see also Ship Uniforms and crew reputation
<aside> 📜 Given that it's a military ship it should have three modes installed from the factory… … transponder on (open ping with full ship info), … transponder off (completely dark, raising immediate red flags in any patrolled space) … IFF (identify-friend/foe) which will only give info to and receive info from friendly sources (as programmed at the time) and show all other sources as potential threats.
On top of that Bhandari would prefer two more settings… … one pinging as a registered merchant, … and one registering as Imperial convoy escort Griseo Lupus The former would be nice to have as an Imperial code, but any known polity would work.
</aside>
The transponder itself is intended to automatically identify the ship whenever it is ‘pinged’ or communications are made. The transponder automatically appends the ship’s name, port of registry and class to every communication, recorded along with the communication itself by the receiving vessel. —-Traveller Companion, 2024 Update, p165
So, “V’Hurg, Drinax, Harrier-class commerce raider”?
Raiders, and pirates who want to pretend to be legitimate commerce raiders in order to escape the death penalty if caught, often operate in uniform and display a transponder code declaring their allegiance before attacking. It is considered a legitimate ruse de guerre to pretend to be an innocent merchant ship or non-hostile warship until the moment of attack, perhaps by using a doctored transponder code claiming to be a mercenary escort vessel. However, a ship that opens fire without declaring its true nature will be treated as a pirate. Some raiders, particularly those operating on the orders of a third party who wishes to remain anonymous, will use a variant of the blank identification code – a transponder display analogous to the black flag used by some privateers on Old Terra. —-PoD - Harrier-Class Commerce Raider, p3
But then we wouldn’t be able to dock at any respectable starport? Surely this ship attracts attention at every port?? Would people just assume it had been converted to a regular cargo ship? With swept wings??
Although very few vessels of this type have survived into modern times, ship-recognition databases used by most vessels in the Trojan Reach region will recognise the vessel’s configuration and electromagnetic emissions unless they are disguised. This itself may arouse suspicion, since the class was built specifically as a commerce raider, but there are numerous plausible explanations for why a group of Travellers might have such a ship yet not be pirates. A commerce raider, almost by definition, makes an excellent secure courier or well-protected light transport. The same vessel might be used by mercenary forces or as a naval ship. It should not be hard to come up with a believable excuse that will allay suspicion, at least to some extent. However, there will always be those who consider a design with piracy-potential to be worthy of suspicion so, whether or not the operators are staying within the law, they will need to be ready to explain themselves. —-PoD - Harrier-Class Commerce Raider, p2
And How to Build an Empire addresses this on the very first page…
One way to avoid this is to obtain a less distinctive ship as soon as possible and use that for raiding, and to only raid with the Harrier in distant systems. It might be possible to create a pretext for overt raids, such as ‘dealing with suspected pirates’ or ‘extracting the due tribute to King Oleb from recalcitrant and ungrateful shipping operators’. The latter works better once Drinax has established at least a small power base and can pretend to be a legitimate interstellar state. Of course, the Travellers might decide to leave no witnesses or evidence, but this is a very hard-nosed approach which will alienate most potential allies if discovered.
Traveller Companion, 2024 Update, ch28 - Transponders, Registry and Mortgages (pp158-159)
The device known as a transponder aboard a starship is more than an automatic identification-and-communication system.
It is a complex security system which contains (supposedly) tamper-proof information on the ship’s status, registry and ownership. The transponder itself is intended to automatically identify the ship whenever it is ‘pinged’ or communications are made. The transponder automatically appends the ship’s name, port of registry and class to every communication, recorded along with the communication itself by the receiving vessel.
**Transponders can operate in one of four modes, though not all are available to some users.
Active**: The transponder sends out a ‘ping’ every few seconds, containing the ship’s basic data. This mode is used in safe areas where there is no need for a vessel to avoid detection. An active transponder advertises the ship’s presence to other vessels, enabling early course changes to avoid the risk of collision.
Passive: The transponder does not ‘ping’, but will respond if pinged by another transponder.
This mode is used where shipowners would prefer to remain inconspicuous as much as possible, such as in frontier systems where piracy is common.
Starports typically maintain an active ping, which reveals vessels as they approach.
IFF: Identification-Friend-or-Foe mode is used only by naval and paramilitary vessels.
The transponder will not respond unless it receives a ping from a transponder with the correct challenge codes. Responses are low- power and directional, reducing the chance of detection.
Although IFF does serve to tell friendly craft from potential hostiles, it is primarily used for squadron station-keeping and small craft operations, allowing members of the same force to track one another and maintain station without alerting all ships in the area to their presence.
An IFF-mode transponder will not respond automatically to a challenge from another system that does not have the right codes, but will alert the operator and give the opportunity to authorise a response.
Covert: It is not generally possible to turn off a transponder, at least not without modifying it somehow. However, it is possible to activate ‘covert’ mode. This prevents the transponder from responding when pinged and is used in an emergency to hide from hostiles. Any activation of covert mode is automatically entered into the ship’s logs and will have to be explained if the log is examined. Most civilian ships have an override code built into their transponder which will respond to an interrogative pulse from a suitably equipped vessel even in covert mode. Naval vessels have this capability, though its effectiveness depends on which codes have been supplied. When the override codes for shipping in the region fall into the wrong hands, they have to be changed as no merchant vessel can hide from a pirate who can simply ask their ship where it is.
The transponder will also respond to an interrogative pulse from a suitably equipped vessel with a short version of the ship’s logs. This is simply a set of validation codes indicating when a ship docked at a starport and when it left, and an indication of when it jumped and re-entered normal space (but not where). The ‘short log’ as it is known is automatically updated with port codes at Class A and B ports. Most Class C and some Class D ports also supply a code. A ship with a few gaps in its port entry and exit code log will not be seen as suspicious, but the short log can be used by patrol vessels to identify ships that might reward a boarding and search.