VSAT antenna technology connects ships to geostationary, medium- and low-Earth orbit satellite constellations
Ships need antenna technology to connect to satellites in different orbits for seamless connectivity worldwide and lower latency. Antenna manufacturers have recognised this growing requirement by developing dual- and tri-band terminals. These can connect to medium-Earth orbit (MEO) and geostationary constellations of satellites in C-, Ku- and Ka-band. In the future they will also transmit and receive from low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
Intellian has installed tri-band antennas on cruise ships for C, Ka and Ku-band VSAT requirements, says vice president for global marketing Paul Comyns. “We now have the capability to offer not only tri-band operation, but also reliable links to satellites in different orbits,” he explains to Maritime Digitalisation & Communications.
“This allows us to provide a single antenna that essentially does it all, ultimately providing flexibility and future-proofing for our service provider partners and end-users.”
Intellian’s first tri-band and multi-orbit antenna is the v240MT, which has a single 2.4-m reflector and an intelligent mediator for auto-switching between bands and satellite orbits.
“For vessels sailing globally, having compatibility with global and regional services on all VSAT frequencies can save significant amounts of time and money by streamlining deployment,” says Mr Comyns.
“The added ability to use MEO and geostationary satellites gives access to a wider scope of services for more choice.”
He thinks orbital spread is important for future development of digitalisation and cloud-based operations in maritime. “Hybrid networks which combine multiple frequencies and orbits are the optimal way to keep a vessel connected,” says Mr Comyns. He expects hybrid networks to grow as more MEO and LEO constellations are commissioned.
“Non-geostationary satellites will bring significant benefits to maritime service providers and users, not least much lower latency than we experience today,” says Mr Comyns.
“We are very close to the non-geostationary sector, through our development of antennas for land earth stations, and this knowledge is being transferred to our maritime antennas, considering the v240MT’s multi-orbit capabilities.”
Outside of multi-band, Intellian developed a new-generation of standardised antennas for simplified installation and servicing. It is introducing new antenna designs based on the Intellian NX platform, including v85NX available now and 1-m and 1.5-m diameter NX systems coming in Q2 2019.
“NX antennas are built with fewer parts than previous generations, making them lighter and therefore easier to handle and lower-cost to ship,” says Mr Comyns.
“They share many of the same components, regardless of size or radio frequency (RF), enabling service providers to reduce spare-part inventory by at least 30%, alleviating cost, storage and logistical burdens.”
He says the NX platform addresses challenges at the installation phase, including reducing cabling requirements. “Auto-commissioning, a single cable, and a reliable step-by-step installation wizard saves time and money and ensures a quality installation for faultless operation at sea.”
Intellian improved RF performance and the Ku-band feed on v85NX. It enhanced the pedestal and damping structure for vibration and shock on NX antennas. It redesigned the graphical user-interface, Aptus NX, for all antennas with a built-in spectrum analyser, logging system and preventative maintenance indication.
Intellian also introduced a high-power variant of the 1-m Ka-band maritime terminal in 2018, which is type-approved for use on Inmarsat’s Global Xpress network. This GX100 variant has a 10-W block up-converter (BUC) and enables upload speeds of 5 Mbps and over 10 Mbps download capability on the Fleet Xpress service.
There is an upgrade kit for operators that want to retrofit existing GX100 antennas.
“We can offer standard or customised antenna versions, including military-spec variants, larger BUC sizes and higher-powered antennas for Global Xpress,” says Mr Comyns.
Illuminated apertures
Cobham Satcom has developed a tri-band capable 2.4-m diameter maritime antenna. Sea Tel 2400 can be a single C-band, dual- or tri-band antenna as required by cruise ships and offshore energy users. “This system has a number of key upgrades, most notably the ability to stretch from single to tri-band, as well as the software architecture to support it,” says Cobham Satcom vice president for maritime Christian Kock.
Sea Tel 2400 has a 2.4-m illuminated aperture in all three bands (C, Ku and wide band Ka) “essentially leaving all options on the table for future consideration,” he says.
Its mechanical design supports up to four independent 160-W Ka-band amplifiers “mounted close to the feed for maximum efficiency, covering all potential polarisations” says Mr Kock.
This is required to support LEO, MEO and highly elliptical orbit satellites that are planned to provide VSAT coverage in polar regions. “With the coming stampede of mega-constellations set to launch in 2022, the focus has been on ensuring the system is future-proof,” says Mr Kock.
Cobham used the Sea Tel 9711 IMA antenna technology to develop the 2400 series, including RF solutions exceeding 2 kW in amplifier power and on the receive gain perspective.
“Meaning primary illumination occurs in C-band, with both Ku- and Ka-bands ‘bounced’ off independent sub-reflectors,” Mr Kock explains, adding this design resulted from “extensive analysis of multi-band RF characteristics”.
The beam-width produced by a 2.4-m antenna is much narrower at Ku-band than it is at C-Band. “This means that even a small pointing error (of +/-0.1⁰ typical for maritime VSATs) for a Ku-band antenna will result in a higher level of cross-polarisation interference than the same single reflector antenna operating at C-band.”
