Starfleet Subspace Tranceiver Assembly

The Standard Starfleet Subspace Transceiver is an octagonal device, measuring 1.33m around the side and 0.56m in thickness. The device is triply redundant and contains the following:

Voice and data processors.
EPS power conditioners.
Subspace field coils.
Optically steerable focusing array.

Starfleet RF Unit

The Standard Starfleet RF units are hexagonal devices, measuring 1.1m across the faces and 0.23m in depth. The RF unit can only transmit data at light-speed. The range is variable with the amount of power fed to the device.

Subspace Relay Platforms

Subspace relay stations are used to stop signal degradation, and allow long distance messages to be sent across space. To the left is a diagram of a Federation Subspace Relay Platform.

These stations are placed at 20 light year intervals, as subspace messages can only travel about 22.65 light years without "boosting". About 500 new relay platforms are placed each year, due to exploration.

Communicators

The personal communicator has a case made from duranium. The heart of the communicator is the STA (Subspace Transceiver Assembly). This incorporates a low-power subspace field emitter and an analogue to digital voice encoder. The STA is also used in other devices such as the PADD and tricorder.

Voice inputs are received by a monofilm pickup microphone. All Starfleet communications are encrypted, the voice signals are modified by the encryption assembly. The encryption algorithms used by Starfleet are changed on a random schedule.

Power is provided by the communicator's sarium krellide power cell, which provides enough power for two weeks normal use. Communicators are recharged through EM induction.

Communication between two personal communicators is limited to approximately 500 km, starship's communication systems are able to enhance signals, giving a ground to ship range of approximately 75,000 km.

Communicators require a line of sight. Range will improve if the planet's magnetic field is less than 0.9 gauss or mean geological density is less than 5.56 g/cc.

Security

For security purposes the communicator can identify it's user bioelectrical field and temperature profiles using it's built in dermal sensor array. If another crew member tries to use the communicator without security override authority, the communicator will not activate. During normal situations, security codes are changed every five days. In emergencies the codes change at least once every 24 hours.

Communicators (Past and Present)