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SAT-MidEast 98.08.28
WELCOME TO SAT-MIDEAST !
A news release from Cairo, Egypt, located at 31.15 East - 30.3 North,
_____________________________________________________________________
WHAT YOU'LL FIND HERE:
- Events and News interesting to the Middle Eastern SAT-viewer
- Satellite and Transponder Observations in C- and Ku-Band,
- Everything commented from the Middle Eastern perspective
_____________________________________________________________________
WHERE TO GET MORE INFORMATION:
- SAT-MidEast maintains a web site with relevant Middle Eastern
- satellite information, and a regular updated, satellite based,
- archive of observations, features & news for the Middle East.
- SAT-MidEast: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hall/2878
____________________________________________________________________
HOW TO CONTACT SAT-MIDEAST:
Send relevant infos, interesting news, and creative comments to :
- SAT-MidEast@geocities.com
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IRDETO ANNOUNCES THE COMMON INTERFACE
-------------------------------------
Irdeto Access, a part of Mindport officially announced on August 21st that
from the 4th Quarter of this year the IRDETO Conditional Access Module (CAM)
will be available in the Common Interface version (PCMCIA). The new CAM has
been devolped in close cooperation with SCM Microsystems.
The - long awaited - appearance of this module makes the IRDETO encrypted
channels acvcessible by the owners of the Mediamaster 9600. Common Interface
modules are already available for the Viaccess, Conax, Cryptoworks en
Nagravision encryption systems.
The Irdeto Common Interface will be presented to the world on the IBC
(International Broadcast Convention) 1998, from 11 through 15 September in
Amsterdam.
SME Comment: No, I do NOT know where to buy the first samples, but I can tell
you that the initial price is set for around 100 USD.
DELTA 3 EXPLODES
----------------
In an update to last weeks story - this report:
The brand-new Delta 3 rocket, built by Boeing, exploded at T+1 minute and 22
seconds into flight, or at 02:18 CET just as the six ground lighted solid
rocket boosters were separating from the rocket.
"We have LOS (loss of signal) - we experienced an explosion - we have no idea
exactly what happened," said launch commentator Greg High.
Reporters on the roof of the former Range Control Center in the heart of the
Cape Canaveral Air Station Industrial Area saw what appeared to be a bright
fireworks show as the rocket, heading out due east over the Atlantic Ocean,
exploded. A replay of the launch tape clearly indicated that the Delta 3
pitched and then exploded. The rocket was 10-15 miles offshore.
Just earlier this month, on August 12, an Air Force Titan 4 rocket blew up 40
seconds after being launched from the Cape.
An investigation of the Titan rocket failure is under way and a board will be
formed to investigate the second Delta accident in 19 months. A Delta 2 rocket
carrying a Global Positioning Satellite blew up after launch on January 17,
1997 from the same launch pad as the Delta 3.
Lost in this explosion was the Panamsat Galaxy 10 communications satellite,
scheduled to take over TV services for the US.
(SME, source: Various)
MAJOR GEOMAGNETIC STORM FORMING
-------------------------------
If your TV screen goes blank over the next few days, don't adjust your set.
It's more likely that another satellite got zapped as we're in for a major
geomagnetic storm.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, charged particles from a solar
eruption hit the Earth's magnetic field today at around 09:00 CET.
The resulting fluctuations in the field could cause power outages, satellite
failures, disruption in communications but also aurora borealis, the Northern
Lights.
The current forecast looks quite interesting, promising "active to major storm
conditions." The present disturbance is even expected to become "more intense
as conditions change in the solar wind."
(SME, source: Copyright Sat-ND (http://sat-nd.com)
NEW LEBANESE SAT-TV CHANNEL
---------------------------
State-run Lebanese TV station Tele-Liban is close to government approval of a
contract with Arabsat, which would make it the Lebanon's third satellite TV
broadcaster after LBC and Future TV.
