Maritime communications specialist C2SAT has sold its first VSAT antenna for use on a seismic ship, Wavefield Inseis’ Malene Ostervold. The antenna forms part of a TracSAT satellite communications system supplied by the Swedish company’s partner in Norway, ID Systems.

The VSAT – very small aperture terminal – antenna delivered to Wavefield is a 1.2-m (3.9-ft) Ku-band unit.

Wavefield purchased the TracSAT system after testing to verify satellite coverage and global function. The company’s IT manager, Jan Vidar Nordstrand, says the equipment “excelled in the tests we performed. The C2SAT antenna, combined with the complete solution provided by Trac ID, is a significant improvement for us.”

Malene Ostervold is the first seismic ship to be fitted with a VSAT stabilized antenna.Click here to enlarge image

“This sale should be regarded as a reference installation for the oil and gas industry,” adds Mats Back, C2SAT’s director of business development. “A lot of companies are interested in seeing how the TracSAT solution works, especially in different parts of the world.”

The focus of the cooperation is the development of the Radio Link Point-to-Point system which allows the transfer of huge quantities of data – 155 megabytes per second – by radio. This service requires a vessel to carry four antennas, two at the bow and two at the stern, to ensure uninterrupted contact with the satellite.

Both partners are finalizing tests of a specially developed switch to control which antenna is transmitting at any time. An upgraded radio amplifier supplied by Ericsson has made this task easier, as it automatically controls which of each pair of antennas is in transmission mode. The Radio Link Point-to-Point system now is available to the market.

For more information contact Mats Back, C2SAT Communications. Tel +46 8748 0144, fax +46 8748 0143, mats.back@C2SAT.se, www.C2SAT.com