X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL6]
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Date:         Tue, 15 Dec 1992 20:13:23 MEZ
From:         "Wolfgang R. Schulz" <wrs@MCSHH.HANSE.DE>
Subject:      FOOTPRINT, British Newsletter 1 (long)

FOOTPRINT - the satellite newsletter of The European Satellite User Group.

Welcome to the second, free of charge, edition of Footprint via Videodat.
Within the following pages you will find our test edition of FOOTPRINT. This
service will be free to readers for three months.

Footprint is written to assist the satellite user understand the
ever-changing world of satellite.

Our address is: The European Satellite User Group
                Rio House
                Stafford Close
                Ashford
                Kent
                TN23 2TT
                England

The telephone number is: +44 (0) 233 610040 or Fax: +44 (0) 233 610106

We would welcome your comments on the service and any inclusions you may feel
will assist you in the future.




           ****  FACT SHEET FILE  ****
           For  those that have  asked
           here is a run down;
           Type of Information      No
           2nd dish installation     1
           Add Telecom band          2
           Scarts & 'D's             3
           LNBs explained            4
           VCR problems?             6
           Rumanian dish guide       7
           Amstrad 48 upgrade        8
           Radio Fact sheet          9
           (please specify station)
           Amstrad 100 re-tune      10
           Find-a-satellite         11
           284 channel Amstrad      12
           Home distribution        14
           Motorised install        19
           Fixed dish install       20
           Polarity failure         21
           SRD 400 unlock           22
           MBC                      23
           PAL I/G (Pace)           25
           Build a P/F dish         30
           Decoder loop through     31
           Trac transcoder        TR01
           CNN dish guide        CNN01
           Fitting little xtra    ST08

           There  are  also a  growing
           number of re-tuning  sheets
           for the following;
           BUSH IRD 155
           ECHOSTAR SR5500
           FERGUSON SRD4
           GRUNDIG GIRD 2000
           GRUNDIG GIRD 3000
           ITT NOKIA 1100
           ITT SAT 1500
           MASPRO SRE 350
           NEC 3022
           PACE SS9000 IRD
           PACE SS9200
           PHILIPS STU 801
           SALORA 5902
           UNIDEN UST 7007
           UNIDEN UST 8008

           There  are  also full  hand
           books  on more systems  and
           we will continue to add  to
           the  tuning  guides as  and
           when you want them.
           Also  the  number  of  full
           workshop manuals is growing
           well. If you require any of
           the above or the  satellite
           info  sheets please include
           a  description of the  fact
           sheet  as numbers are  hard
           to read. Sorry C-band boys,
           a  full list for  you  next
           issue  plus  other   lists.



                                        1








        THANK  YOU FOR ALL THE NICE
        COMMENTS  ABOUT  THE   LAST
        EDITION  OF FP.  PLUS  SOME
        SLIGHTLY   NEGATIVE   ONES,
        THEY  WANT TO SEE THE  NEWS
        SEPARATE TO THE INFORMATION
        SECTIONS.  THIS WE WILL TRY
        AND  ACHIEVE FOR YOU.  SOME
        SAD NEWS IS THAT CHRIS  HAS
        LEFT  TESUG H/Q.  WE  WOULD
        LIKE TO THANK CHRIS FOR HIS
        INVOLVEMENT  OVER THE  PAST
        YEAR  AND WISH HIM ALL  THE
        BEST  IN  THE  FUTURE.  THE
        GOOD  NEWS  IS THAT WE  NOW
        HAVE   A  BETTER   COMPUTER
        SYSTEM AND INFO CAN NOW  BE
        PULLED   OFF-SCREEN.    FOR
        THOSE   THAT  HAVE  BEEN  A
        LITTLE  CONFUSED,  THIS  IS
        WHY FIONA HAS BEEN ABLE  TO
        SHARE  INFORMATION WITH YOU
        SO  EASILY.   IN   ADDITION
        THERE  IS  A  NEW  LIST  OF
        SHEETS  FOR THE SATELLITES.
        IN  THIS ADDITION YOU  WILL
        FIND  A  MASTER  SHEET  AND
        REFERENCE  NUMBERS.  IF YOU
        WANT  SPECIFIC  DETAILS  ON
        THE SATS YOU ARE  RECEIVING
        THEN  YOU  CAN  ORDER  THEM
        JUST  LIKE ANY OTHER  FACT-
        SHEET.  HELP US BY ORDERING
        THE  CORRECT SAT SHEET  NO.
        IN   THIS  MONTHS  ADDITION
        LOTS OF NEWS AND WE TAKE  A
        LOOK  AT 'STAR TV',  A FREE
        SATELLITE    SYSTEM.    THE
        SURVEY     RESULTS      AND
        SERVICING BEFORE THE WINTER
        ARRIVES,  PLUS YOUR LETTERS
        and  REPLIES  FROM THE  OLD
        MARRIED    MAN     HIMSELF.

