Meteor burst communications

Abstract

The characteristics of meteor burst communications are described and compared to those of HF and satellite systems. The two generic types of MB systems, broadcast and channel-probing systems, are explained. In systems using the broadcast protocol, the transmitter knows nothing about the occurrence of bursts or trails and transmits continuously for a sufficient duration to permit all recipients to receive the message/data with the desired probability. For practical purposes, the optimum burst or block duration for such systems is around 100-200 ms, based on the characteristics of the predominant trails. Channel-probing MB systems are more common and are commercially available in several versions. Here the transmitter repeatedly sends a short (typically 5-20 ms) probe signal until it receives a similarly short message response, indicating the availability of a suitable trail. A third, intermediate type of protocol with hybrid features does not probe the channel with a short signal, but starts repeatedly transmitting the first packet, in effect using it as a probe signal. Fundamental design issues and/or parameters of specific relevance to MB communication systems are discussed. Some historical and more recent MB systems are examined. >