How do I find abandoned ships in beyond?

[SixDeadMice]

It seems harder now that I can't figure out how to build signal boosters...

[srpadget]

Two main ways I'm aware of (other than wandering around aimlessly looking...)

The first involves the new mechanics around Navigation Data.
1) Obtain Navigation Data. You can do that either by interacting with the 'toy' widgets sitting on some tabletops (you might get nanites, you might get Nav Data), or by saving your game at the Waypoints scattered around planetary surfaces at buildings and other points of interest (you get Nav Data and nanites the FIRST time you save at any given waypoint).
2) Take your Navigation Data to a Space Station, to the new 'vendor' at the far right of the main concourse, next to the Guild Representative. They will exchange Navigation Data for "Planetary Charts". There are multiple types of Planetary Charts; near as I have been able to determine, each Space Station only has ONE type--but it doesn't tell you in advance what type that is. You have to purchase one, then check your inventory to see what you got. So you may need to shop around at several solar system, and get ONE Planetary Chart at each space station until you find one that will provide you with a chart for a "Distress Signal".
3) Go to a planetary surface (doesn't have to be the same system as where you got the chart) and use the Distress Signal Planetary Chart. It will add an icon to your HUD which will lead you to either an abandoned starship or a crashed freighter.

The 2nd is the old standby of looking for the correct kind of building which listens for distress signals and will give you the position of either a crashed ship or a crashed freighter. I forget the name... "Transmission Tower", maybe? But as you noted, that's kind of a "luck of the draw" thing these days.

(Incidentally, Signal Boosters DO still exist. The game just doesn't give you that blueprint right at the beginning any more--it becomes available somewhat further along. I believe I got that one either from a manufacturing facility, or from the construction kiosk in the Space Anomaly.)

[Xuhybrid]

Find a Cartographer that gives "distress signal" planetary data.

[SixDeadMice]

Thanks so much guys!

[Pert Boioioing]

Not sure if this still applies to Beyond but you used to be able to get lucky flying over the planet's surface, sometimes you'd see the little blue blip for a crashed ship on your radar and if you pressed the "target ship" keybinding (IIRC numrow "1", "2" or "3") the indicator would direct you right to it.