AST Australia (ASTA)… Sustaining Support Services @ Sea (SATCOM)

[SatNews] AST Australia (ASTA) has installed the first Thrane & Thrane SAILOR 90 satellite TV antenna in Australian waters on Offshore Unlimited’s vessel, Limitless.

Offshore Unlimited required an on board satellite TV system for their vessel believing it is essential to keep their crew and clients in touch with world news, sport and entertainment, especially as their crews work a five week on, five week off rotating roster. AST Australia provided a Thrane & Thrane SAILOR 90 antenna to fulfill Offshore Unlimited’s needs.

Offshore Unlimited services its clients’ needs in Australian waters, with its modern fleet of offshore support vessels operating from the ports servicing Australia’s oil and gas industry. They provide a comprehensive range of offshore services, including offshore installation re-supply, survey, seismic ship re-supply, standby, dive & ROV support, crew transfer, scientific research and chase boat services. Their latest vessel is Limitless which is a 28.7m catamaran built for offshore support and is based at Exmouth, Western Australia. Limitless works in an remote part of Australian waters, where there is very limited access for free-to-air TV. Offshore Unlimited made the decision for crew and client welfare to install a quality satellite TV system onboard this new vessel. No matter where or under what conditions, SAILOR delivers reliable TV reception. Advanced technology, multiple tracking methods, fast satellite acquisition and an extra wide elevation range ensures a steady signal, even when travelling for long distance and in rough seas. Should the antenna momentarily lose its signal due to bad weather or blockage, the hardware and software in the SAILOR 90 is fully optimized to reacquire satellite signals quickly and automatically.

AST Australia also installed an Iridium Openport and a Thrane & Thrane Fleet Broadband communication systems. A user-friendly control unit with intuitive interface makes operating a SAILOR Satellite TV system easy. Menu choice covers what is needed without an overwhelming list of options. For advanced maintenance or adjustments, the control unit has an easily accessible interface for laptop connection. Also, as every satellite has limited coverage, it is necessary to be able to change from one satellite to another. With SAILOR, a button push on the control unit upon entering a new satellite territory changes the coverage– no manual adjustments above deck are necessary. SAILOR Satellite TV is also compatible with all major satellite service providers, includes pre-installed satellite locations and offers the option to easily change locations if desired.