        NEW FROM TRAC....The latest
        addition  to their range of
        modified  BSB equipment  is
        the  SRB1  TRAC   PAL.D2MAC
        receiver.  The receiver has
        60   programmable  channels
        PAL,   D2  Mac,  or  D  Mac
        Remote  Control,  On-Screen
        Graphics,     Menu    drive
        (everything  is  programmed
        via  the  handset/on-screen
        menus),    live   D2    Mac
        information,   40   pre-set
        channels,  D2  Mac  digital
        sound,   prefered  language
        facility,       background/
        foreground sound mix,  16:9
        picture    format   option,
        Manual or automatic panning
        (this  is  for  HD),  fully
        tunable     PAL      audio,
        Videocrypt  decoder socket,
        selectable   LNB    option,
        external   12  volt  switch
        feed facility and the  out-
        puts  include  RGB,  video,
        audio  and  UHF.   But  why
        should  you  look at a  re-
        worked  receiver  with   so
        many  cheap  do-it-yourself
        modification  sheets  going
        around?   Infact  many  are
        partial copies of the  work
        originated  by  Trac.   The
        direct answer is not all of
        us  are electronics experts
        and as such a company  like
        Trac   do  offer  you  some
        security if things go wrong
        providing the initial  cost
        of  the receiver is not too
        high.  In the case of Trac,
        who many have critised  for
        charging  for the converted
        BSB boxes,  have again come
        up with a winning receiver.
        The  main reason  why  Trac
        are  able to continue  with
        their      research     and
        developement  is that  they
        do  charge sensible  prices
        for  their  receivers   and
        also  this enables them  to
        offer  good  customer  back
        up,  something  we are very
        keen on. However, if you do
        want  a  touch  of   do-it-
        yourself   then  Trac  will
        offer you a conversion kit.
        This  is also a lot  easier
        than trying to work  things
        out for yourself. On to the
        receiver. First the one and
        only  moan,   when  is  the
        stereo  audio coming?  That
        out of the way, we can only
        describe  the  receiver  as
        great value for money. Lets
        hope that Trac have located
        a warehouse full of old BSB
        equipment.    The   picture
        quality  is very  good  and
        the changes from Mac to Pal
        are  only noticeable due to
        the  degrading of  the  Pal
        standard.  Once you get the
        hang  of the  comprehensive
        on-screen-menu  it is  very
        easy   to   customise   the
        receiver   to   suit   your
        needs.  Our first satellite
        location   was  19.0  west,
        TVSat, TDF and Olympus. The
        idea being to swop  between
        polarizations   and   video
        standards.    It   was   no





