Antenna question

[NewtSoup]

Hello kind people,

I have a question about antenna, relays and power consumption.   In my new rebirth game I am about to launch my first satellite contract and just for giggles I thought I'd make it a relay sat.   This made me think.

The satellite I have built for the contract has a 200 battery, an  OKTO,  4 communotrons ( just for looks ) 4 basic solar panels, an oscar-b tank and a spark engine.

I was thinking of adding an HG-5.  The HG-5 uses 51.4 charge per second when transmitting so in theory my 200 unit satellite could transmit for around 3.9 seconds before zonking out (assuming no input from the panels )

This then left me asking the question - what If I had extra ground stations turned off and I was using relay sats for an actual network and I wanted to transmit data from say eve to the far side of kerbin where the KSC is.  This would route through my dinky relay sat.  Am I going to lose connection to the KSC after 4 seconds or does the game ignore power requirements on comnet sattelites?  I'm well aware that if I had one on a mun station and transmitted data back to Kerbin I'd quickly run out of power if I didn't have sufficient battery life and or solar panels,  But that's on a craft that's currently loaded in memory and being fully simulated.

So I think my actual question is:
Do I need to make sure that my comnet satellites always have enough power to transmit for at least a few minutes at a time or does the game just check for the presence of a relay sat and not worry about power ?

[FleshJeb]

Nope.

This is very useful, if you weren't already aware:

 

[klesh]

 In your scenario, only the vessel at Eve would need enough battery to complete the data transmission. If Commnet is connected to the HG-5 satellite (meaning it has any power at all), you'd be good to go.

[NewtSoup]

Perfect.  Thank you!. 

[GrouchyDevotee]

I have been drastically over-building.

[NewtSoup]

I just popped a quartet of quad HG5 satellites in geostationary orbit around kerbin.  They have a combined range of 14m meters.  Enough to reach just beyond the moon when communicating with a similar satellite.  I'm now sending another 3 to orbit the moon.  Then I'll have a basic 100% power relay system set up that doesn't need the extra ground stations turned on.   Will work on minmus later! ( decided to up the difficulty this time ).

[NewtSoup]

I may have miscalculated a little.. They give me full probe control at the mun 100% of the time but they'll be usless for transmitting data back.. only about 10% signal strength!.  ( Unless it just takes longer to transmit back with weak signal? )  I'll replace them when I get better tech whatever.

 

Edited March 26, 2018 by NewtSoup

[FleshJeb]

13 hours ago, NewtSoup said:

I may have miscalculated a little.. They give me full probe control at the mun 100% of the time but they'll be usless for transmitting data back.. only about 10% signal strength!.  ( Unless it just takes longer to transmit back with weak signal? )  I'll replace them when I get better tech whatever.

If I understand correctly, you're trying to connect sats with HG5s to other HG5s? They're not relay antennas, so it won't work.

https://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/CommNet

Frankly, I think this system is a pain in the butt, and I used to use Remotetech.

EDIT: @DerekL1963 is right, and I'm full of beans.

Edited March 26, 2018 by FleshJeb

[DerekL1963]

5 minutes ago, FleshJeb said:

If I understand correctly, you're trying to connect sats with HG5s to other HG5s? They're not relay antennas, so it won't work.

Yes, they are relay antennas.

https://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Parts#Communication
https://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/HG-5_High_Gain_Antenna

[NewtSoup]

23 minutes ago, FleshJeb said:

If I understand correctly, you're trying to connect sats with HG5s to other HG5s? They're not relay antennas, so it won't work.

https://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/CommNet

Frankly, I think this system is a pain in the butt, and I used to use Remotetech.

EDIT: @DerekL1963 is right, and I'm full of beans.