Satellite operators generally limit RF power into antennas with poor cross-polerisation isolation (CPI) to avoid causing interference among different users operating on the same satellite at different polarisations.
“This translates to either reduced quality of service to the user or increased cost in resource to the operator,” says Mr Kock. “Neither scenario is ideal.” Cobham’s Sea Tel 2400 maximises CPI performance and tracking precision based on the characteristic properties of each frequency, “therefore delivering a far better result for partners and end users”.
For merchant shipping VSAT, Cobham supplies 60-cm, 80-cm or 90-cm diameter Sailor VSAT for Ku-band. It also offers Sailor 100GX and Sailor 60GX for Global Xpress connectivity. “The super-light design shaves off thousands in transportation and installation costs, while the antenna works even on small fishing vessels operating in the roughest of seas,” says Mr Kock.
Cobham also introduced high-power versions of its VSAT technology. Its Sailor 900 VSAT high power has a 20-W BUC to improve RF performance and reliability in humid climates without the need for air conditioning systems in the antenna.
Cobham updated the electronics and precision of the reflector dish, while the radome was tuned for optimum performance on both Ku- and Ka-band frequencies. Sailor 900 VSAT high power is delivered factory-tested, balanced and ready-to-go with only one cable needed between the antenna and below-deck equipment.
Antenna-airtime partnerships
South Korean antenna manufacturer KNS has teamed up with Castor Marine to provide VSAT bundles in global maritime sectors. Their InternetAtSea bundle includes a KNS Supertrack VSAT system and Ku-band airtime supported by Netherlands-headquartered Castor Marine.
KNS says this bundle is a “one-stop combination package” for maritime satellite communications that includes hardware, connectivity, installation and servicing. Hardware components incorporate Supertrack terminals and below-deck equipment that includes Z-series Mk2, Mk3 and Mk4 antennas. The Ku-band coverage includes most of the main shipping routes and world’s seas.
KNS is also working with Telespazio, a joint venture between Thales and Leonardo, to provide VSAT packages to shipping. One of the latest contracts for this partnership was with Grimaldi Group to provide VSAT to Neapolitan Shipping. They worked on contracts to upgrade satellite communications on fleets of specialised cargo and roro ships, and on passenger vessels.
This included installing Supertrack VSAT on multipurpose roro and pure car and truck carriers in the Grimaldi fleet. Telespazio and KNS are also providing satellite telecommunications for passengers and crew on ferries operated by Neapolitan Group in the Mediterranean Sea from Greece to Spain, Italy to Tunisia and Morocco.
In addition, KNS VSAT systems have been installed on a seismic exploration vessel in Turkey and an oil tanker in China.
Turkish Partner, Anka Marine Electronics installed two KNS Z12MK2 antennas and below-deck equipment on Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa, an Ulstein-designed 3D seismic research vessel. This upgraded the vessel’s satellite communications to a dual-VSAT system for Turkish Petroleum. Turksat will supply the Ku-band connectivity to this SX133-design ship, which can deploy eight streamers each of 6 km in length, or six 8-km streamers.
In China, an Z8MK2 VSAT system was installed on 2008-built, 58,416 gt crude oil tanker Bei Hai Zhan Wang.
KNS has developed three Z-series of Supertrack antennas. These are three sizes from the smallest Z4MK2 for Ku-band up to the largest Z24MK2-Ku-band. In the newer MK3 range there are antennas for both Ku-band and Ka-band, including a 60-cm and 1-m diameter antennas for Ka-band. The largest in that range is 1.5-m diameter Z15MK3 for Ku-band. There is one MK4 antenna in the series, Z10MK4 with 1-m diameter antenna for Ka-band.
These Supertrack terminals enable high-speed access to the internet, email and multiple voice over IP phones on a ship. These antennas have automatic satellite search and skew control, an unlimited azimuth and brake system and accurate signal acquisition using KNS’ algorithms. There is an antenna control unit with three types of gyro data input, a radio frequency control module, while the motor drives are integrated into one module.
Integrated VSAT packages
KVH Industries supplies its own antennas and Integrated Commbox Modem (ICM) below-deck equipment as part of its VSAT packages. Its latest TracPhone antennas connect to both widebeam Ku-band and spot beams from high throughput satellite (HTS) constellations.
Its range includes TracPhone V3 HTS VSAT, a 37-cm diameter antenna and TracPhone V7 HTS unit with a 60-cm diameter reflector. There is also a TracPhone V11 antenna with 1.1-m diameter antenna and an HTS version was developed this year.
Ships can receive downlink bandwidth of 10 Mbps and uplink speeds of 3 Mbps using TracPhone V7-HTS. They can obtain 5 Mbps down and 2 Mbps on the uplink using a TracPhone V3-HTS. This goes up to 20 Mbps downlink using a TracPhone V11-HTS. This antenna can automatically and seamlessly switch between C-band and Ku-band radio frequencies.
