Energy for transmitting? Antenna stats?

[Renaissance0321]

How do I know how much electricity is needed to transmit messages and what do the stats mean on the antenna? I tried to find this info with no luck.

Edited October 23, 2013 by Renaissance0321

[Johnno]

When you want to transmit the science window will say Data Size, that's how much data you have to transfer. Packet Size says how much you transmit by interval, Interval says how long there's between each packet and whatever it says for resource cost (packet resource cost or somesuch) is how much electricity you need per packet.

The rest is simple multiplication and division.

Data size divided by packet size, multiplied by packet cost.

[Eric S]

And if you want a tldr, it looks something like this (my notes may not be accurate, but they're not too far off if they aren't accurate):

Using the communotron 16 as a baseline:

Crew Report: 30 electricity

EVA Report: 40 electricity

Temperature Scan: 40 electricity

Mysterious Goo: 50 electricity

Atmospheric Pressure: 60 electricity

Materials Studies: 130 electricity

Surface Sample: 150 electricity

Seismic Study: 250 electricity

Atmospheric Analysis: 1000 electricity

Now, if you're using a DTS-M1 antenna (mid-tech dish) you increase those numbers by 50%. That antenna takes 80% as much time to send a report. The Communotron 88-88 takes 100% more power, and takes 60% as much time to send.

[Renaissance0321]

When you want to transmit the science window will say Data Size, that's how much data you have to transfer. Packet Size says how much you transmit by interval, Interval says how long there's between each packet and whatever it says for resource cost (packet resource cost or somesuch) is how much electricity you need per packet.

The rest is simple multiplication and division.

Data size divided by packet size, multiplied by packet cost.

According to this math the electrical charge cost for transmitting a crew report of 5 data size would be 25 electricity (with the first antenna you get). But when I actually transmit it takes 30 like Eric S's notes say above. Happen to know why this is?

[J.Random]

According to this math the electrical charge cost for transmitting a crew report of 5 data size would be 25 electricity (with the first antenna you get). But when I actually transmit it takes 30 like Eric S's notes say above. Happen to know why this is?

Because 5 Mits = 3x2Mit packets, 10 charge per packet = 30 charge.

[Renaissance0321]

Because 5 Mits = 3x2Mit packets, 10 charge per packet = 30 charge.

oh I was thinking it was only 2.5 packets but you can't split packets in half! Thanks

[Eric S]

oh I was thinking it was only 2.5 packets but you can't split packets in half! Thanks

Yeah, that threw me at first too until I realized that you had to round up to a multiple of the packet size. Since all the antenna currently have a packet size of 2, just multiplying the Communotron 16's energy requirement still works though.

[MonaBabii]

So knowing all of this information about costs... what exactly is the point in "upgrading" the first antenna to either of the dishes? D: I haven't gone too far into the Solar system yet, have only been to Duna and EVE so far, but the very first antenna you get seems to be able to send data all the way back to Kerbin with no problems.

Does the first basic antenna stop working at bigger distances from Kerbin? (In my head it does sound logical that it would, but again, haven't been too far yet but I feel Duna and EVE are not exactly a step away from Kerbin either D: )

Thanks in advance. I've also been wondering things about the antennas. It was fortunate someone beat me to ask some of the earlier questions

[Sirrobert]

So knowing all of this information about costs... what exactly is the point in "upgrading" the first antenna to either of the dishes? D: I haven't gone too far into the Solar system yet, have only been to Duna and EVE so far, but the very first antenna you get seems to be able to send data all the way back to Kerbin with no problems.

Does the first basic antenna stop working at bigger distances from Kerbin? (In my head it does sound logical that it would, but again, haven't been too far yet but I feel Duna and EVE are not exactly a step away from Kerbin either D: )

Thanks in advance. I've also been wondering things about the antennas. It was fortunate someone beat me to ask some of the earlier questions

Very little.

But if you bring a lot of science equipment with you, you might want to send it quickly. For example if your probe is only flying past a planet, instead of orbitting it (I got my probe an encounter with Moho for example, 2km periaps, but with escape velocity (and nowhere near enough deltaV to get a capture).

So I had to transmit all data quickly, than do the experiment again, transmit again quickly, ect, before the probe flew out of low orbit again.

If you plan to do that though, make sure to bring alot of solar pannels and batterys

[MonaBabii]

Ah so the dishes do send data faster at the cost of more electric charge? I thought there was literally no reason to upgrade at all.