Dongle for use at sea

[bertles86]

If he's beyond Shetland he'll have trouble picking up the satellite signal - Orkneys and Shetland need a 1m dish - may not get anything further out

True. Excellent point. I'm intrigued as to how the rig itself gets networking, OP mentioned there is a slow connection on the rig for workers. How do they do it?

 

[ChrisD.]

Iridium or similar I bet.

 

[visibleman]

True. Excellent point. I'm intrigued as to how the rig itself gets networking, OP mentioned there is a slow connection on the rig for workers. How do they do it?

Satellite usually.

 

[tezabeza]

Usually they use Iridium Sat or Imrasat for email and weather forecast info and phone back to land. For the Rig to shore links for other stuff E.G Operating data of the rig they can use VHF Radio Links and also HF Radio Links. The Wireless Dongles that a lot of people use operate on the phone network which uses 800, 900 and 1800 Mhz and the newer 2100Mhz so the 1800 and 2100Mhz bands really are limited with the small antennas to a few miles range.

 

[KelDG]

At 20 miles you must be getting into issues caused by the curvature of the Earth (as mobile signals are basically line of sight). About 20 miles rings a bell for the spacing of microwave repeater towers (but it's a long time since I worked for GEC/GPT/Etc. so I'm probably wrong).

Its about 17 miles at 6 feet high when line of site becomes a problem, saying an oil rig is pretty high and so is the mast on land that is already above sea level I don't think that would be a problem.