Example configuration
A workboat that stays on station
This package is built around a vessel that works a fixed field within sight of a shore station: coverage of the working deck first, a microwave link for throughput, television last because the crew spend their evenings in the same place every week.
The package, layer by layer
| Layer | Item | Why this one |
|---|---|---|
| Antenna | V7 or X6 TVRO | 44 / 46 dBW for a working coastline; aperture follows the footprint, not the deck space |
| Control | ACU Advanced | Configured from the office; route tracking on a fixed field is trivial but monitoring is not |
| Distribution | CATV or IPTV headend | CATV where coax exists, IPTV where the accommodation has a LAN |
| Deck cameras | 1 × wiper PTZ + 3 × wiper bullet | PTZ where the crane works, bullets on the fixed positions |
| Cleaning | 2 × lens washer tank | The two most exposed positions |
| Connectivity | Microwave auto-tracking link | Up to 100 km at 200–300 Mbps with no airtime |
The deck layout decides the camera mix
One PTZ over the working area covers the moving activity — the crane, the lift, the cargo transfer. Three fixed bullets cover the positions that never change: manifold, mooring stations, access ladder. That is four cameras for the deck, not ten, because each unit is placed where something happens rather than spread evenly.
Wiper on all of them, because a workboat deck is where salt and cargo dust meet. Two washer tanks on the most exposed positions keep the glass usable between crew changes.
Microwave is the primary link here
A vessel working a fixed field with line of sight to shore is the textbook microwave case: up to 100 km, 200–300 Mbps, no recurring bandwidth cost. For CCTV backhaul plus crew data, that covers the requirement without satellite airtime.
Satellite is added when the vessel has to work outside the path, or when a path failure cannot be tolerated. The two are complementary, and the handover policy is what makes them one system.
Television is the simplest layer
The crew are in the same place every week, so the television requirement is modest and stable: one footprint, one antenna, one headend. A 44 dBW antenna covers it; the money that would have gone into aperture goes into the camera layer instead.
What is not in this package
- Shore station hardware and licensing for the microwave path — a separate scope
- VSAT terminal, unless the vessel works outside the microwave path
- Crane or manifold certification requirements for camera brackets
An example configuration, not a quotation — the model follows the route, the footprint and the area plan.
Buyer questions
Workboat deck
Do I need both microwave and satellite?+−
Only if the vessel must work outside the microwave path or cannot tolerate a path failure. Otherwise the microwave link is the primary path and satellite is a cost without a use.
How many cameras for a PSV deck?+−
Four is a workable default: one PTZ over the working area, three bullets on the fixed positions. The count follows the deck plan and the hazard positions rather than a per-metre rule.
Can the microwave link carry the CCTV as well?+−
At 200–300 Mbps yes — that is why the link is specified at that throughput rather than at a crew-internet level. Confirm the camera bitrates and the retention policy before fixing the number.