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SAT Observations 97.07.11




WELCOME TO SAT-MIDEAST !
A news release from Cairo, Egypt, located at 30.3 North - 31.15 East,
sponsored by TELE-SATELLIT INTERNATIONAL, SATCO-DX and TBS Internet.
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WHAT YOU'LL FIND HERE:
- Satellite and Transponder Observations in C- and Ku-Band,
- Commented from the Middle Eastern perspective.
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HOW TO CONTACT SAT-MIDEAST:
Send relevant infos, interesting news, and creative comments to :

		hcroom@intouch.com 

Upon your request are forwarded messages kept anonymous.
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THE HEADLINES IN THIS 97.07.11 REPORT (More Oldies but Goodies):

- Launch Report
- Thaicom 3 testing
- Insat 2D testing
- RAI-Sat Channels
- Med-TV Jamming
- Bits & Pieces

Please be aware that this message has been send out on 97.07.17 after a
summer break. The content reflects observations in the week from 04/07
to 10/07.

LAUNCH REPORT, http://www.satcodx.com/launches.shtml
-------------
Panamsat 5 will be launched with a Proton launcher from Baikonur on July
31st.
(The TVRO Source via SATCO-DX)

Indostar 1 will NOT be launched together with Hot Bird 3 on 29 August.
Indostar 1 is  now delayed to October, to be launched with Ariane V101,
accompanied by Sirius 2. The originally already for the Hot Bird launch
advised Meteosat satellite is therefore now finally prepared to go into
orbit on flight V99.
(The TVRO Source, Gregor Bregar via SATCO-DX)

Japanese satellite JCSAT 5 will launch with Ariane V101 in the middle of
November together with Egypt's Nilesat 1, which goes to 7 West.

Ceremonies marking the completion of construction to the Egyptian
satellite are now under way in France.
(The TVRO Source, source: Xinhua via SATCO-DX)

ARIANE 5, http://www.satcodx.com/launches.shtml
--------
Following the failure of the first demonstration flight of Ariane 5,
Arianespace has focused its efforts on preparing the operational phase.
The first launcher (Ariane 503) from the 14-launcher production contract
awarded to the European space industry in 1995 will be delivered to
Kourou towards the end of 1997.
Arianespace will take over operation of the ELA 3 launch complex two
weeks after the second Ariane 5 demonstration flight, now scheduled for
the end of September.

ARIANESPACE, http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/2058/indexa.html
-----------
Ariane has signed a  launch contract for Mexico's fifth communications
satellite, Morelos III. The satellite  will be launched at the end of
1998.
Morelos III, Mexico's fifth telecommunications satellite, will take over
for Morelos II.  Built by Hughes Space Communications in El Segundo,
Calif., for Telecomm de Mexico, it will weigh 3,550 kg (7,810 lb) at
lift-off. It uses an HS 601HP platform, with 48 Ku- and C-band
transponders. Offering 10 times the power of Morelos II,this new
satellite will provide complete telecommunications services for Mexico
and Hispanic communications in Latin America and North America.

SHALOM CHANNEL
--------------
A Paris based group has announced it plans to launch a new satellite
channel, the Shalom Channel, during the first quarter of 1998. The
channel will be the first general entertainment Jewish Television
channel in Europe, said the group. It will be available on both analog
and digital satellite systems and partially encoded.

Current plans for broadcasts to begin at 11am each day and continue
until midnight. It will be unscrambled from 7pm to 8pm. Programs will
consist of broadcasts from Israeli Television and other broadcasts with
English, French and Hebrew broadcasts. Subjects covered will include
news and features, culture programs and entertainment.

The channel says it is targeting its programs at the 350,000 Jewish
households in Europe and is budgeting for 50,000 subscribers by late
1998.
Shalom Channel's three main offices will be located in Paris, London and
Jerusalem. It will be operated by Network Television International (NTI)
in Paris.
(C) TELE-satellit International 1997. All rights reserved.

