Stuff happens.
The ESA inadvertently turned off the main data reporting channel on Huygens after it was jettisoned from Cassini, shortly before it was to make its descent.
Given the distances, I'm not sure that it was able to be turned back on in time.
I think the data was eventually captured from a redundant, but lower power channel via the Parkes, and other similar class antennas.
At the radio propagation time of 4.5 hours each way they were using large antennas on earth, but also must have been using very low data rates on the satellite where the transmit power would be very limited.