Any non-starfleet Tricorder ?

[Njxt]

Question from an ignorant :
Has any other race/organisation shown use of tricorders or any similar device ?

[Antonsb214]

I think the crew had to make do with Klingon equipment in STIV, but I believe all races have their own tricorder.

[Ergi]

Originally posted by Antonsb214
I think the crew had to make do with Klingon equipment in STIV, but I believe all races have their own tricorder.

I think so, too. Civilian versions could also combine the functions of different devices in a single item, like a PADD and a weak tricorder. I am convinced that every Ferengi PADD (created for business applications) can scan for latinum.

[Njxt]

Thanks for the answer.
Assuming it's available for other races, I can't figure out if it's available only for military or state organizations, or if it can be bought at the shop around the corner (even if it's probably quite expensive).
It's not a weapon but it's a quite "invasive" device (regarding privacy).
My point is : can I give one (or some) to a group of smugglers in my rpg games ?

[Kronok]

Originally posted by Njxt
My point is : can I give one (or some) to a group of smugglers in my rpg games ?

My thoughts? Yes, but make them work for it. Don't just give it to them. Could make for a great adventure too.

[Antonsb214]

Depending on how you see the economics of Star Trek, top-of-the-line Starfleet issue may not be available to civilians. But civilians attached to Starfleet (scientists, researchers, etc.) may get all the equipment they need, depending on the era. Civilian versions usually don't have all the "bells and whistles" of Starfleet issue, but they should be able to get the job done. "Price of Freedom" lists a tricorder costing between 180 to 600 credits.

[Owen E Oulton]

My inclination is to look at real life military-versus-civilian equipment. Starfleet tricorders would be far more rugged and with a wider range of functions than civilian tricorders. The general run of civilian 'corders available to the general public would be more easily damaged, and would generally be less flexible, but the top end ones available to Daystrom Institute researchers or scientists at the Vulcan Science Institute would be far more sensitive than the standard-issue Starfleet machines, though they would be far more specialised as well. Strafleet tricorders would give the best balance between a wide range of tasks and sensitivity.

Surplus (read last-generation) Starfleet tricorders would probably be available on the open market (some specialised versions, like Security tricorders would still be restricted). For instance, the rounded TR 580 Tricorders used in TNG have been replaced in Starfleet service by the newer, flatter TR-590 Tricorders from DS9/Voyager, and so are likely being made avilable to non-Starfleet personnel. Current model Starfleet tricorders may also be available on the black market.

[Lt Cmdr Matt]

In the DS9 Tech manual there is information on Cardassian and Bajoran tricorders. (pg 80-81)

[StyroFoam Man]

This message has been removed on request by the
poster

[Owen E Oulton]

Klingon tricorders have been seen as far back as STIII and STIV. Just about every space-faring species is going to have some form of handheld remote sensor/recorder. They won't all have all he same functions - some will be combined with a PADD like the Ferengi, while some might incorporate a communicator, and still others may simply be a sensor head feeding data to another device, perhaps worn on the belt or, for less advanced technologies, a backpack or laptop-style device.

[Dan Gurden]

Also remember that Ronin Lefler also claimed that her first childhood friend was a Tricorder.

This implies that the Tricoder itself is a fairly universal device available throughout the Federation, from Starfleet, to scientists, to kids.

However, the Tricorder prop also has a Model number attached, from TNG to Voyager this went up from Mark VII through to Mark X Tricorders.

So I would agree with the majority here. Starfleet and top Federation departments/associations have the top of the line Tricorders, meanwhile on a downward filter other Tricorders are available, almost identical, but with fewer functions and less durability downwards until you get to the 'Texas Instruments; Speak and Spell' variation of the tricorder available at Pre-school.

Next up, remember that Starfleet has at least 3 models of Tricoder Mark X in use. the Generic Tricoder, mobile sensor device, and the slightly more focused Medical and Engineering tricorders which allow a greater degree of focus in their specialist fields...

So in the context of the original query. I would imahgine that a Freelance group would find very little difficulty getting hold of a Tricorder, a standard model, maybe a few generations out of date (maybe even an antique model from Kirks era), meanwhile a top of the line Mil-Spec model would certainly be something that was worthwhile to acquire...

[Owen E Oulton]

"My thoughts? Yes, but make them work for it. Don't just give it to them. Could make for a great adventure too."

Maybe for the top-of-the-line current Starfleet issue, or bleeding-edge scientific models, but not for a run-of-the-mill model. Look at it like a cell phone or a laptop - anyone can get a basic model, but a "ruggedised" high-end mil-spec one would take some doing.

If you're inclined to make them jump through hoops, give 'em a job that requires a model with capabilities that require something exotic. Say they're Maquis trying to get into a Cardassian prison to free Tom Riker (or whatever, just an example). A top-end Starfleet Security, Intelligence or RRT unit is required (for completely arbitrary reasons), so the PCs need to acquire one. Ex-Starfleet Maquis may have connections - watch old spy thrillers for ideas. Same thing goes for weapons and other restricted goods, BTW. If the need an Isomagnetic Disintegrator or a Compression Phaser Rifle, play out the acquisition; if they just want a Dustbuster or an old-style Phaser Rifle, a die-roll and a two-sentence resolution will suffice: "OK, you roll a success to find one. Kardalk, the local Ferengi arms merchant, is a devious old son of a targ, but his goods are reliable and his prices are competitive. He has a couple in stock that he'll let you have for such-and-so-many bars of latinum," as opposed to "Lt. Chen Chao on the USS Eclipse owes you a favour. He's located a couple in the maintenance bay at Starbase 212 which are due to be issued to the USS Repulse when it docks in three days All you need is your old uniforms, faked IDs and orders, and a lot of luck. Oh, and Chen says everything is even now, so don't ever ask for anything again..."

[Modem]

What about Medical Tricorders?
Do other races use them?
And can a ‘civilian’ doctor get his hands on ‘the latest and greatest’ model thereof, or does the ‘equipment ban’ extend to these as well (after all, how hard would it be to rig one of these things to do the ‘conventional’ stuff)?
How about Engineering Tricorders, does the same apply here? (would you want to explain how an accidental explosion could/would have been avoided if the project’s head civil engineer had a ‘current’ tricorder?)

[Njxt]

Ok. Thanks everyone for the anwers/ideas/opinions.

I'm still preparing a first game based on the "Armageddon game" episode from DS9.
The PCs are a crew of rogues hired to steal an harvester sample or the harvester formula before it's destroyed.
To do so, they need the best equipment they can get, so I will make them work hard to get a top-of-the-line security tricorder.

[Dan Gurden]

This being the Federation Utopia, I would imagine that Medical Tricorders would be very easy to aquire. For Medical Practitioners at least.

I would even go as far as saying that the standard Starfleet model would be available to docs, after all, durability, reliability and portability would only help their effectiveness. And the Doctors offices would probably all have advanced sensors and medical treatment devices. As an example look at the difference between Crushers and Bashiers sickbay.

Bashier, while requiring the ability to cover Starfleet Specs, was an open clinic, and it base on the Promenade very much indicates its function as a civilian facility also (which should also give a clue about the consideration of medical facilities for its Cardassian designers). However it was smaller and less advanced that the full on tech of Crushers sickbay aboard the Enterprise (and when you check out the blueprints, the full facility while relatively small, is still a full on hospital).

I think, within the Federation, with their mission to eradicate hunger and disease, medical facilities are possibly a special case.