Communicating Via Meteor Burst at Short Ranges

This paper examines the relationship between range and performance of meteor burst communication systems. Three performance measures are considered: average duty cycle, average throughput for a system which transmits fixed length message packets at a fixed data rate, and waiting time to deliver a fixed length message. In particular, we examine the range dependence of the three measures at ranges of less than 400 km. It will he demonstrated that communication connectivity can be maintained at short ranges by a combination of efficient protocol and proper antenna pattern designs.