SCREEN-SHOT WWW-SITE
--------------------
The website with "DX-Satellite-TV-Screenshots" recently got updated. Now
you just have to click on different categories to see interesting
screenshots. Included are also contributions from all over the world.
On another page you can find links to important satellite-web-sites.

	http://home.t-online.de/home/CvanderVen/homepage.htm

INSAT 2D, 74 East, http://www.satcodx.com/in2d.html
--------
There are empty carriers visible from the new Insat 2D at 74 East.
One of the frequencies is 4.010 GHz, V, and the signal is very strong in
Israel.
(D.Shimoni via SATCO-DX)

THAICOM 3, 78.5 East, http://www.satcodx.com/thai78.html
---------
The MCOT Channel 9 started on 3.960 GHz, V, in PAL.
The transponder had been extensively tested in the days prior to the
launch of the channel on this satellite.

Test colour bars could be observed on 3.440 GHz, H, with strong signals
received in Pakistan on this semi-global beam transponder.
(Y.KKB via SATCO-DX)

Other transponder test could be seen on 3.622 GHz, V. 

The colour bars test card on 3.440 GHz, H, are received in perfect
quality without any threshold with a 180 cm dish in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
(Gregor Bregor via SATCO-DX)

PANAMSAT 4, 68,5 East, http://www.satcodx.com/pas4.html
----------
There are reports of feeds on 12.604 GHz, Horizontal, in addition to the
South African Multichoice transmissions on 12.604 GHz, Vertical. These
feeds, observed by several thrustworthy European DX'r, are transmitted
on the Indian beam. There must have been very good atmospheric
circumstances that made it possible to receive the signals that far out
of footprint.
(CL)(Various & A.Nasheed via SATCO-DX)

INTELSAT 703, 57 East, http://www.satcodx.com/i703.html
------------
NTV (HTB) has started transmissions on 11.473 GHz, H, in PAL,
Free-to-Air, with an audio subcarrier on 7.00 MHz.
(D.Shimoni via SATCO-DX)

SME Comment: This is the same beam as used by Kazahk TV and Khabar TV,
with the same poor video and audio quality in Cairo.

TURKSAT 1C, 31 East, http://www.satcodx.com/turk1c.html
----------
ATV 2 on 10.986 GHz, V, has been replaced by a colour bar test card.
(T.Boeven via SATCO-DX)

EUTELSAT II-f3, 16 East, http://www.satcodx.com/e2f3.html
--------------
The RDV (Rendez-Vous TV) Info trailer was seen on 10.986 GHz, H.
(M.Houriet via SATCO-DX)

Eylik TV has started on 11.045 GHz, V, in addition to identical
transmissions on Eutelsat II-f4-M (12.590 GHz, H).
(B.Kahraman & B.Prince via SATCO-DX)

HOT BIRD 2, 13 East, http://www.satcodx.com/hb2.html
----------
RDV - Rendez-Vous TV tests have been observed between 02:00 and 03:00
CAT on transponder 53, 11.785 GHz, H, in PAL, Free-To-Air, with a
scrolling text saying that Rendez-Vous TV has stopped its usual programs
to improve the picture and encryption quality and that it would only
broadcast soft programs for one month, in clear.

The Usingen TVCSM test card takes over from 03:00 to 06:00 CAT.
(D.Shimoni, Nickolas, M.Houriet via SATCO-DX)

Classics! Promotional videos could also be observed, alternating with
the RDV promotional videos, in PAL on 11.785 GHz, H, between 02:00 and
02:00 CAT.
(A.Diab, Nickolas, Richard Eckendorff, M.Houriet via SATCO-DX)

Italian Broadcaster Telepiu has changed the line up of superbeam
transponder 57, 11.862 GHz, H, and superbeam transponder 68, 12.073 GHz,
V, and moved around among their other transponders and replaced a few
channels. For a complete and current line-up, please take a look at: 

	http://www.satcodx.com/dig/telepiu.html

(Richard Eckendorff, T.Boeven via SATCO-DX)

RAI-SAT CHANNELS, 13 East, http://www.satcodx.com/hb2.html
----------------
The Italian state television network RAI has confirmed the launch of
three new thematic satellite channels which are due to start
broadcasting from September 29th via RAI' s digital transponders on the
EUTELSAT HOT BIRD 2 satellite. The channels are to be called RAISAT 1, 2
and 3 and include a cultural channel (broadcasting 6 hours a day of
programming which will be repeated 4 times a day), a children's channel
(9-15 hours a day of programs) and an educational service (6 hours a
day, repeated also 4 times). A "multiethnic" channel is set to follow as
well as an all news radio service.