Although Tele-Liban is in heavy financial troubles, information minister
Bassem Sabaa was quoted as saying he hoped TL would begin satellite
broadcasting very soon. "The funds have already been approved in an earlier
decision," he added. Earlier this year, the Lebanese cabinet allocated
US$800,000 specifically for satellite broadcasting.
(SME, source: Copyright Sat-ND (http://sat-nd.com)
SABC EXPANDS
------------
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) plans to set up two
additional commercial TV channels broadcasting to the African continent
digitally via satellite - a Best of Africa entertainment channel and a 24-hour
current affairs channel.
Communications minister Jay Naidoo confirmed the government was in talks with
the SABC, MultiChoice Africa, and signal distributor Sentech, on a deal to
exploit digital satellite technologies "to the benefit of South African and
African viewers".
The new channels would be distributed via MultiChoice's DStv digital platform
which is broadcast throughout the African continent.
Naidoo added that the SABC was seeking new sources of revenue, in line with
policy positions outlined in the Broadcasting White Paper to make its
commercial services self-sustaining.
SABC's analogue pay-TV platform, AstraSat, reportedly has not been been
a success so far. But it's not only pay-TV that goes digital: SABC 1, 2
and 3, as well as Bop TV and the SABC radio services will also switch.
Terrestrial broadcasts will however stay analogue.
(SME, source: Anonymous)
AND WHAT HAPPEND THEN ?
-----------------------
Nothing to do with satellites -so far-, but I think it is a remarkable story
line. and we are not even talking about genetic engineering.....
Professor Kevin Warwick claims to be the first person in the world to have a
computer chip surgically implanted into his body.
Professor Warwick told a press conference this week that a glass capsule about
23 millimeters long and 3 millimeters wide containing an
electromagnetic coil and a silicon chip was inserted into his arm.
"It is a research experiment. I don't know how long we will leave the implant
in but it's looking at what's possible now in terms of communicating between a
computer and myself," Warwick said.
In demonstrating the chip, a computer greeted him as he walked in a room.
(SME, source: NewsLine)
Arianespace launches ST-1
-------------------------
On August 25, 1998, Arianespace successfully launched ST-1, the first
telecommunications satellite operated by Chunghwa Telecom of Taiwan and
Singapore Telecom. The launch was carried out within the scope of a contract
with Matra Marconi Space. [So to say a ready-to-go package]
Flight 109 was carried out by an Ariane 44P, the version of the European
launcher with four solid-propellant strap-on boosters. It used the 79th Ariane
4 launcher out of the 116 ordered to date from the European space
industry.
Liftoff from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, took place on
Wednesday, August 26, 1998 at 01:07 CET. (or - one day earlier- 20:07 Kourou
time)
Moments after this 37th successful Ariane 4 launch in a row, Arianespace
Chairman and CEO Jean-Marie Luton said, "This evening we are honored to serve
two new operators, Singapore Telecom and Chunghwa Telecom of Taiwan. Their
ST-1 satellite was placed in orbit under optimum conditions and deadlines.
Taiwan and Singapore now have first-hand experience of the very best in space
transportation service.
This latest success further consolidates the European launcher's leading role
in the Asia-Pacific region, with 26 Asian satellites launched by Arianespace
to date."
Provisional parameters at third stage injection into geostationary orbit were:
Perigee: 280.4 km for a target of 280 (+/- 3) km
Apogee: 35,976 km for a target of 35,943 (+/- 150) km
Inclination: 3.97 degrees for a target of 4.00 (+/0.06) degrees
ST-1 was designed and built by Matra Marconi Space. Weighing 3,255 kg at
liftoff, it is equipped with 16 Ku-band and 14 C-band transponders and will
cover an area extending from the Middle East to the Far East, from its orbital
position over the Indian Ocean at 88 degrees East. Developing 6.5 kW of power,
ST-1 will be one of the most powerful telecom satellites in orbit over Asia.
