The 3I/ATLAS Event: A Protocol Lens Interpretation of the OH Spectral Timeline (Oct–Dec 2025) A speculative analysis of structured state transitions in published MeerKAT and GBT observations

Between 24 October and 18 December 2025, Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS was observed repeatedly in the OH 1665/1667 MHz lines by MeerKAT, with a final L‑band technosignature search performed by the Green Bank Telescope. Although each observation was published independently, the combined sequence forms a discrete, bounded episode: an initial asymmetric detection, a clean non‑detection, a rapid inversion of hyperfine line widths, a selective suppression event, a brief return to dual‑line emission, and a final null result. This paper examines the entire timeline through a protocol lens: a speculative exercise asking whether the published data are consistent with a finite‑state transmission sequence. No claim of artificiality is made; instead, the analysis highlights how the ordered structure of the observations resembles a preamble → guard interval → channel test → symbol state → termination pattern familiar from engineered communication systems.