Science & Industry

Im trying to build an isk platform from which i can help finance my career choices. i do not afk mine but id really not loose what little isk i have to gankers in high sec. what would be a good fit for the osprey or retriever to mine effeciently yet survive long enough to warp out or let concord handle it? would having my alt account heal with an osprey while i mine on the retriever work better?

The point of tanking your mining ship isn't to survive long enough for concord to save you, its to make yourself a less attractive target than the other miners in the belt next to you.

Both options you mention should be decent choices since they aren't exactly prime targets and if you do get unlucky and someone pops you they're pretty cheap to replace.

The basic rules have been posted in numerous threads.

1) Get out of the mission and trade hubs
2) Mine in mission deadspace
3) Mine in Grav sites
4) If you insist on mining in public belts, either fit for tank and cross your fingers, or mine in something like a battleship.

Gankers tend to go for easy kills. Scanning you down in high isn't at the top of their list because the belts are full of people fit for capacity and not tank. Why scan when you can just fly up (or camp a gate) and pop someone?

Get your Astrometrics skills (all four) up to L4 and hunt down grav sites. If you have an alt or friend that does missions, ask if you can mine the site if it has rocks in it.

Do the several equivalent yield fit Covetors have the combined total 120k EHP of the Rokh?
What percentage of the Covetor's fitted Cost is Hull (insurable) vs Mods (uninsurable)?
What percentage of the Rokh's fitted cost is Hull v Mods?


The Rokh's cost is primarily the Hull, which can be insured. Much more of a Covetor's fitted cost is the Mods, which can't be insured.

Iv heard some really good things from people who do mining missions.

No mining barge will warp fast enough. Simply put, you're game and you're being hunted. By being in space you're a target no matter where you are.

Hints why they always say "Null sec is safer" It truly is with the right alliance, intel channel up, and watching local. I can mine all day without a single problem and do as I like all within 2 systems. If I need anything taken up to trade I use the Alliance JF service by assigning a Courier contract and paying for it.

It's a lot more simple and easier than scratching at your neck and looking over your shoulder wondering if today is the day you go boom in highsec where you're making less than me :P

An Aligned one will.

Solo miner just has to make BMs that let him roughly orbit the belt.

Align Up, Left, Down, Right, repeat... A B A B [Start] [Select]

I do not understand why, as you are a 4+ year old char, that you do not have sufficient ISK streams already set up but I will answer your question regardless.

Mining never will be 'safe' in New Eden nor is any other activity but you can always take steps to limit risk of suicide ganking to an acceptable level. The Mittani/GSF are still running their 100 mill ISK per 10 Exhumer ganks 'ship insurance' program for the foreseeable future and may introduce another program to cover ganking of T1 mining vessels(Retrievers & Covetors.) so we are currently running at increased levels of risk. I would not recommend using a Retriever to mine unless you can help it. I did survive a gank attempt in a Retriever a while back but as a general rule you will not survive in such a vessel. Also repping with an Osprey will not work either so don't do that either. If you are as risk adverse as you sound then the latest new FOTM is mining in a battleship for which Framer Otsada has provided a fitting for on the above post.

If you are unwilling or unable to use the BS method and wish to stick to traditional methods of mining then the following ideas are best imo:

1) Look to upgrading to a Covetor or a Hulk as soon as possible. Once you do so you will never want to fly a Retriever again.
2) Never mine afk. It's just not worth the risk. Mine with corpies or other miners and have a chat.
3) Probing to find Gravimetric sites is an option. Although I haven't had much luck finding any.
4) Do security missions and mine any mission deadspaces. Yummy Pyroxeres(Nocxium.). About the safest method as most gankers are lazy.
5) Next safest option is to mine in systems that do not have stations. Increased hauling if you don't have Orca access but mainly just 'through traffic' and maybe other miners.
6) Next safest would be higher than 0.5 sec and if in non-station systems then better still.
7) If you don't have Orca access I personally thoroughly recommend the use of anchored & password-set strings of GSC's in your favoured system/s . Anchor them within 5k of good rocks and about 5 to 10k apart and mine away. Return after in Mammoth etc to empty. I dont' use that method now but it is very good imo.
8) Non-mining mining. As in reprocessing mission salvage Its an option.

Number one thing to do while mining is to keep an eagle eye on the local channel. You will hopefully have chosen a quiet system so there will not be that many other pilots to 'investigate'. If there is a member of Goonwaffe/GSF member corp in the system you move on or mine another day.Number one threats in a system will usually be pilots in NPC corps and be obviously not noobs ie been playing for six weeks or more. These pilots are just cowards who use their NPC corp status to avoid being wardecced. If they don't leave the system and are not obviously just ratting then maybe best to move. For other pilots go through their bio and corp details,whether they have bounties on their heads,and sec status. Minus sec status is abvious giveaway. If those pilots don't leave systems within a couple of minutes it's time to move. Pilots with corp details about PvP type activities are also a potential heads up to leave the system.
It is not difficult despite what others might say to find good systems in high sec which are very quiet or have a little through traffic and maybe a few other miners. This is what you should be looking to find. That is as close to 'safe' mining

A Rokh fitting 4 MLUIIs has 4 times the tank of a Tanked Covetor (with no MLUs).
Fit 3 MLUs and you'll be in the 130k EHP range.
Fit 5 MLUs (one Aeode) and you'll still have 40k EHP, and you'll outmine a 2 MLU Covetor (I think, can't check atm).

The new CPU rigs allowed both the Covetor and the Rokh to fit an extra MLU at the cost of tank