[sgqwonkian]

If memory serves correctly, the scoop on PAR1 for sensors, which is set to 0 on all sensors in the main game, was that that particular parameter was going to be range for the FSA/Probe ability, but never ended up being implemented in the final game.

So, you could try putting a non-zero value into PAR1 and seeing what happens. You'd probably need a value higher than 64, since that's the minimum distance between planets. And you'd want to test thoroughly, to make sure it doesn't cause some brand-new never-before-seen crashes.