Antenna

Antenna
Category:	Functional
Function:	remote communication
Fits small grid
Mass:	72.2 kg
Range:	50,000 m
PCU:	100
Size:	1x1x2
Time to Build:	16 sec
Fits large grid
Mass:	3401.6 kg
Range:	50,000 m
PCU:	100
Size:	1x6x2
Time to Build:	40 sec
Data Controls:	[edit] [purge] (?)

The  Antenna is a block that enables a grid to send and receive information from and to other ships with antennas. Communicated information includes HUD signals, remote terminal access, and remote control. Antennas have a range of up to 50km at maximum power.

The Space Engineer’s suit also has a built-in antenna with a limited range of 200m. For other related blocks with similar functionality, see Laser Antenna, Beacon, Compact Antenna, and Antenna Dish.

Usage

Is the signal visible to other factions?

Access to antenna-relayed functions such as Remote Access is limited by antenna range, ownership, and faction sharing.

A broadcasting antenna, however, transmits its own position signal to everyone in range, regardless of faction. Especially on PvP servers, turn down the range before switching on Broadcasting.

• Enemy factions' antenna signals appear in Red.
• Those in the same faction will see their own faction's antenna signals in Green.
• If the antenna belongs to a neutral faction, the signal will appear as White.

What the difference between sending and receiving?

The antenna that actively broadcasts needs to have a large range. An antenna that only passively receives a signal can be set to a very short range. This conserves the second grid's power and allows for some very stealthy drone builds.

If you however want the drone to actively respond or send anything back, it also needs a large range.

A Laser Antenna is also stealthy, but would use too much power for long-term use on a drone.

How to relay remote control

Broadcasting antennas relay communication they receive to friendly antennas (including friendly players) within their range. Relayable information includes not only passive HUD signals, but also active remote terminal access, Action Relay signals, original voice chat, and remote control.

Enable Broadcasting in the antenna’s Control Panel Screen. Several broadcasting antennas of the same faction whose ranges overlap form a relay and extend the range.

Note: An antenna that is part of a relay does not transitively reveal all its allied antennas' positions to all other players: Enemies and neutrals still only see the one antenna in whose range they are.

For the following examples, we assume that:

• The player's suit antenna has a range of 200 metres.
• There are friendly antennas with overlapping ranges, set to broadcast (relay).
• Within these antennas’ ranges, there are friendly remote grids equipped with antennas, not set to broadcast. Some of them additionally have Remote Control blocks.

In such a situation, expect the following:

• Further than 200m away, the players can passively see the stronger antennas and receive from them, but cannot actively connect to them.
• If you are seated in range of the antenna relay, you can use the terminals of friendly remote grids.
• If you are standing within 200 m of an antenna that’s part of the relay, you can use the terminals of the friendly remote grids.
• If you can remotely use a grid’s terminal, and the grid has a built-in Remote Control, you can additionally actively transmit steering commands to it.

For long-term use it's best to access friendly remote grids from a seat in a base or ship, don't rely on your suit antenna's range and power reserves.

How to locate functional blocks in your grid

Think of a situation where an important functional block, such as a Thruster, Turret, or Gyroscope, shows up as damaged in your Control Panel Screen. You want to urgently weld it back up, but you cannot find it! Or, you are lost in the base and want to find the exit. Or, you want to group your wheels, but you can't remember, was "Wheel Suspension 15" the left-front wheel or the right-rear wheel -- how do you find out...?

An antenna set to broadcast can help: Each functional block on a grid has a Show on HUD setting. If you enable that checkbox for the lost block in the grid’s Control Panel Screen, the block’s position and name will be marked on your HUD. This feature works only if there is an antenna on the same grid to relay the information.

How to boadcast detected ores

If a grid has an Ore Detector and an Antenna that is set to broadcast, and faction members or faction grids with antennas are within its broadcast range, then they will passively see the detected ores marked on their HUDs as well. Note that the detector's range stays the same, just the signal visibility range is temporarily increased.

Faction members travelling in a mining rover kilometres away can use this feature to alert their allies back at the base to the presence of a found ore.

How to relay proximity voice chat

The built-in proximity voice chat has a range of 200m (which corresponds to the suit antenna range). When Engineers are within range of shared or owned antennas that are set to broadcast at a larger range, the voice chat is also broadcast the same distance.

Control Panel Settings

The Antenna has the following controls in the Control Panel Screen:

• On/Off - Switching the block on allows you to use its send and receive features at the cost of power and radar visibility; switching it off makes you lose remote access, hides you on the radar, and saves power.
• Name - If you leave the default name, the antenna remains easily findable when searching the control panel for "antenna".
• HUD text - By default this field is empty and the HUD signal shows neutrally as "FCTN.Antenna". Optionally, enter a message that you want to broadcast together with your faction prefix, for example "FCTN.come at me bro" or "FCTN.free railgun sabots here".
• Broadcast Radius - Set the range between 0-50000 metres. A longer range uses more power and makes you more easily visible to other players.
• Show ship name - When switched off, the signal shows merely "FCTN.Antenna" (or the HUD Text, if provided). If switched on, the signal will show the grid name defined on the Info Screen, e.g. "FCTN.Super Secret Spy Satellite". In a PvE setting, it can be valuable to inform co-op players which ship this is, whereas in a PvP setting, you may want to hide such details.
• Broadcast On/Off - Enables or disable the relay functionality.

Construction

The Antenna block exists for large and small grid. The dimensions of the large block are 1 x 2 x 6 with a mount point on the blunt end, and the dimensions of the small-grid block are 1 x 1 x 2 with 5 mount points on one end, which makes its placement a bit unwieldy.

Recipe

Antenna
Component	Large Ship/Station Required	Large Ship/Station Optional	Small Ship Required	Small Ship Optional
Steel Plate	60	20	1	—
Small Steel Tube	60	—	1	—
Radio-comm Comp.	40	—	4	—
Large Steel Tube	40	—	—	—
Construction Comp.	30	—	1	1
Computer	8	—	1	—

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