Walton De-Ice To Unveil Latest Innovations in Rain, Snow, Ice Protection for Ka-Band Satellite Dishes at IBC 2014
San Bernardino, Calif., August 18, 2014—Walton De-Ice, the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of satellite earth station antenna (ESA) weather protection solutions — will showcase its latest Ka-Band satellite ESA weather protection solutions, Ice Quake, Rain Quake, and Snow Shield during IBC2014 at Stand 1.A62, Hall 1.
“New Ka-Band satellite networks in Europe and elsewhere offer huge capacity for 4K and future media services, but the potential signal degradation due to rain, snow, and ice pose new challenges at Ka-Band,” says Walton De-Ice’s David Walton. “Antenna de-icing and weather protection systems from Walton De-Ice can reduce signal loss through Ka-Band dishes, and improve the reliability and quality of content delivery services.”
Snow Shield consists of architectural fabric, which is virtually invisible to RF. Snow Shield covers (0.6 - 6.3 meter) can be passive, or actively heated using electric or gas heaters. The Ice Quake enhances the performance of the Snow Shield antenna cover by vibrating the fabric cover, preventing snow and ice accumulation that degrade signals.
“Ice Quake enables huge, up to 100x, energy savings versus competing anti-ice systems,” says David Walton. “Only Walton De-Ice, with our patented solution, offers the ability to add vibration to a satellite dish cover to prevent ice and snow buildup.” By eliminating the need for high power conduit, trenching, and electrical switch gears, it also saves costs compared to conventional electrically heated anti-ice systems.
For rainy climates, the Rain Quake prevents water from sheeting on an antenna surface — which causes Ka or Ku-band rain fade. The Rain Quake helps to minimize bit error rates and antenna noise temperature increases, thereby improving Ka and Ku-Band signal quality during rainstorms.
“Now available worldwide with CE (European Union) certification, our newest CE-certified gas heaters combine with the Walton De-Ice Plenum system to offer unparalleled performance and reliability, providing the most rapid, and cost-effective solution for preventing snow and ice buildup at the lowest operational cost for an ESA” says Walton De-Ice’s, David Walton. “Since its introduction, we have installed over 250 units, and the new Gas Heater is easy to upgrade on existing antennas by using the same wiring and mounting configuration as Walton’s original heaters.”
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