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There are some epsisodes suggesting that transporter patterns can be stored like computer bits and are nothing but energy. The contradictory canon definition, however, is that transporters work on the basis of a so-called matter stream, which is confirmed by most episodes, the TNGTM and Rick Sternbach in his newsgroup.
Another argument is that most starships have transporter outlets throughout the hull. I think all ships must have such emitters and, moreover, there should be channels or waveguides for the matter stream within the ship besides the EPS, ODN and environmental systems. If only a data stream were to transmitted, the ODN and a conventional sensor array could be used. Does the DS9TM say anything about transporters?
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Transport beam transmitters/receivers are the rectangular yellowish "gratings" you see on the hulls of starships. The Glaxy class has two side by side on the saucer ventral, underneath the registry. The Sovereign has two less rectangular ones on its saucer dorsal at the front similar to Intrepid class ones. There are others scattered over the hull.
------------------ "You're wrong, and you're a grotesquely ugly freak."
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Actually, the transporter emitters are my favorite decals when I build a model, because they are the only ones easy to apply.
There should be emitters pointing in all directions, although most ships except for the Galaxy seem to have quite a few of them. Maybe the other ones are quite small.
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Or the actually emitter could be behind the retangular 'radome' and is constructed to allow some degree of movement. Then there is the whole subspace thing which obviously allows a ship's lateral axis to be perpendicular to the planet's polar axis and still allow transport to the opposite side of the planet. I myself would perfer the ship's ventral surface to face the planet's surface, in a geostationary orbit, with the emitters pointing down to the transport site.
The hairy question is at what frenquency is the matter stream transmitted?
------------------ Sector One at last. We are home. Tuvok, arrest the Maquis. Mr. Kim, inform Starfleet Command we have completed our mission. Capt. Janeway upon reaching Earth.
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Cargile: I'm not sure if subspace is involved in the transporter operation, at least the matter stream is not transmitted through subspace.
Simon: In DS9: "Our Man Bashir" it is explicitly mentioned that the computer system is used for storing the patterns. As far I have "understood" it, the patterns are the matter stream. If not, your idea is quite good, since we can assume that information gets lost because the matter stream is a state of disorder and can't be described by a simple algorithm, so an additional pattern is required.
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