Monteycarlos From Australia, joined Mar 2005, 2107 posts, RR: 31 Posted (6 years 7 months 3 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 21674 times:
Hey everyone,
I was just hoping someone would be able to explain the lump on the upper aft fuselage of this Virgin Blue 737-700.
It looks to be some kind of antenna or communications device but it is quite large, and I wouldn't think that a domestic 737 would need something like this?
Monteycarlos From Australia, joined Mar 2005, 2107 posts, RR: 31 Reply 4, posted (6 years 7 months 3 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 21631 times:
Are you serious? That thing is massive... Doesn't that cause a large increase in drag? I knew about the LiveTV thing but I didn't know the equipment was that big.
As I said, hardly seems worth it for 737's running domestic everyday.
CYatUK From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2006, 804 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (6 years 7 months 3 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 21575 times:
Quoting Monteycarlos (Reply 4): Doesn't that cause a large increase in drag?
Definitely, but it seems that the extra passengers choosing to fly with them because of the live TV thing bring enough cash to cover the extra fuel cost.
Monteycarlos From Australia, joined Mar 2005, 2107 posts, RR: 31 Reply 8, posted (6 years 7 months 3 weeks 15 hours ago) and read 21532 times:
It seems much bulkier... It could be the red paint, and the angle. Its too bad I am not a better photographer because I would have liked to have got a closer shot to show the sheer size of it.
I would certainly hope that it was worth the money because it is not only hideous, but impractical.
For all those Australians, it better get more than just Channel 7, 9 and 10!
ANCFlyer From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 9, posted (6 years 7 months 3 weeks 15 hours ago) and read 21517 times:
Concur it looks bulkier - but remember, we're looking at a closer shot on the 737-700, further that -700 is a shorter and (albeit marginally) narrower fuselage.
Could be angle, could be sunlight, could be a bad photo Just kidding Monteycarlos . . .
It could be two entirely different systems, one just happens to be larger than the other . . .
Aussie_ From Australia, joined Dec 2000, 1765 posts, RR: 5 Reply 11, posted (6 years 7 months 3 weeks 15 hours ago) and read 21423 times:
Yes it is the LiveTV receiver that is currently fitted to a single 737-700 (VH-VBO). I was lucky enough to be on that aircraft just yesterday flying Canberra to Adelaide!
The 'lump' IS bigger - they installed the same receiver as Jet Blue then discovered that the satellite signal and coverage in Australia was different and required a larger receiver, hence a much bigger lump. I wonder what the drag statistics are!
Interestingly enough, on my flight, they offer the system for about 10-15mins as a free trial before you need to swipe your credit card (A$6 per flight), but the entire time of the free trial it said "looking for home transponder", suggesting it could not pick up a signal... I wonder how often they have that problem! Certainly didn't inspire me to cough up the $$ to have it for the rest of the flight!
Cessna057 From United States of America, joined Sep 2006, 439 posts, RR: 2 Reply 13, posted (6 years 7 months 3 weeks 13 hours ago) and read 21153 times:
Why didn't they make the live TV thing more like an ADF reciever or something?
Hold it . . . Hold it . . . HOLD THE FREAKIN NOSE UP!!
JamesJimlb From United States of America, joined Jan 2006, 1023 posts, RR: 2 Reply 14, posted (6 years 7 months 3 weeks 13 hours ago) and read 21116 times:
i think delta song had it.
The sky is no longer the limit, but the mere minimum
Srbmod From United States of America, joined Mar 2001, 16888 posts, RR: 51 Reply 15, posted (6 years 7 months 3 weeks 13 hours ago) and read 21102 times:
If that hump on that plane gets any bigger, they could use it as an AWACS a/c......
Quoting Monteycarlos (Reply 10):
What does the system consist of? Is it an antenna array or is it some kind of receiver dish?
It's a receiver dish. There's a video on LiveTV's website that shows them installing the system on a B6 A320.
The LiveTV receiver is pretty obvious on any a/c the system is installed on; on the other hand, the antenna that is used to receive XM Satellite radio is not too big. It's very close in size to the home antennas both XM and Sirius have for most of their units.
AeroWeanie From United States of America, joined Dec 2004, 1600 posts, RR: 52 Reply 19, posted (6 years 7 months 3 weeks 8 hours ago) and read 20278 times:
The bump is a High-Gain LiveTV radome. As Australia is quite a distance from the equator, it is harder to "see" the LiveTV satellites. To get a better "look" angle, the antenna needs to be rotated to a higher angle, hence the higher radome (actually, there are two antennas side-by-side in the dome). Connexion by Boeing ran into the same problem.
The JetBlue and Frontier domes are used closer to the equator and don't need to get the more extreme "look" angles, and hence are smaller.
BandA From United States of America, joined Aug 2004, 336 posts, RR: 0 Reply 20, posted (6 years 7 months 3 weeks 8 hours ago) and read 20077 times:
Quoting AeroWeanie (Reply 19): The bump is a High-Gain LiveTV radome. As Australia is quite a distance from the equator, it is harder to "see" the LiveTV satellites. To get a better "look" angle, the antenna needs to be rotated to a higher angle, hence the higher radome (actually, there are two antennas side-by-side in the dome). Connexion by Boeing ran into the same problem.
