Textron Satellite

Satellites are one of the most incredible inventions of the 20th century, but what they can do for us today is even more amazing.

Actually, it's no longer a secret that satellites provide one of the most effective means of transmitting and receiving just about any kind of data: voice, fax, files, even IP-based applications like the Internet. More and more enterprises find that out every day.

What is a Satellite?
A satellite is a specialized wireless receiver/transmitter - essentially a radio-frequency repeater - that is launched by a rocket and placed in orbit around the earth. Today, there are literally hundreds of commercial satellites in operation around the world. These satellites are used for such diverse purposes as wide-area network communication, weather forecasting, television broadcasting, amateur radio communications, Internet access and the Global Positioning System.

What is a VSAT?
A very small aperture terminal (VSAT) is a device - known as an earth station - that is used to receive satellite transmissions. The "very small" component of the VSAT acronym refers to the size of the VSAT dish antenna -typically about 2 to 4 feet (0.55-1.2 m) in diameter- that is mounted on a roof on a wall, or placed on the ground. This antenna, along with the attached low-noise blocker or LNB (which receives satellite signals) and the transmitter (which sends signals) make up the VSAT outdoor unit (ODU), one of the two components of a VSAT earth station.

The second component of VSAT earth station is the indoor unit (IDU). The indoor unit is a small desktop box or PC that contains receiver and transmitter boards and an interface to communicate with the user's existing in-house equipment - LANs, servers, PCs, TVs, kiosks, etc. The indoor unit is connected to the outdoor unit with a pair of cables.

The key advantage of a VSAT earth station, versus a typical terrestrial network connection, is that VSATs are not limited by the reach of buried cable. A VSAT earth station can be placed anywhere - as long as it has an unobstructed view of the satellite. VSATs are capable of sending and receiving all sorts of video, data and audio content at the same high speed regardless of their distance from terrestrial switching offices and infrastructure.