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Satellite TV plan for ships at sea
By Keeli Cambourne

Edition 5009, 31 May, 2007
 
STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: POWTR Toni Heane thinks the introduction of satellite TV to surface ships at sea will be “awesome”.
Photo: LSPH Kelvin Hockey
 
The one thing POWTR Toni Heane really misses when she is deployed on one of the RAN ships is sitting down and watching her favourite TV show.

But that will be a thing of the past in a few years with a new project worth more than $14.85 million which has just been put to tender to deliver satellite TV reception at sea for surface ships with in the fleet.

The initiative, announced by the Minister for Defence, Dr Brendan Nelson, and planned for completion by 2012, will ensure personnel have greater access to entertainment and communication services which are readily available throughout Australia.

“Ships deploying in support of Operation Catalyst are now being provided with interim digital satellite TV until a permanent solution is developed. And the response from the crew has been overwhelming,” Dr Nelson said.

“It will be awesome,” says POWTR Heane from HMAS Albatross. “What we do now is rely on our partners, parents and friends to send us videos of our favourite shows and I am pretty sure everyone has at least one that they religiously watch.

“And then there is always the big football matches, like the State of Origin, but by the time we get to watch them, they are outdated and we already know the scores.

“It will be just as great to be able to watch the current affairs from Australia rather than hear about everything weeks after it has happened.

“It is definitely a step in the right direction. We do miss out on a lot when we’re at sea and I don’t think people realize how big a medium TV is for everyday affairs.”