What's your Kerbin RT network like?

[xtoro]

Just set one up that's pretty easy to setup and seems to always be connected so far. I have 2 sats in geo orbits opposite from each other, one sat landed on the Mun facing Kerbin (Mun is tidally locked so it always faces Kerbin) and one huge sat in very high polar orbit with all the long range antennas for reaching other planets. With this combination, my deep space polar sat always gets a connection to mission control one way or another. My ground-based Mun relay gets used often and comes in handy.

What are your setups like? Just curious about odd and unconventional setups that turn out to work well.

Edited August 26, 2015 by xtoro

[Alshain]

I have 3 satellites in a 4 sat configuration in sync orbit around Kerbin that have nothing but a Communotron 32, these are just relays.

The 4th satellite is the workhorse, it sits opposite KSC and has a dish for every planet, the Mun, and Minmus, and a Communotron 32.

Finally, there is a rover sitting next to my tracking station that has a dish for every planet (but not the Mun or Minmus, cause the tracking station handles that), and a DP-10.

This network covers the entire system, unless it's blocked, which is rare.

[wossname]

What is RT?

[Alshain]

What is RT?

RemoteTech

[rcp27]

I have been building a RT network in a career game, so I have had to build it as I unlocked the tech tree. First step, once I unlocked the Communotron 16, was to establish basic coverage of Kerbin. I established a naming convention so I can figure out which relay is which in the tracking station. The first launch was "CommSat SR-A 3-0-1". SR indicates "short range" that is an omnidirectional antenna suitable for low orbital coverage. A indicates the first design of satellite for that purpose. 3 is Kerbin (1 for Moho, 2 for Eve, 4 for Duna etc), "0" because it's the basic planet, and 1 for the first satellite in that orbit. I put up CommSat SR-A 3-0-1 to 3-0-4 in a square configuration in a 1000 km circular equatorial orbit. This gives me basic coverage for Kerbin, as each satellite can speak to its two neighbours and at least one is always in contact with the KSC.

The second step, once I unlocked the DTS-M1 was to launch CommSat IR-A 3-0-1 and 3-0-2. IR for intermediate range: capable of reaching the higher regions of Kerbin's SoI. Each is equipped with a Comunotron 16 and three DTS-M1. One is pointed at Mun, one at Minmus and the third at "active vessel" for things like satellite contracts and rescue missions from high orbits. They are also in the same 1000 km orbit, spaced evenly between two of the SR sats, 180 degrees apart.

Third step was to build an unmanned "Mun Package". It contained a launch stage, a transfer stage (to Mun) and three identical satellites, IR-B 3-1-1 to 3-1-3. Each IR-B has a single Communotron 16 and a single DTS-M1, in each case pointed at Kerbin (the dish arc is enough to cover the full 1000 km relay orbit). I brought the package onto a collision course with Mun, then deployed the three satellites, altered them onto a non-crashing trajectory (this allowed the transfer stage to safely deorbit), and positioned them into a 600 km circular equatorial orbit, in an equilateral triangular formation. I then sent a near identical package to Minmus with IR-B 3-2-1 to 3-2-3.

The next step is the LR relay, with LR-A 3-0-1 and 3-0-2 occupying the other two gaps between the SR links, each with a 16 and four Communotron 88-88, pointed to Moho, Eve, Duna and "active vessel". Of course now the SR satellites around Kerbin are now redundant, but I've just left them in place. I have a manned ship currently in LKO waiting for a Duna transfer window with IR-B 4-0-1 and 4-0-2 as well as LR-B 4-0-1 and 4-0-2 attached to it. I plan to place these in a square in a lower orbit than Ike, and the LR-B have two 88-88 each, one for Kerbin and one for Eve, so that a Duna-Eve link can, in due course, cover Ike and Sun eclipses. Once the Duna launch is away, I'll send up a similar mission to Eve with SR and LR 2-0-1 and 2-0-2.

[SAI Peregrinus]

4 equatorial satellites with comm32s as relays. 2 long range satellites on 90 degree inclination orbits, Pe @100km, Ap @ SOI boundary. Each of these has a bunch of dishes, sized so that they can reach every other body in the system. Their orbits are opposed, so that when one is at Pe the other is at Ap. A few other scattered relay satellites due to having the SCANSat contract pack installed.

[Wjolcz]

It's non existent

[Hotaru]

This may look like a bunch of cheap grapefruit comsats thrown into random eccentric orbits in the vague hope that one of them is bound to have a line-of-sight to a vehicle in low orbit at any given moment, but it's actually a highly sophisticated network based on very complicated calculations of orbital mechanics and geometry which are, unfortunately, secret. Or so Linus and Wernher tell me, anyway.

(Yes, I'm half-cheating by having a DSN-style three-point ground network. But I'm just trying the mod out in sandbox mode and I got bored after about the twelfth identical comsat. And it actually did have about 80% coverage even with just the KSC station.)

[regex]

I tossed it out of my RO install because it messed up the SAS during my launches and its own PID controller needs some serious tuning to not make my probes flail around like dying fish.

But, generally, my RO/RT network looks like two launch sats to help connect to the ground tracking stations and relay sats where needed, which I really don't because I have proper ground tracking stations.

