Example configuration
A ferry where the distribution is the service
On a passenger vessel the television and the phone signal below decks are part of what the ticket buys. This package puts the money into the layers the passenger touches and keeps the antenna conventional.
The package, layer by layer
| Layer | Item | Why this one |
|---|---|---|
| Antenna | X6 3-axis TVRO | 46 dBW and cross-level ±35° for a large hull in a seaway |
| Control | ACU Advanced | Fixed schedule, route tracking, configuration from the office |
| Distribution | IPTV + CATV headend | Broadcast to every cabin on coax, branded menus and catch-up on the LAN |
| Coverage | Onboard mobile coverage | Micro-cell layer for the spaces the hull shields |
| Deck cameras | 2 × fisheye + 2 × wiper PTZ | Vehicle decks from few mounting points; PTZ on the mooring stations |
| Connectivity | 4G/5G marine antenna | Short coastal crossings sit inside the 35 nm band |
Two distribution layers, one headend
A ferry usually needs both: CATV so that every cabin television works on the coax that is already installed, and IPTV so the operator controls menus, information pages and catch-up. Both are documented routes, and the sources are shared — the antenna and receiver feed one headend that then splits into RF and IP.
The 58-channel figure is the practical ceiling of the CATV route in its multi-room configuration, where the two polarizations carry different channel sets. Beyond that, content has to go over IP.
The phone signal is a separate system
Passengers notice a dead phone before they notice a missing channel. The documented answer is an indoor antenna distribution layer that spreads the shore base-station signal through the accommodation and machinery spaces, with the documented benefit of better call quality and a higher connection success rate, and traffic taken off the shore macro network.
It depends on a donor signal, which is what the 4G/5G marine antenna provides inside roughly 35 nautical miles — which is exactly the envelope a short-sea ferry lives in.
Vehicle decks are the camera problem
An enclosed vehicle deck is hard to cover and impossible to clean during a turnaround. Fisheye units over the lanes cover a wide area from a couple of mounting points; wiper PTZ units cover the mooring and ramp activity. Washer tanks are what keep the glass usable between turnarounds.
What is not in this package
- Passenger Wi-Fi — a separate network decision, though IPTV shares the LAN
- Shore-side cellular operator agreements for the indoor layer
- Vehicle-deck camera brackets integrated with the ship's structural drawings
An example configuration, not a quotation — the model follows the route, the footprint and the area plan.
Buyer questions
Ferry
How many channels will passengers get?+−
Up to 58 on the CATV route in the multi-room configuration, plus whatever the IPTV route adds as on-demand and information content. The schedule is the constraint, not the hardware.
Does the mobile coverage system work at sea?+−
It needs a shore base-station signal to distribute, so it works inside roughly 35 nautical miles — the ferry envelope. Beyond that there is nothing to re-broadcast.
Can the operator brand the TV menus?+−
Yes — menu customization, a dynamic boot screen and information insertion are documented IPTV features. The CATV route carries broadcast channels and does not offer menus.