Regional Ka-band
Germany-based EPAK offers a regional Ka-band service using connectivity from Telenor Satellite and its 90-cm antenna. EPAK’s DSi9 Ka terminal transmits to and receives from Telenor’s Thor 7 satellite that has coverage over the North Atlantic, northern European seas, into the Arctic and down to the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
Trials in 2018 using this 58-kg antenna demonstrated that around 6 Mbps of bandwidth can be achieved through these antennas and high-powered spot beams from Thor 7.
More bandwidth would be possible, up to 15 Mbps, depending on the configuration and power of the BUC.
The antenna remains connected to the satellite through motions that counter the ship's movement. If the pointing is off by more than 0.2˚, the connection fails and the transmission to the satellite must be halted to prevent interference with other signals.
During Telenor’s assessment of EPAK antennas they were successfully tested for pointing accuracy, automatic beam switch, robustness and ease of handling.
The DSi9 Ka-band antenna is part of EPAK’s Evolution Series of VSAT terminals that combine two sources of gyro data for orientation and stability of connection to a satellite. EPAK says if this connection is lost, then its antennas can re-acquire the signal 30 times faster than conventional tracking technologies.
Within the EPAK Evolution series is DSi9 Ku-band and DSi9 Ku-Pro, each with 90-cm diameter reflectors. DSi6 is 60-cm for Ku-band and DSi13 Ku-band with 1.3-m diameter reflector.
Orbit Communication Systems' range of antennas includes the latest single and dual-band OceanTRx terminals. Orbit supplies OceanTRx 4 and 7 terminals for Ku-band connectivity. In February 2019, it added a dual-band OceanTRx 7 to the range. This is a 2.2-m antenna that can switch between C-band and Ka-band or can be supplied to switch between Ku- and Ka-bands of radio frequency.
Orbit expanded its dual-band range to support the roll-out of SES Network’s multi-orbit VSAT services that combine geostationary and medium Earth orbit satellite constellations.
v240MT particulars
Manufacturer: Intellian
Reflector diameter: 2.4 m
Radome height: 4.3 m
Radome diameter: 3.9 m
Weight: 880 kg
Elevation range: -15˚ to +120˚
Bands: C, Ku, Ka
Power requirement: 100-240 V AC, 50~60 Hz
Transmit frequencies: 5.85-6.43 GHz /13.75-14.5 GHz /27.5-30.0 GHz
Receive frequencies: 3.63-4.2 GHz /10.7-12.8 GHz /17.7-20.2 GHz
BUC power: C-band 100-250 W, Ku-band 40-125 W, Ka-band 40 W
Sea Tel 9711 IMA particulars
Manufacturer: Cobham Satcom
Reflector diameter: 2.4 m
Radome diameter: 3.7 m
Response rate: 100˚/sec
Elevation range: -15˚ to +110˚
Bands: C, Ku, X
Transmit frequencies: 5.85-6.75 GHz /13.75-14.5 GHz
Receive frequencies: 3.4-4.2 GHz /10.7-12.8 GHz
Ship motion: +/- 25° roll, +/- 25° pitch
KNS Supertrack VSAT
Z Series (MK2, MK3, MK4)
Z4-Z12 MK2 - Ku
Z15MK2 - Ku
Z24MK2 - Ku
Z6MK3 - Ka
Z7MK3 - Ku
Z8MK3 - Ku
Z10MK3 - Ka
Z10MK3 - Ku
Z12MK3 - Ku
Z15MK3 - Ku
Z10MK4 - Ka
Supertrack Z10MK4 – Ka particulars
Manufacturer: KNS
Reflector diameter: 1.05 m
Antenna height: 1.52 m
Antenna depth: 1.44 m
Weight: 110 kg
Radome material: honeycomb FRP
Transmit frequency: 29.0-30.0 GHz
Receive frequency: 19.2-20.2 GHz
Operating platform: 3-axis
BUC: 5-10 W
Elevation angle: -18˚ to +110˚
Tracking speed: >90˚/sec
Temperature range: -20˚C to +55˚C
Humidity: up to 100% @ 40˚C
Antenna input power: 48 V direct current, 4.18 A
TracPhone V7-HTS particulars
Manufacturer: KVH
Reflector diameter: 60 cm
Antenna height: 79 cm
Antenna depth: 66.6 cm
Weight: 26 kg
Operating platform: 3-axis
BUC: 5 W
Elevation angle: -24˚ to +119˚
Temperature range: -30˚C to +55˚C
Humidity: to IEC 60945, 95% at 40˚C
DSi9 Ka particulars
Manufacturer: EPAK
Reflector diameter: 90 cm
Antenna height: 1.14 m
Antenna depth: 1.11 m
Weight: 58 kg
Transmit frequency: 29.0-30.0 GHz
Receive frequency: 19.7-20.2 GHz
Operating platform: 2-axis
BUC: 5 W
Elevation angle: -10˚ to +90˚
Polarisation: circular
Tracking speed: >30˚/sec
Temperature range: -20˚C to +55˚C
Humidity: to IEC 60945, 100% condensing
Antenna input power: 24, 30 or 48 V DC / 250 VA
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