I never really bother with pirating miners in mining fields, it is pointless anyway, you cant demand much and there is 90% chance you will get "kill me it is cheaper" response, so you are basicly playing asshole why is looking for excuse for free blue, miners have absolutely no reason to pay you in any case. Instead, i aim for transports that miners fill with ore in mining fields. They have reason to stay alive, and that open place for negotiations and RP.
Curent Game system is set so that miners are prefered to die instead pay, and until that change, miners will always say "kill me".
But, if for example, miners when die loose something, for example 2-5 M, depends on size off miner cargo hold , that will be diferent story, they will invest some eforts in atempt to stay alive. They will equip ship for battle and be ready.
How to set to miners to loose money when they die?
Perhaps it can be reworked that miners needs mining module/batteries/commodity/thingy /excuse to mine, it will cost from 2-5 M, (depends on cargo again), they are placed in cargo hold, or treated like bateries, or bits, and loose when you die, like any other cargo/batteries/bits.
As for change in Scanner, i find it ilogic, for this reason. pirates that want to pirate miners will have Cloak, and will arive in mining field Cloaked, while miner, even if he had Cloak, will not use it while mining, so pirate already have huge advantage, just like, to use Hunter and pray terminology from animal kingdom, lion sneaks to antilope while poor Creature eat grass . when it see him, it is to late.
It is much better that people in side mining zone can have reduced range of everithing in side mining zones, but see normal outside mining zone, while people outside mining zone cant see NOTHING in side mining zone, right until they actually enter mining zone. To use animal terminology again, it is quite normal for lion standing on open field can not to see antiople who is hideen behind there, altough lion can smell her, he don't know where she is, while antilope, while using cover, can see lion on open grass well, and can smell him.
Such principe will open hole set of new possibilities, pirates can hide it side mining fields, nebulas add such and wait for a chance to hit trader who have no idea pirate is close. Or, trader that run from pirate, can hide in side. Or, hole fleet off Galic invaders can ambush bertonia fleet.
Mining field, mine fields, nebulas and such have alwais be natural hiding places to anyone who wants to hide, it is ilogical for person who hides is better seen that person on open, who search one who hides.