It looks like basically anything needed to replace that maser has a priority of being low noise, with a second priority of being a preselector and to have low IMD. I am guessing that 'in band' the voyager itself is still the most powerful signal by miles. I wonder how low a noise temperature you would need before the problem becomes discriminating the signal from in-band interference.. it seems like its down to luck of what is infront of voyager.
If I am understanding it, the DSN relay has a 80 meter antenna reflector (diameter) that it uses to communicate with voyager at a low microwave frequency.
you could probobly send out more relays to boost the signal behind voyager if you don't wait too long............
The Voyager mission plans were for the two spacecraft to encounter Saturn
in November 1980 and in August 1981, and for Voyager 2 to encounter Uranus
in January 1986 and Neptune in August 1989. The distances from Earth would
be 10 A.U. at Saturn, 19 A.U. at Uranus, and 30 A.U. at Neptune. The
115,200 bps data rate at a 5 A.U. from Jupiter translates into data rates of about
28,800 bps from Saturn, 8000 bps from Uranus, and 3200 bps from Neptune
due to the square-of-the-distance penalty. Many enhancements were needed and
implemented to enable the data rates of 44,800 bps from Saturn, 29,900 bps
from Uranus, and 21,600 bps from Neptune that were achieved. One of the
enhancements was a reduction in the system operating noise temperature of the
DSN 64-m, and later 70-m, antennas. The Block II X-band masers were
developed between 1976 and 1980 to contribute to this noise reduction.
In 1980 D. L. Trowbridge reported, “Four X-band traveling-wave maser
(TWM) systems with effective input noise temperatures of 3.5 K and
bandwidths varying from 65 to 108 MHz have been supplied to the Deep Space
Network [23]. These TWMs are used on the 64-m antennas at Deep Space
Stations 14, 43, and 63 at 8420 MHz to meet the requirements of the Voyager
Saturn encounter. The TWMs use shortened and cooled signal input waveguide
to reduce noise and are equipped with superconducting magnets and solid state
pump sources to provide the required stability performance.”
https://descanso.jpl.nasa.gov/monograph/series10/03_Reid_chapt3.pdfI think that the next step would be to build a orbital deep space antenna satellite, send it out near jupiter, and then you can track voyager for way longer at higher bitrate. I don't know if we actually have deep space relays yet, the deep space network is terrestrial despite its name
https://descanso.jpl.nasa.gov/monograph/series4/Mono4_Ch10.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_Kilometre_ArraySo I guess if you think about it, voyager with its proximity to us, is still pretty damn strong, compared to distant stars (light years), as weak as its little transmitter is, on a cosmic scale it has not gotten out of bed yet
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