Do I need more than 1 Antenna / Comms / Communotron?
What might the reason for taking more than 1 Antenna into orbit / space?
Best Answer
As far as I can determine, there is no decisive advantage in attaching more than one antenna to a craft in the stock (unmodded) game - it will not increase your transmission speed if you have multiple.
However there are a few cases where it may be desirable:
The most expensive antenna (the Communotron 88-88) is an electricity hog; if a latter stage of your rocket has reduced electrical generation or storage capacity (or you are planning for some accidental damage), it may be prudent to stick an additional cheaper antenna to your vessel so you can safely transmit without running out of power in these situations.
Spares in case a planned landing turns out less than ideal and some parts get destroyed on the process.
If your rocket is designed to launch probes, or otherwise detach a section to investigate science while the main craft does other things; each detachable section will need its own antenna, unless you plan to rendezvous and reattach to the main vessel.
You are OCD about symmetry, and for whatever reason it was not possible/practical to place the antenna on the center of your symmetrical axis. Also, I'll roll "Just for aesthetics" under this.
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What do antennas do in KSP?
Antennae allow communication with Kerbal Space Center, when deployed. With version 0.22 the antennae allow the return of scientific data from space, without the need to recover the craft on Kerbin.What does enable comm network do KSP?
CommNet is a relay and control communication system implemented first in KSP 1.2 pre-release. With CommNet enabled (as a difficulty setting), antennae have limited range from which control and transmission of science data is possible.How far do antennas reach KSP?
The max range between it and the base is sqrt( 100 Gm * 500 km), or 223.6 Mm. This exceeds the relay's altitude of 10.3 Mm, so they have a solid signal with each other. The relay's range with KSC is sqrt( 100 Gm * 250 Gm ), or 158 Gm, which well exceeds the maximum 23.4 Gm distance between Eve and Kerbin.What antenna does Duna KSP use?
Use 30 RA-2 antennas or 2 RA-15 antennas.Kerbal Space Program - 1.2 Communications Guide
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Answer 2
For stock KSP - there is no reason. One antenna is enough to transmit science.
Though there are mods that expand antenna usage, e.g. RemoteTech Also another option is to 'just stick-em on' to future proof your crafts for upcoming 1.1 update with enhancements regarding antenna usage, as mentioned in dev notes here.
Answer 3
Having more than one antenna allows you to upload more than one science result simultaneously. Your energy use will of course scale accordingly.
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