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Grav pulse comm pulse generation Nov 2002
Grav pulse comm in hyper Nov 2002
Prolong Nov 2002
Cover art Nov 2002
Treecat intelligence I Nov 2002
Why did Paul Tankersley accept Summervale's challenge? Nov 2002
Why did Pavel Young accept Harrington's challenge? Nov 2002
Balance of power in the Star Kingdom of Manticore Nov 2002
"Beached" or <em>half pay</em> officers Nov 2002
Manticoran Admiralty Nov 2002
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Pearls of Weber (Introduction)

We would like to take this chance to thank Joe Buckley (thefifthimperium.com), one of David’s most tireless fans, for his many long hours of effort that have helped us bring this section to you. Joe has chronicled David’s responses on Baen’s Bar for years, and it is because of Joe’s hard work and organization that we are able to bring you these thoughts and answers about the many worlds of Weber.

Posted by David at 12:00am

Grav pulse comm pulse generation

  • Series: Honorverse
  • Date: November 22, 2002

Glad you like the universe . However, a point which seems to be being missed is that both the grav lance and the FTL com pulses are effectively generated using the drive of the "firing" vessel. In the case of a recon drone, the dirve nodes are much too weak to provide the brute power for an effective weapon, but the technology is quite similar. In starships (and LACs) the beta and/or alpha nodes are used to generate FTL pulses... and also the burst of gravitic energy which the lance uses to attack enemy sidewalls. In other words, the lance is already a "laser" version of the FTL com's "torch." (Or, put another way, the com is a "gravitic laser" stepped down from weapons grade levels to communication levels.)

BTW, the RM is further refining its FTL com technology and as of the end of Echoes of Honor they are up to about the 3rd generation of the system. The new coms (which are also built into the new Shrike-class LACs) feature major improvements in two areas:

(1) Pulse repetition rate is much higher than for the original, slow system--for starships and LACs, at least. The drones are still stuck with the old system simply because of the power requirements; even with their on-board fusion plants, they are effectively required to charge a capacitor bank before they generate each pulse.

(2) Starships and LACs are now able to generate FTL com pulses using single beta or alpha nodes. What this means is that they can cycle through their available nodes, sending individual pulses in sequence in very tight "windows," thus enormously increasing data transmission rates.

Just thought you'd like to know. Now I'm sure some of you Hemphill types are going to sit around figuring out ways to use the new tech to poke holes in the ways the Manticoran Alliance actually uses them. Kvetch, kvetch, kvetch! ;-)

 

David