Although these new channels will broadcast in the clear (i.e. will not
be scrambled), only viewers equipped with the new digital boxes will be
able to receive them. According to some estimates, no more than 80,000
digital receivers have been sold in Italy up to now which means that
only a restricted number of viewers will be able to watch the new
channels from day one.

During a meeting of RAI's administrative council which was held last
week in Rome, the vicedirector general Francesco Mengozzi suggested that
the new channels be broadcast for a certain period of time in parallel
in analogue mode. According to him, there are currently around 750,000
analogue reception systems in Italy which are capable of receiving
analogue channels from the EUTELSAT satellites and a simulcast of the 3
channels could drastically increase the number of potential viewers. An
additional benefit would be that the analogue service could serve to
promote RAI's new digital package.

At the recent Telecommunications Summit held in Naples, Guido Vannucchi,
RAI's vicedirector in charge of new technologies and productions
criticised the simulcast proposal. According to him, "the thematic
channels are by nature digital" and the simulcasting in digital and
analogue would create a vicious circle and would serve only to confuse
the consumers, because the end result of the two transmission modes is
very similar and later on it would be hard to convince the public to buy
the digital receivers. He added that "analogue transmissions would stop
the development of the digital technology", but said that the price of
digital receivers is expected to fall significantly very soon.

(Branislav Pekic, via SATCO-DX)
(C)TELE-satellit 1997. All rights reserved.

EUTELSAT II-f2, 10 East, http://www.satcodx.com/e2f2.html
--------------
Kurdish broadcaster Med TV is indeed transmitting on the abandoned VTV
transponder at 10.972 GHz, V, but is heavily distorted or jammed.
(CTV International via SATCO-DX)

Med TV suffered deliberate technical interference on 1 July, the first
day for its new test transmissions on Eutelsat. Med TV's director thinks
that only the Turkish Government has the potential motive, financial and
technical capacity to block the Eutelsat transmissons for the entire
time they were on air.
(AH via SATCO-DX, source: Med TV press release 970702)

Med TV has have agreed to power down when Turkey jams them. This is
because the Antena 1 on 11.024 GHz, V, is completely lost when the
jamming starts. Med TV has agreed to reduce power until the jamming is
stopped...
(CTV International via SATCO-DX)

BHT (Bosnia i Herzognovina TV) has returned on July 10th, on 11.080 GHz,
H, in PAL, after more than a month of absence.
(JW via SATCO-DX)

EXPRESS 2, 14 West, http://www.satcodx.com/e2.html
---------
IRIB TV is still testing on 3.975 GHz, Rc, most probably in preparation
of a more durable transmission towards the western world.
(Richard Eckendorff via SATCO-DX)

SAT-MidEast Intern, http://www.sat-net.com/sat-mideast/
------------------
Another SAT-MidEast report is due tomorrow, to become up-to-date with
the latest news and observations. Be aware that some of the above noted
observations are not valid anymore. See tomorrows updates...

Thanks to all subscribers for their patience, to all contributors
(especially the ones to SATCO-DX) for their infos, and to Christian
Lyngemark (himself) for having and maintaining the best satellite
database I know !!! Visit his works, submit information and sightings,
even the smallest blimp is important to us.

And b.t.w.: I had a good time in Europe, thanks for asking, but
unfortunatley I did not manage to see the last Dr.Dish TV show;
- I had to be in it...;-)) <gg>

Best regards,

Henk C. Room / Sat-MidEast / Cairo - Egypt
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