Questions buyers ask before they specify an antenna

TVRO stands for Television Receive Only. On a vessel it is a stabilized satellite antenna that tracks a broadcast satellite while the ship moves, feeding a receiver and then a distribution system so the crew or passengers can watch television at sea.

TVRO is receive-only and is used for broadcast television. VSAT is two-way and is used for internet, voice, video and remote monitoring. Many vessels carry both, and the two systems share the same antenna-control philosophy.

On a vessel, streaming depends on a metered satellite link that is shared with operations. Broadcast television arrives on a receive-only path that costs nothing per hour and does not compete for that bandwidth — which is why TVRO is still the default for crew welfare.

Yes on the distribution side: an IPTV headend can carry different menus and different channel lists per group, while a CATV headend broadcasts one plan to every connected television. The antenna and receiver are shared in both cases.

By route and by signal margin. The V Series is a 2-axis platform in 33–75 cm sizes, 5–32 kg, for coastal and regional routes. The X Series is a 3-axis platform in 64–105 cm sizes, 37–125 kg, for ocean passages and heel-heavy hulls. Bigger aperture needs a lower minimum EIRP, which means it can hold a weaker satellite.

It is the weakest satellite downlink the antenna can work with, expressed in dBW. Lower is better: a V3 handles 50 dBW, a V7 handles 44 dBW, an X10 handles 41 dBW. Match it against the footprint of the satellite you intend to watch on your route.

Two rules cover most cases. If the weakest footprint on the route is 46 dBW or better and the vessel stays coastal, start at the V Series. If the route crosses a fringe footprint or the hull spends time heeled, start at the X Series. The rest is weight on the mast.

The documented envelope for both series is roll ±25°, pitch ±15° and yaw ±8° at a 6-second period, with a tracking rate above 90°/s. The X Series adds a cross-level range of ±35° and an elevation range of −5° to 115°.

The V Series specification lists Ku band 10.7–12.75 GHz with an optional Ka dual-band feed covering 18.2–19.2 GHz and 19.2–20.2 GHz. The X Series sheet specifies Ku band. Confirm the band mix for your footprint with us before ordering.

Basic supports manual configuration, which suits a vessel that stays on one footprint. Advanced adds webpage configuration, cloud data monitoring and vessel route tracking — worth it when the vessel changes region or when an office looks after several ships.

In the documented multi-room CATV configuration the system carries up to 58 channels, with the left and right polarization carrying separate channel sets so services do not interfere. An IPTV headend is not limited by that number in the same way — it depends on the encoder and server capacity.

From 5 kg on the 33 cm model to 125 kg on the 105 cm model. What the mast feels is the moment, not the mass, so a heavier radome higher up costs more structure than the same radome on a hardtop. The mounting drawing matters as much as the datasheet row.

Yes. The receiver and multiswitch split the signal to as many televisions as the distribution layer supports — up to 58 channels across the CATV network in the documented multi-room configuration.

Inside roughly 35 nautical miles, cellular is the cheap answer. Within 100 km and in sight of a shore station, a microwave link gives 200–300 Mbps without airtime cost. Beyond that, satellite is the only link that follows the vessel, and the documented configuration switches priority automatically between cellular and satellite.

A mounting position with a load path, the base plate drilled to the model's pattern, and a cable route with a downward entry and a drip loop. The drilling drawing is per model — a 64 cm and an 85 cm unit do not share a pattern.

The antenna itself is a day of mechanical work once the plate exists, plus the cable run and commissioning. What usually sets the schedule is the cable route and the mounting structure, which are yard items and should be in the dock plan rather than the equipment order.

No — the range is commissioned from the ACU by a technician with the manual. What helps is that the mounting and the cable run are done to the drawing, because most commissioning problems turn out to be installation problems.

The equipment side usually can. The risk is the mounting position: if it needs new steel or a reinforcement under the deck, that is a structural scope with its own schedule. Decide the position before the yard period is booked, not during it.

Within cable reach of the antenna, in a place an engineer can reach with a laptop, and in the same rack as the headend on smaller vessels. On larger vessels it often sits near the antenna with only the network connection reaching the bridge.

The published marking is Ex d IIC T6 Gb for gas and Ex tD A21 for dust, with IP68 and T80 °C. The marking states the technical class; acceptance by a flag state or class society is a certificate question — ask for the certificate against the model, the variant and your flag state.

From the mounting position, not from the specification sheet: fixed IR for one view forever, dome where the housing should disappear into the superstructure, PTZ where the activity moves, fisheye for a vehicle deck from few mounting points, bullet for fixed deck positions, underwater where the hull is below the waterline.

They solve different problems. A wiper clears liquid water; a washer removes the dried salt or soot film that a wiper would otherwise scratch into the glass. On an exposed deck the pair is the difference between a usable picture and a hazy one.

Yes, over whatever link the vessel has — the recorder sits on the surveillance network and one explicit rule exposes it. On a metered satellite link, remote viewing should be scheduled rather than continuous.

Lead time depends on the model and the current production schedule, so it is confirmed with the quotation rather than published as a fixed number. Send the model, the quantity and the delivery port, and the schedule comes back with the price.

It depends on the model and whether the order is a standard configuration or an OEM build, so it is stated in the quotation. Mixed orders across the range are normal.

Yes. The manufacturer builds for other marine brands and integrators, which means radome branding, labelling, documentation and packaging can be produced to your specification.

Yes — antenna, ACU, receiver, multiswitch and either a CATV or IPTV headend can be specified together, so the vessel receives a commissioned TVRO system rather than a box of parts.

Datasheets are published on this site for every product, and installation documentation follows with the order. Drawings for the mounting position and the drilling pattern are supplied per model.

Yes. For a fleet, standardising one model is the practical way to keep a single spare set — one radome, one control unit, one training routine across the hulls.

Export packing with the radome protected in its own crate, shipped to the delivery port stated on the order. The packing specification can be adapted for OEM builds.

With the footprint and the satellite list, not the hardware: a satellite that is not visible from the vessel's position, or a footprint weaker than the model's minimum EIRP, produces exactly this behaviour. Check that the receiver is set to the right transponder before touching the antenna.

That is a tracking or blockage symptom rather than a signal-strength one: either the antenna is reaching the edge of its motion envelope, or the radome is being shadowed by the superstructure at certain headings. Log the headings where it happens — the pattern usually identifies the obstruction.

Almost always the window, not the sensor: dried salt film, soot, or a scratched coating from wiping a dry glass. The image is being delivered perfectly; the light is not reaching the sensor.

On a segregated network this is the designed behaviour of a full multicast group or a saturated uplink on the content VLAN. Check IGMP snooping and the uplink utilisation before assuming a hardware fault.