Satellite Communications (SATCOM) |
 |
 In today’s fast-paced world, people have become accustomed to being in touch wherever they are - at home, in the car, in the office... or flying 30,000 feet above the ground. That’s why so many business jet operators have turned to Honeywell/Thales for satellite communications.
The Honeywell/Thales Multi-channel satellite communications systems offer a four or seven-channel Classic Inmarsat (Aero H, H+ and I) connection to the ground providing simultaneous, independent voice calls, faxes and/or modem transmissions worldwide.
MCS-4200/7200 SATCOM with SWIFT64 and SwiftbroadbandThese SATCOM systems provide first-call connection with the clarity and uninterrupted signal of a digital office telephone. Our two companies have become renowned for providing world-class voice, data and fax communications for more than 3,000 airplanes. We’ve recently added the ability to provide an Inmarsat Swift64 data connection that offers access to the Internet and e-mail at speeds of up to 256 kilobits per second (kbps), with growth plans that will more than triple those speeds. When coupled with the plane’s on-board network, passengers and crew will have efficient and convenient access to:
 | | E-mail - Use your laptop and e-mail application without any modifications, for full access to private or corporate e-mail | | | Internet - Get the latest news and information by browsing your favorite web sites | | | Corporate network - Transfer files to or from your corporate network using the high-speed satellite data link | | | Video conference – Conduct live video conferencing between the plane and any video conference facility on the ground |
On the flight deck, the crew has direct, digital voice connection with Air Traffic Control (ATC), for all of the world’s airways. Digital data flows automatically from the aircraft reporting time, position, altitude and a host of other aircraft information. The digital voice link provides high-quality communications for both the flight deck and passenger cabin, suffering none of the atmospheric variables of high frequency radio communications. Honeywell/Thales SATCOM moves your aircraft one step closer to the capabilities needed for the emerging free flight environment - known as CNS/ATM, or Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management.
CNS/ATM Environment The Classic Inmarsat SATCOM service provides the communications element of the emerging CNS/ATM environment being developed and implemented by the world’s air traffic authorities.
Many operators are already taking advantage of optimized routings and altitudes provided for in the Future Air Navigation System (FANS). As automatic dependent surveillance (ADS) and direct controller/pilot data link communication (C/PDLC) are implemented, these benefits will be realized on a global scale. By safely reducing aircraft separation requirements, transoceanic capacity can be increased. Airline routes can be optimized for maximum efficiency, which means fewer delays, greater safety and the potential for tremendous cost savings.
System ComponentsThe basic Honeywell/Thales MCS-7200 SATCOM system includes a six-MCU satellite data unit (SDU), an eight- MCU high power amplifier (HPA) and a four-MCU high-speed data unit (HSU).
The SDU provides overall system control and monitoring, data modulation and demodulation, data synchronization decoding, voice coding, decoding for the flight deck and passenger voice, and data services.
The HPA is a linear power amplifier that provides the power gain required to generate the output power for broadcast toward the satellite.
The HSU provides four dedicated Swift64-channels in a single Line Replaceable Unit (LRU). These four (4) channels can be utilized in any manner of circuit-switched (M-ISDN) or packet-switched (MPDS) combinations and can also be multi-linked to provide a maximum throughput of up to 256 kbps. In addition to the four Swift64 channels, the HSU also includes the internal integration of both an RF splitter and RF combiner, to facilitate routing of the RF signals, as well as a rudimentary network hub to support a flexible interface to the onboard network.
More about the HS-720 HSU The HS-720 high-speed data unit (HSU) is actually the third generation of Honeywell/Thales Swift64 technology products. The previous products addressed the needs of the early adopters and provided solutions that offered first one, and then two, dedicated 64 kilobits per second (kbps) per channel of circuit-switched or packet-switched bandwidth.
Like these earlier high-speed data products, the HS-720 complements the existing SDU and HPA, and shares the already installed High Gain Antenna (HGA) subsystem, resulting in a SATCOM system that provides simultaneous safety services and passenger communications.
Growth Capability - SwiftBroadband Inmarsat’s Swift64 service provides the communications pipeline for near worldwide coverage through their 64 kbps per channel satellite data link. For even greater speed and channel capacity, Inmarsat has initiated implementation of their next-generation satellites, the Inmarsat-4 series, which will voice and data communication services at data rates of up to 432 kbps per channel. This new service carries the Inmarsat branding of SwiftBroadband. Based on Inmarsat’s I-4 design requirements, we have already implemented the SwiftBroadband hardware into the HS-720 design. This makes the HS-720 SwiftBroadband-ready, which means that you will be able to upgrade the HS-720 easily via a software-only Honeywell Field Service Bulletin. The upgrade takes you from a four-times 64 kbps capability to a two-times 432 kbps capability.
HS-720 functionality will include the ability to operate in a variety of configurations. These configurations include any combination of up to four channels of Swift64, or two channels of SwiftBroadband, or two channels of Swift64 and one channel of SwiftBroadband. The first two I-4 satellites have launched and are in service for the Classic Inmarsat and Swift64 services in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean Regions. The SwiftBroadband service is forecasted to be available in the late-2006 or early-2007. The third, and final, I-4 satellite is scheduled to launch into the Pacifica Ocean Region and complete the SwiftBroadband constellation in the second half of 2006.
Global Coverage Your SATCOM-equipped aircraft is assigned its own telephone number, enabling ground-to-air contact. To call the aircraft from the ground, the message (voice, fax or PC data) is sent over traditional telephone lines to a ground earth station (GES). The GES transmits the information digitally to the satellite in the Inmarsat constellation that covers the region over which the aircraft is flying. For air-to-ground communication, the process is reversed. The Swift64 and SwiftBroadband data communications are routed in much the same manner using a dedicated IP address for the plane via a land earth station (LES) or satellite access station (SAS), respectively.
The Honeywell/Thales SATCOM comes with a unique feature called voice pacifiers, which provide connection information as your call is being processed. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Get quick access to one of
your accounts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Did the content on this page meet your needs? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
