Is their any time delays in sound when a newsanchor in the US is speaking to a reporter in Iraq?

Question

I hear the question and then see the reporter having to wait a few seconds for it too reach them. How much distance can their be before their is no delay?

Answer 1

If they are using a satellite connection the signal is "bounced" off a "stationary" satellite that is 23,000 miles above the earth. The reason there are a bunch of communications satellites at that precise altitude is that, while they are orbiting the earth, they are traveling in the same direction as the earth's rotation, making them appear to "hang" there, stationary. That's very useful to a reporter in Iraq if he wants to talk "live" to New York.

Let's add up just the "satellite delays" for a moment. The round trip to the satellite is 46,000 miles. Once the reporter hears the question, his initial nod or first word has to travel another 46,000 miles back to New York. That's 92,000 miles. The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second, so the delay for just the two bounces off the satellite is just under 1/2 second. That in itself is enough to be noticeable (we all learn to focus on and interpret even small pauses in conversation).

Add to that all the additional mileage through tons of equipment on the ground and the natural hesitation of the two parties trying to communicate through a less-than-ideal link and you have the "pregnant pause" we have all seen on the networks.

Answer 2

I believe the correspondent in Iraq use a sat phone to get the info back to the newsroom since I believe that telecommunication in Iraq is next to nothing. The delay is not only cause by distance but also by electronic disturbance, weather, nearby buildings and such!

Answer 3

its going though a sattle light link dont matter how far away they are if they go through sattle lite there will be a delay