Line of sight and coverage offshore

One of the most frequently asked questions we receive is “100km is beyond the line of sight. How do you manage to increase coverage offshore beyond the line of sight”?

The answer to that question is more complex than the line of sight, as there are factors that play a role into how far signal can travel. Reflection on water is one of those. Humidity and other climate factors also play a significant role and can either extend coverage or decrease it.

That said, line of sight that you can observe from shore at sea level to another object at sea level is 10km. However, the dome installation and the height of the tower / location are not at sea level.

You can find an offshore coverage calculator based on the elevation of the dome on the mast and the elevation of the tower nearby.

Radio Line of Sight Distance Calculator

Tower elevation

300

Mast elevation

20

Line of sight:

77.79

Example of tower Elevation, real world

Region
Elevation
(meters)
Distance to horizon
Tower (km)

Europe

Monaco / Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
600
87.44

Crete, GR
500
79.82

Dubrovnik, HR
450
75.72

Cannes, FR
450
75.72

Corsica, FR
450
75.72

Corfu, GR
450
75.72

Montenegro
450
75.72

Capri, IT
350
66.78

Santorini, GR
350
66.78

Sicily, IT
300
61.83

St Tropez, FR
250
56.44

Mykonos, GR
250
56.44

Malta
250
56.44

Cala di Volpe, IT
200
50.48

Portofino, IT
200
50.48

Bodrum, TR
200
50.48

Ibiza, ES
150
43.72

The US/Bahamas/ Caribbean

St. Barths, FWI
240
55.30

St Maarten
150
43.72

St Kitts & Nevis
150
43.72

Bahamas
100
35.70

Antigua
100
35.70

Miami, US
80
31.93

Other

Seychelles
300
61.83

Maldives
50
25.24

Average
280.8
59.82

*** You can find tower height information in various locations here. Please use this as a rough guide only as such information is usually not 100% up-to-date.

Dome Elevation, real world yachts

Yacht
LOA
(meters)
Elevation
(meters)
Distance to horizon
Vessel (km)
Vessel to tower
(avg) in km
NM

Lady Jade
40
8.5
10.41
70.22
37.92

Barbara
90
18
15.14
74.96
40.48

Radiant
110
26
18.21
78.02
42.13

Illusion V
60
9
10.71
70.53
38.08

Kaos
110
16
14.28
74.10
40.01

Amare 2
55
14
13.36
73.17
39.51

M/Y 163m
160
36
21.42
81.23
43.86

Average
18.21
15.23

There are factors that play a role into how far signal can travel that can increase or decrease offshore coverage. For example, reflection on water is one of those. Humidity and other climate
factors also play a significant role.

You can also take a look at our testimonials page and videos showing speed tests done at various destinations / distance offshore showing real-life data.