Equipment¶
HiSeasNet uses a variety of equipment that requires planning and/or in-depth knowledge when troubleshooting in the field. What follows is a list of equipment that personnel are likely to encounter when troubleshooting satellite communications aboard vessels.
RF Equipment¶
Radomes¶
Here is a listing of radomes in use/used by the HiSeasNet project.
The combination of dish size and wavelength directly affect network throughput, however, the shorter the wavelength, the more likelihood there is of being knocked offline in weather. Regarding transmission capability, we tend to favor radomes with a powerful Block Upconverter (BUC – an amplifier) in order to be able to be able to support ship-to-shore throughput for streaming video, etc. On the shore-to-ship side of the equation, larger radomes give us more options, so we aim to install systems on ship as large as feasible in order to maximize high-performance options when called for.
Ships with 2.4 m radomes using Ku-band RF are likely to have the best balance of performance and reliability, however, fitting such a large radome on vessels with smaller berthing counts is generally not practicable.
| Model | Manufacturer | Dish Size | Frequency | System(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9711 | Cobham | 2.4 m | C-band/Ku-band | Sealink, HiSeasNet | — |
| 9797B | Cobham | 2.4 m | C-band | Sealink, HiSeasNet | This radome was broadly used by HiSeasNet from 2002-2019. It is generally expected to be phased out by 2021. |
| FB500R | Intellian | 70 cm | L-band | Fleet Xpress | — |
| GX100HP | Intellian | 1 m | Ka-band | Fleet Xpress | This system comes with a 10 W BUC and was our preferred radome for 2020-2021 Fleet Xpress installations. |
| GX100NX HP | Intellian | 105 cm | Ka-band | Fleet Xpress | This system comes with a 10 W BUC and is compatiple with GEO and LEO satellite systems when more than one radome is installed. As of 2021, it is our preferred radome for Fleet Xpress installations. |
| Sailor 100 GX | Cobham | 1 m | Ka-band | Fleet Xpress | This was one of the first radomes on the market and only came with a 5 W BUC. We are still supporting this system, but anticipate it being replaced by the GX100HP over time. |
| Sailor 4300 | Cobham | 38 cm | L-band | Iridium CERTUS | — |
| Sailor 500 | Cobham | 30 cm | L-band | Fleet Xpress | — |
| Seatel 6006 | Cobham | 1.5 m | Ku-band | Sealink, HiSeasNet | — |
| Seatel 6012 | Cobham | 1.5 m | Ku-band | Sealink, HiSeasNet | — |
| v150NX | Intellian | 1.5 m | Ku-band/Ka-band | Sealink | This system is compatiple with GEO and LEO satellite systems when more than one radome is installed. As of 2021, it is our preferred radome for Fleet Xpress installations. |
| v240M 1 | Intellian | 2.4 m | C-band/Ku-band | Sealink | This radome is expected to replace 9797B and 9711 installations from 2020 onward. |
| v240M 2 | Intellian | 2.4 m | C-band/Ku-band | Sealink | This radome is expected to replace v240M 1 installations from 2022 onward. It is compatiple with GEO and LEO satellite systems when more than one radome is installed. |
Block Upconverters¶
| Model | Manufacturer | Frequencies | System(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSPA | Teledyne Defense Electronics | Sealink, HiSeasNet | — |
Network¶
| Model | Type | Manufacturer | System(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2960 | switch | Cisco | Sealink | — |
| 4331 | router | Cisco | Sealink | — |