Sensors & Comms

In the twenty-third century, most communication still uses radio waves as a carrier, although laser communication is widespread in space, and at short distances, infrared (IR) becomes the norm.

Personal Comms

Communications are important. Without them we are all alone and isolated, floating in a tin can through the vast empty ocean of space. While many devices have built in comms for wireless transmission of data, these dedicated comms can be attached to various devices and used to boost their range.

Item	Properties	Cost	Availability
IR Comm	—	50¤	Uncommon
Laser Comm	—	50¤	Rare
Radio Comm	—	25¤	Common

IR Comm: Does your device not speak infrared? Get a dedicated IR comm! IR comms use infrared to transmit and receive data. This is useful only at very short ranges—usually no more than a few dozen meters.

Laser Comm: Direct your communication with a laser comm! Laser comms use lasers to transmit and receive data at a directed target. This limits the ability to intercept the data because it is not broadcast to the world, but rather directed at a specific point. This comm is good for 50 km (30 mi) in atmosphere, or 1000 km (620 mi) in space.

Radio Comm: The most common type of comms in the Sol system, radios broadcast in all directions. Some wavelengths have the ability to bounce off walls and atmospheric conditions, spreading their signal farther. This maximizes the distance of communication at the expense of being easy to intercept. Transmits up to a range of 8000 km (5000 mi).

Sensors

Unbreathable gasses, extreme temperatures, vacuum, radiation, unbearable pressures, armed killers, viruses, explosives and weaponized biological terrors. Sometimes all that stands between you and them is a good sensor.

Item	Properties	Cost	Availability
Binoculars	—	25¤	Common
Camera	—	100¤	Common
Chem-sniff	—	300¤	Uncommon
Geiger-counter	—	50¤	Uncommon
Ladar Scanner	—	200¤	Uncommon
Night Vision Glasses	Worn	100¤	Uncommon

Binoculars: Don’t let your enemies get close; spot them from afar with these binoculars! These are good for ×4 magnification, which negates a ⊖ on tests made to see at a great distance.

Camera: Be a pro photographer! Although most hand terminals come with a built-in camera, this dedicated one far surpasses the typical hand terminal camera in both speed and resolution.

Chem-sniff: Sniff out trouble with this chem-sniff! This olfactory sensor is able to detect and recognize substances by smell, comparing them against a database of commonly known scents.

Ladar Scanner: Ladar! Ladar! Ladar! These emit low-energy laser beams to detect and identify nearby objects. Although they are of limited use in detecting unknown objects due to the narrowness of their beams, they have remarkable resolution in identifying objects once they are known. This includes facial recognition and chemical recognition technologies.

Night Vision Glasses: Don’t be caught in the dark without them. These night vision glasses can detect infrared, projecting a false-color image right before the wearer’s eyes. Good for seeing objects in the dark, but less useful for reading or color detection.