Personal Communicator:

An indispensable part of every UFED crew member's basic equipment, the personal communicator was initially designed to provide planet-to-ship voice transmissions as well as helping transporter crews lock on to personnel. Modern-day communicators also allow the crew to talk directly to a ship's computer

The modern-day multi-function personal communicator is attached to a crewmember's uniform, on the left side of the chest, and can be used in often startling ways. The device's protective casing is made with duranium and then coated with gold and silver alloys. Despite its simple, elegant appearance, beneath the casing is a collection of computer components and a sarium krellide power cell.

Using the communicator For all its complex technology, the communicator is activated with a simple tap and issues an electronic chirp to confirm that it is ready for use. The wearer states his or her name and the intended recipient and the communicator establishes the connection. The recipient's voice is transmitted on the communicator's audio speaker. The link is broken when either a voice commands or if the communicator itself detects the discussion has ended. But the communicator can remain 'hot', ready to relay follow-up speech without the preliminary tap.

Shipboard Communications:

Personal communicators are superfluous on vessels equipped with an intra-ship comms system (which automatically detects and dispatches verbal messages without the need of an additional external device). However, the communicator still works on the ship as normal.

The STA:

The main component in the communicator is the subspace transceiver assembly (STA), also used by many other UFED devices. Simply put, the STA turns the user's words into a digital burst that is captured by one of many short-range radio frequency (RF) transceivers embedded about the ships hull. The RF transceivers then coordinate with the onboard optical data network (which controls all intra-ship and subspace communications) and the main computer comm-processors to establish a link with the desired location.

Transporter Lock:

Detailed data pinpointing the communicator's precise location is an additional by-product of the communicator's exchange with the RF transceivers, because the transporter system is linked to the transceiver system. This is not the only way to establish a transporter lock, but it is, by far, the most convient.

Universal Translator:

When connected with the ship's computers, a communicator also has Universal Translator capabilities. Any crewmember can communicate in any known tongue and, with enough data, the translator can also decipher a high percentage of any new languages that may be encountered.

Range:

The communicator's STA generates only a weak subspace field. It's the ship's short-range RF transceivers that perform the bulk of the power-receiving and transmitting work that makes transmissions from 38,000 to 60,000 km possible. (A ship generally orbits at a distance of 40,000km). Without boosting from the ship's RF transceivers, an away team will kind the communicator's range limited to approximately 500km.

Encryption Circuit Assembly:

Standard UFED procedure dictates that all communications must be sent in encrypted form. The personal communicator's encryption circuit assembly computes the encryption algorithms prior to transmission. The encryption algorithm comes from, and is randomly changed by, UFED command for all UFED communications throughout the galaxy.

Dermal Sensor Controller:

Each communicator is customized to function only when it is being used by the person to whom it was issued. A dermal sensor controller inside the communicator ensures this by verifying an individuals unique bioelectrical fields and temperature profiles prior to executing commands. Only someone with the proper authority and access to the security code can override the dermal sensor controller, and security codes are changed frequently to prevent misuse. This system is designed to prevent unauthorized use by hostile forces.

The dermal sender controller also detects the user's activating tap and notifies the STA to go into power-on mode

Power Cell:

The communicator's power supply is a tiny sarium krellide crystal battery with a two-week life-expectancy. The user is warned when the crystal needs to be recharged or replaced. Keeping the communicator in a power-down mode, as most away teams do, preserves the power resources. Without boosting from the ship's RF transceivers, an away team must keep in mind the communicator's range and power cell limits. If a planet's density and magnetic fields are low, the communicator's range may be increased. However, electromagnetic fields can also prove a hindrance to proper functioning.

Still, these are only minor variations to one of UFED's most reliable and valuable devices.