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Noob question here. Is it possible to send bitcoin transactions using Blockstream Satellite node or is it used only for receiving blocks?

G. Maxwell
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10000xman
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    Not your question, but you **can** send bitcoin transactions via SMS. This combined with the satellite download could build a bitcoin system for those without highspeed internet. – Dan Dec 12 '18 at 17:07

2 Answers2

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No, communication is unidirectional, you can only receive the data which is broadcast by the system. The satellites being used are TV relays, the uplink essentially being amplified and re-broadcast without any knowledge of the content.Transaction broadcast needs to happen by terrestrial services like a cellphone network, dialup modem, or just the regular internet.

Claris
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You can use Blockstream satellite as part of a system to conduct transactions, but it can't send transactions on its own. You can create the entire process of sending and receiving transactions (running a node), without a personal internet connection, by combining the Blockstream satellite hardware to receive blocks, offline wifi for local transactions, and localized mesh networks or SMS for broadcasting. Excellent breakdown of process here: https://hackernoon.com/completely-offline-bitcoin-transactions-4e58324637bd

BTC_FTW
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  • Hello, @BTC_FTW, that's a nice link, but your post didn't answer the question of the asker, paraphrasing: Can you only receive or also send using the satellite? Any chance you could edit your answer to include an answer to that main question and perhaps a couple sentences of what was great about the linked article? – Murch Dec 20 '22 at 18:52
  • Updated. Hope that's better. – BTC_FTW Dec 22 '22 at 21:14