        continued from page 1......
        surprise  to  us  that  the
        picture quality and changes
        from one satellite standard
        to  another was very  good.
        Pictures  from Raisat  were
        very    good.    You   have
        probably read our  previous
        reports    on   the    Trac
        receivers  and therefore we
        are not going to repeat our
        previous comments.  But  it
        is  fair to state that  the
        quality we have seen in the
        past  has  been  reproduced
        again. The changes are more
        important.   The  new  look
        menu  means  that  you  can
        directly  connect  the  new
        box to your 14/18v LNB. The
        12volt   external  feed  is
        also very useful.  This can
        be  used  to  change   over
        switches. How about a 5volt
        switch Trac?  That would be
        useful.  You could use that
        in   conjunction   with   a
        Global  Extender.  Then  it
        could be used to extend the
        IF  by 500Mhz.  To  explain
        that,  it  means you  could
        get  to  other  frequencies
        even  though  you  may  not
        have  the  LNB to  normally
        get   there.   The   Global
        switch  works  with  5volts
        and this would be useful on
        this   box.   The   decoder
        socket is via a din  socket
        and the video out is on pin
        3  and return in on pin  5.
        This is another good use of
        the  old  BSB box and  Trac
        will certainly sell many of
        these  boxes.  If  you  are
        still sitting on the  fence
        when it comes to Mac,  this
        will  certainly offer you a
        very cost effective way  of
        getting  into Mac.  It will
        also  give  you,  albeit  a
        mono  one,  a  back-up  Pal
        receiver  should your  main
        set  fail at any  time.  We
        have certainly enjoyed  the
        use  of this receiver,  its
        ease     of     use     and
        flexibility.     You    can
        contact Trac on ;

        Tel  +44(0)642 468145 or by
        Fax  +44(0)642 440927.
        Contact Bob Exelby.

        MIMTEC AND REVOX TOGETHER?

        Since  Revox launched their
        38cm   horn,    which   was
        originally launched over  3
        years ago by American based
        Microbeam,  it has received
        mixed reviews. The bonus is
        that  it is small.  But the
        down side is that it has  a
        very wide beam width.  This
        means  that it can see more
        than  one satellite at  the
        same time. This could cause
        interference    problems.So
        why  would Mimtec  want  to
        join  up  with  Revox.  The
        answer   is  the  SRR  1750
        radio receiver. We have now
        had   the  chance  to   try
        things out and we can  only
        say we were surprised.  The
        major  reason why it  works
        so well is the fact that we
        were   not  interested   in
        video results. We knew that
        the   Mimtec  box  produced
        radio when the video  level
        was  so low that it was not
        watchable.  This is due  to
        the  filtering system  that
        Mimtec  use in their  sound
        boards. Just for fun, we do
        say  for  FUN,   the  crazy
        thought  was  to bring  the
        Revox  horn into the  front
        office,  stand it behind  a
        window  and see what  would
        happen.  Now we have to say
        this  is  a  very  low-tech
        test  as  we do not have  a
        good  access to  19.2  from
        our  office.  A quick check
        of  the  compass   revealed
        that.  So  to begin with we
        moved a vehicle in the  way
        and   fitted  up  the  dish
        inside  Fiona's   car.   To
        screams  of don't damage my
        car,  the  Revox  was  duly
        mounted   and  moved   very
        close   to   the    drivers
        window.  Elevation adjusted
        and  in  came  Wendy  Lloyd
        from  Radio Luxembourg.  It
        was a few dBs lower than we
        would normally expect  from
        Astra but it worked. Noise,
        what noise?  The connection
        of  some  high-tech  meters
        did   show  noise  on   the
        signal,   but   the  Mimtec
        cleaned up the signal.  Now
        there  is a long way to  go
        before    full   scientific
        tests are completed. Yet it
        does  look as  though  some
        will   soon   be  able   to
        receive at least  satellite
        radio   without  having  to
        worry      about       dish
        regulations.  We  hope that
        these very early tests  can
        go some way to helping many
        who  are not able  to  gain
        the benefits of satellite.

        SERVICING THE DISH,  AGAIN?
        If   you  live  in  a  snow
        filled country servicing is
        an  obvious  thing,  albeit
        forgotten about, that needs
        to be done every year.  Yet
        why  should you  bother  in
        hot,  warm areas? To ensure
        longer   life   from   your
        equipment  as  is the  case
        for  the  snowy  areas   of
        Europe. Hot weather damages
        seals,    connections   and
        plastic  covers.  This  can
        cause    damage   to    the
        external   part   of   your
        system.  In  the  same  way
        cold  and  snow  can  cause
        damage.    Therefore    you
        should   ALL  SERVICE  your
        dish and connections. Fixed
        dish owners need only worry
        about the 'F' connector and
        polarisor    wires    where
        applicable.  To begin  with
        make sure that you have de-
        powered  your receiver and/
        or  positioner.  Check  and
        clean   all  the   external
        connections.  These  should
        be  re-sealed with  a  high
        melting     point,     non-
        conductive  grease or self-
        amalgamating tape.  If  you
        use   tape  always  put   a
        further   covering  of  PVC
        tape   around   the   self-
        amalgamating to protect  it
        from   ultra  violet  rays.
        U.V.  can damage S.A. tape.
        Motorised  systems   should
        have  all fittings greased,
        where    applicable     and
        actuators     clean     and
        serviced.  If  you are  not
        sure  contact  your  dealer
        and   avoid  degrading   in
        pictures   or   the   final
        downer   of  NO   PICTURES.




