the.com/transponder
a tiny box that screams your identity into the void so nothing crashes into you
means An electronic device that automatically receives a signal and transmits a reply, identifying or locating itself — used in aircraft, vehicles, and tracking systems.
from A blend word from the mid-20th century, stitched together from 'transmitter' and 'responder' — it both sends and answers, so the name simply welds the two jobs into one. Both halves trace back to Latin: 'transmit' from 'trans-' (across) plus 'mittere' (to send), and 'respond' from 'respondere' (to answer, to pledge in return). So buried in the gadget is an old promise — to send across, and to answer back.
- name origin
- a mashup of transmitter and responder
- squawk codes
- 7500 means hijack, silently
- toll roads
- that windshield beep is a transponder
- flight 9525
- transponder data exposed many midair mysteries
- animal tags
- your pet's microchip is one too
aircraft mode c transponder — required on all commercial aircraft since 1974 to broadcast altitude and identification to air traffic control
ais transponder — maritime vessels use ais transponders to broadcast position and course; required on ships over 300 tons since 2004
rfid transponder tag — passive tags used in retail inventory and toll collection systems, responding when powered by reader proximity