SATCOM DIRECT WAS FOUNDED IN 1997 TO ALLOW DIRECT DIALING TO AN AIRCRAFT IN-FLIGHT REGARDLESS OF LOCATION. TODAY, THE COMPANY HAS COMMUNICATIONS SOLUTIONS ON MORE THAN 7,000 AIRCRAFT. ew satellite networks are coming online, and everyone in business aviation wants to stay connected. Satcom Direct in Melbourne, Florida, is now shipping its first of three new antennas to simplify linkups. At a time when the introductions of new products in the avionics industry have slowed down post-pandemic and with supply chain issues and chip shortages, these new products are a welcome addition to the market. Satcom Direct works with a dozen MROs worldwide but is open to overtures from new partners who have the right qualifications. Authorized dealers will do the new hardware installations. Satcom Direct's Plane Simple Ku-band antenna system just entered service last month (February). The system has two LRUs, the SD modem unit and a tail-mounted antenna. The system connects to the Intelsat FlexExec network. The company flew 560 flight test hours with the system installed on its Gulfstream G550. The Ka-band variant entered testing in 2022 and will be available commercially later this year. It is designed to be connected to Inmarsat's Jet ConneX. The third product, a Ku-band electronically steered antenna in a fuselage or tail installation will be available in 2024. It is designed for connections to the OneWeb Low Earth Orbit network. N Satcom Direct initially confirmed the function of the Plane Simple Ku-band antenna system with the first testing taking place over three days of trans-Atlantic and European validation flights in 2021. The tests showed the new antenna system delivered consistent data streaming across multiple devices and worked with SD hardware, software and terrestrial infrastructure. The antenna simultaneously served numerous personal electronic devices in the cabin and multiple streaming appliContinued on following page avionics news * march 2023 21 " SATCOM DIRECT'S PLANE SIMPLE KU-BAND ANTENNA SYSTEM JUST ENTERED SERVICE LAST MONTH (FEBRUARY)... THE COMPANY FLEW 560 FLIGHT TEST HOURS WITH THE SYSTEM INSTALLED ON ITS GULFSTREAM G550. " Photos courtesy of Satcom Direct