I've just been running the Mk2 mod that removes the false positives.
I think the Volatile cost is what keeps me from using it, more than the false positives. It’s dumb, but I just don’t think about bringing volatiles with me when I’m exploring. I think I’d be more likely to use the Neutrino detector if it either didn’t have an upkeep cost, or it took something I was already going to bring with me, like supplies or fuel.
I almost always bring at least 20+ units of Volatiles whenever I go outside the Core Worlds. Volatiles are a fairly common station loot drop, and it's not very difficult to build up a stockpile of Volatiles that will effectively last the whole playthrough. Thus, in my opinion, sparing a few cargo space to use the Neutrino Detector is absolutely worth it.
First, it helps confirm where
not to look in a system, since any direction with 0 streams typically means nothing of value is in that direction and, therefore, can be ignored while searching for salvage loot (And the detection range for the Neutrino Detector is very large, at 10000 units I believe? For many star systems, that's basically the whole map, so there's little worry about missing out on anything - except debris fields, which don't emit any signal at all - due to lack of detection range.).
Plus, since false positives almost always appear as consistent pulses, it's also pretty easy to point out anything that either produces occassional blips (which indicate derelict ships or active fleets) or constant streams (which are often salvageable stations that you really want to loot). Thanks to this, I've been able to clear systems of all their loot pretty reliably, which also leads me to finding those exceptional level 7 officers quite quickly as well.
Finally, unlike Active Sensor Burst, Neutrino Detector doesn't stop your fleet at all, so you can keep cruising along a system with Sustained Burn 100% of the time instead of just stopping-and-going as you would with spamming Sensor Bursts.
Frankly, if it weren't for the false positives, the 50% increased sensor profile (though that's usually ignorable), and the Volatile upkeep, Neutrino Detector would probably be the most busted campaign ability in the game. For me, it already feels that way, especially since I tend to focus on scouring every system of any salvage during most long playthroughs.
(Also, yes, I've been using the Detector to find Threat fleets as well. It's very reliable at tracking them after the initial Sensor-Burst-on-entry, which is nice for clearing out all the Threat fleets within any rogue planets.)