        INSIDE     '   STAR  TV   '
        Following  on from  letters
        we  have all seen and  read
        we are now taking a look at
        another TV  network,  being
        Star   TV  broadcasting  to
        Asia.  The first thing that
        hits  you  in the  face  is
        their advertising,
        "Over   40,000   hours   of
        programming a year. Only on
        STAR   TV.    Asia's   free
        satellite service".
        Yes  you did read it  right
        Star TV is free,  but  what
        about  the programmes.  The
        five  channel  network   is
        very similar to the old BSB
        system in the UK or the new
        Norweigan network. The line
        up   includes  MTV   (Asian
        style),  Prime Sports,  The
        Chinese Channel,  BBC World
        Service and Star Plus,  not
        bad for free!!
        The  MTV  channel  is  very
        similar  to  that which  we
        all know and the BBC  World
        service  TV is also  as  we
        know it. Prime Sports, well
        known  in  America,  brings
        sport   both  recorded  and
        live from around the  world
        and Star are quick to point
        out that it brings European
        Cup   Tournaments  to   the
        screen. The Chinese Channel
        brings  viewers of all ages
        a traditional mix of  shows
        together  with contemporary
        output.     The     line-up
        includes     documentaries,
        comedy,      drama      and
        children's programmes  from
        all over Asia. Star Plus is
        a    family   entertainment
        channel.  This  includes  a
        wide    range   of    local
        programmes plus shows  from
        the USA and Europe.
        Mr   David   Manion,   Vice
        President  of  Star  TV  in
        Korea, is very proud of the
        fact  that  the network  is
        free  which  also  includes
        other   areas.   The   Vice
        President      in       the
        Philippines,    Mr    Kevin
        Mcintyre  said," At present
        we   have   over    100,000
        viewers  in the Philippines
        watching  Star TV and  that
        number is growing by  leaps
        and bounds each day.  There
        is a massive market for the
        service    throughout   the
        country   - it   seems   as
        though   we   have   barely
        skimmed the surface."
        The  Hong  Kong  government
        issued    a   licence    on
        December   22,   1990,   to
        HutchVision  to  operate  a
        pan-Asian,        satellite
        television service  through
        AsiaSat   1.   AsiaSat  was
        launched on April 7th  1990
        via  a  Chinese Long  March
        III rocket.  The  satellite
        is   owned   by   Cable   &
        Wireless     plc,     China
        International    Trust    &
        Investment  Corporation and
        Hutchinson Whampoa Ltd.
        On May 15th 1991 Star  TV's
        preview     channel     was
        launched,   which   ha  now
        developed into 5  channels.
        Star    are   located    in
        Clearwater Bay,  Hong Kong.
        They  have a purpose  built
        post-production  and uplink
        complex.
        Although Star started  with
        only  1  channel they  very
        quickly grew to 5;
        MTV                15/09/91
        BBC W.S. TV        14/10/91
        Chinese Channel    21/10/91
        Star Plus          15/12/91
        Star Tv uses, as do many in
        Europe and America, Panda 1
        sound.  They have also  had
        problems     with     cable
        companies  who do not offer
        full stereo from satellite.
        Their   solution   is    to
        suggest  the cable  systems
        also have FM circuits. This
        enables the stereo audio to
        be  received via the radio.
        Although,   as  Star  point
        out, it does mean that each
        time you change TV channels
        you have to alter the radio
        setting. They are also keen
        to  point out that  if  all
        else fails,  go out and buy
        a satellite dish.  Although
        those  with Pal on a  Nicam
        TV  set  can have  a  Nicam
        modulator  installed at the
        point  where the  satellite
        signals are received. Nicam
        an   acronym   for    'Near
        Instantaneously   Companded
        Audio  Muliplexing,   is  a
        system   that  enables  two
        sound tracks to be received
        at  the same  time.  It  is
        anable however,  to provide
        any more than two.  Yet you
        will   get  better  quality
        audio  from  the  TV  sound
        track.
        Noticeable by its  absence,
        is radio. However, that may
        change.  Interest  has been
        shown  by Star in  offering
        radio.  Much of which  will
        originate  in Europe.  This
        may   mean  that   European
        stations will get a  little
        closer to being world wide.
        Although  Star  is free  to
        viewers they have not ruled
        out  Pay-TV  systems.   The
        owners,HutchVision,   said,
        "We will primarily pursue a
        free-to-air  strategy  with
        the   Star   TV    service.
        However,   we   will   also
        develop     a    wholesale-
        distribution       business
        through the direct sales of
        programming  to  the   more
        than     150    terrestrial
        broadcasters   within   the
        AsiaSat  1  footprints.  In
        addition,  HutchVision will
        look  at premium or  Pay-TV
        type of services across the
        region  in full  compliance
        with the laws of Hong  Kong
        and  the countries  covered
        by AsiaSat 1 footprints. If
        Star TV were to introduce a
        pay-TV service, it would be
        in  addition  to  its  five
        FREE-TO-AIR channels.
        1992  saw after-tax profits
        for the holding company  of
        Star    TV   standing    at
        HK$3,328 million. Owners of
        the parent company,  Cheung
        Kong   (Holdings)  Ltd  had
        combined after-tax  profits
        of  HK$11,805  million.  At
        the    top   of   all   the
        companies is Mr Li Ka-shing
        who,   with   his   family,
        financed the entire capital
        required  for the  Star  TV
        project.    However,    the
        amount required to fund the
        project       was       not
        forthcoming.         (TESUG
        COMMENT- WHAT  ABOUT 5 FREE
        CHANNELS     IN     EUROPE)






