In telecommunication, a master station is a station that controls or coordinates the activities of other stations in the system.
Examples:
- In a data network, the control station may designate a master station to ensure data transfer to one or more slave stations. Such a master station controls one or more data links of the data communications network at any given instant. The assignment of master status to a given station is temporary and is controlled by the control station according to the procedures set forth in the operational protocol. Master status is normally conferred upon a station so that it may transmit a message, but a station need not have a message to send to be designated the master station.
- In navigation systems using precise time dissemination, the master station is a station that has the clock that is used to synchronize the clocks of subordinate stations.
- In basic mode link control, the master station is a data station that has accepted an invitation to ensure a data transfer to one or more slave stations. At a given instant, there can be only one master station on a data link.
Read more about Master Station: Operation Modes
Famous quotes containing the words master and/or station:
“Nothing can be done about it: every master has but a single pupil—and he will not stay loyal to him—for he is also destined to become a master.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“Say first, of God above, or Man below,
What can we reason, but from what we know?
Of Man what see we, but his station here,
From which to reason, or to which refer?
Thro’ worlds unnumber’d tho’ the God be known,
‘Tis ours to trace him only in our own.
”
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744)