sure I get it.  I seems to me like an RGU can operate on the surface of a planet if it has a link to an orbiting spacecraft as long as said spacecraft has a kerbal on board that can control it.
Is that right?

Can an RGU Function as a probe core if it has a link to the KSC?

Or am I missing it completely?

[OrdinaryKerman]

33 minutes ago, NewtSoup said:

What's the difference between Probe Cores and Remote Guidance Units?

I'm not sure I get it.  I seems to me like an RGU can operate on the surface of a planet if it has a link to an orbiting spacecraft as long as said spacecraft has a kerbal on board that can control it.
Is that right?

Can an RGU Function as a probe core if it has a link to the KSC?

Or am I missing it completely?

No difference, RGUs are probe cores. They only happen to come in flat circular form.

Edited August 27, 2021 by OrdinaryKerman

[Streetwind]

6 hours ago, NewtSoup said:

I'm not sure I get it.  I seems to me like an RGU can operate on the surface of a planet if it has a link to an orbiting spacecraft as long as said spacecraft has a kerbal on board that can control it.
Is that right?

"Remote Guidance Unit" is just a name. Functionally it's a probe core. But one of the best probe cores. It has a built-in experiment storage unit, and thus can collect and store science experiments just like that part, or a manned cockpit. It has all SAS modes. It has decent reaction wheels. It comes in two sizes: 1.25m and 2.5m.

And yes, they do have a feature called a "probe control point". However, that will not work with just the probe core alone, it also needs a Kerbal pilot on the same vessel. Read more about it here: https://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Probe_Control_Point

[NewtSoup]

It's the probe control point that I'm not understanding.  Why do you need a connection to the KSC from the controlling mother ship if you have a pilot on board?  I thought it would be for those times when your comms network was out of range and the pilot on the mothership could control the probe that was in range.  Oh no.. my bad.. it does exactly that!.  

Thank you.    Dyslexic brain went word blind on the first sentence "A Probe Control Point is a specific vessel which allows you to control a probe without any connection to the KSC."

[AtomicTech]

11 hours ago, OrdinaryKerman said:

No difference, RGUs are probe cores. They only happen to come in flat circular form.

Quite handy I might add