Posted by: blue emu
« on: January 16, 2012, 03:53:09 PM »Quote
If you want to watch jps for only a short period or for whatever reason don't want or can't use tracking stations, a sensor buoy might be a good choice.
An even better choice is to design a "ship" that has no components (at all) except a 0.1 HS active sensor. The minimal-size sensor will require no crew, and since the ship has no other components, that means that the whole ship will require no crew... in effect, it will be an automated sensor station. It will mass about 0.3 HS in total (including the default one layer of hull armor), will take only one day to tool up and about three days to build. It can be carried in a hangar or boat bay, and dropped off at the jump point. It will last forever... and since it is a civilian design, it requires no maintenance.
At my current tech level, I get a sensor range of about 4 m-km.
Quote
Tripwire I class Sensor Outpost 50 tons 0 Crew 4.6 BP TCS 1 TH 0 EM 0
1 km/s Armour 1-1 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 0
MSP 0 AFR 10% IFR 0.1% Max Repair 8 MSP
Minimal Active Search Sensor MR3-R100 (1) GPS 280 Range 3.9m km Resolution 100
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
It does, of course, have the drawback of bloating your ship list... but you could rename them xxx_Sensor to drop them to the end of the list.