[1.1.3] AntennaRange 1.11.4 - Enforce and Encourage Antenna Diversity

[Synthesis]

I'm worried this might not be the place to ask, but does anyone know if there's an Antenna Range patch for 1.0.5-compatible AIES antennas? It's one of the best-looking antenna packs out there in my mind, but with Kerbal Stuff down, checking through the torrent seems to be a crap shoot. 

[pacbard]

On 2/18/2016 at 8:05 PM, Synthesis said:

I'm worried this might not be the place to ask, but does anyone know if there's an Antenna Range patch for 1.0.5-compatible AIES antennas? It's one of the best-looking antenna packs out there in my mind, but with Kerbal Stuff down, checking through the torrent seems to be a crap shoot. 

Have you tried this patch? 

On another issue, does anyone have problems loading the antenna configs with the latest module manager (v  2.6.20)? It looks like I have to remove the

:NEEDS[!RemoteTech]

and change the

/= 1.414213

 in the commDish section to

*= 0.7071068

Does anyone have any idea on why this might be happening?

[Synthesis]

3 hours ago, pacbard said:

Have you tried this patch? 

On another issue, does anyone have problems loading the antenna configs with the latest module manager (v  2.6.20)? It looks like I have to remove the

:NEEDS[!RemoteTech]

and change the

/= 1.414213

 in the commDish section to

*= 0.7071068

Does anyone have any idea on why this might be happening?

I tried to patch--both my AIES and Squad antennas show up as beyond range, even in near-Kerbin orbit.

Full disclosure: I'm using 64-bit. If Antenna range isn't compatible with that, I understand complete. 

[Miravlix]

Don't your life have enough meaningful satellites zooming around Kerbin and moons? Do your life just need a reason for more green lines? Are you too lazy to add antennas to every ship?

Maybe this could help:

 

@PART[*]:HAS[@MODULE[ModuleCommand],!MODULE[ModuleDataTransmitter],!MODULE[ModuleLimitedDataTransmitter]]:FINAL:NEEDS[AntennaRange]
{
	%MODULE[ModuleLimitedDataTransmitter]
	{
		// 8408 km
		nominalRange = 100
		// 16.8Mm
		simpleRange = 400
		maxPowerFactor = 2
		maxDataFactor = 2
		
		packetInterval = 1
		packetSize = 2
		packetResourceCost = 15
		
		requiredResource = ElectricCharge
	}
}

 

This will result in every Probe Core and Command Pod having a build in Antenna. It can reach a little past the Mun (11Mm), but only past nominal range. While it does throw a kitchen sink into everything that looks like it doesn't need it, it tries to at least avoid anything who has AntennaRange or stock antennas data.

It should be very slow in transmitting science and it will prolly require a nuclear reactor worth of power to sent it. Not had a chance to test that yet, I just liked the look of it on paper. (Edit: Actually thinking about it, the slow speed is going to make it cost less I think)

 

I wonder if you can EVA a Kerbal and use him as relay, since they have better antennas in their suits. I'm considering trying for LKO (300km) range, but even Minmus is going to be complicated with the 16.8Mm range and I want to hit the sweet spot where people don't feel it's easier to just slap on a big antenna on every ship. Instead of using relay satellites.

Edited February 28, 2016 by Miravlix

[linuxgurugamer]

2 hours ago, Miravlix said:

Don't your life have enough meaningful satellites zooming around Kerbin and moons? Do your life just need a reason for more green lines? Are you too lazy to add antennas to every ship?

Maybe this could help:

 

@PART[*]:HAS[@MODULE[ModuleCommand],!MODULE[ModuleDataTransmitter],!MODULE[ModuleLimitedDataTransmitter]]:FINAL:NEEDS[AntennaRange]
{
	%MODULE[ModuleLimitedDataTransmitter]
	{
		// 8408 km
		nominalRange = 100
		// 16.8Mm
		simpleRange = 400
		maxPowerFactor = 2
		maxDataFactor = 2
		
		packetInterval = 1
		packetSize = 2
		packetResourceCost = 15
		
		requiredResource = ElectricCharge
	}
}

 

This will result in every Probe Core and Command Pod having a build in Antenna. It can reach a little past the Mun (11Mm), but only past nominal range. While it does throw a kitchen sink into everything that looks like it doesn't need it, it tries to at least avoid anything who has AntennaRange or stock antennas data.

It should be very slow in transmitting science and it will prolly require a nuclear reactor worth of power to sent it. Not had a chance to test that yet, I just liked the look of it on paper. (Edit: Actually thinking about it, the slow speed is going to make it cost less I think)

 

I wonder if you can EVA a Kerbal and use him as relay, since they have better antennas in their suits. I'm considering trying for LKO (300km) range, but even Minmus is going to be complicated with the 16.8Mm range and I want to hit the sweet spot where people don't feel it's easier to just slap on a big antenna on every ship. Instead of using relay satellites.

