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SAT Observations 97.09.19
WELCOME TO SAT-MIDEAST !
A news release from Cairo, Egypt, located at 30.3 North - 31.15 East,
sponsored by TELE-SATELLIT INTERNATIONAL, Europes Satellite Magazine.
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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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Send relevant infos, interesting news, and creative comments to :
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THE HEADLINES IN THIS 97.09.19 REPORT
-- there's a bad moon on the risin' --
- Intelsat Changes
- EutelNet ??
- Launch Infos
- Intelsat 803 Info
- Ariane 502 Launch
- SESAT
- Hot Bird 3
- RAI-Sat
- Bits & Pieces
INTELSAT NEW DEPLOYMENT PLAN
----------------------------
Intelsat announced the adoption of a new satellite deployment plan to
accommodate an anomaly experienced September 11th on the Intelsat 605
satellite located at 24.5 W.
The 605 spacecraft experienced a deficiency of telemetry which may
eventually affect Intelsat's ability to monitor the satellite in a
normal operational manner. There is no effect on the traffic carried on
the satellite and none is anticipated.
The new deployment plan noted below has been developed as a
precautionary measure to ensure that Intelsat's high quality of customer
service remains unaffected. The 605 spacecraft will continue to be
operated at the 24.5 W location until the new deployment plan is
implemented.
Customers on the 605 spacecraft will be transferred to the Intelsat 603
at 34.5 W spacecraft when it assumes its operational role as noted
below.
An INTELSAT VIII (*) will be deployed to 27.5 W to release INTELSAT 601.
INTELSAT 601 will be relocated to 34.5 W to release INTELSAT 603.
INTELSAT 603 will be relocated to 24.5 W to replace INTELSAT 605.
INTELSAT 605 will be relocated to perform a new operational role.
(*) SME Comment: NOT Intelsat 803 ! Probably Intelsat 804, instead of
going to the new orbital position 29.5 West.
In announcing this action, Intelsat Vice President, Sales & Marketing,
Gary Smith, stated "our ability to continue meeting our customer service
requirements while accommodating a satellite anomaly such as this is a
testament to Intelsat's engineering expertise and unrivalled system
operations. We'll continue to ensure that Intelsat's 24-satellite fleet
remains the most reliable communications system in the world," he added.
(SME, source Intelsat)
MORE MED TV: MEDITERRANEAN TV !
-------------------------------
Med TV is a new satellite channel aimed at Mediterranean countries which
is due to start broadcasting during 1998. It will be a joint venture
between public TV stations in Italy (RAI), France, Spain, Egypt, Morocco
and Tunisia. It will be broadcast via an EUTELSAT satellite.
This channel has no relations to the existing Kurdish Channel MED TV.
(SME)
INTERNET VIA EUTELSAT
---------------------
Starting from next year, any editor or Internet provider who would like
to transmit via satellite will be offered an uplink station by which he
could send his signal via the Eutelsat Hot Bird 4 satellite, which will
be operative during the course of 1998.
One transponder (out of a total of 20) on the new satellite will be
reserved for this service, using the Skyplex technology, capable of
organizing several uplinked signals onto one transponder ready for
reception down on Earth. This revolutionary technology will enable users
to transmit their own signals directly to the satellite, bypassing
uplinks and Earth stations.
There is also the prospective of a full Internet service via satellite,
using a low-cost transmitting antenna. The pilot project called Isis is
currently in its development phase and Eutelsat is working on it
together with Alenia Spazio. The major problem is that the cost of the
transmitting dish is still high.
But what does all this mean for normal Internet users? The Internet
connection will still continue to use a normal telephone cable via
modem, but the return channel will be 500 times more powerful. At the
cost of an Internet subscription today, subscribers will receive
enormous data, choosing between having an interactive channel (more
costly, for professional users of the Internet) or just opting for some
multimedia services.
According to Eutelsat estimates, the cost of the service could be around
USD 60 a year, but this does not include the satellite dish and the card
needed to connect to the PC which will cost USD 500-600. Currently, a
typical Internet user in Italy spends around USD 60 a month for the
phonebill. The satellite service will speed things up which will in turn
mean lower phone bills.
(SME, source Eutelsat)
LAUNCH INFORMATION, http://www.satcodx.com/launches.shtml
------------------
The launch of Sirius 2 and Cakrawatra 1 (previous Indostar 1) with
Ariane V102 is further delayed, new targeted date: 30 October.
(KS)
The launch window for the Intelsat 803 launch with Arianespace flight
V100 in the night from 23 to 24 September is 02:58 - 03:47 CAT.
(SATCO DX)
The satellite is targetted to be deployed at the 21.5 West position,
despite many rumours of a location onto 27.5 West, due to the above
noted anomaly discovered on the Intelsat 605.
