Build:Communication Systems
8.15 Communication Systems
(Required)
If sensors are a starship’s eyes, its communications systems are its ears and its voice. Through personal communicators, planetary broadcast stations, and the Federation’s subspace relay network, a starship can use its subspace radio and other communications devices to contact just about anyone in the quadrant.
See Tables 8.15a and 8.15b for both Interplanetary & Subspace Radio Systems.
8.15.1 Subspace Radio
(Required)
Cost: Varies (see table)
Power Requirement: 2 Power per round of use
Available: 2120 (ground), 2130 (starships)
Invented in 2120, but not able to be installed aboard starships until 2130 due to size and power consumption problems, subspace radio allows a ship to propagate electromagnetic signals through the subspace medium. Subspace radio waves propagate at Warp 9.9997, far faster than the fastest starship, but not always fast enough to allow instantaneous communication with distant locations. Sometimes communications lags of hours or days result, but in most situations any lags are minimal. However, subspace radio waves cannot travel more than 22.65 light-years without degrading to unacceptable levels. Thus, networks of manned and unmanned subspace relay stations are required for communication across the quadrant. No existing or projected Federation technology can overcome this “97/22” limit (though the Borg, at least, seem to be able to use interplexing beacons to project messages farther than 22.65 light-years).
Most ships have medium-powered subspace transceivers for ship-to-ground communications, and ultra-high-powered transceivers for ship-to-ship and long-range communications needs. The transceivers are located at various points within the ship to provide maximum coverage. Medium-powered transceivers have a maximum range of about 60,000 kilometers; ultra-highpowered transceivers a maximum range of 22.65 light-years as described above.
Many Star Fleet communications contain confidential, classified, or secret information which Threat species must not be allowed to overhear. To prevent such breaches of security, a secured channel may be used for communicating. A secured channel uses Star Fleet’s advanced encryption algorithms to prevent outsiders from understanding the transmission. Every communication system has a security rating, represented as the penalty to Espionage (Cryptography) Tests made to defeat Star Fleet’s encryption or to Shipboard Systems (Communications) or Computer (Data Alteration/Hacking) Tests made to penetrate a ship’s computer systems remotely.
The accompanying table lists the SU cost, strength, and security rating for various types of communication systems. It includes some basic uprating packages which provide bonuses to Shipboard Systems (Communications) Tests, and security uprating packages which improve the security rating of the communications system. Uprating packages are not cumulative; a ship can only have one basic package and one security package in effect. A ship has two medium-powered transceivers and one ultrahigh-powered transceiver per strength rating.
Prior to 2130, ships used interplanetary radio, which propagates at the speed of light and can thus take decades or centuries to travel between stars.
Tables
| System | SU | Strength Rating |
Security | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type I Interplanetary Radio |
1 | 1 | 0 | 1989 |
| Type II | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2045 |
| Type III | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2067 |
| Mark I Subspace Radio |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2130 |
| Mark II | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2144 |
| Mark III | 9 | 3 | -1 | 2172 |
| Mark IV | 12 | 4 | -1 | 2234 |
| Mark V | 15 | 5 | -2 | 2245 |
| Mark VI | 18 | 6 | -2 | 2284 |
| Class I | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2297 |
| Class II | 4 | 2 | -1 | 2298 |
| Class III | 6 | 3 | -1 | 2298 |
| Class IV | 8 | 4 | -2 | 2298 |
| Class V | 10 | 5 | -2 | 2298 |
| Class VI | 12 | 6 | -2 | 2298 |
| Class VII | 14 | 7 | -3 | 2310 |
| Class VIII | 16 | 8 | -3 | 2330 |
| Class IX | 18 | 9 | -4 | 2347 |
| Class X | 20 | 10 | -5 | 2363 |
| Basic Uprating | SU | Test Bonus | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type 1 | 4 | +10% | 2220 |
| Class Alpha | 3 | +19% | 2300 |
| Class Beta | 6 | +27% | 2351 |
| Security Uprating |
SU | Test Bonus |
Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type A | 3 | -10% | 2199 |
| Class Gamma | 2 | -10% | 2300 |
| Class Delta | 4 | -19% | 2325 |
| Class Epsilon | 6 | -27% | 2332 |
8.15.2 Emergency Communications System
Cost: 1
Power Requirement: 2 Power per round of use
In crisis situations, such as when main communications is damaged or invaders have locked out the normal communications system, some ships have an emergency communications system which the crew can access. An emergency communications system is half the strength of the main communications system; it uses many of the same resources, so it only costs 1 SU.
8.15.3 Holocommunications System
Cost: +1 (to main communications system)
Power Requirement: none
Available: 2372
Some of the latest Star Fleet vessels incorporate a system which links communications with a small holoemitter array. When used to communicate with another, similarly-equipped vessel, a holocommunications system allows the persons communicating to “see” each other. A holocommunications system adds 1 SU to the cost of a communications system.
SFC Technology Index
Communication Systems:
- Subspace Radio: Index
- Emergency Communications Systems are contracted out to various manufacturers by the shipwrights and are not standardized by generation nor ship size. Instead, the emergency communication modules are swapped out and replaced as necessary, without having to upgrade and replace an entire system. As such, Emergency Communications systems have no index.
- Holocommunications System: Index