HX Expeditions, Expedition Fleet

Bettear CASTER transmitters now stream HX’s expedition lectures as an Auracast™ broadcast, directly to guests’ hearing aids and cochlear implants, with RTX receivers for everyone else and RTX units that carry the guide’s voice ashore.

At a glance

• Client: HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions), expedition cruising since 1896
• Location: Expedition fleet sailing pole to pole, from the Arctic to Antarctica
• Venue type: Hybrid expedition ships with onboard science lectures and guided shore landings
• Capacity: 90 to 500 guests per ship
• Bettear products: CASTER Auracast™ transmitters, RTX transceivers, SmartHive charging cradles, Hive Central management software

The challenge

An expedition line built on learning needed every guest to hear every lecture, at sea and ashore.

HX runs one of the most extensive science and education programs at sea. Between landings, guests spend much of their time in talks by experts on the wildlife, history, geology and culture of the regions they sail through.

Lounges at sea are hard listening spaces, with engine and sea noise, large rooms and guests seated far from the presenter. The talks also continue ashore, in wind and open air, where a fixed onboard system cannot follow.

The solution and products

HX fed each ship’s Dante audio network into Bettear CASTER transmitters, creating one Auracast™ system for the lecture lounge and the landing site.

• Bettear CASTER. A professional Auracast™ transmitter that takes its feed from the ship’s Dante network and broadcasts low-latency audio to an unlimited number of listeners.
• Bettear RTX. A handheld Auracast™ transceiver. On board, guests listen with headphones or a neckloop. Ashore, RTX units set as transmitters carry the guide’s voice to the group.
• SmartHive and Hive Central. SmartHive cradles keep the RTX fleet charged between sessions, and the crew manages every transmitter, receiver and cradle from Hive Central.
• Guests’ own devices. Auracast-enabled hearing aids and cochlear implants connect directly to the broadcast.

The results

Every guest now hears the expedition’s experts clearly, in the lecture lounge and on the landing site.

• One system, two worlds. The same Auracast™ platform serves lectures on board and guided talks ashore, with no separate tour-guide system to carry.
• Access for every guest. Guests with Auracast™ hearing aids tune in directly, and RTX receivers cover everyone else.
• Unlimited listeners. As a true broadcast, the stream serves a full lecture room at once, with no pairing.
• Run by the crew. Hive Central lets the crew update and monitor the whole system voyage after voyage, far from shore support.

Bringing Auracast™ to your venue? Our team is here to help you plan coverage, choose equipment and get it running.

Photos courtesy of HX.