Equipment Guide · Satcom — FleetBroadband
The ship's broadband rides on one geostationary satellite parked over the equator. A gyro-stabilised dish inside the white radome stares at that fixed point in the sky while the ship rolls, pitches and alters course beneath it — and every link problem on board comes down to three things: how high the satellite sits (elevation), where it sits against the bow (relative bearing), and what part of your own ship is in the way. Tap a step or press "Play", then take the tracking simulator north and watch the funnel eat your link.
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A ship at high latitude sees her satellite at azimuth 152°(T), elevation 18° — low enough for the funnel to matter. The installation record shows a funnel shadow of 160°–200° relative, effective below 25° elevation. Steady up on 340°(T): rel brg = 152 − 340 + 360 = 172° — inside the shadow, and the link drops the moment she settles on the new course. Ease to 320°(T)? rel = 192° — still inside. It takes 305°(T), rel = 207°, to clear the sector — or simply accept the outage and make the important calls before the wheel-over. One line of arithmetic, done at the chart table, predicts the whole event.
Press Start to steam her under the satellite — then take her north until it sets, or find the heading that parks the funnel in the beam.
About the simulator
Steam the ship around under her satellite. Latitude sets how high the satellite sits; longitude offset sets its true bearing; heading decides what part of your own ship faces it. The funnel shadow lives at 160°–200° relative and bites below 25° elevation; the foremast clips a narrow band around the bow below 18°. Take her north until the satellite sets — then find a heading that parks the funnel in the beam.
This ship's recorded blockage — funnel 160–200° rel below el 25° · foremast 350–010° rel below el 18° · coverage edge below el 8° · satellite sets at el 0°.
Elevation comes from geometry alone: your great-circle distance from the sub-satellite point on the equator. Azimuth is a fixed true bearing — so the only thing your heading changes is which part of the ship faces the satellite. Blockage is binary steel: inside a shadow sector the link is gone however healthy the equipment; outside it, the gyro-stabilised dish holds lock through anything a seaway does.
Working principle — explained in our own plain words with our own schematic from general marine knowledge (not copied from any OEM manual). Conceptual; varies by ship/model. Reviewed and verified by a Master Mariner.