[SAMPLE ARTICLE: MARITIME IT & ELECTRONICS]
While it would be easy to dismiss C-band VSAT as ‘old-hat’, Intellian proves there is still scope for finessing a well-established technology
A relatively new name to commercial maritime satcoms, antenna manufacturer Intellian is quickly gaining traction in what is becoming a fiercely competitive marketplace. This was most recently demonstrated by its appointment as an official supplier to airtime provider Marlink. Notably Intellian only produces stabilised maritime antennas, and moreover its entire range is designed and tested in-house from the ground-up.
But what really differentiates this South Korean manufacturer is its hands-on approach to innovation, marrying simple ideas with sophisticated technology. This philosophy is affirmed in the v240C, a model unveiled earlier this year marking the company’s first foray into C-band territory.
In brief, the v240C is a 2.4m diameter C-band antenna designed to perform in low signal strength environments. It also features a newly developed automatic polarisation switching capability, more about which later. But at a time when ship owners appear to be deploying Ku-band systems in growing numbers, the question has to be asked: why C-band and why now?
C-band is a tried and tested technology, which is suited to ships requiring high bandwidth on a near global basis. Whereas Ku-band where coverage is provided by a patchwork of regional satellite beams from numerous operators, C-band coverage is not dissimilar to that provided on L-band services, such as Inmarsat. ‘For vessels transiting the high seas, it remains a very attractive option,’ Paul Comyns, Intellian’s vice president for global marketing told MITE.
‘The limelight has in recent years been on Ku-band, but what C-band can deliver is a very solid, reliable service. Though it might not be the volume part of the market, there is still ample opportunity for a new antenna not based on designs rehashed from twenty or so years ago. The v240C was also a logical move in terms of rounding out our product portfolio.’
The v240C is Intellian’s first C-band antenna. It was also the first to be designed from scratch at the company’s new research and development centre, located an hours drive south of Seoul, South Korea. The 6600m2 four-storey facility, which was opened in May 2010, houses the company’s quality control, engineering, product development, RF design, mechanical design engineering, production, purchasing and administration teams.
The centre is fitted out with a vertiable array of apparatus enabling Intellian’s engineers to reproduce in-house the harsh environmental conditions that antennas will encounter and must survive at sea. It has a field testing lab furnished with extensive window access to the sky for convenient antenna development and testing inside the building; four labs with vibration machines that conduct shock and ageing tests, along with equipment that tests hardware against temperature, humidity, salt, mist and other environmental elements.
With increased manufacturing capacity, the antenna production line at the Innovation Centre can churn out up to 1000 units/month from across the company’s product range, including TVRO and Ku-band as well as the new C-band design. However, according to Comyns, business has been so good in the last twelve months that the company is looking to further expand the facility.
A distinguishing feature of the v240C is automatic polarisation. On most existing C-band antennas, if the vessel moves between different polarisation zones, a crew member armed with toolset would have to climb into the radome and manually adjust the feedhorn to match the prevailing polarisation.
Generally speaking, linear (horizontal/vertical) polarisation is predominant in the Americas, while circular is used across Europe and the Middle East. Over Asia-Pacific, it tends to vary. The type of polarisation used depends on the amount of bandwidth available on the satellite transponder and the number of users in the region. For example, circular polarisation is preferable in regions with a high population, in order to use the available slots on a transponder with maximum efficiency.
For cruise ships, which often deploy C-band to take advantage of its higher bandwidth, this did not present too much problem. Explains Comyns: ‘Passenger vessels tend to move with the seasons, spending the summer around the Mediterranean and then migrating south to the Caribbean in winter, for instance. Because they operate in a single region for extended periods, switching polarisation is required only infrequently. Furthermore, many cruise ships gave several C-band TVRO, C-band and Ku-band VSAT antennas working simultaneously to maintain fault tolerance.’
The situation for merchant vessel is quite different. A ship going from Rotterdam, around the Cape of Good Hope and on to Australia would require switchovers several times each passage. It is in these circumstances, automatic polarisation is a great advantage.
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This extract was taken from the June/July 2011 edition of Maritime IT & Electronics.
To read this article in its entirety, contact the editor: kevin.tester@imarest.org
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