![Quote](https://forums.hexus.net/images/misc/quote_icon.png)
Originally Posted by
Ttaskmaster
Sure...
When you emerge into a system, especially one you've personally not visited before, activate your scanner. I have mine on a separate module circuit (configurable in the Right UI) to my weapons and triggered off Joy2. That way I can be scanning without having guns showing to anyone who might mis-interpret it!
So... Deploy your scanner and charge it up (hold the button down).
It used to go 'blingggggg' when it had fully charged, but now it goes "BRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH", like a foghorn off the Titanic!!
That insane noise is a scan pulse being sent out, whereupon you wll get a blue text message, top right of screen, that tells you if there are any unknown/unexplored celestial bodies nearby. Not sure if it scans the whole system or what, as it seems to only pick up some others when you're fairly nearby.
Anyways - Go to your Nav screen (left UI) and you will now see a bunch of things marked as unknown or something. Highlight one and cruise toward it, as normal. Once you get within a few Mm of the target, your scanner will automatically start scanning and the left-side info panel (next to the target hologram) will show the scan in progress. Once it's done, you will see the name of the planet/station/asteroid belt/whatever and you can move on to the next one.
Remember that you have to have the thing targeted in order for the scan to take effect.
I don't know how long the scanner stays 'charged', or if activating something else changes the state, but it's worth keeping it charged whenever you can if you want to make some cash doing this.
Anyways, next time you dock visit the Stellar Cartgography section that almost every station seems to have. Scroll to the bottom of the list and you'll see that you can sell them your scan data. A few scans taking maybe 10 minutes earned me several thousand Cr each time!
Note also that this is only a basic top-level scan you're doing, using the free scanner that ships come equipped with. You can buy 2nd and 3rd level scanners that do far more in-depth stuff and will earn you a lot more money for the yield, especially if you're the first player to actually scan a system.
Subsequent scans yield less and less money, but there's still money to be made. This is more the sort of thing you'll be heavily into if you go down the Explorer route.
Hope that helps some.