Most of the maritime VSAT antennas currently work in the Ku-Band frequency. It offers the possibility of smaller terminals than C-Band and better resilience against rainfade attenuation.
Ku-Band (12-18 GHz)
Advantages:
- No interference from microwave links and other technologies
- Operates with a smaller satellite dish (diameters from 0.9m) -> cheaper and more easy installation
- Needs less power -> cheaper RF unit
Disadvantages:
- More expensive capacity than C-Band
- More sensitive than C-Band to heavy rain fade (significant attenuation of the signal) / possibly can be managed by appropriate dish size or transmitter power.
Most maritime VSAT antenna vendors offer a wide range of Ku-Band stabilized VSAT antennas ranging from 60 to 150cm. Most popular brands are Cobham/Sailor, Intellian and KNS.