Need some advice on exploring on covert-ops cloaking ships, like astero f.e. I read some guides, but didn`t get everything I craved to find out.
Some questions like:
If I activate the probe launcher - can I activate cloaking device then or not?
Cloaking skill only affects the type of device I can use or smt more?
Maybe some other interesting things that may help?
Would be grateful)
The cloaking skill affects your choice of cloaking device, and for most ships it also affects how soon you can lock a target after decloaking.
When you jump into a new, potentially hostile system, you need to learn the timing to turn your cloak on as you try to warp away. It varies enough that it is sometimes a challenge not to activate it too soon, where you get an error, or too late, where a gate camp would have enough time to lock you before you get the cloak activated. Since this isn’t your specific question, I won’t go into more details, but there is a lot of skill and theory behind avoiding gate camps with a covert ops cloak.
In general, you cannot do anything except move around, probe scan, and d-scan while you are cloaked. You have a brief window after you turn your cloaking device on when you can activate some modules (a few seconds) - you can, for example, launch probes and turn on a propulsion module (microwarpdrive or afterburner) immediately after the cloak is activated.
You can cloak after launching probes and remain cloaked while using them.
Your skills determine what cloaks you can use but the ship determines what cloaks you can fit.
Covert ops cloaks that allow you to warp cloaked can only be fitted to certain classes of ships. Prototype and improved cloaks can be fitted to anything but you can not warp cloaked.
Also, if you want to go through a black ops bridge your ship only has to have the ability to fit a covert ops cloak but the cloak doesn’t have to actually be fitted. So a noob in an Astero can participate in a drop even without a cloak fitted.
Make sure you van see all objects in space (turn on all brackets in your overview), you don’t want to get decloaked by a container.
Have an overview tab with all possible decloak objects on it. You may need it.
Try to be moving while cloaked. People may see you cloak up or guess where you warped to.
You cannot launch scanning probes while cloaked. So when you jump into a system, launch your probes as first action after leaving gate cloak, then cloak up. (Provided there are no enemies at the gate).
Your launched probes are visible and show everyone on grid your cloaked location, so move away or warp off!
Bombers have no targeting delay after uncloaking, making them perfect to catch slippery cloaky exploration ships that cannot fight back. (Bombers are squishy though, so engaging an Astero is not a smart move).
Set your default orbit distance to a little over 2km, if you see danger while hacking a can you can immediately cloak up (and warp off).
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I’ve been wondering for a while whether orbiting makes things easier or harder.
You can’t warp away in any direction, so it might actually take longer to warp away than if you just stood still.
In addition, very often there is still something in the vicinity when hacking, so that you can not cloak.
I personally just make myself a BM at 200km away and warp 2-3km to a can and hammer while hacking on dscan. So I always stand in a free escape direction to my BM.
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That’s a good one, I should try that next time I go exploring.
Also has advantage when someone combat scans you at the exact moment, he lands on 200 of you. Has happened only once so far, but always there. 
While it’s true that you do get into warp to a random direction faster from a standstill due to not having to overcome the inertia in the in the wrong direction before warping, if you’re at a standstill then the direction your facing has no bearing on your time to warp whatsoever.
Yes, I know that, but orbiting means the movement 
And it’s also important not to stand on the wrong side when you’re hacking, otherwise sometimes you can’t even warp away because you’re stuck.
My pleasure to read your advice. Thank you all)
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