ELECTRONICS
UPDATE
COMSAT'S 'Cruise Calling' Makes
Telephone Calls To And From Ship
Easy, Clear, Direct And Private
Communicating to or from a
cruise ship used to be a complex and
time-consuming task. Traditional
high-frequency (HF) radio calls
take time to place and once
achieved, connections can be im-
paired by bad weather and calls
often fade in and out. Moreover,
since anyone with a receiver can
tune into the ship's frequency, HF
radio calls are not private.
COMSAT's "Cruise Calling" via
satellite has changed all that.
State-of-the-art satellite connec-
tions have revolutionized land and
sea communications. Satellite tele-
phone signals travel between shore
and ship in just 250 milliseconds. A
shore-to-ship call is automatically
routed to one of COMSAT's Coast
Earth Stations which relays the sig-
nal through a satellite positioned
over the ocean. A satellite receiver
aboard ship then picks up the sig-
nal. The process is reversed for ship-
to-shore calls.
Satellite telephone calls are im-
mediate, convenient, reliable and
private. With Cruise Calling you can
make radio-officer-assisted satellite
telephone calls from your stateroom
or dial direct from CruisePhoneSM, a
direct-dial, 24-hour credit card tele-
phone conveniently located in pub-
lic areas aboard many cruise ships.
Some ships even offer direct-dial
features from the stateroom.
Cruise Calling is more than tele-
phone service at sea. Passengers
may use other satellite services
aboard ship, including Satellite
Telex Service and Satellite Facsim-
ile Transmission.
COMSAT has free full-color liter-
ature available, including the publi-
cation "Cruise Calling—Satellite
Communications To and From
Ship," containing complete instruc-
tions on how to call from shore to a
ship and how to call ship-to-shore.
Also being offered in connection
with Cruise Calling is a free "Cruise
Ship Telephone Directory," listing
COMSAT has developed a Business Service
Center concept which provides passengers
or crew members access to communica-
tions services most often found in shore-
based offices.
Alden's New Marine Fax Recorder
Receives Weather Charts As Well As
Navtex And Radioteleprinter Data
Alden Electronics, Inc., Westbor-
ough, Mass., recently announced the
introduction of the Marinefax TR-
IV, a complete weather information
center capable of receiving weather
and oceanographic charts, as well as
Navtex and radioteleprinter data.
Navtex as a marine information
service for a variety of weather and
navigational messages. The Ma- Alden's New Marinefax Recorder.
rinefax TR-IV is designed to accept
and store all selected Navtex mes-
sages for later printout even while
receiving routine weather charts or
radioteleprinter data. The Ma-
rinefax prints emergency Navtex
messages such as storm and naviga-
tional warnings and search and res-
cue information the moment they
are received, overriding any other
data being printed.
The Marinefax also features a ra-
dioteleprinter (RTTY) mode for re-
ceiving alphanumeric plain lan-
guage weather messages, coded
weather information and even news
agency reports.
The Marinefax TR-IV features a
new fully programmable radio that
"locks on" to the desired frequency,
thereby eliminating drift. A pro-
grammable memory allows the oper-
ator to select the time on, time off
and frequency desired. The Ma-
rinefax will then automatically turn
itself on, record the programmed
transmission and turn itself off. Up
to 250 on/off sequences can be pro-
grammed.
Radiofax frequencies may be se-
lected manually; or simply by key-
ing in the code for a transmit site,
the Marinefax automatically selects
the best frequency for the condi-
tions and time of day.
Weather charts and Navtex/
RTTY messages are printed on
crisp, white thermal paper. The Ma-
rinefax meets the international
World Meteorological Organization
recording speeds of 60, 90 and 120
scans per minute and can operate at
12, 24 or 32 VDC. An optional AC
adaptor is available for 110 or 220
VAC operation. An optional 4-foot
all-wave antenna completes the
package.
The Marinefax TR-IV comple-
ments Alden's current line of Ma-
rinefax recorders.
For more information and free lit-
erature from Alden Electronics,
Circle 106 on Reader Service Card
National Specialty Products
To Open Tampa Office
—Literature Available
National Specialty Products, Inc.,
a Houston-based industrial manu-
facturer of marine gangways and
fiberglass safety enclosures, life
jacket boxes, fire hose cabinets and
fire extinguisher cabinets, recently
announced that they will open a
Tampa, Fla., office.
The new office, which is expected
to be opened early this summer, will
be located on 3rd Avenue and 22nd
Street, three blocks north of the
Port of Tampa. The new location
should enable the company to bet-
ter serve its East Coast clients.
For a free catalog detailing the
company's product line,
Circle 104 on Reader Service Card
PROPULSION
UPDATE
COMSAT Maritime Services CruisePhone al-
lows the caller to make high-quality, private
calls instantaneously and directly. Calls are
billed directly to a passenger's credit card.
names of vessels and telephone/
telex/fax numbers.
For further information on Cruise
Calling and free copies of the litera-
ture from COMSAT,
Circle 59 on Reader Service Card
New WD 234 Is Notable Addition
To Line Of Deutz MWM High
Performance Boat Propulsion Units
The new WD 234 is another out-
standing addition to the line of
Deutz MWM high performance
boat propulsion units.
The engine is a result of the coop-
eration between Deutz MWM and
Wizemann Marine. The task of this
cooperation is to have Detuz MWM
basic engines matched by Wize-
mann at its marine center at Hoch-
berg on the Neckar River (near
Remseck) to the particular require-
ments of high performance boat ap-
plications. All activities regarding
sales and service backup worldwide
for these engines are being under-
taken by the Deutz MWM organiza-
tion.
With a power output of 810 kw
(1,100 hp), the 12-cylinder engine,
introduced in summer 1988, is set-
ting standards in terms of weight
and installation volume. After the
first engines were delivered to Star-
ships Yachts Ltd., Malta, orders
were secured for 10 engines destined
for U.S. passenger boats.
The Deutz MWM range of high
performance boat propulsion units
comprises extremely compact, high-
and medium-speed diesel engines.
They meet the demands for low
The entire auxiliary equipment is located in
the immediate vicinity of the engine block
on the new propulsion engine WD 234 VI2
Tl from Deutz MWM. The advantages of-
fered by the 60-degree configuration thus
remain fully effective. The intake air clean-
ers are also integrated in the engine con-
tour.
weight, small installation volume
and smooth-running characteristics,
as well as operating economy and
environmental compatibility.
Four engine series are available to
cover a power spectrum from 20 to
3,680 kw (27 to 5,005 hp).
For further information and free
literature on the new Deutz MWM
WD 234 engine,
Circle 63 on Reader Service Card
30 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
Digital Wave Publishing