The next Arianespace launch, Flight 110, is scheduled for early morning on
September 15, 1998. An Ariane 44LP will lift into orbit the international
telecommunications satellite PAS-7 for Panamsat Corporation of the United
States.
(SME, source: Arianespace PR)
* It is expected that ST 1 will reach 88 East in 12 days, around September
9th.
(SATCO DX)
LAUNCH INFORMATION, http://www.satcodx.com/launches.shtml
------------------
* The updated launch window for Hot Bird 5 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with
an Atlas II on 6 October is 23:51-01:14 CET.
(SATCO DX)
* On board of a PROTON D1-e rocket the SES - ASTRA 2A will be launched on
August 30, 1998.
(SATCO DX)
* Eutelsat W1R is scheduled to launch in 2000 as a replacement for the water
damaged Eutelsat W1. The specififations will be similar to those of the poor
Eutelsat W1.
(SATCO DX)
THAICOM 3, 78.5 East, http://www.satcodx.com/thai78.shtml
---------
* Maharishi Veda Vision has started on 3,600 H, MPEG-2/clear, PIDs 513/644,
SID 2.
(SATCO DX)
SME Comment: There is a lot of testing in this package, with various channels
popping up, for days or even hours only.
PANAMSAT 4, 68.5 East, http://www.satcodx.com/pas4.shtml
----------
* CMT has not started regularely on 3,743 H, SID 6. It was just a very brief
tranmission there. The colour bars are back again.
(SATCO DX)
INTELSAT 704, 66 East, http://www.satcodx.com/i704.shtml
------------
* RTNC - La Voix de Peuple (Congo-Kinshasa) was temporary interrupted on 3,798
R, due to lack of available electricity power in Kinshasa.
There did come back in between...
(SATCO DX)
TURKSAT 1C, 42 East, http://www.satcodx.com/turk1c.shtml
----------
* Medya Grup has left 11,664 V, now only on Turksat 1B, 31 East.
(SATCO DX)
* Samanyolu TV (PAL) has slightly moved its frequency from 11,126 H to 11,114
H.
(SATCO DX)
* Eylik TV has started on 11,140 H, MPEG-2/clear, SR 3409, FEC 7/8, PIDs
33/34, SID 1, East (Turkey) beam.
(SATCO DX)
ARABSAT 2A, 26 East, http://www.satcodx.com/arab2a.shtml
----------
* ART-Ala Keyfak has replaced ART-Saif on 12,605 H in the 1stNET/ART MPEG-2
package.
(SATCO DX)
ASTRA 1G, 19.2 East, http://www.satcodx.com/astra1g.shtml
--------
* On 12,551 GHz, V, SR 22,000, FEC 5/6, PIDs 162/96, shows the SES it's logo
and the internet URL. The channel is named "Launch" and is reserved for the
eminent Astra 2A take-off.
SME: I had personally no chance to see this transmission yet.
(SME, source: N. Schlammer)
* Dutch radio "Kink FM" has started on 12,574 H, MPEG-2/clear, APID 701.
(SATCO DX)
Eutelsat II-f1, 13 East, http://satcodx.com/e2f1.shtml
--------------
* Bloomberg TV UK has started on 11,642 H, MPEG-2/clear, PIDs 1560/1520.
(SATCO DX)
HOT BIRD 2, 13 East, http://www.satcodx.com/hb2.shtml
----------
* ART-Ala Keyfak has replaced ART-Saif on 12,015 H, PIDs 169/116, as part of
the Arabesque MPEG-2 bouquet.
(SATCO DX)
New PID line-up on the Mediaset transponder at 11,919 V:
160/80: Italia 1
161/84: Canale 5
162/88: Rete 4
163/92: Mediaset Tests & Occ. feeds)
8191/96: Radio Mater
(SATCO DX)
HOT BIRD 3, 13 East, http://www.satcodx.com/hb3.shtml
----------
* Fashion TV has started to separate it's channels on 12,322 H, MPEG-2/clear,
part of the Polish Digital Platform.
