What access method does Link 16 use to multiplex communications among many terminals?

What access method does Link 16 use to multiplex communications among many terminals?

• A. Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) with time-slotted transmissions
• B. Frequency Division Duplex (FDD)
• C. Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)
• D. Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA)

Answer: (A)

Link 16 shares the channel by splitting its transmissions into time slots within a repeating frame, and each terminal is given a specific slot to use. This Time Division Multiple Access approach lets many users talk over the same frequency without stepping on each other, because every transmission happens only during its assigned time. The system may also hop frequencies to keep transmissions hard to jam, but the way it multiplexes many terminals is fundamentally TDMA with time-slotted transmissions. Other methods don’t fit this network’s pattern: frequency division duplex would separate uplink and downlink by frequency rather than by time; code division with unique codes isn’t how Link 16 schedules access; and a carrier-sense approach would rely on channel arbitration that isn’t how this network coordinates many nodes.

Link 16 shares the channel by splitting its transmissions into time slots within a repeating frame, and each terminal is given a specific slot to use. This Time Division Multiple Access approach lets many users talk over the same frequency without stepping on each other, because every transmission happens only during its assigned time. The system may also hop frequencies to keep transmissions hard to jam, but the way it multiplexes many terminals is fundamentally TDMA with time-slotted transmissions. Other methods don’t fit this network’s pattern: frequency division duplex would separate uplink and downlink by frequency rather than by time; code division with unique codes isn’t how Link 16 schedules access; and a carrier-sense approach would rely on channel arbitration that isn’t how this network coordinates many nodes.