(SME)
INTELSAT announced on September 12th at the IBC in Amsterdam, that the
803 satellite, scheduled for launch on 23 September, will offer the
greatest coverage by any spacecraft of the entire African continent.
When located at 21.5 degrees West, this latest generation satellite will
replace the INTELSAT 515, which was in the same orbital location.
However, the 803 will have greater coverage and significantly higher
power -- up to 42.6 dBW at C-band and up to 52.2 dBW at Ku-band.
The 803 will be the only satellite that will enable C-band reception in
Africa with antennas as small as 1.8 meters, which makes the service
more attractive and affordable to a much broader market.
Speaking at the IBC Convention being held here, 12 - 16 September, Tom
Eaton, Director of Sales & Marketing for INTELSAT Video Services,
commented, "The design of the 803 is ideal for the needs of
international broadcasters who want to distribute their programming
throughout Africa. Once we have signed up the international
broadcasters, our next target audience for the 803 will be the regional
broadcasters, as they will benefit from the wide community we are
establishing."
Through INTELSAT Signatories and customers such as BT, France Telecom
and Portugal Telecom, the 803 has commitments from programmers which
include Discovery, TV5 Afrique, MCM Africa, CFI, Canal+Horizons, RTP
International and RTP Africa.
Others planning on transferring to the 803 include the Portuguese
broadcasters RTP1, RTP2, SIC and TVI. "The 803 allows us to continue to
distribute programming to our established European audience, as well as
dramatically expand our market into Africa," said Pedro Mendonça of
Portugal Telecom.
The special features of the 803 include two independently steerable
Ku-band spot beams, and inter-connectable zone and hemi beams which
allow for regional coverage and easy connections between Europe, North
and South America, the Middle East and Africa.
The design of the satellite is ideal for the needs of international
broadcasters who want to distribute their programming throughout Africa.
Services can be uplinked in Europe, the United States, or from within
Africa itself, and then downlinked into TVROs across the continent.
Millions of homes will receive the programming directly or via cable,
MMDS and terrestrial TV networks.
(SME, source Intelsat)
ARIANE 502 DELAYED
------------------
"We're not here to amuse the crowds - we'll go only when we're ready !"
With these words, an Aerospatiale spokesman summed up the situation
after the joint communique, issued late on the 17th September by the
European Space Agency and CNES which - in substance - announced that
flight 502 cannot now take place "as from 30th September". (We say in
substance since the communique is titled "Ariane 502 - Launch
preparation" and at NO TIME uses the words "delayed" or postponed" !)
SME Comment: Other well-informed sources anounce October 6th as the new
target date.
Only ten days ago, the second qualification flight of the new launcher
was still scheduled for the end of the month "or the following days".
The moment was drawing near and there is today an undeniable feeling of
frustration. But the determination to succeed this crucial test must
overide everything. ESA / CNES have set a new rendez-vous for 25th
September when a new target date should be given.
Explaining this new delay, the statement says that whilst the launch
campaign (which started on the 16th June) has proceeded
"satisfactorily", and whilst the launcher system rehearsal results have
been up to expectations, "more studies and tests are being carried out
at launcher system level and on associated aspects.
If the vast majority of these tests and studies have been satisfactory,
some verifications in the analysis of the dynamic behaviour of the
launcher remain to be completed.
The consequence is that a new launch date target, which had been fixed
at 30th September, can now only be announced as from the 25th September,
when the final aspects of the launch will have been determined."
(C) 1997 "go_Ariane" Martin OA Ransom
For the full report and many more, most interesting, details on the
Ariane 5 program visit Martin's GO_ARIANE website:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/2058/indexa.html
Now to some of this weeks satellite and channel observations:
PANAMSAT 4, 68.4 East, http://www.satcodx.com/pas4.html
----------
During the funeral of Mother Teresa, most signals carried the
Doordarshan logo, even CNNi and NBC. The only direct feed I observed
with an own up-link and different camera material from the Netaji
Stadium, was ABC-News on 4.040 GHz, H.
(SME)
The transmissions of Iranian entertainment channel BAZTAB on 4.035 GHz,
H, seem to have ceased, however the situation could also be seen from a
different angle.
On transponder 11C, an extremely strong, but empty, carrier was seen
last week, which was NOT of the origine of the broadcaster or the
up-link station in charge of the BAZTAB transmission.
Do we see here a similarity to the Kurdish Med TV jamming case ? If so,
then times are getting worse, for free-to-air television and, above all,
for the certified rights of minorities in our communities, to express
their opinions.
(SME)
French Music channel MCM as part of the 1stNet bouquet changed it's
on-screen logo already last week, I just forgot to mention it. It is the
same un-even letter combination: "MCM" but now on a blackblue circle,
representing an atom, with additional electrons static grouped around
it.
The same logo appears also in an animated form in some station
anouncements.
