Heavy Earth Terminals

The next step up in satcom is the heavy earth terminals.  These are fixed, very large, can supply huge amounts of data. The normal size parabolic dish for these can be from 40 feet to 60 feet wide, with some even bigger. They are, by nature, highly classified, and so we won't get in to what they do inside.  With every dish this size comes it's own building to house the ground equipment.  When I say classified, I'm talking about what's inside this building, since the antenna is basically just an antenna. These buildings are designed and built in specific locations to cover areas that are designated to it.  Each large earth teminal has it's own area of responsibility, and can communicate with other earth terminals as needed or required.  These terminals are usually guarded (armed guards), with restricted entry, and other steps to make it secure.

The responsibilities these terminals have is huge, and directly affects things that are happening around the world. The number of technicians that work in each facility can vary, and believe me, they are highly trained and knowledgeable people. That is both in the military and in the civilian sector.  Their responsibilities are many, and are complicated. Almost all of them, depending on where they are, have security clearances that range from classified to Top Secret.

Heavy terminals have the ability, of course, to talk with the more mobile, tactical satcom units, too. This enables the military to have a huge ability to supply or support the troops with voice, data, or fax, as needed to do their missions. These systems have many mores capabilities than I have described here, but let's keep this at a public knowledge level. One of their best attributes is that they are reliable, and many have uptimes of 100% for the year.  That is critical, and is a direct result of good equipment as well as good technicians.