Abstract: A method for accommodating communication between a personal communication device and a satellite communication system includes identifying likely positions of one or more satellites and determining an orientation position of the personal communication device to potentially facilitate a wireless communication connection between the personal communication device and at least one satellite. The orientation position may be provided at a graphical user interface of the personal communication device. A signal received from the satellite may be detected and a determination may be made whether the satellite is capable of establishing the wireless communication connection between the personal communication device and the satellite.

Abstract: A method including receiving at a synchronizing node a first reference frame from a first reference node at a first time and storing a first time value representing the first time, and calculating a timing estimator by subtracting a minimum time value, representing the distance from the synchronizing node to the first reference node, from the first time value. The method includes receiving at the synchronizing node a second reference frame at a second time and transmitting from the synchronizing node to the first reference node a short timing contention time frame. The method includes receiving at the synchronizing node from the first reference node an arrival time value representing the time at which the first reference node received the short timing contention frame and calculating a time drift from the first arrival time value and the second time value and adjusting the timing estimator based on the time drift.

Abstract: A method including receiving at a synchronizing node a first reference frame from a first reference node at a first time and storing a first time value representing the first time, and calculating a timing estimator by subtracting a minimum time value, representing the distance from the synchronizing node to the first reference node, from the first time value. The method includes receiving at the synchronizing node a second reference frame at a second time and transmitting from the synchronizing node to the first reference node a short tuning contention time frame. The method includes receiving at the synchronizing node from the first reference node an arrival time value representing the time at which the first reference node received the short timing contention frame and calculating a time drift from the first arrival time value and the second time value and adjusting the timing estimator based on the time drift.

Abstract: A method including receiving at a synchronizing node a first reference frame from a first reference node at a first time and storing a first time value representing the first time, and calculating a timing estimator by subtracting a minimum time value, representing the distance from the synchronizing node to the first reference node, from the first time value. The method includes receiving at the synchronizing node a second reference frame at a second time and transmitting from the synchronizing node to the first reference node a short timing contention time frame. The method includes receiving at the synchronizing node from the first reference node an arrival time value representing the time at which the first reference node received the short timing contention frame and calculating a time drift from the first arrival time value and the second time value and adjusting the timing estimator based on the time drift.

Abstract: A communications system includes one or more antennas and a receiver coupled to the one or more antennas. The one or more antennas are operable to receive a signal transmitted from a transmitter. The receiver includes a combiner that is operable to combine the signals received by the one or more antennas into a combined signal. The signal received by the receiver is a single-carrier waveform comprising a signal field and one or more data fields after the signal field. The signal field indicates a modulation technique of the one or more data fields. The one or more data fields include a first short unique word, a data payload after the second short unique word, and a second short unique word after the data payload.

Abstract: A wireless network protocol employs a hop-by-hop block formation approach in which data packets are organized into data blocks at each hop according to a routing table and are transmitted to each hop as data blocks. For example, data packets to be transmitted from a source node to a destination are grouped into a data block associated with a routing table. The source node transmits the data packets according to the routing table. Each node in the routing table determines which data packets it must transmit to other nodes to complete transmission of the data packets to the destination. Each such node determines a new routing table and groups these data packets into a new data block associated with the new routing table. Each node transmits the data packets of the new data block according to the new routing table in a manner similar to the source node.

Abstract: A communications system includes one or more antennas and a receiver coupled to the one or more antennas. The one or more antennas are operable to receive a signal transmitted from a transmitter. The receiver includes a combiner that is operable to combine the signals received by the one or more antennas into a combined signal. The signal received by the receiver is a single-carrier waveform comprising a signal field and one or more data fields after the signal field. The signal field indicates a modulation technique of the one or more data fields. The one or more data fields include a first short unique word, a data payload after the second short unique word, and a second short unique word after the data payload.

Abstract: A method including receiving at a synchronizing node a first reference frame from a first reference node at a first time and storing a first time value representing the first time, and calculating a timing estimator by subtracting a minimum time value, representing the distance from the synchronizing node to the first reference node, from the first time value. The method includes receiving at the synchronizing node a second reference frame at a second time and transmitting from the synchronizing node to the first reference node a short timing contention time frame. The method includes receiving at the synchronizing node from the first reference node an arrival time value representing the time at which the first reference node received the short timing contention frame and calculating a time drift from the first arrival time value and the second time value and adjusting the timing estimator based on the time drift.

Abstract: A wireless network protocol employs a hop-by-hop block formation approach in which data packets are organized into data blocks at each hop according to a routing table and are transmitted to each hop as data blocks. For example, data packets to be transmitted from a source node to a destination are grouped into a data block associated with a routing table. The source node transmits the data packets according to the routing table. Each node in the routing table determines which data packets it must transmit to other nodes to complete transmission of the data packets to the destination. Each such node determines a new routing table and groups these data packets into a new data block associated with the new routing table. Each node transmits the data packets of the new data block according to the new routing table in a manner similar to the source node.