How to get a higher percentage transmitted?

[Cols]

I get these huge amounts of science but I can only transmit like20%. Where is the best spot to transmit?

[WafflesofMassDeliciousnes]

I don't believe there is a best spot. Transmitting results always results in a fairly steep penalty, unless it is a crew report. I believe this is to heavily encourage either multiple transmissions, multiple repeat tests, or returning the unit itself back to Kerbin safely.

[andrewas]

Different experiments have different transmit percentages. This is to represent the difference between, say, getting a Duna rock back to kerbin for analysis, and sending pictures of a Duna rock so the scientists can look at them. That said, if you transmit enough, you will eventually get all the science points that experiment can return, though it takes a lot of transmission to get all the science from an experiment with 20% transmission efficiency, almost 50 transmissions IIRC. The exact figures are somewhere on the forum.

[Dave Kerbin]

There is no best spot. The transmission percentage represents the difference between telling the guys on the ground what you see and actually returning the samples to them for study.

So crew reports are 100% because they are just reading the report right off the page, but things like Mun samples can only be vaguely described over the radio, you really need to bring them back to KSC where they can use lab equipment to study them.

[RabidMonkey]

There is no best spot. The transmission percentage represents the difference between telling the guys on the ground what you see and actually returning the samples to them for study.

So crew reports are 100% because they are just reading the report right off the page, but things like Mun samples can only be vaguely described over the radio, you really need to bring them back to KSC where they can use lab equipment to study them.

This is especially true, given that our crews are Kerbals. "Transmitting results from Minmus surface sample" "Go ahead." "It looks like mint ice cream. Can I eat it?" "*facepalm*"