Satellite Communications

 
Satellite Communications
Ever since the invention of line-of-sight radios, people have sought to extend the
range from transmitter to receiver. Television is a familiar example of the limited
range for signal transmission; we are all used to regional broadcasting. For more
pressing applications, regional coverage is not sufficient. Military units on land have
obstructions and terrain to overcome, while naval forces have to contend with the
curvature of the Earth. Aboard ship, UHF radio antennas and blinker lights on a mast
can only communicate with another ship that’s within approximately 20 miles of it,
even if they have good line of sight.
In both cases the road to improvement is finding a way to extend the antennas
by raising them higher. Companies began to try new methods—such as remotely
piloted planes—to extend the range of their new mobile communication devices.
Among these tactics, one system that has proved highly beneficial is the use of
satellites.