Null Sec Ratting

Can be dull but also exciting
and then dull
and then boom....

Pod

Logged on as Oliver, Quickly reset my PI,  a couple of corp people in system, both in station  so warped out to the only forsaken hub in system to kill something.

There was a solitary Battleship rat, not the expected 7-8 mixed collection.

Someones had to warp out I thought, seeing a cluster of wrecks about 70k off centre. So looked for another anomaly to rat..

Then noticed that one wreck was a Mobile Tractor. Rats do not shoot mobile tractors... Ever.
Drones yes, not MTU's.
Another small clue that all was not well was a non rat battleship wreck. oops. Suddenly the paranoia meter took an upward swing. While I was deciding what to do, I shot the last rat...

Only one wave left so I killed them and set about salvaging the wrecks while I looked up the kill board.

Someone just lost a Rattlesnake and a MTU. All the loot was gone, but the MTU obviously salvaged the Rattlesnake wreck and then when it was shot a lot of the loot was destroyed. Good. No wonder someone shot the harmless old Tractor unit.

Just as I was leaving site a red entered system, and it was the same chap on the kill mails in an Orthus. That's not what you want if you are semi afk in a site.

Now to hunt a care bear (Me), I would, if combat ships on D-Scan, if it was me, warp straight to the highest ranked anomaly in the system. In this systems case Forsaken Hubs.  Odds are that your greedy care bear like creature is either:-
1. Belt Ratting 5% chance
2. Running combat Signature site 5%
3. Running highest ISK anomaly (Forsaken Hub) 90%

If in a combat ship, that's how I would spend my time.....

Consequently for any visitors to Vale of The Silent, I am always in the lowest payout, highest ship count anomaly... Try warping to the Forlorn Dens at zero and then looking....

Seriously though, if earning the ISKies, unless you have a solid intel chain and are keeping an eye on it, or have backup in system, maybe choose the next highest anomaly.

As for ISK per hour, I have see various claims by dubious people saying they can get 20-30 million per tick...
A tick is a server tick for wallet purposes, or to you and me 20 minutes. the timer starts at the point you make(or lose) some ISK. so when you shoot the first rat the timer starts.
Now I have tried a VNI tech 2 fitted, and the most I achieved to this point has been 14.3 million. This has been for the first half of of a Forsaken Hub. The second tick is less as I would be salvaging, looting and collecting the tractor at this point.
The actual combat seems to be about 35 minutes with another 10 - 12 salvaging and running back and forth to station.
As a contrast the first tick of a Forsaken rally point is a bit over 12 million, but seems to generate more salvage and loot.

Obviously a very shiny ship in a much better anomaly could do more, but there has to be a limit.

My VNI cost me about 100 million (plus another 60 for 2 geckos), so averaging 20 mill an hour, its paid for in 8 hours ratting. Just on bounties.  Add a single Faction Drone Damage Amp at 120 million, and that's another 6 hours.

I am in the position now of having paid for my VNI I can afford a Gila, just need a few hours ratting to outfit it.