Commnet Connection Very Weak

[digger1213]

So, I set up a (relatively) geosynchronous comm ring around Kerbin, as I disabled the other ground stations for communication. My problem is that I am getting a strangely weak comm signal.

All three satellites are exactly the same, they have two HG-5 High Gain Antennas, and I have a tier two Tracking Station. I am relatively early game and do not have access to any better antennas.

The satellite directly connected has a 100 percent connection. The one connected to it, roughly on the other third, has only a 17 percent connection. The third one hasn't been set up yet. Don't know what else to add.

Some pictures:

 

If this is an intended feature, which it probably is as I read more into it, what workarounds are there? Especially considering I disabled the other ground stations.

 

[HvP]

The large antennas at the Kerbin Space Center are sensitive enough to get a good signal in from the much weaker HG-5's. But the HG-5's themselves are too small to resolve a good signal from each other.

In the direct case, each antenna has two functions: first, to send a signal from the KSC to remotely control your satellites, and second, to send science data from your craft back to the KSC. The HG-5 antennas will only send a very low power stream of data back to the KSC, but the massive antennas in your tracking station are huge buckets that can pick up extremely faint signals. Inversely, the tracking station antennas send out a broad high power signal that even the tiny dishes on your satellites can resolve easily.

But, when one HG-5 tries to relay signals to another HG-5 you end up with small dishes trying to resolve weak signals. This is why you have a good connection to the KSC but poor connections between your satellites. If you just wanted to control those satellites then using the larger RA-2 relay antenna (or preferably the largest relay) as your third comm-net satellite around Kerbin should solve this problem because the bigger dish will be sensitive enough to collect the weak signals from either of your HG-5's when they aren't in direct connection with the KSC tracking station and pass them on. However, you will have a problem if you want to use the HG-5 antennas to pass on signals from other craft further out, because they are best suited for relaying signals from a craft in a low orbit (or one on the surface) back to the large stations on Kerbin.

Edited April 16, 2017 by HvP

[Spricigo]

I For the formulas to calculate range and signal strength look at http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/CommNet

Notice that a link of any strength provide full control for unmanned vessels.

 

[digger1213]

Thanks for the answers. As I am not very far into the tech tree, I guess I will have to wait for a better relay dish. Thank you both for the help.