Introduction to the new Sea Tel 4012 GX Ku/Ka Antenna

The engineering team at Livewire Connections successfully completed a training course on the recently launched and much anticipated Sea Tel 4012 Ka/Ku antenna. As a main Sea Tel VSAT dealer, all the engineers are trained and qualified by Sea Tel Cobham. This course was a chance for the Sea Tel service engineer to explain the new features of the 4012 on a prototype supplied by Sea Tel Europe.

Designed to meet industry stabilisation accuracy, the 4012 antenna pedestal is based on the Sea Tel 4009 which is the toughest antenna in the industry. The main changes to the ADU (Above Decks Unit) was to redesign the BUC, Dual LNBs & Waveguide to allow a Ku system to be upgraded to a Ka system by a Sea Tel engineer but replacing the ADU RF module. This upgrade is simple and can be performed in the field in a few steps by the Livewire Connections engineering team.

The system has been designed to be used on Inmarsat’s new Global Xpress network providing theoretical speeds up to 50 Mbps.

The below decks unit is also a transformation from Sea Tel’s antenna control units (DAC-2202) to the new MXP (Media Xchange Point). The MXP is a new below decks concept that is completely controlled by a web interface allowing the below decks unit to be located closer to the mast therefore reducing cable loss.

Since their training, Livewire Connections have taken orders for three of the first five 4012 GX systems globally.  With delivery in June 2012, these units have been sold to the superyacht industry, complimenting the range and services Livewire Connections offers all of its customers.