Ship Transponder

A Ship Transponder is a communications and emergency device.

• IT also called a Transponder System, Transponder Unit, or simply a Transponder.
• It is a kind of Ship Equipment.

Description (Specifications)

The transponder maintains a constant transmission of the ship's identity. The transponder signal is broadcast radio, which can be detected by other ship's radio communicators and onboard sensors. The transponder is mounted in an inaccessible location within the hull.

• A transponder is an Active device.

The transponder consists of a number of components:

• Casing. A transponder unit is made from toughened or superdense materials: it is extremely resistant to damage.
• Flight Recorders. The recorders simply record a log of all vessel communications and internal systems activity. The ship's main computer collects this information and provides it to the recorders.
• It is directly linked to the vessel's Communications Equipment.
• Onboard Radio. An onboard radio transmitter that broadcasts the vessel's ID.
• Power Supply. The transponder contains an efficient internal battery pack that provides power for the Radio Transmitter and onboard electronics.

Transponder controls:

• The transponder is controlled from the bridge.
  • On civilian vessels this is little more than an on-off switch.
  • On paramilitary and military vessels, several levels of ID are possible, as well as an on-off switch.

History & Background (Dossier)

A transponder case is sealed at the factory, and the only way to legally change its signal is to have a licensed technician using specialized tools adjust it. The ship's ID cannot be altered or changed without the consent of the proper authorities.

The data collection process and the link between the ship's computer and the flight recorder is via a hardware unit. It is difficult to access physically and cannot be programatically accessed from the onboard computer systems at all.

Under normal circumstances, a vessel is required to operate with a transponder broadcasting. A vessel (especially a civilian one) must have a very good reason for turning it off, and doing so without due cause is illegal and could result in the impounding of the offending vessel. However, this makes the transmitting vessel very easy to detect.

• It is considered acceptable to shut down a transponder within an officially recognized conflict zone or in areas experiencing pirate activity.
• Most military forces are instructed to "shoot first, ask questions later" if they encounter an unidentified vessel that has no transponder signal.

Research into transponder technology and systems is being conducted at Research Station Omicron, located on Celetron (Core 0922).

References & Contributors (Sources)

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This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Starship Operator's Manual, (Digest Group Publications 1988) 20-21.
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master Scout Emeritus Adie Alegoric Stewart of the IISS
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science