• Programming options from DirecTV include CNN, A&E, Bloomberg, Fox, ESPN, Discovery and The Weather Channel, plus local network stations and digital-quality music channels
• 11.5-inch diameter tail-mount antenna is smaller than average at-home dishes. Requires an approved radome cover with 12 inches of available swept volume (radome not included)
• Automatically determines antenna pointing, tuning frequencies
• Uses industry standard RS-485 interfaces to connect to virtually any cabin management system (CMS)
• Base system includes two receivers (in one RDU). Optionally, up to four RDUs can be configured for eight separate channels
• Approved for Bombardier Challenger 601, 604 and 605. Global Express/XRS, Global 5000, Cessna Citation X and Gulfstream GII, GIII, GIV, GV, G200, G300, G350, G400, G450, G500 and G550.

Rockwell Collins Tailwind 300 Airborne TV system provides a rich programming experience and reliable reception in the Contiguous United States. It is a fully integrated system that enables private aircraft to receive Ku-Band DBS (Direct Broadcast Satellite) television signals, providing access to the full spectrum of digital video and audio programming available from DBS satellites. The system takes these signals, automatically decodes them to the correct broadcast format, and then distributes them to the aircraft onboard audio-video distribution or entertainment management systems.

Executive travelers, more than anyone, need to stay in touch with events below. The Tailwind 300 airborne television system fulfills this requirement, delivering the same diverse programming options that you've come to expect from your living room TV. It's an enormous feat, successfully accomplished by the first company to ever put live TV in the air - Airshow - now an integral part of the Rockwell Collins Cabin Systems organization.

From New York to Los Angeles, Miami to Seattle and all points in between, the Tailwind 300 live airborne TV system keeps travelers connected.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the system is that it transforms a highly complex communications challenge into a reliable, convenient viewing experience. Building a system that is small, lightweight and capable of flying at high altitudes and at speeds over 500 mph is no small task. Added to that are atmospheric changes, background radiation, solar flares, takeoff and landing obstacles and third-party systems already installed inside your cabin that can all interfere with reception.

Tailwind 300 has conquered these challenges through a unique combination of digital electronics, computer-based functionality, RF technology and advanced software. The result is an integrated system that delivers consistent, reliable performance with push-button ease.

As the No. 1 digital satellite entertainment service provider in the US, DirecTV provides one of the largest offerings available. That's why Rockwell Collins has teamed with DirecTV to deliver a truly enjoyable and rewarding programming experience. You will be able to switch back and forth between Fox News, CNN, Headline News, Bloomberg, ESPN, Discovery, The Weather Channel, local networks, independent programming, pay-per-view movies, sports subscriptions and a host of other channels. It's the very best information and entertainment content available, and Rockwell Collins can deliver it - live - to your aircraft cabin.

Tailwind 300 is an integral part of the Rockwell Collins' dedication to making your cabin work. It is the result of years of advanced engineering, extensive testing and improvement, and successful in-air operation. Today, Tailwind systems fly in over 200 aircraft and over 15 aircraft types, including the business jet and commercial air transport aviation markets.

Capturing a digital broadcast satellite (DBS) signal starts with the smallest and most efficient antenna possible. The dish itself (without a radome cover) is just 11.5 inches in diameter, 37 percent smaller than the average at-home dishes. As a result, impact on your aircraft's profile is minimized.

If there's a TV satellite signal amid all the interference, you can count on the Rockwell Collins Tailwind 300 system to find it and transmit it to you in full vibrancy.

The Tailwind 300 represents the next generation of world-class airborne, digital satellite TV. Quite simply, it is one of the most advanced and reliable systems for the contiguous US. But the technology is only part of the equation. With over 70 years of Rockwell Collins’ aviation engineering expertise to draw on, Tailwind 300 system users are assured of our industry leading support wherever they fly. Rockwell Collins’ customers can rely on an extensive network of dealers and service centers strategically located around the world. These centers, and the dedicated professionals who staff them, provide a level of service and expertise that keeps the customers of Rockwell Collins among the most thoroughly satisfied in the industry.

The Tailwind 300 system enables aircraft to receive Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) television signals that provide passengers with access to a full spectrum of satellite video and audio programming. The system operates in the continental United States (CONUS) service footprint.

