Abstract: A method for maximizing signal strength between a land-based or moving first station and a second, moving station on a sea-going vessel is provided, comprising mounting an antenna on a structure on the moving station, the structure rotatable about a vertical axis by a mechanism powered by an electric motor, initiating a data connection between the first and the second stations by a processor in communication circuitry at the second station, reading a received signal-strength by the processor, and operating the electric motor by the processor, rotating the rotatable structure, maximizing the signal strength.

Abstract: A method for maximizing signal strength between a land-based or moving first station and a second, moving station on a sea-going vessel is provided, comprising mounting an antenna on a structure on the moving station, the structure rotatable about a vertical axis by a mechanism powered by an electric motor, initiating a data connection between the first and the second stations by a processor in communication circuitry at the second station, reading a received signal-strength by the processor, and operating the electric motor by the processor, rotating the rotatable structure, maximizing the signal strength.

Abstract: A marine communication system has an on-shore base station providing a long-range network, an Internet router connecting the base station to an Internet network, a plurality of first fishing boats in a cluster, each having an onboard Access Router, and at least one second boat in the cluster equipped with Adaptive Backhaul Equipment, including a directional antenna and a backhaul transceiver capable of accessing the network provided by the base station. The access routers provide communication with communication devices used by fishermen aboard the boats, and at least one Access Router communicates with the equipment aboard the at least one second boat in the cluster, thereby providing Internet connectivity and email, voice, text and video communication through the base station and the Internet network, to the fishermen aboard the boats in the cluster.

Abstract: A marine communication system has an on-shore base station providing a long-range network, an Internet router connecting the base station to an Internet network, a plurality of first fishing boats in a cluster, each having an onboard Access Router, and at least one second boat in the cluster equipped with Adaptive Backhaul Equipment, including a directional antenna and a backhaul transceiver capable of accessing the network provided by the base station. The access routers provide communication with communication devices used by fishermen aboard the boats, and at least one Access Router communicates with the equipment aboard the at least one second boat in the cluster, thereby providing Internet connectivity and email, voice, text and video communication through the base station and the Internet network, to the fishermen aboard the boats in the cluster.

Abstract: Path information is obtained in a bridged network by generating an L2 frame with a special MAC address in the header and a target MAC address embedded in the payload of the frame. The special MAC address in the header of the frame triggers the collection of path information as the frame traverses the bridged network while the target MAC address in the payload of the frame is used to forward the frame in the bridged network. In an embodiment, the destination MAC address of the frame is set to a special MAC address that identifies the frame as a “trace-path” frame, for example, a multicast MAC address.