What does Antenna Range require compared to RT?

[SmashBrown]

Howdy Kerbonaughts! I am playing around with antenna range, and RT, and i haven't got to the point of setting up keosynchronous satellites yet. Does Antenna range require these if you tick the line of sight box? basically i am looking at a way of easing myself into these things before i go full on with it so i don't melt my brain. Also using snacks before i start using TAC, again to just get used to a life support mod without taxing myself too much until i want more of a challenge. Thanks in advance.

[Mecripp]

No because you just have to be in range of the planet where RT it's KSC, And RT will start to lag has you get a bigger net work is why, I change to Antenna Range.

EDIT- LOL you disabled the delay ? The lag you can't disabled just all the craft you have to have when going to duna and eve and starting networks there it will really start lag the game.

Edited January 23, 2015 by Mecripp2

[SmashBrown]

Yeah i have disabled the lag in the config file.

[rynak]

If you prefer gameplay over obsessive realism, you might want to slightly bump up the "DishAngle" - which is the width of the arc which dish antennae have. With the default settings, especially the long range ones have such a tiny arc, that covering a remote planet reliably can be really annoying.

Also yes, disabled the time lag as well.

[SAI Peregrinus]

Bah. You know about MOAR BOOSTERS. Well, RT problems can pretty much always be solved with MOAR ANTENNAS and MOAR COMMUNICATION SATELLITES.

Nice 4-sat constellation with coverage of all Kerbin keeps drifting apart? You could edit the save file, or you could just launch 20 more sats.

[tater]

What's the range on omnis in RT? I recall it being very short.

[SmashBrown]

I just want to launch awesome looking comsats, so yeah, MOAR ANTENNAS!!!!

[RainDreamer]

What's the range on omnis in RT? I recall it being very short.

The longest stock RT one is 5 megameters, or 5 million meters, about almost half way between kerbin and mun. Good enough for a network around a planet.

Boxsat has an omni with 12 megameters though.

[tater]

Seems like range should be based on data rate. Course it depends on what the point is. If it is telecom, then you need a ton of bandwidth. If it is emergency instructions to a probe because the high gain is down… 8 baud is what they talk about for that in RL.

Does it take the range of the best antenna in the pair, or sum them or something?

[RainDreamer]

Seems like range should be based on data rate. Course it depends on what the point is. If it is telecom, then you need a ton of bandwidth. If it is emergency instructions to a probe because the high gain is down… 8 baud is what they talk about for that in RL.

Does it take the range of the best antenna in the pair, or sum them or something?

It can be configured. You can choose how many % of additional range extra antenna adds. Default is none, so it only use the best one.

[metl]

Remote Tech is nice for realism, but Antenna range accomplishes basically the same thing without getting overly complex and system taxing. With AR, as you go past optimal range, electricity needs increase (boosting the signal) until it hits an absolute max. I don't believe RT does that.

[RainDreamer]

RT just take away direct control of your craft if you don't have 2 way connection. Going past operational range of all antennas in your craft means you lose it till connection is reestablished.

You can program the craft to execute maneuvers even after connection lost, however. It requires some foresight.

[rkman]

With AR, as you go past optimal range, electricity needs increase (boosting the signal) until it hits an absolute max. I don't believe RT does that.

AR has the option to have data rate decrease instead of increase electricity needs with increasing distance - which is how it works in reality.

RT just take away direct control of your craft if you don't have 2 way connection.

In AR that is optional.

Edited January 24, 2015 by rkman

[stibbons]

Nice 4-sat constellation with coverage of all Kerbin keeps drifting apart? You could edit the save file, or you could just launch 20 more sats.

I used to get four satellites in to synchronous orbit roughly 90 degrees apart, and then edit the save file to nail their semi-major axis down to minimise drift.

Now I still use four satellites, but I throw them in to highly eccentric Molniya-style orbits 90 degrees apart. The chances of all three of the sats closest to KSC being out of view at any one time are not worth worrying about.

[rkman]

AR does not need a network of comm sats (not at Kerbin anyway), and neither does NASA (at Earth).

[RainDreamer]

AR does not need a network of comm sats (not at Kerbin anyway), and neither does NASA (at Earth).

NASA doesn't need a network of comm sats because they have their huge ground antennas beaming everywhere and maintaining constant connection to LEO: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Deep_Space_Network

You can do the same in RT2 with ground bases! Though I think we would need bigger dishes. Gotta get a request for that. Super huge dishes to emulate the KSC dishes.

[SAI Peregrinus]

NASA doesn't need a network of comm sats because they have their huge ground antennas beaming everywhere and maintaining constant connection to LEO: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Deep_Space_Network

You can do the same in RT2 with ground bases! Though I think we would need bigger dishes. Gotta get a request for that. Super huge dishes to emulate the KSC dishes.

I've done it. Landed rovers with a couple of big orange dishes, biggest omnis (LLL Communotron 64s), and a big power source (B9 HX-URC reactors) around Kerbin. Then a constellation of small comsats in LKO to connect them, since there aren't any trans-oceanic fiber optic cables in this game.

[RainDreamer]

I've done it. Landed rovers with a couple of big orange dishes, biggest omnis (LLL Communotron 64s), and a big power source (B9 HX-URC reactors) around Kerbin. Then a constellation of small comsats in LKO to connect them, since there aren't any trans-oceanic fiber optic cables in this game.

Maybe we can make very tall relay towers... but at that point a relay sat network is still much better. And I wish we can have a KSC-like Antenna that we can build on kerbin lol.Maybe from Kerbinside, I guess.

Just put 2 on kerbin polars and we get constant connection as far as they can reach.

[rkman]

NASA doesn't need a network of comm sats because they have their huge ground antennas beaming everywhere and maintaining constant connection to LEO: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Deep_Space_Network

You can do the same in RT2 with ground bases! Though I think we would need bigger dishes. Gotta get a request for that. Super huge dishes to emulate the KSC dishes.

For those seeking a somewhat simplified approach to deep space radio comms, AR offers the advantage of not having set up any kind of bases, it automatically installs the invisible Kerbin Deep Space Network ground stations.

Although many replies are about Remote Tech, the question in the OP is about what Antenna Range requires compared to RT, the answer is several things that AR does not require.

AR is simpler than RT, its primary focus is to provide a reason to use different antennas depending on how far out you go by giving different antennas different ranges. There is no light speed delay.

AR has a few 'realism' options: require line-of-sight (not to KSC, just to Kerbin), require connection for probe control, and fixed electric power cost (decreasing datarate with increasing distance).

AR does do relaying from a low power antenna (on a rover or small lander) to any nearby vehicle that has a high gain antenna, to transmit data to Kerbin. Since a recent version of AR Kerbals to can transmit data. It has an in-game icon showing the condition of the connection (requires toolbar plugin).