About the size of an 'Interstellar' array:
Is it really a radio telescope? Seems to me that the 'interstellar' array
isn't able to detect much of anything at any range according to the sensor
rules. :-P
But that is another can of worms.
While the hull is the limiting size of the antenni, it seems to me that you
could spread out the individual recievers out over the hull such that you
could fit several arrays onto the same size hull. Thus, once you exceed a
certain hull size you could fit as many interstellar range arrays on there
that you want. That size might not be 100 tons, once the hull size hits
that limit you can pack on as many sensor arrays as you want. You could
just move each one of your recievers over a few centimeters on the outside
of the hull and then you could install 2 such arrays.
On Densiometers:
Consider the analogy: Ships, Subs and Aircraft carry magnetic sensors.
(compasses) Yet each has their own magnetic field which will distort
readings of those sensors. Corrections to the compass is made when it is
installed so it still points north. When the electronics in an aircraft
are turned on you have to add additional corrections to the needle
deflection.
Now, it seems to me that a densiometer ought to be able to correct for
known aberrations due to the artificial grav field of the ship. I seem
to remember that the densiometers in MegaTrav are supposed to be 'Grav
Shielded' so I don't see this being a problem. I don't think that it
would require an external mount any more than the compass on an aircraft.
Scott Kellogg