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Electronics Update COMSAT Land Earth Stations Begin Inmarsat-C Service Called 'C-Link' COMSAT Mobile Communica- tions recently announced that its Southbury, Conn., land earth sta- tions have begun providing Inmarsat-C mobile satellite commu- nications services to customers lo- cated in the Atlantic Ocean Region- West (AOR-W) and the Pacific Ocean Region (POR). The COMSAT service, marketed under the trade name, C-Link, is a two-way, messaging service that uses compact and inexpensive Inmarsat-C satellite terminals for text and data messaging. Coverage provided by COMSAT's two land earth stations stretches from China and the Pacific Rim countries, across both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and reaches to North and South America, western Africa and west- ern Europe. According to Ronald Mario, president of COMSAT Mobile Com- munications, the Inmarsat-C ser- vice is invaluable to commercial and private sailors who venture into in- ternational waters and to businesses that operate in remote locations, who need reliable communications re- gardless of weather or geographic location. He said that the service, which meets the International Mari- time Organization's (IMO) require- ments for the Global Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), is targeted to smaller vessels that could not otherwise take advantage of satel- lite communications and as a backup system on larger vessels. COMSAT's initial C-Link service allows connection through the glo- bal Inmarsat system to the interna- tional telex network from a personal computer, navigation device or a simple keyboard. Customers can send or receive written messages, which are processed through the sys- tem in a short period of time—typi- cally less than five minutes—and then forwarded to their destination without requiring the receiving party to be present. Within a few months, COMSAT's C-Link service will also allow access by dialing into local telephone num- bers and through X.25 packet net- works and electronic mail systems. The future COMSAT service will also allow for ship-to-shore fax de- livery of text messages. COMSAT users can call a toll-free number for dictating the message to a COMSAT operator or actual mailing of a mes- sage for delivery to individuals not equipped for the service. Other important COMSAT C- Link services under development include vessel-tracking and position- reporting (COMSAT's C-Track), re- mote monitoring and control, and a workstation package that supports all the various C-Link services. To obtain service, a customer needs to first purchase and install the appropriate Inmarsat-C equip- ment, then commission it with the Inmarsat system. COMSAT, as the U.S. Signatory to Inmarsat, pro- cesses the commissioning applica- tions for all U.S.-registered vessels and mobile terminals. Once operat- ing in the system, a user can route communications traffic through COMSAT's Southbury AOR-W earth station by using the following log-on codes: NCS ID-044; TDM-11080; and LES ID-001. To log onto COMSAT's Santa Paula station in the POR, use: NCS ID-244; TDM- 12580; and LES ID-201. If you are currently a user of COMSAT's C-Link User's Guide, write to COMSAT Mobile Commu- nications at 950 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, DC 20004, Attn: C- Link Customer Service, or call (in the U.S.) 1-800-685-7898, or Circle 62 on Reader Service Card "Sew gastight gauging tape now ready for worldwide use. Keeping hazardous benzene vapors safely away from employees, and preventing any escape into the atmosphere, are rapidly becoming pressing issues for shipowners and operators at U.S.A. and all world- wide ports. That's why MMC has developed this new closed Trimode™ gaug- ing/sampling system for marine ap- plications. It's a gas-tight version of its Flexi-Dip™ Trimode'" triple- function tape that has been widely used in the maritime industry for over 15 years. MMC currently makes a stainless steel version of this closed tape for handling toxic and cor- rosive liquids in the chemical pro- cessing industry. This new lightweight version meets all USCG regulations and has FM, BASEEFA, CSA and SAA approvals. Orders are now being taken for delivery by the end of the year. Keeping You in Control MMC International Corp. 60 Inip Drive Inwood, NY 11696-1096 U.S.A. Phone: 800-645-7339 516-239-7339 Telex: 96-0140 MAMCAF INND Fax: 516-371-3134 MMC (Europe) Ltd. South Nelson Road South Nelson Industrial Estate Cramlington Northumberland NE23 9HLUK Phone: 0670-738111 Telex: 537005 MARINE G Fax: 0670-738789 MMC (Asia) Ltd. 2-20, 4-Chome, Isobe-Dori Chuo-ku, Kobe 651 Japan Phone: 078-251-1033 Telex: 5624163 OPECK J Fax: 078-252-0265 Dinner Boat Owners know.. ABS CLASSIFICATION MAKES SENSE Dinner boat passengers want a safe cruise with their meal. ABS gives assurances of a vessel's safety standards and structural and mechanical integrity. They're worth a lot to passengers and owners. Let ABS show you how classification makes dollar sense. FOUNDED 1862 I AMERICAN BUREAU OF SHIPPING & AFFILIATED COMPANIES Offices in 159 Major Ports Corporate Office: Two World Trade Center, 106th Floor, New York, NY USA 10048 Telephone: (212) 839-5000 Telex: 232099 ABNY UR Fax: (212) 839-5130 January, 1992 Circle 235 on Reader Service Card Circle 203 on Reader Service Card 15
