Newcomer / Intro Advice for long distance travel

Decided to take a holiday to the Orion Nebula and then perhaps beyond , been mining and I need a break from the tedium and long distances are one of the things I haven't done a lot of . I have an Annaconda , 6A grade five engineered FSD for range , and other than shields , defensive weaponry, and the biggest scoop I can get my hands on , I am wondering what those seasoned travellers of you would recommend as other essentials for a long journey, money isn't really an object , I haven't converted her from a minaconcada yet but I am pretty sure I can hit 40ly bare , and am heading off to refit her with as much d rated lighweights as I can find.
 
You don't normally need weapons or shields because there's nothing to shoot at and nobody to shoot you. AFMU is essential (maybe two of them) plus lots of heatsinks. SRV if you want to take a break, but be careful landing on planets without shields. avoid the very high gravity ones (or take low grade shields). Without weapons and shields, you can downgrade your PP and PD to save weight and jump further.
 
Well, not to disagree with CMDR d8veh here, but I am also in my ExploraConda; engineered to 45ly, with SRV's, Top FSD and a 6A Fuel scoop etc.....No Weapons but do have adequate shields with engineered D rated Boosters, and a couple of PDs at the rear.

I've done Bubble to Sacagawea, back to bubble and then back to Colonia and am on my way (well pretty much reached) Sag A*.

Where is the disagreement......well, I don't have any AFMU's - fitted one once for a short exploration trip but decided it was pointless. With all the travel above, not once have any modules dropped below 100% (Except my paint and ship integrity which is irrelevant and the AFMU doesn't repair anyway)

Take one if you wish of course! :)

Edit - I do have 1 heat sink launcher but not needed to use it. All modules are selected for efficiency. My cool running is <20% heat and I can charge the FSD at 69% heat after fuel scooping and drop temp whilst it is charging.
 
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Well, not to disagree with CMDR d8veh here, but I am also in my ExploraConda; engineered to 45ly, with SRV's, Top FSD and a 6A Fuel scoop etc.....No Weapons but do have adequate shields with engineered D rated Boosters, and a couple of PDs at the rear.

I've done Bubble to Sacagawea, back to bubble and then back to Colonia and am on my way (well pretty much reached) Sag A*.

Where is the disagreement......well, I don't have any AFMU's - fitted one once for a short exploration trip but decided it was pointless. With all the travel above, not once have any modules dropped below 100% (Except my paint and ship integrity which is irrelevant and the AFMU doesn't repair anyway)

Take one if you wish of course! :)

Edit - I do have 1 heat sink launcher but not needed to use it. All modules are selected for efficiency. My cool running is <20% heat and I can charge the FSD at 69% heat after fuel scooping and drop temp whilst it is charging.

You must have good concentration. Many of us can only concentrate for so long, then forget to go zero throttle when jumping, or nod off mid-jump to wake up when the sparks start flying. On a 40kLY journey, that happens to me maybe 10 or 20 times, which gets my modules worryingly low. There's some modules that can't be repaired by the AFMU anyway, so it's advantage isn't what it could be, but it is reassuring to keep the rest close to 100%.
 
If you're going for bare-minimum lightweight explorer, dont take the conda. Its a pain to fly and you hardly use it. Why not bring a hangar and SRV, corrosive cargo and normal rack, all scanners you can find etc? Better to have it and not need it...
 
Good music and liquor are essential.

A shot of http://pierreferrandcuracao.com/en/section/view/210 on the rocks every couple of KLY's or so really helps.

curacao.jpg
 
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You must have good concentration. Many of us can only concentrate for so long, then forget to go zero throttle when jumping, or nod off mid-jump to wake up when the sparks start flying. On a 40kLY journey, that happens to me maybe 10 or 20 times, which gets my modules worryingly low. There's some modules that can't be repaired by the AFMU anyway, so it's advantage isn't what it could be, but it is reassuring to keep the rest close to 100%.

I think it is because exploring is a novelty for me at the moment tbh! I don't know why but I am really enjoying it.

Probably because I am new to it of course. But I have always gone zero throttle on countdown since day one. And being an insomniac I don't nod off either! :)

Either way - your advice to fit an AFMU is without doubt good for the majority..

BTW, just travelled another 7KLY. Still all 100% :)
 
A Guardian FSD Booster will add up to 10.5 ly jumprange for the size 5 version.

An AFMU will allow you to fix the FSD damage caused by neutron scooping. Not much of an issue if you're headed out towards the Orion Nebula, where there aren't that many neutron stars. But handy when headed corewards, when you can leap from neutron to neutron in a chain of 300+ ly leaps.
 
NO weapons, smallest bi-weave shield generator you can fit, SRV (I suggest the 4h, because things happen if only have one) Smallest hull protection package (for those rare times your landing is a wee bit to hard). If your going to utilize Neutron Star's, AFMU's are mandatory, so a dozen or more (don't forget to turn off all but one). A half to a dozen Heat Sinks for those times you WILL get to close to a star. And generally one can reduce all their cores by at least two except for the fsd. And if you have it, the smallest Guardian Booster will give ya an additional 6 ly's.
 
Here's one I just threw together. Could be modified/optimized as you like, I didn't have the time at work lol.

50ly. OK shields, a little armor.

Zero engineering beyond a G5 FSD
 
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