Need advice about how to avoid being cargo scanned

NathanM

N
So I need some help from people who actualy understand this game mechanic. I am currently playing a bit away from the core worlds (started the game as a pirate in a Cobra with a bounty on my head, was interesting and havent moved more than about 50LY from where I started). Half the systems I go to are allied to core factions the rest are independant or anarchy and I often "find" stolen goods or buy illegal goods just for kicks (I allways imagined it would be great to buy firearms and then open the box on your ship just to look inside, ahh well im clearly insane).

Anyways sometimes I have illegal/stolen cargo and sometimes I dont, whats wierd is that I cant seem to predict when I will be cargo scanned and when I wont. Ok so a system law enforcement Eagle has only one utility hardpoint and will prob have a warrent scanner on it, so cant cargo scan you but I have been interdicted by vipers who have warrent scanned me (im allways clean, as I pay my fines immediatly) when I know they have a cargo scanner (I can see it in the target info) but they just dont use it? Then yesterday I was in a system I go to a lot and have never been scanned in before, got a 10k fine and then got scanned again a bit later outside the same station.... I would have been prepared to bet on not being scanned near that station, whats going on?

How can i predict which systems/ships will scan me and when they are likley to do so? I accidentaly carried 10T of Battle weapons arround for 4 days through about 6 different systems (all different types of gov/alligence etc) and nobody cargo scanned me even once (I was seriously relived when I realised I had got away with it). I realy dont want to be caught out again with a full load of cargo (would be >10k fine probably).

Is it random? What do I need to avoid (spesfic types of system?)
 

Antidepressiva

Antidepressiva
Simple and easy. Equip a chaff launcher.
When you see the warning of being scanned in your hud just wait till it goes away and quickly fire a chaff round.
The scan progress will then be interrupted.

Cheers
 

ChubbyBunneh

ChubbyBunneh
The ships flying in circles around the stations will always try to scan you if they see you. You can get by them with careful positioning, going cold, or rocketing your way into the docking bay before they can complete the scan.
 

Headspin

H
NathanM said:
Is it random? What do I need to avoid (spesfic types of system?)
Click to expand...
When I did a few days of pirating/scavenging/bounty hunting combined I basically just found an outpost with a black market and periodically flew back there with the stolen goods after shooting up ships at nav beacons or interdicting ships in neighbouring systems. I can't remember being scanned by an outpost or any defensive ship nearby. Avoid stations and just use outposts, hopefully end of problem.

Hope this helps.
 

777Driver

777Driver
For larger ships, you can find many anarchy systems with large stations, police don't patrol the stations so you can cruise in without being scanned.

If I am docking at a fed/imperial/independent station with patrols, I'll back off to about 12km, take a look at the patrols while going silent (everything shut down except thruster's & heat sinks) then high speed to the dock when I see a gap in the patrols.

You can also blast in fast and dock before the scans finish. If the cops interdict me with illegal cargo, I fire chaff and boost out. Those methods worked well smuggling with a Clipper.
 

Thomas Jefferson Jones

Thomas Jefferson Jones
777Driver said:
For larger ships, you can find many anarchy systems with large stations, police don't patrol the stations so you can cruise in without being scanned.

If I am docking at a fed/imperial/independent station with patrols, I'll back off to about 12km, take a look at the patrols while going silent (everything shut down except thruster's & heat sinks) then high speed to the dock when I see a gap in the patrols.
Click to expand...

Pretty much what I do too, but i like to unlock the destination target before I drop from SC to disable destination lock. Then I manually disengage around 50km and creep up on the station. Get perfectly lined up and match rotation with FA-Off around 20km before doing the final approach.

Huge time waster if I was a frequent smuggler, but it feels more thorough or something.
 

Red Kite

Red Kite
I usually use the following procedure:

Line up with the slot from about 10k out.
Drop a heat sink to start the cool down and head for the slot at full speed.
At 7.5k call for docking permission, then go silent.
Hit the landing gear just before the slot and turn off silent running as soon as you are inside.

The biggest problem is something big and slow in the slot when you arrive. If that happens pull up and boost away, dropping another heat sink if needed. Pull away and try again.

I've only been caught and scanned once. The police will still scan you if they get close enough for a visual pickup. That's just bad luck!
 

NathanM

N
I had no idea about the chaff thing, will deff try that at some point soon. Whats wierd is that I get warrant scanned a lot but my expirence with the accidental cargo was that it was almost allways only a warrant scan not a cargo scan - I guess you just cant tell and it probably will be a cargo scan right when you dont want it to be!
 
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