Integrated marine entertainment and communications 

Communication, navigation and entertainment products including satellite TV, satellite internet, satellite communications, satellite GPS navigation and integrated entertainment systems for marine applications.

C A Clase, one of the UK's leading distributors of marine electronics for leisure and commercial users, is launching the revolutionary System Orca, bespoke fully integrated onboard multimedia entertainment systems.

Designed specifically for the marine market, System Orca is a highly cost effective yet simple solution for yacht owners to access all media including satellite TV, radio, CDs, DVDs, MP3 Jukebox, PVR, photos, and CCTV.

UK designed and engineered System Orca has been developed for ease of use, integrating all of the entertainment systems onboard into one seamless system benefiting from one controller, which alleviates the need for third party control systems.

Available as a stand alone unit, the system can easily be expanded to incorporate more areas on the vessel either as stand alone or integrated systems. There are several upgrade options available including StoreSO, which provides network storage for CDs, DVDs and photos, StreamSO, a streamline solution for decoders, CCTV and navigation displays or ConnectSO, a cost effective server for easy integration of all onboard communications.

System Orca boasts a host of sophisticated features including satellite and terrestrial TV options, an electronic programme guide, the facility to pause or record live TV viewings, record future programmes and set reminders for the system to change channels, offering owners access to popular entertainment whilst onboard.

The system can play DVDs and CDs locally as well as satellite radio. Music and films can be accessed from the onboard library if users have opted for the StoreSO version. A jukebox facility is also available, allowing users to play their favourite albums, select specific tracks or to create play lists from stored content.

In addition, owners can check out any digital images they have taken whilst onboard by using the photo viewer function. Images can be displayed via the local CD / DVD drive, USB port or StoreSO if installed; owners also have the option to enjoy listening to music, DVD or TV audio whilst viewing their pictures.

At the hub of System Orca is the 370mm x 65mm x 330mm TuchSO processor; one unit is needed for each area where access to all or part of the system is required. TuchSO is available with a terrestrial or satellite receiver and is exceptionally easy to install. The cabin displays do not need to be TV tuners, saving space and cost by enabling owners to fit simple, neat monitors.

The system is controlled via touch screens common throughout the vessel; with one screen enabling users to control more than a single processor. Owners can choose from wired touch screens 8", 12" or 15" or the 8" wireless option.

System Orca is available in customised or standard system configurations designed to suit the discerning yacht owner. Prices start at £4999.00 Inc VAT. C A Clase is the sole distributor of System Orca within the UK.

For further information, please contact:

Andrew Bush

C A Clase

Tel: +44 239 224 7920       

E: andrew.bush@caclase.co.uk

www.caclase.co.uk

Yacht satellite phones

Mobile satellite communications is now well established and works on your yacht just like a terrestrial mobile phone.

Most systems allow phone calls and send emails and there are now satellite systems offering fast mobile packet data service (MPDS) and broadband global area network (BGAN) offering speeds between 65 kbps to 498 kbps which allow for fast satellite Internet access.

Although with mobile satellite communications you can make telephone calls from your yacht, you may not be able to talk to other vessels or rescue services on the high seas.

Therefore mobile satellite communications should not be considered as a replacement for conventional marine VHF or SSB communications.

Technology has allowed mastery of many problems and comes at a cost.

Satellites have a limited life time, dependent on fuel and orbit.

Satellites burn fuel to keep in the correct orbit. Low orbiting satellites are being pulled back toward the earth by gravity and hence have a short life time, 10 years.

Higher orbiting geostationary satellites last about 15 years before running out of fuel and drift out into space.

The satellite is basically a telephone exchange, it can only handle a limited number of calls.

Low orbiting satellites handle between 1700 to 2500 calls per satellite.

Higher orbiting satellites can see more of the earth's surface and hence designed to handle a high number of calls, between 5000 to 25000 calls per satellite.

The coverage depends on technology deployed.

Bent pipe technology is the most common due to low cost and small size. This is when all calls are passed to a ground station for processing. On low orbiting satellites, if the satellite cannot see a ground station then it cannot connect calls.

Interlink satellite technology uses larger and more expensive satellites. This is when satellites can transfer calls between themselves without going via a ground station.

You do need an antenna above deck to receive and make calls.

The low transmit power from your satellite phone needs to travel a long way. Low orbiting satellites are in the region of 500 miles above your head and move quickly across the sky.

Geostationary satellites are some 22000 miles above the equator and you need a clear path between you and the satellite for your signal to reach it.

Reliability is not bad,as good as any other mobile phone technology, so you may lose or drop calls.

Systems are costly... It is very expensive to put satellites up there and maintain them.

Satellites are designed to be reliable because you cannot send a man up there to fix them when they go wrong. Launch costs are high and each payload carries between 3 to 6 communication size satellites.

Mobile satellite systems available are:-

Iridium ... Offers good global coverage and email at 2.4kbit per second. The lifetime of this system is an issue with end of service by 2014.

Globalstar ... Anything but global! Poor global ocean region coverage, email and data at 9.6kbits per second.

ICO ... Offering good ocean region coverage and high speed 140kbit per second packet switched Internet access.

Thuraya ... European, Middle East and Far East coverage, emails at 9.6kbit per second and a high speed 144 kbps data services for instant satellite access to the Internet.

Inmarsat ... Good ocean region coverage. Reliable but expensive call and mobile unit cost. However, there are no monthly contract charges, it is a 'pay-as-you-go' type services.

Inmarsat B ... requires large antenna.

Inmarsat C ... slow but reliable 600 bits per second data only service.

Inmarsat M ... small antenna size good coverage but not all parts of the world covered.

Fleet 33 ...  ideal for yachts as it comes with a small antenna which is just 35 cms by 35 cms.

Fleet 33 offers telephone, fax, data and Mobile Packet Data Service (MPDS) with downstream speed of 64 kbps and an upstream speed of 28 kbps.

Fleet 55 ... for medium size vessels and comes with an antenna with is 55 cms by 55 cms.

Fleet 55 offers telephone, fax, data and Mobile Packet Data Service (MPDS) with downstream speed of 128 kbps and an upstream speed of 64 kbps.

Fleet 77 ... for large size vessels, the antenna size is 80 cms by 80 cms. Fleet 77 offers telephone, fax, data , ISDN and Mobile Packet Data Service (MPDS) with downstream speed of 128 kbps and an upstream speed of 128 kbps.

Satellite phone call costs range from $0.30 to $2.00 per minute and even more on some systems.

Beware of call costs to your satellite phone and transfer call costs from your GSM mobile phone to your satellite phone. Also inter satellite calls between different satellite networks are expensive.

Satellite phone systems are not really for satellite data.

For speech, a narrow bandwidth of only 2400 Hz is required. Basically satellite phone only systems were not designed to handle data communication.

The narrow band restricts the amount of data which can be sent, data rates range from 2.4 k bits to 9.6 k bits per second depending on the service provider.

High speed mobile packet data services (MDPS) and broadband global area network (BGAN) services offer fast data to and from your boat but do not come cheap and you have to pay for all the data you receive and send.