When I first started in satellite communications in 1978 I worked on projects that monitored nuclear power plants for leaks. The technology was slow and very weather driven because of rain fade and other factors that impeded the performance of the ground equipment. The industry didn’t show any great improvements for over 10 years and the newest concepts were to lower the orbit of the satellites. Hence the Low Earth Orbit networks that were developed with big promise in the 1980s which combined GPS and RF transmission for location and data. At the time I was supplying the nuclear power industry with tools to monitor radiation leaks in over 80% of the worlds nuclear power plants from the US, Europe, South America and Asia. We provided systems that would test 1/2″ low pressure generator tubes for leaks and enforce leak capacity to 100 rads per day out of the cooling towers. That information had to be transmitted back to Virginia and North Carolina for analysis. We used Eddy Current testers to capture slices of the pipes to see where there were cracks in the tubes. The data had to be transmitted via satellite or fiber optics at high data rates. While GPS was growing in importance we decided to move into gas line leak inspection to monitor long distance natural gas lines. It was obvious that GPS and data could be collected and transmitted via Low Earth Orbit satellites to maintenance facilities for fixing and diagnosing the problems. High Earth Orbit was still a very stationary fixed format because of the antenna pointing complexity. The marine industry struggled with the cost of gyroscoping radome stabilizing antennas that would give ships and yachts the capability to stay connected while at sea. The Internet was developing to a more complex stage and the requirement for bandwidth increased to the point where stabilizing antennas had to do more than what they were designed to do. The US Navy figured it out first with their research on Phase Array systems for Naval surface ships at a cost only the Navy could afford. The cross over point was a low cost Phase Array system that could be easily deployed at a cost yacht owners and ships could afford. Hence P&L International, Inc. developed the first generation ZipPhaser. The challenges were small aperture antenna and the 2 degree adjacent satellite interference. The maritime market was demanding more bandwidth and the low profile appeal of Phase Array antenna technology. The satellite providers were reluctant to support antennas below 32cm and the FCC had real issues with adjacent interference. We had to make changes and go to the top of the pyramid once again and developed ZipPhaser ll:
“The ZipPhaser ll is the most advanced marine KU band Satellite VSAT antenna ever developed. It is only 4.3″ high and can perform in any Ocean Region better than the largest radome antennas built. With a total weight of 93lbs and a size of 59″X 39″ and only 4.3″ high. This antenna offers the highest data rates for the size and performance at 59 dBW EIRP with a return link equivalent to a 2.3 meter 144″ radome. World wide broadband coverage in KU band on all networks. This antenna operates on all latitudes with full equatorial , high skew and near zenith ops. Polarization is Dual Tracking Linear with a G/T (Mid-Band) of 10-13 dB/K. Interoperability equiv. to a 2.3 Meter Parabolic system. Acquisition of 1 second and tracking Speed of 300deg per second. Operates on all networks and is Modem Agnostic.This antenna can be built into the deck for no visual impact on any bridge. Full bandwidth packages available to 10Mbps. Will operate on all KU band transponder beams world wide. No spreading required and can be supported by any current service provider.”
We needed an antenna with the gain of the largest radome elliptical KU band antennas SeaTel built and we knew we had to maintain the low profile or better than we built into the first generation ZipPhaser. This challenge made us hungry for success. By including two phase array antennas, one TX and one RX, into one package and also integrating the BUC and Controller and keeping the profile to 4.3″ high that was the goal. The gain is there with no adjacent satellite interference and the speed can operate over 100 knots in rough seas it is by far the first technological breakthrough the marine industry will see for decades to come. It is the maritime industries game changer that will move us from sail to steam as the story goes. Paul Pazzaglini has the entrepreneurial mind to make it happen on all ocean regions and has invested a large part of his life to accomplish this goal along with all the engineers and satellite professionals involved to make this happen. That is why I believe this is the “Re-birth of High Earth Orbit Satellite Communications for Maritime”. The Earth is 75% water and there is no location for a cell tower for the marine industry to connect to and it is the next great frontier for maritime satellite communications using Phase Array Antennas.
Paul Pazzaglini
President
ZipPhaser ll