The JetBlue and Frontier domes are used closer to the equator and don't need to get the more extreme "look" angles, and hence are smaller.
I helped certify both installations...
very interesting...
shame that connexion by boeing is to be discontinued.
is there a site that lists carriers with LiveTV (domestic US as well as International) and specifically which aircraft?
"They [Terrorists] never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." - GWB
Boston92 From United States of America, joined Aug 2006, 3390 posts, RR: 7 Reply 22, posted (6 years 7 months 3 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 18414 times:
Quoting Jepstein (Reply 17): Are the TV's still installed and working on the ex Song planes?
Yes, Delta is working on getting the system on all a/c doing flights over 1750nm, not just the ex song crafts.
"Why does a slight tax increase cost you $200 and a substantial tax cut save you 30 cents?"
UpstateDave From United States of America, joined Jan 2006, 207 posts, RR: 1 Reply 24, posted (6 years 7 months 3 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 18098 times:
It might also be worth noting that Delta's live television is not supplied by LiveTV and uses the DishNetwork rather than DirecTV as on B6, F9.
[Edited 2006-10-01 23:33:59]
"Once you fly, you will walk with your eyes skyward. For there you will go again." Leonardo da Vinci
25 Goodbye: I was with my friend spotting at BNE a couple of weeks ago, and some woman told us that a DJ 737 fitted with the big hump would be arriving on its del
26 Srbmod: From LiveTV's website: Frontier JetBlue WestJet Virgin Blue AirTran (along with JetBlue) are customers for their XM Satellite Radio product. They don
27 AeroWeanie: I only did aerodynamics work on them, so I don't know. That does sound like a lot. Frontier has LT on A319s (and A320s?). JetBlue has LT on A320s. We
29 LeftWing: Hope the Russians dont mistake it for a real AWAC and shoot it down
30 YUAMB: the other day i saw an ad for foxtel showing the live tv (foxtel is what is shown on the tvs on the virgin blue flight) they said it weighs half a ton
31 Soon7x7: That is the TV Antenna/Receiver housing.
32 Goodbye: We have ascertained that in the previous 31 posts above yours
33 Antares: Aeroweanie, Australia is actually much closer to the equator than the US or Canada, Basic geography. Look at a globe. Those horizontal lines with numb
34 Lredlefsen: I wonder if this isn't an opportunity for Boeing to *uniquely* differentiate the 787 against all conventional metal-bodied competitors? My understandi
35 BOACVC10: If a radome is bigger than "usual", and I don't really know how to define "usual" IMHO, it could be using lower microwave frequences such as 4-6 GHz
36 Antares: BOACVC10, My cookie jar and I are a long way apart at the moment, but anyone who remembers the VC10 deserves extra dessert. Antares PS And thanks for
37 Lufthansa: What about the fact that Australia uses the PAL system for TV reception and thus has more dots to make up the same picture? Would this perhaps explain
38 Jbguller: I'm flying YSSY-YPPH later this year aboard DJ for the Red Bull Air Race - my craft better have one of these things installed, or else it's gonna be a
39 Pilotdude09: I was watching "Select" on foxtel which explains about new features etc, and basically there was a 5 min clip of Live TV and it was really interesting
40 AeroWeanie: I'm going on what I was told - the satellites are hard to see from Australia, hence the need for more antenna "tilt". I'm told that the 787 will have
41 Lredlefsen: Oh -- I guess I was hoping that they could do without a dome altogether, getting them better aerodynamics.
44 JetBlueGuy2006: I wonder if it is more noticable because of the paint scheme. It seems that because Virgin Blue has Red, it draws more attention than a white scheme
45 Starlionblue: I do believe Captain Click once stated that while the dome does add drag, it also adds lift for some reason. So it's a wash. Apologies if Captain Clic
46 Monteycarlos: I was wondering that too... Maybe the red just makes it look a little bigger. Really? How would that device add lift? Is the pressure differential ov
47 AeroWeanie: The curvature of the dome creates regions of low pressure, which sums up to produce a net upwards force on the dome. The dome also does produce drag.
48 HAWK21M: Is the Added Weight & Drag worth it. regds MEL
49 Tod: What they chose not to mention in the video was that the aircraft installation and major components components such as the radome, rack, etc. were de
50 Monteycarlos: And what were the findings if you don't mind me asking?
51 AeroWeanie: Sorry, I can't go into this - it is the customer's info.
52 Monteycarlos: I thought this might be the case. Thanks anyway.
53 BAe146QT: Lufthansa said: "compared with the NTFS system used in North America and Japan?" Just a small nitpick - I believe the system is called NTSC (National
54 Starlionblue: Indeed. NTFS is short for the "NT File System" used by newer versions of Windows.
55 HAWK21M: lets rephrase....Was it worth it. regds MEL
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