$200-Million Japanese Liner Fitted With Magnavox Advanced Multi-Channel SatCom System

The recently delivered luxury cruise liner Crystal Harmony is the latest ship to be fitted with an advanced multi-channel marine satellite communications system.

A Magnavox multi-channel SatCom station was fitted on the Crystal Harmony at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Shipyard in Nagasaki, Japan, where the ship was under construction.

The multi-channel system was developed by Magnavox to meet the growing demand from cruise ship operators, offshore oil platforms and other users with a high volume of ship-shore communications traffic. The Crystal Harmony is the third ship to be fitted with this equipment.

The Norway and QE 2 were fitted with similar systems last year.

The system is derived from Magnavox's MX 2400 Inmarsat-A ship earth station, and consists of four functionally separate MX 2400 operator stations, each with its own CRT screen, keyboard and printer, all connected to a single stabilized 2.2-meter parabolic dish antenna, sealed inside a fiberglass radome. This provides simultaneous access to four separate Inmarsat satellite channels, each of which can be used independently for transmitting and receiving voice, data, fax or telex calls.

The Crystal Harmony will use the Magnavox SatCom system to provide a variety of enhanced high-tech ship-to-shore telecommunications services, such as facsimile, electronic mail, electronic banking and credit-card telephones, in addition to normal direct-dial telephone calling from private staterooms. The ship has a variety of business and meeting facilities, including a board room and private business offices equipped with personal computers, which can be hooked into the SatCom for ship-to-shore data transmission.

The 49,400-ton Crystal Harmony is the first luxury ship for Crystal Cruises, a Los Angelesbased subsidiary of Japan's NYK Line. Carrying 960 guests in refined luxury, the vessel is reported to be one of the most spacious ships afloat in its class, with a guest-space ratio of 51.5 It will also offer a variety of innovative industry firsts, including one of the largest penthouses afloat; one of the highest stateroom and penthouse verandah ratios; an advanced refrigeration system; and the first floating casino to be operated by Caesars Palace of Las Vegas.

The Crystal Harmony was delivered to Los Angeles last month, and will kick off the 1990-91 inaugural season with sailings to Alaska/Canada, Trans-Canal and Europe.

For more information on the Magnavox multi- channel SatCom system for cruise ships, Circle 24 on Reader Service Card

Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 44, Aug 1990

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Maritime Reporter

First published in 1881 Maritime Reporter is the world's largest audited circulation publication serving the global maritime industry.