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BorgAssimilator

Com Badges

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I know a lot of the science behind Star Trek is fictional (obviously), and I am willing to admit that it doesn't actually exist (even though I believe it does :-) However there is one big question about the Communication Badges:

 

How the heck do they work? :lol:

 

Sometimes people tap them, sometimes they just start talking. How does the person on the other side know who they're talking to? I would assume they'd just answer "hello", or any statement saying "I'm here" because i don't see how the inital "Captain to Lt. Paris" statement would be heard on the receving side and have them answer so quickly.

 

I'm sure there's some sort of pattern to how they work, but I haven't been able to figure it out, so suggestions / answers would be appriciated. :-)

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Sometimes people tap them, sometimes they just start talking.

 

I'm not 100% positive but I think the difference between tapping or not depends on if you are 'on board ship' or 'away'. I speculate that on board you would be 'on the grid' whereas the computer is constantly looking for anyone to say the name of someone not standing nearby, the computer would logically deduce your saying an absent crew members name to mean to wish to hail that person resulting in a channel opening to the hailee.

 

In an away situation; a tap is required to open a channel either way (ship to surface or surface to ship) because one half of the respondents are off the ships grid.

 

I would assume they'd just answer "hello", or any statement saying "I'm here" because i don't see how the inital "Captain to Lt. Paris" statement would be heard on the receving side and have them answer so quickly.

 

It does seem as if the start of the message would be cut off but I believe we can apply a decent imaginary answer; what if the computer is always recording every moment, (like a DVR) when it senses a hail; it replays a second or two of recorded material, ("Captain to Lt. Paris") from the buffer then switches back to live after the hail is sent.

 

If I remember correctly, all communicator contacts (intra-station or otherwise) on DS9 required a tap(?), if so then applying my theory I conclude that was because it's an alien computer.

 

How does that sound?

 

There probably are times when events happen contrary to my hypothesis but that's my story and I'm sticking to it until/unless something better is suggested.

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That has been a recent question that puzzled me too...

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:lol: I guess, I will buy that hypothesis, best one of heard yet. (always wonder about that myself)

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*being a Farscape Fan (check out my URL if you are its to my own boards* on Farscape the Comm Badge operates a similar way.. except for some minor alterations in HOW they are created.. also since I'm a Tech geek who likes figuring things out.. I'll like to mention this.. The Comm units being discussed never SEEM to need recharging.. but since almost all things require some kind of power. including in the 24th century (next gen). I am guessing that the units recieve power by heat produced by the body. Also since this only produces a small amount of energy (less than the amount of one AAA battery) it would also require an amplification charge. AKA the Ships Communications computer. would recieve and amplify the signal. The Ship would also require a broadcast channel for planetary missions. and would be networked to all shuttle crafts. since they are connected to the computer. it would connect the user to the person or place of their choice simply by understanding (which we know that the computer does) their voice commands. and since technically they are only having the computer reroute all calls to diffrent comm devices. it requires little processing. I hope this helps. from your Neighborhood tech freak, BAKKE

 

I know a lot of the science behind Star Trek is fictional (obviously), and I am willing to admit that it doesn't actually exist (even though I believe it does :-) However there is one big question about the Communication Badges:

 

How the heck do they work? :clap:

 

Sometimes people tap them, sometimes they just start talking. How does the person on the other side know who they're talking to? I would assume they'd just answer "hello", or any statement saying "I'm here" because i don't see how the inital "Captain to Lt. Paris" statement would be heard on the receving side and have them answer so quickly.

 

I'm sure there's some sort of pattern to how they work, but I haven't been able to figure it out, so suggestions / answers would be appriciated. :-)

 

This also has an answer... go work at any place that uses Walkie Talkies.. like Target or Office max... most of the time they just call over and say something.. and you recognize their voice.. I doubt that the comm badges would announce "Captain" or anything.. it would be a waste of time.. since mostly you do not need to know that part..

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There was a topic about this somewhere. But I can't find it.

 

 

Basically, the comm badge has 2 parts, the backing which holds all of the gizmos.

Then you have the front part, which we see, the front part sits ontop of the backing, and is loaded by a spring, when the spring is depressed (tapping it), It contacts with the backing and opens a link.

 

This is what a COMM badge looks like from the back:

 

Starfleet-05-june.gif

 

The Comm badge sticks to the uniform with an elctric current, there is a button/pad either to the side or top of the badge, and pressing this will stop the current and alow you to remove the badge.

 

However, on the show, they just got velcro, or, when they had to remove them on camera, they used a magnet on the underside of the clothing

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