Relay Problem

[Volodyuka]

I set up a relay constellation of four satellites in geostationary orbit around Kerbin armed with two HG-5 antennas each, however a probe on 200 km orbit around Kerbin armed with communotron 16 aren't able to talk to them. What exactly am i doing wrong?

Here is a picture: 

[Numerlor]

If I remember correctly HG fives are those small dishes, they aren't good relays because of their tiny strenght

[Streetwind]

You can't get a link because you're not in range for a link See here:  http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/CommNet

Antenna range is always a function of the power level of both endpoints. Range = SQRT ( Antenna Strength 1 * Antenna Strength 2 )

In case of a HG-5 talking to a Communotron-16, that comes out to:

Range = SQRT ( 5,000,000 * 500,000 ) = 1,581,138.83 meters.

Geostationary orbit around Kerbin is roughly 3,463,330 meters. in other words, more than twice as far away as you have range.

 

Your HG-5's can talk to the ground stations at that distance because those ground stations are extremely powerful. The Communotron-16, however, is not very powerful. In fact, it is the weakest antenna in the game. The HG-5 is slightly better, but not by much on the scales of space. The two of them just don't have the power to hear each other across that kind of distance.

If your low orbit spacecraft also had a HG-5 instead of a Communotron-16, then you would have 5,000,000 meters of effective range between two HG-5 endpoints, and you could talk to your orbiting constellation.

 

Edited May 2, 2017 by Streetwind

[Volodyuka]

Oh, I see, thanks.