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COMSAT Gen'l. Orders Shipboard Terminals For Satellite System COMSAT General Corporation, Washington, D.C., has awarded a contract to Scientific-Atlanta, Inc., for 100 shipboard antennas and associated terminal equipment as part of a major program to pro- vide improved communications via satellites to commercial ships at sea. The amount of the con- tract is expected to exceed $2 million. Two multifrequency satellites are scheduled to be in operation early next year to form the space segment of a two-ocean MARI- SAT System. The satellites, sta- tioned in geostationary orbits at 22,300 miles altitude over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, will be capable of providing ship-to- shore voice, teletypewriter and data communications with ves- sels equipped with complete ship- board terminals. The U.S. Navy will use capacity in the system, utilizing its own ship and shore stations, for communications with its Atlantic and Pacific fleets at separate frequencies. The contract calls for delivery of 100 shipboard terminals to COMSAT General, with options to purchase up to 300 additional terminals. A separate contract will be awarded later for commu- nications equipment for intercon- nection with the Scientific-Atlanta terminal units. The complete facilities will be capable of providing reliable, full- time communications services via satellites at assigned L-band fre- quencies. Once installed aboard commercial vessels, they will per- mit 24-hour-a-day operation for high-quality voice and data com- munications. In addition to solid-state re- ceivers and transmitters, the ter- minals being purchased under this initial contract include a four-foot-diameter antenna, pro- tected by a radome, which is mounted on a stabilized platform to keep the antenna pointed at all times toward the satellite de- spite movement of the ship. Con- tinuous communications can be maintained in heavy seas and under extreme environment con- ditions. John A. Johnson, president of COMSAT General, said the ship- board terminal contract with Sci- entific-Atlanta (headquartered in Atlanta, Ga.) is "a major step toward providing greatly im- proved and expanded communi- cations services to the maritime industry. This program repre- sents a promising new applica- tion of satellite technology. It will totally change maritime com- munications by offering for the first time modern, dependable and continuous communications throughout entire ocean areas." The space segment for the MARISAT System, together with communications earth stations on the U.S. East and West Coasts— as distinct from the shipboard terminals—are to be owned and operated under a consortium ar- rangement currently being nego- tiated among four carrier com- panies. COMSAT General would have an interest of approximately 80 percent in the consortium; RCA Global Communications, ITT World Communications, and West- ern Union International would participate as joint owners with a total interest of about 20 per- cent. The satellites for the system are under construction. The launch of the first spacecraft is scheduled for early 1975. The U.S. earth stations which will serve the MARISAT System are being built at Southbury, Conn., and Santa Paula, Calif. i ESCO CORPORATION 2133 N.W. 25th Avenue Portland, Oregon 97210 Please send me a certificate for a free ESCO Stainless Steel fitting and the name of the nearest ESCO Rigging Dealer. 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They're available for rope sizes through 2V2". And we'll even send you a certificate for a free stainless steel fitting that your ESCO dealerwill swage for you. Just send in the coupon. Then you can start putting ourstainless steel swaged sleeve through your own tug of war. * Tests conducted and certified by Northwest Test- ing Laboratories, Portland. Copies of the test certification are available by writing ESCO Corp. 'I! Aluminum Duplex Sleeve Carbon Steel Single Sleeve ESCO Stainless Steel Duplex Sleeve ESCO CORPORATION, Portland, Oregon U.S.A. 97210 ESCO LTD., Don Mills, Ontario, Canada ESCO S.A., 69800 Saint-Priest, France ESCO INTERNATIONAL licensees in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brasil, Chile, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Unite,d Kingdom July 15, 1974 27
