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TECH UPDATE
______________________
Satellite and Remote Communications
Tech Update Editor: Helen Johnson
Please fill
in our Reader Request Form located at the bottom for more information
on these products.
Globalstar Canada provides affordable communications with dependable and
clear voice and data services to the forest industry across Canada,
helping contractors increase their productivity from
the
bush. Globalstar’s handheld and fixed units help forestry companies save
time and money by being able to contact suppliers without leaving the
bush, especially when emergency machinery repairs are required. Globalstar
data kits allow access to email, private networks and the Internet. With
an easy Internet connection, forestry workers can connect to head office
to get information, send updates from the bush, keep up-to-date on
softwood lumber prices, email reports and schedule road building crews
while remaining at the work site. Repair technicians for machinery
manufacturers can carry Globalstar data kits so they can download specific
machine schematics without leaving the repair site. Low airtime charges
make the cost of satellite airtime even more affordable, the company says.
Its satellite telephones are available through authorized dealers across
Canada. www.globalstar.com Reader
Service Card #260
Motorola’s Canopy wireless broadband system allows Internet access in
places where other technologies may be unavailable or costly to
deploy.
Using the unlicensed five GHz (U-NII) spectrum, the Canopy system can be
installed quickly, does not require Industry Canada or FCC licensing and
acts as an Internet “bridge” to remote network areas. The Canopy system
can reach up to 35 miles in a point-to-point configuration by
daisy-chaining elements together in either a 5.7 GHz configuration using
reflectors or in 5.2 GHz up to two miles without reflectors. Canopy also
operates as a point-to-multi-point configuration, with up to two miles of
reach in 5.2 GHz and up to 10 miles of reach in 5.7 GHz using reflectors.
The Canopy system is not a LAN or hot-spot system, the company says, but a
powerful, high-speed, fixed wireless broadband solution. In addition, it
eliminates interference problems.
www.motorola.com Reader Service Card #261
Telus Mobility
Autotel, available through Telus Mobility, is a VHF land-based
radiotelephone service that has been in service since 1983 covering
all
the major highway routes in British Columbia. With more than 300 current
base stations, it continues to be the most extensive land-based
radiotelephone service with the farthest reach in BC. Autotel systems can
be either fixed or mobile, with the majority of units installed in
vehicles and boats. Although the system provides coverage in urban areas,
the key service is directed to rural areas of BC where other services may
not be available.
Telus Mobility also offers Globalstar products, including the tri-mode satellite phones, similar to traditional cellular phones, that are built by Qualcomm—founder of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology. The multi-mode phones operate on analog cellular (AMPS), digital cellular (CDMA), as well as the Globalstar satellite network (CDMA). Globalstar also offers Remote Terminated Data Service for fixed satellite phones, designed to work in remote monitoring appplications and giving the user the ability to connect and download data from their remote site. Infosat products are also available through Telus Mobility and include the Iridium Motorola 9505 satellite phone—a smaller, lighter, more water, dust and shock resistant portable phone that is ideal for rugged conditions, the company says.
It offers two hours of talk time and 24 hours of standby time. The 9570 portable dock extends talk and standby time. The 9501 satellite pager and the Eurocom fixed system are also available. The MSAT network extends modern fixed and mobile wireless voice, fax and data services throughout North and Central America and the northern tip of South America, Hawaii, the Caribbean and Alaska, all for the same airtime rates. The MSAT portable briefcase offers complete mobile satellite communications in one easy-to-use package, the company says. Also available are MSAT fixed or mobile systems as well as an array of SkyCom satellite services. www.telusmobility.com Reader Service Card #262
Maxtower
Maxtower Company Ltd designs, manufactures and installs a wide range
of communication towers and associated equipment. The
company
has developed its own design of portable/temporary location telescopic
towers, complete on their own trailer for remote site use. These towers
are ideal for out-of-the-way sites where communication is limited as they
allow the operator in the field to be able to communicate with field
personnel or home base, the company says. In business for 30 years,
Maxtower also supplies self-supporting and guyed towers, microwave towers,
special application towers such as radar or observation, waveguide
bridges, anti climbs, fall arrest systems and radiators and transmitters
of all types, as well as wall, roof and antenna mounts. The company also
provides antennas and hardware for any application. The company’s clients
include the Department of National Defense, Canadian Coast Guard, Rogers
AT & T, Bell Mobility, the RCMP and other organizations.
