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Data communication systems (A-level only)

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Question 12

An underwater oceanographic laboratory situated near a hydrothermal vent field on the ocean floor is to be connected to a mainland marine institute via a 20 km submarine communication link. This link must transmit real-time telemetry from high-power undersea drilling equipment, continuous high-definition 4K video feeds from marine cameras, and highly classified ocean-defense research data.

The project engineering team is deciding between installing a heavy-duty armored copper coaxial cable system or a marine-grade single-mode optical fiber system.

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of these two options for this specific underwater application, and make a clear recommendation for which system should be deployed.

In your comparison, you must address:

  • physical and environmental durability in deep-sea conditions
  • immunity to electromagnetic interference and security against data interception
  • bandwidth, signal attenuation, and transmission properties over the 20 km distance.
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Data communication systems (A-level only) Questions

  1. A Level
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  3. /Data communication systems (A-level only)