Since today the tranmissions are not identical: F'Hommes is showing
transmissions identical to the analogue version on 11.766 GHz, V and the
MPEG-2 version on 12,245 GHz, H. L'Original shows the earlier known version,
since this afternoon also with audio.
Here the actual ID line-up:
3072/3073: F'Hommes (male fashion only)
2945/2944: L'Original (mainly female fashion)
(SME, SATCO DX)
*TGRT has left the Telespazio DP at 12,111 V, PIDs 210/211, and was for
24-hours replaced by a Fucino test card and thereafter by Turkish broadcaster
InterSTAR.
(SATCO DX)
SME Comment: Should we experience a whole Turkish EDP soon, now the
replacement of the Eutelsat II-f2 is temporarely on hold ? It wouldn't be that
crazy, wouldn't it: all Turkish channels in one widebeam package from the Hot
Bird position ? I'm all for it ! and I believe a quarter of the population of
Berlin will agree !
* The Convergence DP has left 12,188 V and most of the channnels have been
moved to Hot Bird 4 at 10,722 H.
(SATCO DX)
HOT BIRD 4, 13 East, http://www.satcodx.com/hb4.shtml
----------
* Convergence & British Telecom DP is testing at transponder 111, 10,722 GHz,
H, SR 27500, FEC 2/3, and following line up:
1001/1201 Apna feed (from 17:00 CET)
1002/1202 Travel
1003/1203 Quantum 24
1004/1204 Test Card
8191/1302 CMR (Country Music Radio)
(SME)
SME Tip: Check out the informing CMR transmissions on Wednesday evening "MEDIA
ZOO".
* Transmissions of Quantum 24 on transponder 121 on 10,914 H (MPEG-2, SR 3998,
FEC 1/2) and 10,933 H (PAL) have switched to the widebeam and became
receivable up to the Persian Gulf.
(SATCO DX)
* Automobile and XXL have started in the AB SAT bouquet on 12,692 H,PIDs
169/116.
(SATCO DX)
EUTELSAT II-f4-M, 7 East, http://www.satcodx.com/e2f4.shtml
----------------
* This week EBU finally switched all transmissions from PAL/SiS to MPEG-2/NDS
(exept 3 channels on two transponder)
For all the new channel names, frequencies, SR and FEC, please refer to the
SATCO DX chart.
(SATCO DX)
SME Comment: Channels using the propriatary NDS encryption system can not be
received by common FTA receiver.
* Still transponder 22L, 11,144 H (Channel X), 22U, 11,185 H (Channel Y), and
27, 11,166 V (Channel Z) are used for analogue transmissions, e.g. check the
ORF Formula 1 feeds from SPA on 11.144 GHz, H.
(SME)
SIRIUS 2, 5 East, http://www.satcodx.com/sirius.shtml
--------
* CNBC/National Geographic Channel has started on 12,303 H, MPEG-2/PowerVu,
PIDs 1760/1720 , European beam.
(SATCO DX)
* KSS-TeleSport is on 12.352 H, MPEG-2/clear with SR 3460, FEC 3/4, PIDs
33/32/33
(SME)
THOR 3, 0.8 West, http://www.satcodx.com/thor3.shtml
------
* The Thor 3 digital tests on 12.456 GHz, H, could be received in Istanbul,
Turkey , in a good quality with a dish size of 150cm, and a NOKIA Mediamaster
9600-S.
(SME, source: Fatih Yesilova)
NILESAT 101, 7 West, http://www.satcodx.com/nile101.shtml
-----------
* Educational Channel 7 seems to have started on 11,747 V, MPEG-2/clear, PIDs
1007/1207. On all other channels are at times music underlayed inerts
displayed.
