Cobham Satcom isn’t a name that’s all that well known across the fishing industry, but it’s a company that has roots in many long established brands that are instantly familiar; Sailor, Sea Tel, Thrane & Thrane and Skanti.
Production remains in Denmark, located at Pandrup in Jutland, and with management in Copenhagen, there is both old and new territory with the group providing marine VHF, MF/HF and GMDSS equipment.
“We’re also doing a lot in Africa and Asia, mainly with the VMS systems that governments are requiring for fishing vessels,” said Cobham Satcom’s maritime sales manager, Mads Ebbesen.
Increasingly the focus is on satcoms for all areas across maritime world, and for the fishing sector a couple of domes high up is becoming standard, especially for the fleet in northern Europe.
“In Norway, Sweden and Denmark this is quality-driven,” he said.
“These are fishing vessels that operate with a small, highly trained crew they want to retain, so access to social media and family contact is essential. It’s a natural and important part of the quality of life at sea today.”
He explained that for broadband and a TV signal, an antenna for each is needed, and that these are largely the same antennae that are used ashore for satellite TV. The difference is the tracking equipment that enables the antenna within the dome to move and stabilise to receive a steady stream of satellite signals.
“It’s a parabolic receiver. The difference is that it moves,” he said.
“If we do our part of the job correctly, then you don’t notice it. There’s so much you can do with broadband now and we’re the enabler, so it has to work. The more you use it for, the more critical it is that it works.”
Mads Ebbesen commented that things have been moving in this direction for the last five to ten years as the opportunities offered by online technology have continued to grow.
“People start small, then they see the advantages that this offers, and as there are more and more smart applications, they see the advantages of broadband at sea – how it is has proven pivotal in optimising and growing their business and thus a need for more bandwidth,” he said.
“There are many benefits to this, but it comes at a cost.”
A smaller multi-directional receiver is an option rather than the larger parabolic antenna.
“That’s fine for email and basic services, but you’re not going to stream Netflix through it,” he said.
“It can be complicated to find the right system, and there’s a lot to consider.”
This includes areas of operation, as the high bandwidth Cobham systems operate mainly on the KU & Ka-band via a network of geostationary satellites, the downside of which is that polar regions are not covered.
“It just touches Greenland,” Mads Ebbesen said.
“If you want this to work further north, then it has to be the L-band, which has lower bandwidth, but offers global coverage. Away from the north, our VSAT portfolio is highly effective in enabling connectivity, however adding L-band as a companion ensures optimum coverage in all conditions.”
