Starport Frequency

[Diveguy]

Family convo tonight based on local observations, leading to a Traveller correspondence.

Even for Starport classes there might be some differences in traffic. which influence EVERYTHING downstream.

1-2 - Major spaceport, near-constant traffic, ships landing/launching are just a thing.

3-4 - Active but scaled. "Wow, it's mostly just in-system or orbital stuff here. That T-990 Dragonfly looks cool!"

5-6 - All traffic is awesome. "Yeah, we sometimes sit here all day without seeing anything. But any time we do I love it - that's a ship that came all the way from outer space!"

 

[kilemall]

Family convo tonight based on local observations, leading to a Traveller correspondence.

Even for Starport classes there might be some differences in traffic. which influence EVERYTHING downstream.

1-2 - Major spaceport, near-constant traffic, ships landing/launching are just a thing.

3-4 - Active but scaled. "Wow, it's mostly just in-system or orbital stuff here. That T-990 Dragonfly looks cool!"

5-6 - All traffic is awesome. "Yeah, we sometimes sit here all day without seeing anything. But any time we do I love it - that's a ship that came all the way from outer space!"

Range it 2-12, modify per starport type and pop.

2-4 low
5-9 scaled
10-12 high

Pop-7= DM
Starport A +3
Starport B +2
Starport C 0
Starport D -1
Starport E -2
Starport X -4
TL 7 or lower -2


For more refined results, probably separate system traffic and interstellar.

Xboat/trade routes, local trade codes/starport and pop/starport of nearby systems affect interstellar and asteroid/local pop/ind-poor-rich trade codes affecting local.

 

[Badenov]

So, I betray my background when my first thoughts on 'Starport Frequency' is it ought to be locally assigned in-system since there's no real way it could interfere outside the system (they're only a year or so apart time delay-wise, but spacially, the signals should have completely dissipated), but that all stations would monitor 121.5MHz for emergencies. Then I read the thread and realized as usual I had missed the point entirely.

 

[coliver988]

GURPS Starports calculated traffic based on economics, using world trade numbers and nearby systems. It reflects a much busier, Star Wars style of Traveller universe in my eyes, big ship vs small ship TU.

You used WTN (World Trade Number, based on [trying to remember even though the book is right behind me] population, tech maybe government) as a base, but then used BTN (Between? Trade number, for neighboring worlds) to figure out just how much tonnage was going through the port, and based on that you could calculate the number of ships daily, weekly & yearly.

20+ years ago, when I first got laid off, I wrote a windows program that actually took all that into account. decades later I am still playing with silly things like that even though there are much better applications on the web or spreadsheets doing that. My blog has that history from way back.

edit: and like Badenov, I thought the post was going to be the distribution of starports. Radio frequency did not enter my mind.

 

[Diveguy]

Range it 2-12, modify per starport type and pop.

2-4 low
5-9 scaled
10-12 high

Pop-7= DM
Starport A +3
Starport B +2
Starport C 0
Starport D -1
Starport E -2
Starport X -4
TL 7 or lower -2


For more refined results, probably separate system traffic and interstellar.

Xboat/trade routes, local trade codes/starport and pop/starport of nearby systems affect interstellar and asteroid/local pop/ind-poor-rich trade codes affecting local.

Like it - and better thought out than my late-night musings. Thanks!

 

[Diveguy]

So, I betray my background when my first thoughts on 'Starport Frequency' is it ought to be locally assigned in-system since there's no real way it could interfere outside the system (they're only a year or so apart time delay-wise, but spacially, the signals should have completely dissipated), but that all stations would monitor 121.5MHz for emergencies. Then I read the thread and realized as usual I had missed the point entirely.

lol - though, your point is equally valid in that there would be one (or more likely several) frequencies/communications spectrum modes ships and stations would monitor for those Mayday calls.

 

[TamsinP]

You used WTN (World Trade Number, based on [trying to remember even though the book is right behind me] population, tech maybe government) as a base, but then used BTN (Between? Trade number, for neighboring worlds) to figure out just how much tonnage was going through the port, and based on that you could calculate the number of ships daily, weekly & yearly.

WTN and BTN were in GURPS Traveller Far Trader.

WTN is based on Pop, TL and starport type

BTN adds the 2 WTNs and then modifiers for distance, allegiance and trade codes. If I remember correctly, there were different modifiers for freight/cargo and passengers.

Somebody did generate trade route maps for Charted Space and they are available on the Wiki. https://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Category:Trade_maps


For MgT2e, the World Builder's Handbook has formulae for calculating starport sizes but they depend on a lot of other factors which themselves often have to be calculated.

 

[whartung]

Speaking of Starport, here's a LBB chestnut.

Starport C are "routine" quality. Suggesting that most starports are of C level.

Yet, all they carry is unrefined fuel.

Certainly potentially limits trade opportunities in a galaxy before pervasive shipboard fuel refineries.

 

[kilemall]

Good point. CT77 had some very deliberate tough space hurdles for a starting free trader to navigate.

 

[Krikkitone]

lol - though, your point is equally valid in that there would be one (or more likely several) frequencies/communications spectrum modes ships and stations would monitor for those Mayday calls.

One of the books had the idea of some “Standard” (ie Imperial) Frequencies that you would use anywhere.
One of which you would use to get information on the local frequencies used.
Another was probably the standard distress frequency (as well as some reserved for navy/scout use)

 

[Rupert]

MT's Referees' Companion lists a few.

I assume that there's a standard distress channel, left open but constantly monitored (at least in theory), and a standard hailing channel for initiating conversation (after which you'd switch to a mutually agreed alternate channel). There would also be a standard 'system information' channel, on which system traffic control would constantly broadcast a list of any channels with specific uses, astrogation notices and hazards, and so on. The main traffic control channel would probably also be an Imperial standard.

Systems with significant traffic and a good starport would have a data channel that would broadcast a traffic map, showing where 'all' ships 'are' and their vectors. Of course, given light-speed lag it'll be old, but still better than a civilian ship would get from its own sensors when it comes to distant traffic. It'll also be missing things like distant ships without transponders, navy ships that have a 'do not show' flag, and so on.

Realistically, there would probably be several channels for many of these, the main ones being nice digital feeds, with backups that are simple FM voice channels, especially for the distress and hailing channels.

 

[Grav_Moped]

"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" -- REM

 

[Spinward Scout]

MT's Referees' Companion lists a few.

That's a section every Referee should have. MegaTraveller had so much detail.