        !!!!   TESUG   SURVEY  !!!!
        Thank  you for  sending  in
        the  survey sheets so  here
        is  the way you see things.
        First   the  channels   you
        watch,    with   the   most
        watched  regularly  at  the
        top. However, your specific
        favourites are later in the
        survey results.
        THE CHANNELS YOU WATCH;
        Sky News
        Sky Movies +
        CNN
        The Movie Channel
        MTV
        Sky Sports
        Super Channel
        Eurosport
        RTL+
        Commedy Channel
        Discovery
        Sat 1
        Filmnet
        Eins +
        \Screensport
        \Lifestyle
        *3 Sat
        *Pro 7
        *RTL 4
        *Tele 5
        ~TCC
        ~TV5
        |MCM
        |Adult Channel
        Canal +
        /Teleclub
        /ARTE
        /TV3
        /Rai Uno
        /Rai Duo
        *The Childrens Channel
        *Antenne 2
        *TV1000
        *Canal Jimmy
        \The Learning Channel
        \M6
        \TF1
        \TV4
        \TVE
        \D.W.
        \Galavision
        Where  there  is  a  symbol
        along one or more  stations
        it means  that they tied for
        that position.  For example
        the    symbol    '*'     by
        RaiSat,Atenne 2, TV1000 and
        Canal Jimmy means that they
        all  polled the same amount
        of votes. The above are the
        channels  you  watch,  your
        favourites are next.

        YOUR FAVOURITES
        This  is a list of channels
        that    you   voted    your
        'favourite channel' in  the
        survey, again they are your
        number  1  channel  at  the
        top;

        DISCOVERY
        Sky Sports
        CNN
        Sky News
        Filmnet
        Eurosport
        Sky Movies
        *Movie Channel
        *RTL 4
        *Sky 1
        |Screensport
        |Super Channel
        |MTV
        |Adult Channel
        |The Childrens Channel
        |3 Sat
        |Canal +
        \MCM
        \Antenna 2
        \Eins +
        \Arte
        \Galavision
        Again  a graphic shows that
        there   was   a   tie   for
        position.  Now  on  to  the
        radio results.

