Marine

C-Bird VSAT keeps sailors connected with home

C-Bird VSAT keeps sailors connected with home
The C-Bird VSAT provides an inexpensive "always on" internet link for ships
The C-Bird VSAT provides an inexpensive "always on" internet link for ships
View 14 Images
Assembling the C-Bird unit
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Assembling the C-Bird unit
The C-Bird can be assembled by the ship's crew
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The C-Bird can be assembled by the ship's crew
The C-Bird VSAT provides an inexpensive "always on" internet link for ships
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The C-Bird VSAT provides an inexpensive "always on" internet link for ships
The C-Bird is self-commissioning when assembled
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The C-Bird is self-commissioning when assembled
C-Bird is designed for smaller ships
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C-Bird is designed for smaller ships
C-Bird is assembled aboard ship
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C-Bird is assembled aboard ship
The C-Bird system
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The C-Bird system
Assembling the C-Bird unit
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Assembling the C-Bird unit
The C-Bird can be assembled by the ship's crew
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The C-Bird can be assembled by the ship's crew
The C-Bird VSAT provides an inexpensive "always on" internet link for ships
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The C-Bird VSAT provides an inexpensive "always on" internet link for ships
The C-Bird is self-commissioning when assembled
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The C-Bird is self-commissioning when assembled
C-Bird is designed for smaller ships
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C-Bird is designed for smaller ships
C-Bird is assembled aboard ship
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C-Bird is assembled aboard ship
The C-Bird system
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The C-Bird system
View gallery - 14 images

Even as engineers work on autonomous ship-handling technologies, skilled and experienced crews are still vital for keeping shipping lines operating. The only snag is that most sailors today have become so used to never being out of touch that they've come to expect similar connectivity while at sea. To help maintain morale and retain skilled crews, Maritime Broadband has developed its C-Bird Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) satellite transceiver to keep sailors connected with their families and the internet.

There was a time when the romance of going to sea involved being cut off from the outside world for months at a time. It was a life where contact between sailors and their families involved things like posting letters in a tin nailed to a post on a barren island in the South Atlantic in hopes that a homeward-bound ship would pick up the packet.

In the 21st century, things have changed. In an age when container ships can circumnavigate the world in 62 days, commercial ship crews are paradoxically less and less willing to put up with being out of touch with their loved ones. According to a survey of crews conducted by Futurenautics Research and released by the Brooklyn, New York-based telecommunications firm Maritime Broadband, the vast majority of commercial sailors give priority to uninterrupted communication links when selecting employment, and that personal communications have a strong impact on morale and retaining crews – especially the more experienced ones.

The C-Bird system
The C-Bird system

With crews making up ten percent of the non-fuel-related costs of operating a commercial seagoing ship and the increasing difficulty of recruiting trained sailors, this makes morale a top priority as crews increasingly expect communications with their homes and reliable internet access even on smaller vessels. To provide this, Maritime Broadband developed C-Bird VSAT, which is a lightweight, modular satellite link system intended for smaller commercial shipping vessels.

According to the company, the 400 kg (882 lb) C-Bird is designed to be assembled by the ship’s crew without the need for a crane. It consists of a non-critically balanced, stabilized tracking antenna with a 2.4 m (7.8 ft) diameter dish operating on the C-Band radio frequency. The company says that once the C-Bird is assembled, it’s self-commissioning using a web-based interface. In operation, it can maintain a satellite link in winds of up to 85 knots (98 mph, 157 km/h) and is self-locking in the event of storms. In addition, it’s marinised to resist corrosion.

Maritime Broadband says that C-Bird provides "always on" internet for as low as US$1,300 per month, which the company claims is a 98 percent saving on comparable systems.

The video below shows the installation of a C-Bird unit.

Source: Maritime Broadband

C-Bird Antenna Installation

View gallery - 14 images
4 comments
4 comments
Mel Tisdale
"Always on" should read 'Always on in wind speeds less that 85 knots.' I hope that any ships using this equipment do not try and feed the GPS signals through it because some progress prevention officer, a.k.a. accountant, thinks it is cheaper. It is one thing losing the video stream of the family pet doing something outrageous, funny or whatever. It is something else entirely not being able to fix one's position relative to the shore or some other danger to shipping when trying to weather winds of almost 100 mph.
piperTom
Because phased array antennae aren't cool?
Stephen N Russell
Expand this to cruise lines alone for Internet. Be awesome 1 per cruise ship/line alone. Needed.
Daishi
Expensive 400Kg dish, $1,300 month starting price, and that's 98% cheaper than comparable services..This is a useful point of reference for people who believe projects like ahumanright.org (http://www.gizmag.com/ahumanright-worlwide-free-internet-access/17820/) or Facebooks internet for everyone (http://www.gizmag.com/facebook-internet-org-internet-drones/31407/) would be easy.