A 10.6 MICROMETER LASER COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR TERRESTRIAL USE

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 10-12, 1972 / International Hotel, Los Angeles, CaliforniaThis paper reports the development of an experimental type 10.6 μm laser communication system consisting of a transmitting terminal and a receiving terminal designed to operate one way over a nominal five mile terrestrial path. The system will provide a 5 Mbit/sec digital data channel utilizing intra-cavity optical frequency modulation, or frequency shift keying modulation format. It uses optical heterodyne detection with a mercury cadmium telluride detector operating at a temperature of 77°K and an i.f. frequency of 30 MHz. Since the system operates from fixed (non-mobile) terminals, acquisition and alignment procedures are simplified. Predicted performance in rain and fog is discussed and compared with a limited amount of actual data.International Foundation for TelemeteringProceedings from the International Telemetering Conference are made available by the International Foundation for Telemetering and the University of Arizona Libraries. Visit http://www.telemetry.org/index.php/contact-us if you have questions about items in this collection