I'm a noob, and can't network.

[Mister_Spaceman]

Hello. Like I said in the title, I have little skill in the game, especially in comms. I attempted to set up a network for a Duna mission (after realizing that I didn't have a powerful enough antenna), only for the probes not to connect. The first probe, a fuel depot, has a HG-5, and nothing else (communications wise). After I lost control and realized that this was not enough, I sent a relay satellite. It is orbiting the sun, both is apoapsis and periapsis at about the halfway point between Kerbin and Duna. The relay has an RA-15 antenna. When put in orbit, it didn't connect with the depot, so I sent another relay. Again, no connection. Did I do something wrong? Do probes just not connect? Any help will be appreciated. Thank you in advance. 

Images

This is the fuel depot.

This is the relay.

This is the map, showing both relays, the depot, Kerbin and their relative positions.

[bewing]

The entire problem is summed up in the antenna range equation, for connecting between two antennas:

Connection Range = sqrt ( AntennaRange1 * AntennaRange2)

Your HG5 has a range of 5000km. Your RA15 has a range of 15000000km. So connection range = sqrt (5 x 10^3 x 15 x 10^6) km = sqrt (7.5 x 10^10) km = 274000 km.

That is, about a quarter of a Gm. So your fuel depot needs  a much bigger antenna, or you have to have a relay ship traveling with it, or you need to use "limited control mode" on your fuel depot.

 

[Mister_Spaceman]

@bewing

Thank you. I hadn't realized that both antennae need to be within each others' range. Do you think that attaching an RA-15 to the depot would do the trick? I have a plan involving a small probe and a rendezvous, and I don't want it to be for nothing because of a small antenna.

Edited January 20, 2017 by EvilEmotaku

[bewing]

If you attach an RA15 to the fuel depot, it will probably be able to connect to Kerbin all by itself. But that will certainly fix the problem, yes. (When it is on the back side of Duna, your relays will do their job and bounce the signal.)

[Mister_Spaceman]

Update:

Rather than go the hard way, i terminated the original probe, and sent one with the higher-powered antenna. It is currently in a circular, 150 kilometer, equatorial orbit. I'm so happy to have completed my first mission outside of the Kerbin system!