On Transmit Data... any way to up the percentage rate?

[joekidd1992]

I'd like to up that percentage so if I wanted to transmit it say if I'm using a probe, I'll get the best transmittal percentage.

Any thoughts or knowledge to help?

TIA.

JoeK

[Tortoise]

You should be able to transmit all your data, already. Whats your problem? Is it taking too long?

[stupid_chris]

The primary use of the science lab is to do precisely this: augment the percentage of transmission

[KerbMav]

I'd like to up that percentage so if I wanted to transmit it say if I'm using a probe, I'll get the best transmittal percentage.

Any thoughts or knowledge to help?

TIA.

JoeK

I am sensing a new player?

For some experiments data cannot be transmitted 100%, you have to return it to the surface of Kerbin and recover the craft.

[magnemoe]

Think only eva and pod reports are 100%, temprature and pressure transmit 50%, the rest less.

For the gravity, seismic and atmospheric measurements its best to first transmit, then do another measurement and store, same for surface samples.

An kerbal can remove the measurements and store in the pod so you can reuse them. For probes its smarter to use banks of the small sensors and return them.

This is also smart for the material lab and goo container but here because you can dump them.

I say the lab is useless, far smarter to bring extra goo and material labs you discard after use.

[BudgetHedgehog]

As others have said, the lab can increase transmission percentages, but then you have to bring kerbals and return them all anyway, so taking the lab is pointless in that respect because returning gives better science (although it can reset the experiments, so it's still worth bringing, but only if you plan on hitting more than 6 biomes) but that's beside the point.

There is a way to get probes to transmit 100% data but you're going to have to get down and dirty with the .cfg files. Specifically, there is an option in each of the experiments file that reads "xmitDataScalar = [a number]". If you make that 1, you'll be able to transmit at 100%. 0.7 would be 70% etc..

Some might call this cheating, but I don't. I only use it on the tiny sensors like the temperature and gravioli detector because they're just numbers after all. Seems odd that "32°" gets a bigger hit on transmission than "You're not sure how you even landed on the surface of a gas giant. But it's probably best not to think about it for too long". Also, it actually gives a use to probes and if you want all the science, you still have to get crew and EVA reports and surface samples anyway.

[KerikBalm]

Yea.... the stock mobile lab is a little pointless... its really only useful for biom harvesting at the mun and minmus. After getting docking ports, I loft an orange tank worth of fuel, a lander with all the science gear I can, and a science lab into munar/minmar orbit, land collect data, orbital rendevous, transfer data, reset goo and materials labs, return.

Its easy enough to get duplicate temp and seismic scans (since the parts have no mass despite what the VAB building shows), so I transmit the duplicates with boosted rates, and at some point retire the lander by sending it back to kerbin with all the science packed in.

I prefer to mod the game such that the lab boosts transmission more, and to scale it down to make an "automated lab" that does not reset modules, nor boost transmission quite as much... for those one way probe missions with no intention of returning anything to Kerbin.