INMARSA

T-C
INMARSAT

INMARSAT is a global telecommunications company based in England that provides communication

services via satellite networks.

INMARSAT originates from the International Maritime Satellite Organization (established in 1979 by the
I.M.O.)
 INMARSAT
SERVICES
There are various services offered by INMARSAT. These are services related to GMDSS:
• INMARSAT-B – retired in 2016, no longer available for use
• INMARSAT-C – effectively used as a satellite TELEX terminal
• Fleet (Fleet77/F77/Sat-F) – provides voice calling capabilities (vessels may or may not have this)

All GMDSS vessels operating in Sea Area A3 will have a SAT-C terminal (or HF radio). Most vessel’s with
GMDSS consoles will have a SAT-C terminal included in the console.

SAT-C Terminal
INMARSAT-C
The INMARSAT-C terminal is part of a vessel’s GMDSS suite. The purpose of INMARSAT-C is to
connect a MES (Mobile Earth Station) to a LES (Land Earth Station)

The MES would be a ship.

The LES is a stationary receiver on land.
INMARSAT C FEATURES
• TX/RX of MSI (with EGC)
• E-mail, fax, SMS
• TELEX data transfer to other terminals
• TX/RX of distress alerts
• Remote monitoring
INMARSAT C Cannot be used for voice calls
• Tracking/position reporting
• Security/piracy warnings and updates
• SafetyNET, FleetNET
• Two way messaging
• Data reporting and polling
HOW INM-C WORKS
The INMRSAT C system uses an omnidirectional antenna. This type of antenna has the ability to TX/RX a full
360° range. It does not need to be oriented in the direct view of a satellite. This means that the operator
does not need to manually adjust the orientation of the antenna.

The Inmarsat C antenna is lightweight and compact. It is much smaller in size in comparison to a Fleet 77
antenna or SAT-B antenna. See the photo below.

Antenna
INMARSAT C FUNCTION
Since the signal strength of the terminal is fairly low (and power is low as well) the INM-C
system will not allow a user to work in an “online” mode.
Instead, INM-C uses a “store and forward” based method for communications.
Messages sent through the SAT-C network cost the sender. The total charge to the user’s
account is based on the size of a file or message transmitted. The final cost varies by each LES
used to send the message, but the final cost is always measured and billed by bytes (total file
size).
COMPONENTS OF INM-C SYSTEM
• INMARSAT Terminal (consists of both transmitter and receiver)
• Message terminal (features a key board and a way to store messages, i.e. SD card, internal storage,
floppy disk)
• Printer (usually found directly above the user display screen)
• Power supply (UPS/Secondary power source)
• Omnidirectional antenna (usually mounted on flying bridge or uppermost deck)
• If not built into unit, a GPS receiver (almost all are networked with the vessel’s GPS receiver)
INMARSAT C COVERAGE
Inmarsat-C features near global coverage. Sea areas of coverage include Sea Areas A1, A2 and A3. It must
be known that SAT-C coverage is minimal to non-existent towards the North Pole and South Poles (defined
as Sea Area A4)

A good estimation of coverage is between 70° N and 70° S. If a vessel continues to sail out of that range,
coverage from INM-C satellites will be lost.

See the following slide for a chart of the coverage.

INMARSAT C SATELLITES
Data transfers between LES and MES occur at an average rate of 600 bits per second. The following
frequencies are used for communications:
• 1626.5 MHz – 1645.5 MHz (Transmitting)
• 1530.0 MHz – 1545.0 MHz (Receiving)
INMARSAT SATELLITES
There is a total of 4 satellites in the entire INM-C system. Each satellite covers one specific geographic
area. Each area is called an ocean region.
There are 4 ocean regions, one for each satellite. They are:
1. AOR-E (Atlantic Ocean Region – East)
2. AOR-W (Atlantic Ocean Region – West)
3. POR (Pacific Ocean Region)
4. IOR (Indian Ocean Region)
SATELLIT
ESAll 4 of the satellites used in the INM-C system are geostationary. This means that each satellite is
constantly positioned over one specific location. This is achieved by directing the satellite to revolve in the
same direction and speed as planet Earth.
SELECTING A SATELLITE
When a user powers on the terminal, it will begin a scan and log-in to whichever satellite has the strongest
signal quality (measured by %).

When the default satellite is no longer in sight, or degrades too much in signal quality, the terminal will
“log-off” and initiate a new scan to select an appropriate satellite.
NAVAREAS
NAVAREA – Navigational Areas. The world’s oceans are divided into 21 areas. They are labelled with Roman
Numerals (I, II, III, IV, etc.) Note that these NAVAREAS are the same NAVAREAS that are used in the NAVTEX
system. See the following slide for a chart of all NAVAREAS.
ENHANCED GROUP CALLING
Enhanced Group Calling (EGC) – the INM-C system offers all terminals this service. It is used by LES to
transmit MSI and for MES to receive MSI. Each call is defined as a “group call,” which means it is sent to
more than one vessel at a time. Examples of messages which may be sent/received include:
• Navigational Warnings
• WX forecasts/warnings
• Military information/warnings/updates
• Satellite migration/maintenance information
COSTS OF MESSAGES
It is always free of charge to receive messages (RX of EGC MSI messages will never cost the ship anything).
The total cost of the message is determined by each LES. Each LES in the world sets their own rate, so a
user is advised to know the rate before selecting a LES to use.
For example, a LES may charge $0.65 to send a file with a total size of 0.75 Kbit.
SENDING DISTRESS MESSAGES
Within each ocean region, there are approximately 4-5 Maritime Rescue Coordination Centers (MRCC).
Each MRCC station contributes to a certain MRCC area. Please click the link below to view the MRCCs.

https://www.inmarsat.com/services/safety/maritime-rescue-co-ordination-centres/

*MRCC information can also be found in Pub 117, List of Coast Stations and other GMDSS publications.
CALLING STATIONS,
LES
Each LES station is assigned an “operator code” or “access code.”
See the table below.
CALLING OTHER STATIONS
When a user would like to send a message to another terminal or LES, the user must know which access
code to use. It is based on the current ocean region of operation and country of operation. Keep in mind
the multiple access codes will work to send a message so there is usually more than one access code than
can be appropriate to use. Please view the video below for a demonstration of how to send a message
(yes, I know, the voice is absolutely obnoxious) Please note that this is an older terminal, not the one we
trained on in GMDSS lab. This older terminal is still very common to see on vessels today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__UHP1WLPcY&t=5s