HyperPulse Generators |
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The HyperPulse Generator (HPG) arrays are based upon numerous worlds all across the Inner Sphere. Comstar owns and operates these, collecting payment from those who wish to transmit messages. The FTL devices are the primary means of interstellar communications, and ComStar has a virtual monopoly on their usage.
However, following the schism of ComStar after the battle of Tuukayid, HPG technology has slowly begun disseminating to the members of the inner sphere, with ComStar itself accepting money to help fund the creation of new stations.
As transmission is expensive, messages are frequently bundled into batches of hundreds, sent simultaneously. So, while the transmission of HPG array messages is done nearly instantaneously, it may be days, weeks, or months before a message is sent; one can pay a higher fee in order for "priority service". The maximum range of an HPG pulse is 50 light-years.
Transmission stations are categorized by a rating, either A, B, C, or D. Most stations in the inner sphere are class A or B stations, meaning that they transmit regularily and have high volume capacity. Class C and D stations are more often seen in the perhipery or in backwater worlds, and they only transmit once a week or month, sending a few batched messages.
The transmission itself is a variant of the jumpdrive. The system effectively allows a radio transmission to travel through hyperspace for distances of fifty light years. The transmission cannot be bidirectional due to the manner that jumpspace works, but if two HPGs are used to establish a connection, you can use one to recieve transmissions and the other to send them, effectively bootstrapping a bi-directional comm system. This was first seen in the years leading up to the FedCom civil war, when the Archon subsidized construction of more HPG centers to allow real-time communications between New Avalon and Thakad, effectively across the entire inner sphere.
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