(SME)
A CCTV (China Central Television) package appeared on 3.716 GHz, H,
MPEG-2, PowerVu, SR 19850, FEC 3/4, with following content: CCTV 3, CCTV
4, CCTV 7, CCTV 9 and two feed channels.
The signal is very strong in Kiev, Ukraine. In Cairo, Egypt, the signal
is appearant, but reception could not be achieved yet.
(SATCO DX)
INTELSAT 602, 62.5 East, http://www.satcodx.com/i602.html
------------
Occasional feeds could be observed on 11.060 GHz, H.
This satellite is is very very slowly moving from 63 to 62 East, now
located at approximately 62.5 East.
(SATCO DX)
TURKSAT 1C, 42 East, http://www.satcodx.com/turk1c.html
----------
Maxi TV and SuperSport seem to be transmitting regularly now on 11.683
GHz, V, in PAL on the Eurobeam.
(SATCO DX)
The launch of Turksat 2A with extended coverage of the Middle Eastern,
Asian and European regions, has been re-scheduled from late 1998 to
early 1999.
For detailed info on this satellite see:
http://www.sat-net.com/sat-mideast/news/turk2a.html
(SME)
GORIZONT 31, 40,5 East, http://www.satcodx/g31.html
-----------
REN TV on 3.925 GHz, RC, has extended its broadcasting hours extensively
and can be watched now almost throughout the day.
(SME)
SESAT/GALS R12, 36 East, http://www.satcodx.com/launches.shtml
--------------
As more and more information becomes available, it looks to me that the
SESAT satellite is identical with the, much earlier announced, GALS R12,
or better said: planning of the GALS R12 has been integrated in this
Russian co-production for the Eutelsat fleet.
>From the known data it could be assumed that the announced lower Ku-Band
frequencies from 10.950-11.200 and 11.450-11.700 GHz will be used by
Eutelsat for TV & telecommunication operations towards eastern Europe
and the higher bands 12.500-12.750 GHz have been reserved for the
digital TV transmissions of Russian Broadcaster "NTV Plus", presently
using GALS 1 & 2 on the same position.
The inbetween solution for NTV Plus is the lately by Eutelsat contracted
French satellite TDF 2, already slowly on it's way from 18.8 West,
presently around 17 East. This satellite will be operated from the end
of 1997 from the 36 East position with a minimum of three transponder in
the Ku-Bands (11.800-12.050 GHz).
SESAT, is presently under construction by Russian manufacturer NPO-PM
and Alcatel France. The satellite will drastically improve TV and
Telecommunications in Russia and Central/East Europe. A launch is
anticipated in Dezember 1998 from the Baikonur, Kasachstan spaceport.
The satellit, with an expected lifespan of 11.5 years, features 18
transponder of 72 MHz each, a widebeam with an EIRP of 47 dBW in the
beam center and a steerable spotbeam with a center EIRP of 49 dBW.
SESAT will be located at 36 Grad Ost (not at 48 East as earlier
announced), and will use frequencies from 10.950-11.200, 11.450-11.700,
and 12,500-12,750 GHz, identical to the presently used scheme on the
Eutelsat II series.
(SME)
ARABSAT 2A, 26 East, http://www.satcodx.com/arab2a.html
----------
JSC - Al Jazeera Satellite Channel from Qatar is supposed to appear on
3.946 GHz, LC, (previous CFI transponder) some time soon before the end
of September.
(SATCO DX)
The earlier announced ceasure to the September 30th date of the Ku-Band
transmissions on 12.521 GHz, H, could not be confirmed. It seems however
unlikely that JSC will keep 3 submission channel operational (There is a
second Ku-band transmission on Eutelsat II-f3, 16 East, transponder 21U,
11.080 GHz, H).
In case of a ceasure of the Ku transmissions on the Arabsat 2A, it would
certainly be welcomed by the ART which could use an additional
horizontal polarized transponder for its, soon to be expanded, 1stNet
DStv package.
(SME)
EUTELSAT II-f3, 16 East, http://www.satcodx.com/e2f3.html
--------------
Eutelsat Germany announces officially the addition of two channels using
transponder 37, 11.575 GHz, V, in time-sharing:
The Bible Channel, in English und Voice of Resistance (Iranian
Oppositional Channel) in Farsi using the standard audio subcarrier of
6.60 MHz.
(SME, source Eutelsat-D)
HOT BIRD 3, 13 East, http://www.satcodx.com/hb3.html
----------
Hotbird 3 arrived, ahead of schedule, at 29 degrees East and has been
tested there for almost five days. After the appearance of empty
carriers on various transponder, on some transponder the Eutelsat TV 13
East promotional videos were broadcast in English and French,
interrupted at times by following on-screen message:
EUTELSAT SATELLITE
OPERATIONAL EVALUATION
AT 29 DEGREES EAST
14/15 SEPTEMBER 1997
Here a listing of the various activated transponder and frequencies; in
case the promo video was shown, it was transmitted in PAL, using an
audio subcarrier on 6.60 MHz.