They are indeed, the reason I'm using them is because I decided to make life difficult for myself and play a harder career mode.  I have no ground stations other than the launch sites so I set up with the best I had available right now.  It's been a really good lesson in working out how to set geosats up at equidistant points.  Obviously the mun network is not geostationary but it does have a triad of 4xHG-5 sats in place that will let me keep full probe control at all times.  Handy for the rescue and tourist missions.  I'm being offered minmus missions at the moment.  Surface base and explore but I need to pay particular attention to them rather than just set accept them right away.  Last time I went Funds! and then realised that the brief required 7k of electric charge, 12 kerbals and 6500 liquid fuel.  That's why Babylon K got built.  It was an over engineered flying fuel tank.  It's a shame it's gone - I put a lot of work into the K.  But that means I will have to make Babylon-K 2 ( and yes I did cheat in Sinclair Kerman to command the K )

[FleshJeb]

Just now, NewtSoup said:

They are indeed, the reason I'm using them is because I decided to make life difficult for myself and play a harder career mode.  I have no ground stations other than the launch sites so I set up with the best I had available right now.  It's been a really good lesson in working out how to set geosats up at equidistant points.  Obviously the mun network is not geostationary but it does have a triad of 4xHG-5 sats in place that will let me keep full probe control at all times.  Handy for the rescue and tourist missions.  I'm being offered minmus missions at the moment.  Surface base and explore but I need to pay particular attention to them rather than just set accept them right away.  Last time I went Funds! and then realised that the brief required 7k of electric charge, 12 kerbals and 6500 liquid fuel.  That's why Babylon K got built.  It was an over engineered flying fuel tank.  It's a shame it's gone - I put a lot of work into the K.  But that means I will have to make Babylon-K 2 ( and yes I did cheat in Sinclair Kerman to command the K )

As long as you're having fun. My apologies for the misinformation; I'm glad Derek caught it.

I'm designing a fully-reusable (except for fairings) Jool Colonization at the moment, so I'm trying to get my head back into this stuff.

That's a dangerous naming convention--It might take 5 iterations before you get it right.

Michael O'Hare was a really fascinating guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pR5IuVptRw

 

[NewtSoup]

1 minute ago, FleshJeb said:

That's a dangerous naming convention--It might take 5 iterations before you get it right.

The first one already got sucked out of existence by a hard drive failure along with the Rura Penthe Ore Mines on Minmus.  Minmus Orbital was again a refuelling stop and science lab and starting to sprawl with modules getting added ad-hoc with no real design plan as  I wanted this one to grow organically.  I make all my bases and stations and deep space vessels from modules which can be launched and then assembled in space or on a surface. Copious use of docking ports!

That spreadsheet is so useful btw.  Thanks again, I'd have had trouble finding that by myself.  I'm just about to pick up RA-2 Antena which will give me 93% signal to minmus with my current HG-5's around Kerbin.

[FleshJeb]

1 minute ago, NewtSoup said:

Rura Penthe

NERD! I had to look that one up.

Quote

Copious use of docking ports! 

I'm a little shocked at the amount of docking I'm going to have to do--Especially since I'm trying this without KAS.
I'm doing the opposite of organic, although the systems and procedures should be fairly adaptable if I make an error in planning.

My naming conventions extend to such imaginative lengths as: Station Core; Fuel Tank; Drive; Miner.

Spoiler

Prototype Laythe station core is assembled out of about half the mothership and fuel tanks. Very modular.
I had to go with three arms instead of two because of the Tennis Racket Theorem.
This is major design iteration #7 or so.

The miner fits in a Mk3 cargo bay, but I may abandon that conceit and stuff it in a fairing. The excessive clipping and offset tool abuse makes mild rollovers highly volatile experiences.
This is major design iteration #5

The other part of the "Come And Get It" refueling system. One of the main mothership drive units, mated to one of the primary fuel tanks.
Capable of delivering empties to Vall or Bop, refueling, surviving a deep Laythe aerobrake, and rendezvousing with the station.
This is something like #30 of the test runs.

 

 

[NewtSoup]

This was my diary of Minmus Station and Rura Penthe

This thread documents my Mun Mission along with Babylon K