The first rule of Smuggling club is...

Guido · Jun 9, 2015

I have a bit of a problem with this thread.

Mainly, the club bit;

Sorry there is no smuggling club, nothing to see here, move along. No it's not mine, I was keeping them dry for a friend.
Never been a smuggler, honest, black market, no idea what you're on about.

What's illegal? check the hold, it'll be empty (psst hurry up and unload already)
No, that wasn't my cobra doing 400m/s in the slot, no I dock like your grandma, how is she by the way? Been a while since I last saw her.

Sorry gotta go, I think i just heard a trader explode.

Flavio · Jun 9, 2015

I agree that smuggling is a bit easy sometimes. I think that every ship above a certain mass is guaranteed a scan provided there are enough policing ships around for the number of traders so if you want to smuggle in a large ship you need to be in a convoy. Also all ships travelling above a certain speed will get scanned as well as ships that release heat sinks as the station does not want speeders crashing in the station or a dangerously hot ship exploding in there.

This all means that in order to smuggle your ship is preferably small or medium sized that is in silent running mode to avoid detection, but not too hot and travelling at a reasonable speed as too slow means you heat up but too quick and you get scanned (that way, timing is the key).

Arry · Jun 9, 2015

Two things:

1st: Ben is the smuggling teamster around here.

2nd: Is a question, is it always the ships that scan and never the station?

Arry.

BorakRed · Jun 9, 2015

Arry said:
Two things:

1st: Ben is the smuggling teamster around here.

2nd: Is a question, is it always the ships that scan and never the station?

Arry.

The station doesn't care about you. It's the police around the station that scan you.

Arry · Jun 9, 2015

BorakRed said:
The station doesn't care about you. It's the police around the station that scan you.

Thanks.

Arry.

Roybe · Jun 9, 2015

Frankfort said:
Rule five enter station in silentrunning and low heat

RULE 5A...SPEED IS YOUR FRIEND.

(smuggling hints..A Cobra can fly UNDER any NPC ship in the letterbox. A 6 can fit in the letterbox flying 90 degrees off 'normal' horizontal. Fly sa...well, just land the damned thing!)

Hilight · Jun 9, 2015

Great thread OP....good reading all the way through it. R+

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY8ys03Mqmw

Han Brannigan · Jun 9, 2015

Cmdr Beeston said:
Much as I love that it's now profitable, smuggling really needs to be harder for big ships, using a smaller ship should be necessary. I mean how blind are these security ships that they can't visually see a type 7 or anaconda blasting towards the station?

I'd like - for bigger ships - the ability to hide illegal cargo between your legal stuff ...

But yes the profits seem to be ok now - its the risk that is a tad to low imo.

777Driver · Jun 9, 2015

Roybe said:
RULE 5A...SPEED IS YOUR FRIEND.

(smuggling hints..A Cobra can fly UNDER any NPC ship in the letterbox. A 6 can fit in the letterbox flying 90 degrees off 'normal' horizontal. Fly sa...well, just land the damned thing!)

A good tip to remember is deceleration rates can be more than halved if you apply reverse thrust with FA OFF. Has saved my bacon a number of times during high speed smuggling runs.

Ben Ryder · Jun 9, 2015

Do you mean deceleration rates can be doubled? You slow down quicker?

777Driver · Jun 9, 2015

Ben Ryder said:
Do you mean deceleration rates can be doubled? You slow down quicker?

Yeah doubled,

with FA OFF the ship slows down a lot quicker, the stopping distance is reduced a great deal. Means you can run high speed a lot longer.

In fact for any situation where you need to stop in a hurry, switch FA OFF

pippo · Jun 9, 2015

777Driver said:
(…) Has saved my bacon a number of times during high speed smuggling runs.

Funny, I remember reading you were a T9 pilot and I'm trying to picture your high speed smuggling run in that hugh tin…
Only me mate, I know someone who has T9 and Conda can probably afford a Hauler for smuggling missions… still fun, tho.

777Driver · Jun 9, 2015

pippo said:
Funny, I remember reading you were a T9 pilot and I'm trying to picture your high speed smuggling run in that hugh tin…
Only me mate, I know someone who has T9 and Conda can probably afford a Hauler for smuggling missions… still fun, tho.

Haha, Cobra/Clipper are my smuggling ships. Although I'm tempted to use the T9 or Conda when I start playing 1.3
.....................................................................................
532T of drugs, FA OFF, a bunch of heatsinks, and 'Queens of the stone age' blasting out of the speakers - sounds like my kind of fun!

Troa Barton · Jun 9, 2015

Han Brannigan said:
Why no C4 on the huge HP?

Too heavy for the route.

pippo · Jun 9, 2015

777Driver said:
532T of drugs, FA OFF, a bunch of heatsinks, and 'Queens of the stone age' blasting out of the speakers - sounds like my kind of fun!

I read on Galnet that it's the perfect time to get into drug traffic too

tttmccloud · Jun 9, 2015

I'm only just making over 1,000/ton. There will be better routes out there but I'm having great fun for the first time actually making money from smuggling. It feels like Elite 1.0 for me, glad I waited!