If you’ve ever seen a tanker moving steadily across the horizon or watched a sailboat cruising down the coast, you might think an open sky would mean perfect satellite reception, right? Nope! The single biggest cause of poor satellite reception and performance is sometimes unavoidable blockage from onboard structures or other equipment. That’s why KVH engineers created the Tracking Avoidance Zones (TAZ) function, available exclusively with KVH’s TracNet and TracPhone VSAT systems.
KVH’s Tech Support Agents can program as many as five TAZs, alerting the antenna that it is attempting to receive signals in areas with zero or limited reception and instructing the antenna to shift to an unobscured satellite on KVH’s global HTS network whenever possible.
Maximizing Connectivity with a KVH Tracking Avoidance Zone & Integrated IoT Technology
KVH’s exclusive TAZ feature allows an installer to program the TracNet or TracPhone system at the time of installation based on estimated points of blockage. In addition, KVH engineers integrated powerful Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities into all TracPhone VSAT systems as part of our Proactive Monitoring service, which records and transmits data for 150+ key performance indicators to KVH’s technical support team. KVH engineers and support specialists can then respond proactively to potential issues and maximize your system’s uptime, speed, and overall experience.
A great example of the power and benefit that this IoT functionality provides to seafarers worldwide is the ability for TracNet and TracPhone terminals to build and refine a vessel blockage map. The map displays the signal strength at every point along the horizon as well as up to 90˚ vertically, as show in the image of an actual blockage map:
KVH’s technical support specialists can then program new TAZs or update existing TAZs remotely while the vessel is underway based on this precision, constantly refined view of where blockages occur.
KVH’s global HTS network and terminals provide users with optimal performance thanks to a robust global satellite network that ensures that wherever your boat travels, you’ll likely be within sight of at least two satellites. The best way to avoid blockage, of course, is to install the KVH terminal in an area completely free of obstructions. However, we know that our antennas are used in the real world, where that isn’t always possible. While a Tracking Avoidance Zone won’t necessarily avert every blockage event, it will greatly enhance the overall performance of your onboard communications.
