Data terminals for PRODAT-ESA´s mobile satellite communications programme

Prodat is an experimental system developed by the European Space Agency to provide low rate data communications with mobiles via satellite. It forms part of the second phase of the Prosat programme which is concerned with the investigation of future mobile satellite communications techniques. The authors´ companies have jointly developed aeronautical, maritime and land mobile terminals for the Prodat experiment. The approach taken has been to adopt a common basic design for all three categories of mobile and than make specific implementations for each type. The authors examine the common basic design which has been used and discuss some of the reasons for the approach taken. In addition the implementations for each type of mobile are described and the preliminary results of field trials presented