No. 352: A new transmission system that allows for satellite communications from a helicopter (November 16, 2011)

Helisat is a transmission system developed by Mitsubishi Electric. It allows for satellite communications from a helicopter. It is based on the existing airborne use satellite system. The research team successfully made the autoguider antenna of 40 cm in diameter 30 kg lighter and the in-flight modem 20 kg lighter, and solved the problems with radio wave interference by introducing the intermittent transmission synchronous with the rotary wing. It has a transmission capacity of 6-10 Mb per second. The company wishes to market it as a system for the extensive environmental monitoring service with an emphasis on its ability to transmit images of high vision quality. It is busily occupied with the commercialization of this new transmission system.

The existing transmission from a helicopter has limitations in transmission distance because it uses microwave base stations on the ground. Because the new system can operate on the sea and desert where no ground equipment is available, it will be a valuable transmission system in disaster-stricken areas in time of flood and tsunami. Many local governments and communications companies show interest in the new system because it can be utilized to transmit video information should it be connected to a high-resolution camera and because it has the ability to meet the requirements of base stations of mobile communications.