Editing Transporter (section)

==Operations==

By the 24th century, most space faring civilizations of the Alpha Quadrant|Alpha and Beta Quadrants employed transporter technology for short-range transport of personnel and equipment. There were many advantages to utilizing transporters. 

On a planetary scale, small vehicles and spacecraft were no longer required to travel between locations.  Traveling by transporter was essentially instantaneous and an individual's sense of time while transporting was effectively non-existent.  Benjamin Sisko and Harry Kim, while training at Starfleet Academy in San Francisco, frequently transported to New Orleans and South Carolina, respectively, to see their parents. (DS9|Explorers; VOY|Non Sequitur)

In general, a transporter chief was responsible for the operational readiness, maintenance and repair of a ship or station's transporter systems. By the 24th century, transporter systems could also be operated from computer terminals other than those in transporter rooms. 

Furthermore, emergency transporter armbands, transponders and combadges could be programmed to remotely activate a transporter.  Normally, remote transporter activation was limited to emergencies or when the crew of a vessel was not on board. (TNG|The Best of Both Worlds|Realm of Fear; DS9|The Jem'Hadar)

A typical transport sequence began with a coordinate lock, during which the destination was verified and programmed, via the targeting scanners. Next, the lifeform or object to be beamed was scanned on the quantum level using a molecular imaging scanner.  

At this point, Heisenberg compensators take into account the position and direction of all subatomic particles composing the object or individual and create a map of the physical structure being disassembled amounting to billions of kiloquads of data.  

Simultaneously, the object is converted into subatomic particles, also called the matter stream.  The matter stream is briefly stored in a pattern buffer while the system compensates for Doppler shift to the destination.

The matter stream is then transmitted to its destination via a subspace frequency.  As with any type of transmission of energy or radiation, scattering and degradation of the signal must be monitored closely.  The annular confinement beam (ACB) acts to maintain the integrity of the information contained in the beam. Finally, the initial process is reversed and the object or individual is reassembled at the destination.

From its earliest incarnations, and continuing until some time between the early 2270s and mid 2280s, transporters generally immobilized the subject being beamed during dematerialization and rematerialization.  Advances in transporter technology after that point allowed a person being transported to move during the process in a limited fashion.

:''With perhaps one or two exceptions, every instance of transporter use shown in ENT, TOS, and TAS showed a "suspended subject".  This held true for Star Trek: the Motion Picture as well.  Beginning with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, transport subjects were shown being able to engage in limited movements, and even conversation while in transport.''

'''Safety features, protocols and components'''

As with other Starfleet technology, the transporter had its own set of safety features, protocols and procedures. In an emergency, many of these safety systems could be modified or circumvented.

One safety feature protected the transport subject to a certain degree from external influences once the dematerialization process had begun.  This protection extended to both high energy discharges (such as energy weapons fire) and physical incursions (such as projectile weapons fire). (ENT|Broken Bow; TOS|Bread and Circuses; film|6; TNG|A Matter of Perspective|The Most Toys)

Such protection was ''not'' infallible, however, particularly in the earlier models of transporter. "Foreign matter" could get caught up in the transport process and become embedded or integrated into the subject. (ENT|Strange New World).

Biofilters were uniformly used on all Federation transporters by the 24th century.  These filters functioned to decontaminate transported objects and prevent harmful substances, pathogens, and even certain forms of radiation (including theta radiation), from contaminating the rest of the ship.  (VOY|Macrocosm|Night)

Though biofilters performed a general contaminate removal with each transport, some novel contaminate removal required specific calibration in order for the filters to be effective.  As such, biofilters were incapable of filtering out certain types of substances and pathogens, most notably psychic energy. (TNG|Lonely Among Us|Power Play) 

Biofilters were also unable to detect and filter certain types of phased reality lifeforms without prior calibration.  Biofilters also functioned to detect and disable weapons and explosives (remat detonators).  (TNG|Realm of Fear|The Schizoid Man)

Additionally pattern buffers were used to compensate for relative motion during transport, ensuring that transported matter materialized in the correct location.

Except in cases of extreme emergency, protocols prohibited transporting objects while traveling at warp speed. (TNG|The Schizoid Man)

'''Diagnostic and maintenance tools'''

*Magneton scanner
*Micro-resonator
*Parametric scanner
*Synchronic meter
*Test cylinder

'''System components'''

*Annular confinement beam
*Biofilter
*Heisenberg compensator
*Molecular imaging scanner
*Pattern buffer
*Phase transition coil
*Primary energizing coils
*Site-to-site transport interlock
*Targeting scanner
*Transporter console