Smaller, more convenient and more affordable equipment is making satellite communications a realistic option for even smaller workboats, writes George Marsh. For reliable onboard satellite communications, it is no longer necessary to have a dish the size of a Cold War early warning system, skilled operators working with bulky equipment and costs as high as the satellites providing the service. Today satcom can be compact, unobtrusive, as convenient to use as a land-based mobile phone, and affordable. The latest digital systems are well suited to the needs of work (and even leisure) craft that must operate offshore outside VHF radio and mobile phone range.
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