On board the moving aircraft, the Antenna Control Unit (ACU) acquires position and attitude information from the aircraft's inertial reference system. The ACU uses this information and the known location of the satellite (in geostationary orbit) to align the Tail-mounted Antenna Unit (TMU). The ACU controls the TMU’s azimuth and elevation steering motors that align the antenna. The TMU receives Ku-band radio frequency (RF) signals from the satellite and transfers them to the ACU via coaxial cables.

The ACU down-converts the RF signals, and sends the resulting intermediate frequency (IF) signals to an IF Multiplexer Unit (IMU). The IMU fans out the IF signals to the system Receiver Decoder Unit(s) (RDU). The passenger controls the two independent tuners of the RDU to select program channels. In response, the RDU decodes the channels and converts the IF signal to a video and audio program for the cabin monitors and speakers.

The Tailwind 300 automatically determines its location from the aircraft's inertial reference system. It uses this information and its configuration to control the antenna direction and tuning frequencies.

B. Entire Ku-Band DBS Spectrum

The Tailwind 300 operates with signals over the entire CONUS DBS part of the Ku-Band (12.2 GHz to 12.7 GHz).

C. Circular Polarization

The Tailwind 300 receives and decodes circularly polarized DBS signals (for CONUS broadcast).

D. Conditional Access

The Tailwind 300 system manages DirecTV’s conditional access based on authorization from the Collins Member Services Center (MSC).

E. Antenna

The Tailwind 300 system has a tail-mounted antenna.

F. Control Options

The Tailwind 300 supports a wide variety of user control choices from a simple IR remote control to a more complex RS-485-driven touchscreen.

A radome houses the TMU, possibly adjacent to the aircraft's L-Band SATCOM antenna.

A. TMU

The TMU is the antenna front-end of the Tailwind 300 system and receives its power and control from the ACU through a 22-wire harness. The TMU receives Ku-Band radio frequency (RF) signals from the satellite and transfers them to the ACU via coaxial cables.

The parabolic reflector dish mounts on top of the aircraft's vertical stabilizer. Because the dish material is transparent to L-band signals, you can install the TMU with the aircraft's L-Band SATCOM antenna in a single radome.

B. ACU

The ACU uses data from the aircraft's navigation and inertial reference system to point the TMU at the satellite, and it down-converts the satellite signals from the TMU to deliver IF signals to the system. The down-converted IF signals from the ACU are the signal inputs to the IMU. The ACU receives aircraft position, pitch, roll, and heading information from up to three ARINC 2-wire inputs. It calculates the required antenna alignment referenced to the antenna zero-index point and controls the TMU's steering motors for constant satellite alignment.

The ACU adjusts the TMU position to compensate for changes to the antenna mounting platform. It can process discrete aircraft flap position outputs from Gulfstream -300/400 aircraft or the ARINC Label 315 stabilizer angle (Gulfstream 500/550), calculate the required antenna adjustment, and adjust the TMU. The ACU also incorporates an external Configuration Data Module (CDM) to store antenna off-set information. The ACU and CDM can be mounted outside the aircraft’s pressure vessel.

C. IMU

The flange-mounted IMU distributes the down-converted IF signals (950-1550 MHz) from the ACU to the RDUs. The IMU receives two IF signals from the ACU through coaxial cables (maximum permitted loss of 4 dB). The IMU fans out to up to four RDUs (four RDUs allow you to decode up to eight different programming channels simultaneously). The IMU must be mounted within the pressure vessel, close enough to the ACU to maintain a 4 dB loss budget.

D. RDU

The RDU is the interface between the IMU and the cabin management system. This 3/8-ATR rack-mounted unit decodes the IF signals from the IMU into an audio/video program. Each RDU contains two receiver boards.

The RDU provides two independent receiver outputs that the cabin management system can control independently. The output format of the Tailwind 300 RDU is NTSC. The RDUs must be mounted within the pressure vessel within 10 feet of the IMU.

E. Radome

A fin-cap radome houses the TMU, ideally about 18 inches behind the aircraft's SATCOM antenna (center-to-center). It must be large enough to accommodate the spherical swept-volume of the TMU. The radome's composite material must transmit both L-Band SATCOM signals and Ku-Band DBS signals.

A DBS TV compatible radome is to be supplied by installer. To ensure proper performance of the DBS TV System, the radome must meet the specifications as identified in the Rockwell Collins Installation Manual. Failure to meet these specifications will result in degradation of reception.