[rofltehcat]

I started with 3 satellites with communotron 16s, each 120° from each other in an altitude such that they are always in range to each other. When this got a bit asynchronous I added 2 more satellites. For Mun exploration I added 3 dish-equipped satellites in stationary higher equatorial orbits (don't do this). Later when I unlocked the communotron 32s I positioned 4 satellites with them in the same way as the starting communotron 16 satellites.

For longer range communication satellites I have switched to positioning them in highly eccentric polar orbits with ap/pe over the poles. This means that they only ever get obscured by Kerbin a few times a year for less than 15 minutes or so (very fast near Kerbin), which can be covered by adding a second satellite if really necessary.

However, I haven't really put much maintenance into keeping the phase angles between small satellites roughly the same recently. No matter how fine you tune the orbital periods the distances always seem to get out of whack after a while. I got sick of doing the (increase/decrease AP, fast-forward until position is ok, restore old orbital period) and have just switched to slightly accelerating/decelerating satellites based on their relative position and letting time sort it out (only check before launching "launch window expeditions").

For other planets I'm using more of a chaos approach but the small omnidirectional satellites are in equatorial (or inclinations <45° when I don't care) orbits whereas the long range relays are in highly eccentric polar orbits. Thus all of the small sats have line of sight to the relays nearly all the time.

It is ugly (I should probably delete some old satellites I no longer need) but it works.

[Finnan]

I have six satellites in synchronous orbit each with a CommTech 1 and Communotron 32.

[bonyetty]

This network covers the entire system, unless it's blocked, which is rare.

Mmmm ok. Lol

[xtoro]

So many ways! I really need to start a naming convention instead of naming them after fruits!

[stibbons]

Step 1: Slap a Communotron and CommTech on every contract satellite I launch.

Step 2: ???

Step 3: Profit!

[severedsolo]

Playing on early career, so this will be upgraded later - but I have 4 sats at about 1100k - each has a communotron 16, and a DTS-M1 focused on active vessel. You don't actually need to be at geosync orbit - as long as the orbital periods match. When one leaves range, another comes online.

Step 1: Slap a Communotron and CommTech on every contract satellite I launch.

Step 2: ???

Step 3: Profit!

That works too. It's actually how I build up my Mun/Minmus networks.

[Axelord FTW]

I used to place a lot of relay in LKO but for my current playthrough I just placed 5 bunch of relay in KSO.

More of my long range relay are placed between the Mun and Minmus.

I've been using the Mun as my main relay bouncing by putting a lot of satellites there.

In other words, on my current savefile, it's a huge clusterhonk =o).

[dom700]

Step 1: Slap a Communotron and CommTech on every contract satellite I launch.

Step 2: ???

Step 3: Profit!

This, why bother with a tidy network if you can let total chaos rule?

[p1t1o]

SymmetriccirtemmyS

Well, it is if "symmetric" means "not quite like an exploded octopus".

[Renegrade]

Well, when I used to play RT, my final network design was a two-layer thing. The inner sats orbited really low and were basically just Comm16 relays. I forget the exact number, but something like 400-800km. It was usually four, at ninety degree intervals.

The second layer I put a bit farther out, which handled the interplanetary comms (and were substantially bigger).

I haven't played RT since around 0.23.5 though, as it's basically just grind at this point to me.. :/

[rofltehcat]

Am I really the only one putting my long range relays satellites in highly eccentric polar orbits?

This is my Duna expedition. The coverage is achieved by one relays satellite in a highly eccentric polar orbit and three very small satellites. Normally I'd increase the Ap of the relays even further but when I sent the expedition on their way I somehow equipped the minisats with comunotron 16s instead of 32s and my rover just with the "always on" antenna, so I was a bit limited in the eccentricity and minisat altitude achieveable.

[match]

My ground-based Mun relay gets used often and comes in handy

Curious about your EC solution for the Mun relay. Iirc, this requires around 5k EC to cover the dark period.

I had considered doing the same but went with eccentric polar relays instead.

[severedsolo]

Curious about your EC solution for the Mun relay. Iirc, this requires around 5k EC to cover the dark period.

I had considered doing the same but went with eccentric polar relays instead.

If it's anything like my LKO sat, probably exploits the bug that means ec doesn't drain when the vessel is not loaded

[Renegrade]

Am I really the only one putting my long range relays satellites in highly eccentric polar orbits?

I did put some like that, but mostly because the 'meh' took over and I didn't bother to put 'em in a nice orbit.

My normal long range 'far side' constellation was usually just a three-sat affair. Then the meh got stronger, and it was a two sat affair... and then finally the meh won out entirely and it became manned-only and I returned the science and ditched antennas entirely. :/

Long gone are my days of painstakingly re-aligning a relay ring..

If it's anything like my LKO sat, probably exploits the bug that means ec doesn't drain when the vessel is not loaded

Well, that's more like a design limitation than a bug, to be honest. When they implemented the on rails stuff, I don't think they even had EC at all, let alone things that use EC when not focused.

[Drew Kerman]

Triangular network of 3 equatorial satellites is my normal routine

Edited August 27, 2015 by Gaiiden