Communicators are devices which are able to transmit and receive voice and data transmissions over great distances, most notable from the surface of a planet to a vessel in orbit at the very least. Communicators, in general, have transponders and beacons to allow tracking and locating of a lost device (and presumably a lost person with it).
22nd Century
In the 22nd century Federation used their first generation of communicators. Having minimal features, they did not yet have beacons or transponders but had to be tracked using their signal strength and then a location triangulated from multiple points.
23rd Century
During the early days of the Federation the design was changed to one that would actually last in various ways through to the early to mid 23rd century. These newer designs featured transporter and homing beacons as well as a the manual ability to adjust frequencies for increased versatility. These devices could be tuned by the user to establish analog or digital contact over a variety of transmission methods. As time progressed smaller communicators were possible, though many still preferred a hand-held device.
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Early 23rd Century
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Mid 23rd Century
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Mid / Late 23rd Century
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Late 23rd Century
