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OTC Australia To Expand Mobile Satellite Communication Services OTC reports that in little more than 18 months since it opened, an advanced $35 million satellite earth station in Perth, Australia, oper- ated by OTC Australia, has grown to become one of the largest of its kind in the world, providing ships with quicker, cheaper and easier direct-dial telephone, telex, fax and data communications services to and from anywhere on the globe. With a wide range of channels for quicker connection and less conges- tion, OTC's innovative marketing initiatives offer: lower tariffs and a simplified tariff structure to facili- tate accountingprocedures; optional direct billing facilities which save shipowner commission fees; quan- tity discounts on calls, with concessional packages tailored to individual needs and no VAT or GST charges. Last year, Australia's earth sta- tion launched commercial Inmarsat-C communications service in the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. Inmarsat-C is a unique, compact low-cost mobile satellite data com- munications system designed for ships, commercial vessels and land mobiles, providing two-way 600 bps data/telex messages to and from virtually any location in the world. OTC Australia, the international business unit of the Australian and Overseas Telecommunications Cor- poration, has now signed a contract with a Canadian supplier for the installation of equipment in Perth which in 1993 will make available a new generation of mobile commu- nications services. Inmarsat-B, which will provide enhanced facilities to those currently offered by Inmarsat-A, including voice and low and high speed data— and Inmarsat-M, a low cost voice service with compact transceiver that will even include briefcase phone models. Unlike Inmarsat-A, which is an analogue system ana outgrowing its available power and spectrum space, Inmarsat-B is a digital sys- tem providing higher quality with lower transmission costs. Inmarsat-M provides similar fa- cilities to Inmarsat-B but operates at a lower voice quality and fax speed to appeal to users who may be constrained by equipment size or cost. Ideal for boats, it is a signifi- cant step towards a multipurpose personal communicator. Inmarsat- M and Inmarsat-B will be marketed by OTC Australia as OTC Satcom- M and OTC Satcom-B. Manned continuously around the clock, the dominating feature of OTC's earth station are two 18-meter parabolic dish antennas directed to Inmarsat's Indian Ocean and Pa- cific Ocean satellites, of similar de- sign to those used in Australia's deep space radio telescope. The "engine room" of the earth station comprises powerful radio transceivers, sophisticated com- puter systems and complex ground communications equipment. Outbound signals from a ship are transmitted directly to the satellite and from there to the earth station for automatic connection with do- mestic and international telecom- munications networks, with the re- verse procedure for traffic in the opposite direction. OTC's earth station transmitters which have an output of up to three kilowatts, operate on frequencies of up to 6 Gigahertz (6,000 MHz) and the capabilities of the system are so great that more than 330 individual messages/conversations can be handled simultaneously. For free literature detailing the extensive communication services of OTC Australia, Circle 179 on Reader Service Card For Construction Welding, Cutting. DIESEL-POWERED ENGINE DRIVE Bobcat™ 225D Economical, diesel-powered 225 amp multi- process welder and 8,000 watt generator. • 8,000 watt generator to operate lights, hand tools and other equipment. • Versatile AC/DC weld output for smooth Stick and "repair only" TIG welding. 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