Tp Freq Pol Super/Wide Observer
70 12.111 V S CC 13/09 (1st Report)
71 12.130 H W DS
72 12.149 V S CC
75 12.207 H W DS
76 12.226 V W DS
77 12.245 H S DS
79 12.284 H S CC 13/09 (1st Report)
80 12.303 V S TB
81 12.322 H S CC
83 12.360 H S CC
84 12.380 V W HR, DS
85 12.399 H S CC
86 12.418 V W EB, TB
87 12.476 H W TB
88 12.466 V W CC, DS
A total of 15 out of 20 observations have been reported, with weak and
sparkly pictures in the near Middle East on the eight observed superbeam
transponder (with lower saturation levels as seen from Polonia 1 on Hot
Bird 2) and, as expected, perfect video and audio on the seven observed
widebeam transponder.
(SME, sources SATCO DX; C.Cartier; G.Tabet, Lebanon; S.Hammad, UAE;
H.Room, Egypt; D.Shimoni, Israel; A.Louca, Cyprus)
No observation has been reported from following five transponder:
(which by no means indicates that the transponder not has been
activated)
Tp Freq Pol
73 12.169 H
74 12.188 V
78 12.265 V
82 12.341 V
89 12.476 H
The Hot Bird 3 has left in between the 29 East position and is presently
on its way to the final destination at 13 East. The satellite travels
with an approximated speed of 1.5 to 2 degrees per 24-hours, which means
the distance could be mastered in around one week time.
First signals and/or testcards could be expected from Monday September
29th. The official startdate of Eutelsat Hot Bird 3 operation is October
1st.
Additional information of any appearing channels, frequencies, beam
usage, has not been disclosed last week. It is Eutelsats policy to allow
the individual broadcaster to make any public announcement, prior to a
confirmation from the operators side.
HOT BIRD 2, 13 East, http://www.satcodx.com/hb2.html
----------
Fashion TV started on September 18th on 11.881 GHz, V, PAL, with an
audio subcarrier on 6.60 MHz, unfortunately using the super beam.
The transmission is very, very poor receivable in Cairo. No comparison
to the transmissions of Polonia 1, also on superbeam, transponder 63,
11.977 GHz, H.
The saturation of the signal must be very low.
Owners of a Free-To-Air digital receiver, such as a Nokia Mediamaster
9200 S FTA, are in luck. They have the ability to get the channel as
part of the French bouquet on transponder 5 of Hot Bird 1, 11.304 GHz,
V, SR 27.500, FEC 3/4.
RAI SAT 2, RAI Package, Transponder 54, 11.804 GHz, V, SR 27500, FEC 2/3
---------
There has been a slight change of plan for the launch of RAI's new
thematic satellite channels. Instead of all three new channels starting
on September 29th, only Rai Sat 2, the children's channel will start
broadcasting from that date. The educational channel called Rai Sat 3
will follow on October 13th and finally on October 27th we will see the
launch of Rai Sat 1, the arts and cultural service.
All three channels will broadcast as part of RAI's digital bouquet on
the EUTELSAT HOT BIRD 2 satellite. They will carry no advertisements and
will not be scrambled. Any viewers with a satellite dish and a digital
satellite receiver will be able to receive them. According to some
estimates, there are currently between 90 and 100,000 digital receivers
in Italy and it is expected that in two years their number will reach
one million.
RAI has already signed several programming deals, which total around 30
million DEM for each channel. International accords have been signed
with leading TV companies such as BBC, Channel 4, History Channel,
Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon, National Geographic TV, NVC Arts, ZDF
and Arte.
Check out the following web sites:
http://www.raisat.rai.it/
http://www.raisat2.rai.it/
(C) SAT-ITALY
Russian Broadcaster WRC , as part of the MCM Bouquets has unfortunately,
opposite to earlier reports, decided to go for encryption towards the
end of the year. The subscription should be made available throughout
Europe, however.
(SME, source Eutelsat)
INTELSAT 605, 24.5 West, http://www.satcodx.com/i605.html
------------
See the Intelsat deployment report above for the latest discoveries.
SAT-MidEast Intern, http://www.sat-net.com/sat-mideast/
------------------
For the friends of Dr Dish TV here his new home page at:
http://www.drdish.com/tvshow/index.html
Any kind of questions are still welcome to my mailbox; be aware however
that I'm not a technician, nor perform duties in the satellite business.
Technical inquiries are best placed in Dr.Dish's mailbox, as he is THE
EXPERT.
That's all folks, hold on to your dreams !
Henk C. Room / SAT-MidEast / Cairo - Egypt
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