www.maxtower.on.ca Reader Service
Card #264
Mobile Satellite Ventures
Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) provides satellite voice, dispatch radio
and packet data communications to areas without access to
conventional
land-based telecom networks, making it suited to the needs of the logging
and forestry industry. Managing lumber from the forest to the mill keeps
downtime to a minimum and keeping in touch with field crews through
dispatch radio contributes to their safety and efficiency. Sales and
delivery can be coordinated on site with data communications. MSV owns and
operates a satellite network consisting of two geostationary satellites,
MSAT-1 and MSAT-2. The MSAT spot beam technology offers superior coverage
and capacity, the company says, and turns all of North America, Central
America, northern South America, the Caribbean, Hawaii and up to 250 miles
offshore into a single digital communications cell. As a result, MSV
delivers advanced, affordable wireless communications on land, at sea or
in the air. www.msvlp.com Reader
Service Card #263
BK Two-Way Radio
In the radio service industry since 1982, BK Two-Way Radio Ltd has
since branched
out into other areas of communications, including paging, dispatch,
trunking, telemetry, cellular and satellite phone service. Wireless
communications technology now plays a larger role in the remote areas of
Canada, the company says, and includes data transfer, email, telemetry
process information and transfers of schematics to on-site repair and
service personnel, as well as the remote control of site equipment. The
company is the dealer and distributor for Motorola and Kenwood two-way
radio products, as well as other quality mobile handheld two-way radios
from Sinclair, Larsen, Peltor, ICT and Johnson Telemetry Radio.
The company also offers products and services for Telus Mobility cellular phones and Globalstar satellite telephones and carries the product lines of Motorola, Nokia, Qualcomm, Audiovox and Panasonic. Autotel, a mobile radiotelephone network, provides mobile phone service in many of BC’s rural areas. A strong commercial customer base includes the forestry, logging, trucking and fishing industries. Satellite communication systems are also available. MSAT uses a single multi-channel satellite to cover North America. The satellite serves as a repeater connecting the user’s mobile unit to the earth station, where the gateway sends the call into the telephone system.
Globalstar is the newest satellite system available and uses extensive linked constellations of satellites in low earth orbits to connect the user’s handset to the system. The satellite phone can also access the cellular network, where available, to take advantage of cheaper cellular airtime rates. Located in Prince George and Quesnel, BC, BK Two-Way Radio installed and now maintains the complete 911 radio dispatch systems for the Fraser Fort George Regional District and the North Cariboo Regional District. The company also offers used and rental equipment. www.bktwoway.bc.ca/index.html Reader Service Card #265
Infosat
The new Iridium satellite phone from Infosat Telecommunications
provides
global voice, paging, messaging and data transmission to anywhere on the
planet. Iridium can operate independently of land-based networks when
transmitting signals, a crucial feature in emergencies. The 9505 portable
satellite phone offers continuous talk time ranging from a standard 2.4
hours to 7.6 hours with ultra high capacity. Standby time ranges from 24
to 72 hours, while fast charging time is up to 2.5 hours. The 9501
satellite pager has a battery life of 30 days. Internet access is possible
with the Iridium satellite phone and a computer for sending and receiving
email and transferring files.
Connections are available for dial-up
data or direct Internet data.
