Talking in Rifts.

Mack · Unread post by **Mack** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 9:36 pm

Personally, I assume the major nations (CS, Triax, etc...) setup some sort of comm relay system, either ground based or high-flying balloons (but still much lower than low-earth orbits). But I limit it to only those nations. I consider it one of the CS's strategic advantages.

Esckey · Unread post by **Esckey** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 9:45 pm

I also figure any radio towers and the likes would of been A)Cannablised for scrap metal, B) destroyed(they kinda stand out on the horizon) or C) turned into a home for any flying D-Bees

Library Ogre · Mon Oct 22, 2007 10:03 pm

I've talked about these in the past, actually. I originally came up with a high-altitude dirigible that would function as a communications switching point for the Coalition.... at about 3 miles high, it could be reached by armor radios over a fairly wide radius (4 mile radius, or about 50 square miles), while being out of range for most ground-based personal weapons. Someone else upgraded it to a small nuclear-power flyer.. faster, more agile, faster to deploy.

Nekira Sudacne · Wed Oct 24, 2007 1:36 pm

I remember reading somewhere that Ley Lines interfear heavily with radio communication.

glitterboy2098 · Wed Oct 24, 2007 2:53 pm

and as i recall, no ones been able to find evidence of that in any RIFTS book...

in one of the rifter articles i sent in, i had a small nation make heavy use of CB radios for communications.

for the CS, i don't see the CS having extensive repeater stations, though i bet they set up small bases every 20-30 miles along major trade routes between the states that hold not only rapid response groups, but also repeater towers. thus each state stays connected, but only through specific routes. i don't see them using many aerial platforms, though in cases like the war on Tolkeen i'd bet they had those Eagle drones from SB4 stationed to serve as repeater platforms and recon. that would be a good way to keep platoons in contact with the higher ups without having to set up a base every few dozen miles.

in my games aerostats would carry a risk, as i plan to have the upper atmosphere inhabited by an entire aerial ecosystem. trying to fly over 10,000 feet gets you into a danger zone where some floating predator might decide your good to eat. (check out A Conan Doyles "Horror of the heights). civilian aircraft and pilots would be common enough, but even they'd avoid flying too high.

Rahmota · Unread post by **Rahmota** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 4:23 pm

I have my CS using armored multiple redundent fiber optic cables layered in parralell with their maglev trains between major cities.

Armored out posts every so often along the maglev tracks to help protect the tracks and the communications lines.

Mobile communications are handled by traditional towers in secured areas and either aerostats or portable towers in unsecured areas or for combat communications.

Less technologically advanced societies have gone back to the Pony express concept using modern vehcles for long range communication and or old school shortwave radio for longer range communications instead of higher teching it.

asajosh · Unread post by **asajosh** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 6:21 pm

How about simple EME communications? Thats Earth - Moon - Earth for you non-shortwave types out there. Basically a powerful earth based directional antenna "reflects" a radio wave off the moon and back down to earth some where far away. Simple, and it can be achieved by amateurs today.
Hell, a directional antenna in and of itself is pretty powerfull. My buddy in high school accidentally broadcast to Dulles int airport some 35 miles away from home. Same guy who introduced me to the concept of EME.

Stormseed · Unread post by **Stormseed** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 6:31 pm

asajosh wrote:How about simple EME communications? Thats Earth - Moon - Earth for you non-shortwave types out there. Basically a powerful earth based directional antenna "reflects" a radio wave off the moon and back down to earth some where far away. Simple, and it can be achieved by amateurs today.
Hell, a directional antenna in and of itself is pretty powerfull. My buddy in high school accidentally broadcast to Dulles int airport some 35 miles away from home. Same guy who introduced me to the concept of EME.

I think that all that reflective **** in orbit would seriously interfere with any signals.

glitterboy2098 · Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:41 pm

it would be easier to exploit atmospheric refractions anyway. bouncing the signals off layers of the atmosphere. you can listen in on austrialia from the US on a shortwave using that method. (was a rather odd sensation actually)

rat_bastard · Unread post by **rat_bastard** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 8:24 pm

can we all agree that Kevin never got his ham radio license and move on?

asajosh · Unread post by **asajosh** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 8:34 pm

Stormseed wrote:
asajosh wrote:How about simple EME communications? Thats Earth - Moon - Earth for you non-shortwave types out there. Basically a powerful earth based directional antenna "reflects" a radio wave off the moon and back down to earth some where far away. Simple, and it can be achieved by amateurs today.
Hell, a directional antenna in and of itself is pretty powerfull. My buddy in high school accidentally broadcast to Dulles int airport some 35 miles away from home. Same guy who introduced me to the concept of EME.

I think that all that reflective **** in orbit would seriously interfere with any signals.

Its not a laser, its a radio wave. Interference maybe.

Rahmota · Unread post by **Rahmota** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 12:21 am

Whipped: Thanks. I'm just one of those people that like to have a lot of details in the world. And I've run this world off and on since at least 2000 so there has been a lot of development and such.

And go for it if you want. Its not like I have a patent or anythign on the ideas.

The forts along the maglev tracks is stolen from the ancient romans or the great wall of china. The optic lines along the tracks is basically an update of the old telegraph lines sharing the railroad right of ways thats been in america as long as there's been railroads.

History is a great teacher if people will listen.