Often, when installing and configuring satellite television, people are faced with incomprehensible terms. This happens the first time you try to set up an antenna or tuner, for example. And if incomprehensible words appear in the instructions, then they must be interpreted. Often users do not know what a transponder is. Let's figure it out.
What is a transponder?
This is a device that transmits a signal in response to a received signal. The transponder can receive a signal at one frequency and transmit it to another, amplify it. It is also capable of generating a response signal when a valid request is received, etc. It is often used to send a predefined message when a specific signal is received.
Scope of application
Given the possibilities, the scope of use of the device is very extensive. It should be noted right away that these devices are used not only in the field of satellite television, as many mistakenly believe. Yes, thanks to the TV transponder, satellite channels are formed, and the device itself is hereacts as a repeater or transceiver.
The device can be used for digital compression, when several different digital streams are simultaneously transmitted through channel transponders at the same frequency. They are very actively used in aviation, including the military. The famous "friend or foe" system is based on the use of a transponder. Also, its role is great in recognizing signals on the radar. Some models can transmit information about altitude, flight speed, a special transponder code.
But even this is not limited to the scope. The device allows you to search for skiers littered with snow. There are even special devices for finding keys in the house (in this case, the transponder will give a signal to a certain whistle of the user, for example). Ships use sonar transponders to measure distances to objects.
Transponders in aviation
And although it has already been said above that this device is used in aviation, this scope deserves special attention. It is in aviation that the role of this device is really great, therefore, when answering the question of what a transponder is, one should first of all talk about aviation, and only then about satellite communications.
The transponder, which is always on board a civil aircraft, allows the air traffic controller on the ground to identify this aircraft. The dispatch service locator sends a signal, the transponder receives it and sends a special four-digit code in response. So the dispatcher will see the position on the monitor screenvessel and special code. These codes may be different, they show the situation on board.
For example, code 7500 means aircraft hijacking, code 7700 indicates an accident on board, code 7600 means loss of communication. These are special codes, upon receipt of which an alert is automatically activated in the dispatch service. Of course, this is a very approximate description of the principle of operation of the transponder in aviation. In fact, the system is quite complex, but accurate. But in general, the scheme of work looks exactly like this.
Conclusion
There are a lot of applications for this device. It is even impossible to list them all. But the main thing is that now you understand what a transponder is, as well as how it works. The most important thing is to understand how it works. The device sends another signal in response to the received signal. This simple principle is the basis of an extremely complex system of air communication and object identification. The device allows you to establish a connection between a satellite dish directly with the satellite itself, with its help, a car key fob responds to the user's whistle, etc. You can continue to give examples of using this device indefinitely.
