Prolet

A patrol ship with maxed out sensors still seems like the more viable solution to me. How much range can you squeeze out of a starbase anyways?

I don't think so. It's easier to stick a cargo ship loaded with sensors on top of it if you just want to see what's around the starbase. They become even more useless once you get Eye of the Galaxy since it only boost sensors on ships and not starbases or planets (shouldn't it be the other way around?...)

So can someone clarify what determines income for a trade route? I'm a littlbe confused here. So far I'm getting: 1) Distance + Length of route. 2) Population of Home Port. 3) Population of Destination. 4) Eco-starbases along route (with appropriate modules) 5) Trade Ability (including tech) 6) Planet Quality?...