(SME, SATCO DX)
* The temporary transmissions of Nile Sports has left 11,823 V, PIDs
1002/1202.
(SATCO DX)
* New radio stations on the Iraq Space Channel in PAL at 11,862 V:
7,20: Al Iraq
7,56: Izaat Sawt Alshabab
7,92: unidentified
(SATCO DX)
* The MPEG-2 transmissions of the Iraq Space Channel on transponder 6, 11,823
GHZ, V, have not improved during this week. Plenty of interupts on-screen.
* ART-Ala Keyfak has replaced ART-Saif on 11,881 H as part of the 1stNET/ART
digital bouquet.
(SATCO DX)
SME Comment: I was able to test the Showtime and 1stNET/ART digital packages
from the Nilesat with both a Panasat 520, NOKIA Medimaster 9200-S, and a NOKIA
Mediamaster 9600-S (here of-course only the channel loading, due to the
absence of a CAM). I have tested with original software - as well as the
experimental software of Dr. Overflow.
The packages on the four transponder are closely inter-related in their
transmitted data-streams. So closely that the data frequently are totally
messed up. At times the pointers to the following tranponder are going totally
in the wrong direction. Enetering a fixed transponder frequency results at
times by loading of channels from another transponder, in practical use is a
second transponder (for the other part of the package) mostly not found, or
only after altering a search freqeuncy.
It seems strange that it happens with all tested IRD's and all tested
software, ONLY on the Nilesat 101. Reception of the identical packages from
resp. Panamsat 4 or Arabsat 2A is completely without problems - on all IRD
set-ups. Questions asked to Showtime in Dubai have not be answered yet,
probably due to the summer vacations.
(SME)
SAT-MIDEAST INTERN, http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hall/2878
------------------
* A personal remark: I need urgently a QPSK tunercard for a Mediamaster 9200-S
! Mine got fried during an electrical power surge.
Anybody selling one ? Send me an offer for new or eventually used !
DR.DISH INTERN, http://www.drdish.com/
--------------
Dr. Dish is back on air after the Summer-Break!
These are the dates for the next DrDish@TV live broadcast:
September 11th, 1998, from 20:00 - 23:00 CET via DFS-II, 28.5° East.
Video: 11,548 GHz, V - Audio subcarrier at: 6,65 MHz
Some planned highlights for the show:
* Media-News with Petra Huether
(Chief-Editor of TELE Satellite International).
* Space-News with John Locker.
* Catching the UHF-satellites and Inmarsat
with a hand held radio-scanner (with Mike Höhn).
* New Products:
Finally the Lemon-Volksbox reached us,
Humax F1-CI with CI-slots,
Internet via satellite,
Grundigs new MPEG-Receiver,
and much more!
* Dr.Dish-live:
just call in and discuss your technical and receiving-problems.
If you would like to contribute to the show with a video of your own
receiving-gear, new products or some new ideas, just dispatch your material
to:
DrDish@TV
P.O.Box 1153
D-52532 Gangelt
Germany
e-mail: drdish@drdish.com
Furthermore, we are still looking for a english speaking co-moderator,
living in the Frankfurt/Main area (Germany). He or she must be able to do
simultaneous translations for the English audio-sub carrier.
Contact Dr.Dish via e-mail at above e-mail address.
DrDish@TV is sponsored by Deutsche Telekom AG and TELE-Satellite
International.
If you live outside of the DFS-II footprint, have a look at
DrDish@TV at http://www.drdish.com/tv/
The show is also widely re-transmitted by HAMīs Amateur-Television (ATV)
throughout Europe.
YOU HAVE A QEUSTION ?
---------------------
How to ask Dr.Dish for h e l p on satellite related problems?
Either simply address your email to: drdish@drdish.com
-or-
use the online form for this at: http://www.drdish.com/question.html
Best regards,
Henk C. Room / Cairo - Egypt / ICQ: 1747 2291
____________________________________________________________________
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