I like this.  Avoids the need to have an antenna for short range communication, but you still need to provide a long range antenna

[NateDaBeast]

Is there a RSS version of this ?  I tried it with it and it didn't work.

[Kerbas_ad_astra]

5 minutes ago, NateDaBeast said:

Is there a RSS version of this ?  I tried it with it and it didn't work.

I pushed a patch to RSS (and it is included in the latest release) that extends all antenna ranges across the board, so there shouldn't be range issues.  What's not working?

[NateDaBeast]

34 minutes ago, Kerbas_ad_astra said:

I pushed a patch to RSS (and it is included in the latest release) that extends all antenna ranges across the board, so there shouldn't be range issues.  What's not working?

Last time I had it installed, which was like 3 days ago I think, I couldn't see the actual relays and stuff if that makes sense.

 

Will test again.

[toadicus]

I haven't ever used RSS, but this is the first I've heard anyone reporting reporting any issues with AntennaRange therein.  If you continue having issues, please try to be as thorough as you can in describing the problem, and get me a log (Windows: \path\to\KSP_win\KSP_Data\output_log.txt; Linux: ~/.config/unity3d/Squad/Kerbal\ Space\ Program/Player.log; Mac: ~/Library/Logs/Unity/Player.log) along with it.

[DStaal]

Does anyone have a 'cheat sheet' for converting RemoteTech-compatible antennas to AntennaRange?  I've found several mods with fun antennas I'd like to include in my game, but often they include RemoteTech configs but not AntennaRange configs.  I think there's enough information in there to devise author intent and translate that over, but I'm not up enough on antenna physics to do so.  I just want an equation I can plug the numbers into and get broadly equivalent results in AntennaRange numbers.    (There's a lot of info in this thread for people designing antennas, but I don't want to do design.  Just translation work.  And yes, I've grabbed configs from this thread where applicable.)

[toadicus]

I don't have such a sheet myself (and there isn't a simple "one size fits all" conversion), but there are a few mods with such patches available here: https://github.com/toadicus/AntennaRange/wiki/Compatibility-Patches

If you find more patches for a part mod you like, please add them to the list!

[DStaal]

As I said - I've already grabbed some of those configs, thanks. 

And I'm not looking for something that works 100% correctly - just something that'll get me in the ballpark, if anyone has any ideas on how to come up with such a thing.

Anyway - if people find them useful, I've got my entire set of personal KSP config patches on Github: https://github.com/DanStaal/KSP-Configs Some are grabbed from the forum or other places (if they had attributions in the file I kept them, but I've lost track of where I got some of them that were just bare configs posted into a thread), and there's more than Antenna Range patches in there, but since I play on a different computer than my main computer, it was easier to put it up in public than to be worrying about manually copying it, and if anyone else has a use for them - great!    (Anything I created in this is C0 licensed - public domain, basically.)

I wouldn't add the ones I've created to your list yet, because I know they aren't well-made.  But they get the antennas sorta working, which is all I needed.  If people want to suggest improvements - well, I'll take them! 

[DStaal]

Ok, I've got one I'll run by people for sanity, to see if it does what I think it does.    (And to see if I'm starting to understand how to do these...)

This is for the Field Scientist's Backpack.  My config is here. My basic thought is that the backpack provides a (in my mind - none is shown) parabolic antenna with about the same effective range as the base whip antenna.  However, as a manually operated directional antenna, it can get much better communication rates at short ranges, while the backpack limits the amount of power it can put out, so it's not really possible to run it much beyond it's nominal range.

(Note that in this case I'm completely ignoring the RemoteTech config, which would have it's range limited to 10km.  Which could be interesting, but I just can't see a space program fielding a piece of equipment that wasn't designed to communicate at least with a comm relay in orbit.)

If people think it looks good, I'll add it to the list of patches, and possibly suggest it to the mod author as well.

 

[maculator]

What does the EVAmanager.dll do? and can I just drop the Toadicustools.dll inside the plugin folder of Antenna range? I know strange questions, but I'm a strange person when it comes down to the content of my gamedata folder :/

[toadicus]

@maculator, EVAManager is a utility that mod authors can use to add modules to EVA Kerbal "parts".  This is necessary for EVA Kerbals to have data transmitters in AntennaRange.  Technically, I think everything else will work without it.

While technically speaking you can probably locate ToadicusTools.dll anywhere you like, I do not recommend moving it.  If you ever use any of my other mods, all package it as well, and it is important that you only have one copy of it in GameData at any time.  I keep it in a centralized location so that users don't need to keep track of it.

