Networked meteor-burst data communications

Features of meteor-burst radio communication, i.e., bounding signals from the ionized trails left by meteors larger than a microgram passing through the ionosphere, are explored. The trails occur at altitudes from 80-120 km and are useful for communications at distances from 400-2000 km. The integrated, ionized path lasts only a few seconds, a situation which requires the implementation of the burst mode. A current configuration is a master ground station and remote stations within a 2000 km radius. The master station polls the remotes for data, which is transmitted by meteor bursts to an (approximately) 10 x 35 km target region of the master. Computerized techniques used for verifying the packet before receiving (or broadcasting) the next are described, along with addressing procedures, the geographical dependency of meteor-burst techniques, and comparisons with other communications systems.