Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/131994
news&views versatile torque Australian satellite communications recognised on global stage At the recent SATELLITE 2013 in Washington DC, the Australian Ambassador to the USA, The Hon. Kim Beazley, acknowledged NewSat's achievements in satellite communications, including milestones reached prior to the launch of Australia's first commercial Ka-band satellite, Jabiru-1. The ambassador highlighted Australia's awardwinning teleport infrastructure, the Jabiru Satellite Program and Australia's emerging reputation as a country at the forefront of satellite communications and innovation. "We are beginning to see a few Australian companies making waves in the industry. In addition to housing some of the best ground infrastructure in the world, Australia is also launching some of the newest and innovative satellites in the world. Australian satellite communications have certainly entered the global satellite stage." NewSat's Jabiru Satellite Program will launch a fleet of next generation geostationary satellites. Specifically for Australasia, NewSat's Jabiru-2 Ku-band payload will deliver highly targeted capacity over high demand regions including The Pilbara, Kimberley, North West Shelf, Timor Gap, Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea. These 'hot zones' will provide the resource sector with more efficient solutions to support large bandwidth applications, employee productivity and operational efficiency. 50 Radical Torque Solutions has released an Industrial Type Torque Wrench. According to the team at RTS, this Gedore-branded torque wrench is almost bulletproof thanks to its European engineering, and is certified and traceable to national standards to further back up this claim. The RTS industrial range has five models covering 100–1500Nm, which will allow the end user to use it on a multitude of applications. This easy-to-use torque wrench has an adjustable dual scale and braking mechanism that serves as notification when the correct torque has been applied. This eliminates the likelihood of overtightening which RTS stress is imperative – too much tension and bolt threads are stripped, while too little could result in a loose bolt and an accident. The tool's push-through square drive (either 3/4"or 1") allows for bi-directional use. A full inventory allows RTS to cope with the market demand and supply to all areas of Australia and South East Asia. www.radicaltorque.com.au Keen to settle down? While FIFO has its benefits – such as endless in-flight single serve peanuts – for some workers it can wear thin, and even hardened oil and gas workers start dreaming of working and living in the one place. And there aren't a lot of locations that offer both an innovative oil and gas industry with plenty of job opportunities, and a lifestyle worth settling down in, but one region in New Zealand reckons it does. Taranaki in New Zealand has been gaining a lot of attention recently. It is home to all of New Zealand's oil and gas production, and things are booming there at the moment. The region is in the midst of its busiest onshore programme, and next year the attention will head offshore. This growth is creating a lot of job opportunities across a raft of projects from prospecting to engineering and more. But Taranaki's star attraction is its lifestyle. It offers everything from a mountain to epic surf breaks, has an impressive events calendar, and chances are you'll live less than 10 minutes from work. For families this is likely to be even more attractive. For those interested in finding out if the grass really is greener on the other side, visit www.swapsides.co.nz for more information.