Edited March 7, 2016 by toadicus

[maculator]

Thanks for the answer the resaon why I asked is the following:

I really gave up on modding careers midgame. So I setup my career with the mods I wanted. Then deleted everything out I dont need/want and edited the module manaegr configs to my liking (I don't need to sit here and wait for mod X making module manager go over the files Y times to make sure he can patch Z files or not) It's all working nice together. And I don't plan to update/add anything.

But after like 40 houers I wanted a bit more challenge and a purpose for satelites. So I want to add this mod since its not as huge as scansat and offers what I think is a nice addition. So I downloaded it and tested it in a fresh install. And when I did my usual thing, kicking stuff I dont need and going over the module manager patches, I wondered if I really need the EVEManager.dll, since I have no science containers or stuff that would give me the need to transmit something via kerbals. So I was wondering if it would break anything if I delete it.

I'm also eyeballing your tweakable everything. And I made a not to myself if I really add it aswell, I'll have to delete the .dll

[ouyin2000]

So I noticed that I don't have the Nominal Range and Maximum Range displays on the VAB stock parts, but I do on the Antennas mod parts. Bug? Or am I missing something?

[pacbard]

1 hour ago, ouyin2000 said:

So I noticed that I don't have the Nominal Range and Maximum Range displays on the VAB stock parts, but I do on the Antennas mod parts. Bug? Or am I missing something?

I had the same problem. I had to update the AntennaRange.cfg to this file to make it work.

I suspect that it has something broke with one of the latest module manager releases.

[Noobton]

On 3/7/2016 at 8:52 PM, pacbard said:

I had the same problem. I had to update the AntennaRange.cfg to this file to make it work.

I suspect that it has something broke with one of the latest module manager releases.

Thanks I was going crazy trying to figure out what was I doing wrong

[Moose]

So, I read through the entire thread but couldn't see answers to the following, so forgive me if there are known fixes/these are known issues, but I wouldn't mind some advice.

Firstly, there is odd behaviour in that quite often, for a given array of satellites, the system won't use the best available. For example, I have several satellites around Minmus, but only one of them has a dish - the rest have the bog standard antenna. I would assume that given direct line of sight to Kerbin, the satellite with the dish would take precedence over those with antenna in establishing a link - the idea being that those with an antenna would prefer to relay through the most powerful connection. Note: I only have a stage two upgrade on the dish station.

Instead, quite often the system would relay through one of the shorter ranged units, despite line of sight, resulting in a yellow signal. Is this a bug, expected behaviour, or other? The "long" range unit will correctly serve as a relay if I switch to it, but this would be ignored if I switch away. If it is expected, any way of tweaking it so that this is not the case?

 

Secondly is a bug I'm unsure is even a bug, and I am pretty sure is not related to Antenna Range (but figured I should ask). Antenna/Dishes keep marking themselves as "clamped" or "locked" after transmission of data. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

Outside of these two issues I am very happy with the mod, well done toadicus!

[toadicus]

@Moose, I'm currently designing some revisions to the network resolution system that should resolve the issues with cases like you describe.  I believe I talk a bit about something similar several pages ago, about certain orderings of relays preventing the system from resolving optimally.  I hope to get to that before KSP 1.1 releases for realz.

On that topic; I have a working version of AntennaRange for KSP 1.1 internally... but Squad decided to start the pre-release JUST as I am leaving on holiday.  I'll try to get the builds available ASAP, but it might be a day or two!

[WooDzor]

Is it possible to only have the signal coming from ksc instead of the center of Kerbin? It would make satellite arrays around Kerbin look a lot better. IMHO. Otherwise great Mod! 

[omelaw]

1 hour ago, WooDzor said:

Is it possible to only have the signal coming from ksc instead of the center of Kerbin? It would make satellite arrays around Kerbin look a lot better. IMHO. Otherwise great Mod! 

isn't one of the reason of antennarange came out was "I don't want to bulid and maintain ultra-sensitive geostationary network?

[WooDzor]

1 minute ago, omelaw said:

isn't one of the reason of antennarange came out was "I don't want to bulid and maintain ultra-sensitive geostationary network?

just one well placed geostat and 2 molnyas should do the trick.. I just think it would look neat to have all the green lines coming from KSC instead of all these radial lines popping from Kerbin's surface.

[Moose]

13 hours ago, toadicus said:

@Moose, I'm currently designing some revisions to the network resolution system that should resolve the issues with cases like you describe.  I believe I talk a bit about something similar several pages ago, about certain orderings of relays preventing the system from resolving optimally.  I hope to get to that before KSP 1.1 releases for realz.

Thanks toadicus, sorry that I missed it. Lots of pages to scan through!