A cargo ship in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo: Louis Vest (Flickr)

[Via Satellite 02-23-2015] SatLink Communications has purchased what it described as a “sizeable quantity” of NovelSat’s NS3000 satellite modems. The equipment is targeted for maritime communications customers.

SatLink plans to replace existing Ku-band based systems with the NS3000 equipped with NovelSat’s software based band reuse technology, NovelSat DUET Channel Echo Cancellation (CeC). Band reuse, coupled with smart Automatic Coding and Modulation (ACM) to adjust for rain fade, optimizes maritime communications to stay effective during poor weather.

According to NovelSat, the NS300 modem enables the use of smaller, lighter, lower gain antennas and an increase in satellite coverage footprints, even when reception is impeded by 2 to 5 dB more than other systems, thanks to its higher reception quality and throughput at significantly lower Signal to Noise Ratios (SNR).

“Mobility, weather fluctuations and power limitations make maritime satellite communications particularly challenging,” said Dan Peleg, NovelSat VP of Research and Development (R&D). “By selecting the NovelSat NS300 satellite modem, SatLink will easily overcome these challenges.”