Meteor burst communications

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.<>