Vislink has introduced what it claims to be the world’s smallest and lightest Ka band portable satellite terminal: The Advent Mantis MSAT Man Portable Data Terminal. It weighs 12.5kgs and can be set up by one person in under five minutes (using an on-board GPS sat finder to align and lock-on to the satellite). It also supports Ku and X bands. “In the last few years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of SNG systems that are both compact and designed to be operated by the news crew themselves (usually the cameraman rather than an experienced uplink engineer),” said Vislink’s Chief Marketing Officer, Lance Hiley. “The rapid uptake of these systems has enabled coverage of breaking events like never before, and this ability to capture breaking news almost immediately has had the knock-on effect of increasing audience expectations. This, in turn, means that reporters are under more pressure than ever to get to a scene quickly and post their findings.” Despite improvements in the hardware, until recently SNG teams still had to deal with the issue of finding, booking and paying for satellite time. “The broader availability of Ka band is set to change all that by providing increased spectrum compared to C band and Ku band, therefore enabling greater volumes of traffic to be transmitted.” The higher performance of Ka-band satellites means that smaller terminal antennas (VSATs) can be deployed without forsaking the use of higher bandwidths and transmission speeds. “The cost of Ka-band services are also far more reasonable, clocking in at up to 30% less than X band in most European Markets.” With multiple satellite launches already complete and more planned, competition amongst service providers is making booking and using satellite time easier as well. Eutelsat, Yahsat, Avanti, ViaSat and other satellite companies have launched satellites specifically for Ka band, and its footprint is expanding rapidly. Europe, North America, the Middle East and Russia are already covered and Australia and Latin America are likely to be added in the near future. Vislink has already introduced several outdoor broadcast terminals that support Ka band, but Hiley claimes that the Advent Mantis MSAT will transform SNG. The lightweight, portable tri-band system is designed for rapid deployment in all environments. “It supports VoIP and meets stringent military operating and environmental requirements (MIL 810F & IP65) for shock, vibration, humidity and rain,” he said. “Now a single newsperson can travel to a location with a camera, tripod and MSAT and within five minutes of unpacking be able to broadcast live pictures and data from anywhere in the world. Whilst disaster stories are an obvious application, MSAT is also a valuable tool for rural reporters and any crew that has to operate a substantial distance from traditional communication links. MSAT is economic, too. A single setup of camera, tripod, sound gear and MSAT unit can be acquired for less than €100,000.” – David Foxwww.vislink.com
