Samsung working on atmospheric broadcasting

You never know what you'll find when digging through the US Patent files, and it has been discovered that Samsung has filed one of their own in hopes of using the atmosphere as an antenna. Researchers and employees in Korea are devising a method to use the ionosphere -- the layer of the atmosphere at around 50 kilometers above the Earth's surface -- as a medium for "long distance communication" without the need for expensive satellites. The ionosphere already plays a role in communications as a "radio reflector" that bounces low frequency radio signals from sea to shining sea. But by launching UHF signals behind a 1GHz carrier signal, scientists hope to alter the behavior of the ionosphere to create an alternating current, which can then be modulated at a particular frequency in order to create an antenna of global proportions. While the precise utility of such an antenna is not yet clear, we're glad it's in the works, as this sounds like just the thing to solve those dropped call blues -- or not.

[Via Textually]

[AdvidG @ Jul 28th 2006 8:17AM]

This is perfect.
The 'Skynet' takeover will happen That much quicker.
A darkend nuclear wasteland landscape of human skullcaps awaits...

Welcome it!

[John Doe @ Jul 28th 2006 8:52AM]

I thought the US gov (DARPA?) was already working on the exact same thing?

PS- Call me a tree hugger but I'm a big fan of not fucking around with the upper atmosphere when we have NO idea what long term consequences will be. I can't count the number of technologies that have been invented over the years that were thought to be this great wonder of the world only to find out much later that it generally dicks the planet. . . hard. . . without lube.

A thought? Let’s try and not fuck the planet we all NEED to survive. I know it’s an out there idea but it's something to consider.

[Graham @ Jul 28th 2006 9:02AM]

John Doe your words are true, I'd want to know if it is completely harmless to the already fucked up environment.
Before they launch it globaly.

[Rich L. @ Jul 28th 2006 9:09AM]

Nevermind DARPA, this is more or less Over-the-Horizon RADAR technology. Been used since "forever"! It's a good technology, but mod. signal @ 1GHz, there's gotta be hell lots of Error Correction built into their Secret Sauce (aka SSS = S-cube = Samsung Special Sauce -- bad joke... it's Friday)

[Ryan @ Jul 28th 2006 9:18AM]

Does anyone remember the Anime, "Lain: Serial Experiments"? I swear I remember hearing this concept describe there sometime in the late 90's. And yes, I'm aware one is reality, and the other is a fictional form of entertainment. I just figured it was worth throwing out there.

[Karl @ Jul 28th 2006 10:17AM]

In an ideal world, this would be used for some sort of free-for-all GPS system, dropping the prices of GPS units substantially (as the manufacturers would not need to cover the cost of their own satellite/hiring a satellite). Or it could be used for a free-for-all internet.

It's times like this when I wish I ruled a country.

[NeoteriX @ Jul 28th 2006 10:40AM]

Karl,

Um, isn't the current GPS system a "free for all" system? The satellites were put up by the US Military and the GPS signals from each of the satellites (that form the basis of the GPS location triangulation) are free and floating around for everyone to use. GPS receivers aren't grabbing signals from proprietary satellites put up there by Garmin, TomTom, NavTech, and whoever else. GPS receivers are expensive because of market forces and the techology/data behind it.

The other thing is, free GPS and free Internet are two totally different things, because your use of a GPS signal does not affect another's. With regard to internet though, your extra use of bandwidth taxes the system and penalizes someone else.

[joe @ Jul 28th 2006 11:45AM]

i, for one, welcome our ionosphere-transmitter overlords

[Tman @ Jul 28th 2006 11:47AM]

GPS requires singals from "base stations" with a known location. I'm sure how you could use this in that capacity.

The US military already uses troposcatter transmission methods to extend microwave communication passed the hotizon without the use of sattelites. We would blow out over 2000watts of RF into the sky to make it work. We also used freqs higher than the 1ghz stated in the article.

[rolfo @ Jul 28th 2006 12:09PM]

the end of the world will be SO cool!

[some guy. @ Jul 28th 2006 12:38PM]

Isn't this the same concept of AM radio???

[Christian @ Jul 28th 2006 1:40PM]

No, I think AM radio just bounces of the atmosphere, this equipment would use it to broadcast. Right?

Special in a shortbus kindaway,
Chris

[UhOhLooksLikeRain @ Jul 28th 2006 2:23PM]

I think this needs to be tested in very *limited* use for awhile before it is rolled out generally. I am leery of changing the electrical characteristics of the atmosphere that stands between us and all that hard cosmic radiation. We might discover a vast increase in skin cancer. But, hey, if Samsung can make a buck on it...

[anonymous user @ Jul 29th 2006 3:19AM]

the military has had this for YEARS. they used to use it out in Kuwait/Iraq to connect sites together.. they were called "Tropos". you never wanted to go near these things because of radiation.
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Raytheon_Demonstrates_Faster_Smaller_And_Simpler_Troposcatter_Solution.html to be more exact (even though it's the troposphere, its still the came concept)
These things sucked. Everytime the weather changes or the sun comes up or goes down, the atmosphere changes making these USELESS a few times a day.

[Zach @ Jul 30th 2006 5:49PM]

Umm that site says "TROPO is the ability to transmit radio waves over the curvature of the Earth, without using satellites, by BOUNCING signals off IRREGULARITIES(small changes in humidity, temperature and pressure) in the troposphere