disconnected kerbnets

[steuben]

I'm playing around with the new Kerbnet. IIRC there has to be a line back to KSC to allow control.  Just a line back to a kerbed craft isn't enough correct?

to expand. I have a couple of probes in jool orbit, I also have a crewed pod there as well. Of course the crew pod will respond, but alas my little probes just sit there.

Edited October 21, 2016 by steuben

[Streetwind]

4 hours ago, steuben said:

Just a line back to a kerbed craft isn't enough correct?

Definitely not, but perhaps a local control point would be. A local control point is defined as a spacecraft that has a remote control capable probe core (currently only the 1.25m and 2.5m models have this feature) as well as a crewed command pod (not crew cabin) that contains a pilot Kerbal (as in, of the pilot profession, not just any Kerbal tasked to sit in the pilot's seat).

I think "a pilot" is enough. I have an extremely fuzzy memory about a discussion mentioning two pilot Kerbals (one for the ship and one for the remote control), but I completely forgot if that was stated as being required, or mulled around as "should be required" or the like.

 

Also note: be careful with your terminology. You say "Kerbnet", but I think you might mean "Commnet". Kerbnet is the built-in functionality of probe cores to visualize a planet's surface from orbit and set waypoints on it. Commnet is the communications network infrastructure feature.

My answer above assumes you literally meant Kerbnet. If you meant Commnet, a local control point will absolutely, definitely work.

Also, having an appropriate relay antenna on your crewed pod definitely works for both Kerbnet and Commnet, too (without requiring a local control point). In that case, your small probes could use your crewed pod as an intermediary step in order to reach back to Kerbin. Since your pod can talk to Kerbin but the probes aren't using it as a relay, that means the antenna you brought is a direct antenna. These are lighter, researched earlier in the tech tree and use less power than relay antennas, but they cannot, well, relay anything.

 

EDIT: You can find out if antennas are relay capable, and if probe cores are remote control capable, by looking at the detailed stats popup of the part(s) in the editor.

Edited October 21, 2016 by Streetwind

[bewing]

I don't think a local control point is supposed to be enough, either. The image that Kerbnet is supposed to be displaying is theoretically uploading from Kerbin Mission Control, I think.

[steuben]

Sorry I meant commnet rather than kerbnet.

The probe core feature I'm looking for is Probe Control Point? It looks like it is only on the late tree cores rather than the early tree ones. Given I'm playing with a max of 90's tech looks like that is out of reach.

 

[bewing]

Yes, to control a probe at Jool you either need a very strong relay to establish a connection to Kerbin, or you need a pilot+relay antenna+advanced probe core (1.25 or 2.5m core).