Infosat’s
telesat high speed Internet solution, HSi, is delivered by two-way
satellite for enterprise clients located anywhere services such as DSL or
cable are not available. Advantages include patented Internet accelerator,
downloading at more than 15 times the speed of dial-up, a return link up
to 153Kbps, an “always on” single platform IP connection, almost complete
North American coverage, multiple computer connections, easy connection to
firewall and VPN devices and public or private Internet-routable addresses
via a standard Ethernet port.
www.infosat.com Reader Service Card #266
Central Interior Communications
A dealer for Globalstar, Maxon, Telus Mobility, Uniden and Tad Radio of
Canada, Central Interior Communications Inc offers the Globalstar tri-mode
hand portable phone. Made by Qualcomm, the phone is the smallest satellite
unit ever and provides all the latest features in a compact cellular-style
phone that has excellent voice quality, the company says. The Globalstar
IS-95 AMPS tri-mode user terminal offers global roaming for AMPS/IS-95
cellular phone users. It enhances wireless service options by providing
worldwide digital cellular-like services in areas outside traditional
cellular coverage. The EnGenius SN920 is an industrial cordless phone that
can be used as a two-way radio.
With a range well beyond conventional cordless, the phone uses digital spread spectrum (DSS) technology that provides secure phone conversations. The system is expandable to four bases and 36 handsets and each handset can talk to any other handset or base. Other features include flexible call management features and private, full-duplex two-way radio. Central Interior also offers mobile phones from Maxon including the SM-2000, the SM-4000 and the SM-6000. Portable Maxon models include the SP-300, the SP-200 and the Legacy PL-2215P. Uniden mobile radio units include the SMH1525 and the SMH250. The SC 32 Smart Com portable is a 32/64-channel VHF or UHF two-way radio with a rapid rate charger with two 90-minute charging wells, a battery wall charger, battery pack and antenna. The TAD M10 is a 396-channel VHF two-way mobile radio and the TAD M8U is a 99-channel UHF two-way mobile radio. www.cicomm.ca Reader Service Card #267
Glentel
Glentel’s Satellite Dispatch Radio Service provides a range of two-way and
one-way broadcast capabilities with standard push-to-talk
(PTT)
handsets that enable a group of people to talk on one common channel, no
matter where they are on the satellite’s “footprint.” An organization can
have between one and 15 user-defined channels per radio called talk
groups. Co-ordination of crews, equipment and product movement through the
system reduces costs. Glentel’s satellite phone service is virtually
gap-free across North America, the company says. Vehicle based or portable
briefcase units make the calls as easy to make as regular telephone calls.
Glentel’s satellite phones interface with a variety of data equipment,
including laptop computers, GPS devices and messaging units.
Mobile data communication is possible
through fixed, mobile and transportable applications such as SCADA,
vehicle positioning, data
message
broadcasting and reporting, database query and information retrieval. The
Glentel/Traxis Solution offers real-time tracking and communications—via
the mobile satellite network TraxSat—using the satellite packet data
terminal (PDT-100) and mobile data terminals loaded with Traxis
applications. The package includes a vehicle monitoring unit or other
selected data terminal, access to TraxSat messaging and mapping software
via the Internet and the PDT-100 unit, as well as access to the mobile
satellite network. Benefits of fleet management include improved load
tracking, increased productivity and enhanced driver communications.
www.glentel.com Reader Service Card
#268
Mountain Mobile Communications
Mountain Mobile Communications now offers TeleSat system functions to
business clients that include Internet services, adding remote locations
to a company’s wide-area network, bypassing slower network technologies
such as dial-up service and centrex and providing a reliable high-speed
satellite connection. Mountain Mobile Communications is an authorized
Motorola sales and service dealer and carries the complete line of
Motorola radio products. It is also the dealer for Midland Land Mobile
Radio and Telus Mobility. The company installs and services the equipment
it sells and offers a rental program on a long- or short-term basis.
Mountain Mobile provides RTU installations, complete with electrical, instrumentation and engineering. The company has been providing telemetry and SCADA for more than 14 years and can design, install and maintain a rented or purchased telemetry system suited to individual client requirements. Its new electrical and communications engineering division now offers construction services that range from facility construction to plant expansions and upgrades. Mountain Mobile Communications also offers sales and installation of vehicle monitoring systems, for improved safety and efficiency, as well as paging systems. http://www.mountainmobile.com/ Reader Service Card #269
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