Ship-to-Ship Wireless Broadband Tracking

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Broadband Antenna Tracking Systems, Inc. (BATS) has successfully demonstrated an industry-first ship-to-ship wireless broadband communications tracking system integrating its BTS-2500 units with two wireless broadband radios.

The demonstration was conducted on the Sea of Marmara for a customer that is seeking a cost-effective communications tracking system with high bandwidth and low latency that can cover great distances for its fleet of ships. The BATS tracking systems were mounted on the main mast of each ship at a height of 16 meters above the sea. The live demonstration involved ships simultaneously moving at speeds up to 13 knots and at distances up to 44 kilometers apart. The RSSI was around -50 when the distance between the ships was under 20Km and -60 between 20-40Km.

"The BATS units quickly locked in and were able to track each other. The video surveillance and IP telephone applications ran perfectly with a stable bandwidth of 4.5Mbps and a maximum latency experience of less than 5 milliseconds, which exceeded the customer's expectations," said Bob Peterson, BATS Chief Executive Officer.

The BATS technology is agnostic as to frequency and broadband vendor radio equipment. The technology can automatically reposition the directional broadband antenna mounted on a vessel to maintain a wireless broadband network session. This unique industry-first tracking capability allows moving vehicles to obtain real-time access to resources inherent to broadband communications. The BATS system allows for rapid deployment of wireless networks as well as the geographic extension of a current network for customers who have limited broadband access or rely on expensive, low-bandwidth satellite communications.

(www.batswireless.com)