Satworx provides 'vital lifeline' to TVN Storm Chasers
 Coordinating activities, between the TVN vehicles and personnel during a Tornado, requires reliable, uninterrupted communications to perform experiments, monitor weather, track resources and keep people alive.
Tornadoes often destroy much of the local communication infrastructure on the ground including cell and radio towers. The team reflected on the frustration experienced in the last season due to their inability to communicate, which in some instances placed individuals needlessly in jeopardy, due to a change in direction of the storm.
Satworx satellite phone solutions maintain connectivity independently of conditions on the ground, where cell phone or landline service, may be compromised, unreliable or non-existent. With the added insurance of satellite service, TVN can continue to execute complicated maneuvers, in dangerous conditions, between multiple assets on foot, in vehicles, and in the air, with increased confidence. In the event a tornado suddenly alters course, they have the capability to warn one another and even local first responders should the storm head for a populated area. |
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The Gear
Stow-and-GO: Voice and Messaging at 70mph
Detachable Satworx satellite phone handsets with an in-vehicle docking kit, aided by a tracking antenna, provide voice communication for team in the field, on foot and in-vehicle. In addition to intra-team communication the service is also capable of receiving and calling to cell phones and (PSTN) landlines in areas unaffected by local conditions. The docking kit has a speaker phone and privacy handset which in this case is less for privacy and more to hear above the din of the storm. |
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The Satworx IsatPhone Pro is a satellite handset providing near-global coverage that allows the TVN team to communicate in areas with damaged, or even non-existent, local cell phone or landline infrastructure. In addition to email and text messaging, a built-in GPS enables TVN to transmit vital location information via SMS or email directly from the handset. |
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The TVN Dominator 2 is also outfitted with a vehicle docking kit. With a single 'click' the handheld Satworx phone can be stowed or detached from the in-vehicle docking station which, with the aid of an external 'active' tracking antenna, is capable of providing voice communication at speeds in excess of 70 mph. While the docking kit includes a speaker phone, we added the optional privacy handset which in this case is less for privacy and more to hear above the din of the storm. |
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High-Speed data @ High Speed
TVN is also outfitted with a Satworx broadband BGAN terminal capable of providing FTP, streaming, internet and fax simultaneously, to the entire team in the vehicle who can connect to the service via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. When paired with the distinctive low-profile dome of the 9350 active tracking antennae TVN can maintain a satellite signal while driving across the great plains, Gobi Desert or African Savannah. |
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In addition to voice and messaging the TVN Storm Chasers requested a supplemental broadband data connection which could be used to transmit weather data that was being collected in real-time. The transmission would occur from Dominator 2 which would not always be 'parked' so we selected a BGAN vehicle solution. The active tracking antennae with its distinctive low-profile dome is capable of maintaining a satellite signal, providing FTP, streaming, internet and fax simultaneously to the entire team in the vehicle who can connect to the service via wi-fi. Satworx service maintains a firewall to manage unwanted traffic and restrict applications. |
Whatever the weather may bring, TVN retains single, push-button, point-to-point communication capabilities.
Built Tornado Tough. |
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