        RADIO SURVEY RESULTS
        Again  the  stations  shown
        are your most favourite  at
        the  top and so on down the
        sheet.  Yet  again Luxy  is
        the  winner,  well done  to
        them.
        RADIO LUXEMBOURG
        QEFM
        Holland FM
        Radio Caroline
        Sky Radio
        Hits FM
        *BBC World Service
        *Sunrise
        \Power FM
        \Supergold
        |D.W.
        |RTL4 Radio
        /V.O.A. Europe
        /Euronet
        *Radio 10 Gold
        *Hector
        *Opus
        \Radio Contact
        \SWF3
        \Starsat
        \Solar

        From    all   the    sheets
        received    75%   regularly
        listened    to    satellite
        radio, with 25% saying they
        did not tune in.  The  time
        you   spent  listening   to
        radio was;
        19.00 - 03.00 followed by
        12.00 - 19.00 then
        09.00 - 12.00 finally
        before 09.00.
        The   hours  listened  were
        also pleasing for the radio
        stations  as  it  supported
        other    research     which
        suggested   we  on  average
        listen for about 10 hours a
        week to radio.
        TESUG COMMENT.- If you look
        back at the top TV channels
        it is still obvious that we
        go to satellite because  we
        are    looking    for    an
        alternative  to terrestrial
        broadcasting.      Although
        there   are   two    pay-TV
        channels  high on the list,
        it  also  shows  that  free
        access TV is still a winner
        and that we are all hunting
        for the latest news. As you
        may have noticed there  are
        some  changes  of  position
        between  'watched' channels
        and most favourite. This is
        also   confirmation    that
        specific  channels do  hold
        their  respective audiences
        for longer periods of time.
        Hence, many channels may be
        looked at during a week but
        you  return and  watch  the
        one you prefer.
        The  amount of listeners to
        radio is also a lot  higher
        than   some   local   FM/AM
        stations   would  like   to
        believe.  This  also  shows
        that we like our respective
        styles  of  radio and  stay
        tuned for longer periods of
        time.  From the results  it
        can  again be seen that  we
        choose   satellite  to  get
        away    from    terrestrial
        services.   The  top   five
        services      all     offer
        something  a bit  different
        to normal radio.
        Well  done to your  winners
        being for TV, DISCOVERY and
        on radio, RADIO LUXEMBOURG,
        They will be very pleased.






        SATELLITE  FACTFILE   SEPT.
        of  the birds and where  to
        find them.  Due to the wide
        coverage area of TESUG some
        of them will not be in your
        reception  area.  Therefore
        we    have    included    a
        reference number for you to
        order  the in-depth  sheets
        that  are  of  interest  to
        you.  You  can either write
        or  phone/fax to order  the
        sheets  you  require.   The
        alternative is to fill F.P.
        with data which we know  is
        the  opposite  of what  the
        majority requires. Intelsat
        update     next     column.


        Revised INTELSAT line-up.

        Location  Region  Satellite
        307.00E     AOR         513
        310.00E     AOR         506
        324.50E     AOR         504
        325.50E     AOR         603
        332.50E     AOR         601
        335.50E     AOR         605
        338.50E     AOR          K
        338.50E     AOR         502
        342.00E     AOR         515
        359.00E     AOR         512

         57.00E     IOR         507
         60.00E     IOR         604
         63.00E     IOR         602
         66.00E     IOR         505


         This    months   moves   by
         Intelsat  included 510  and
         511.  These  were manouvred
         on  Saturday  15th  August.
         508  now has  mostly  video
         linking  network feeds from
         Europe  to  the  USA   etc.
         Other  changes  this  month
         include    503   and   501.
         Intelsat  now  124   member
         countries      with     180
         countries,  territories  or
         dependencies using their 19
         satellites.  Traffic is now
         appearing   on   'K'   with
         Brightstar  being the first
         full  time  transponder  to
         come  on-line  (See  N-I-B)





        NEWS    FROM   THE   OWNERS

        INTELSAT
        'K'    began     commercial
        operations  21 August 1992.
        (see             sightings)
        Broadcasters   wishing   to
        test    results   of    the
        satellite  were invited  to
        use  'K'  for  a  two  week
        period  free-of-charge.   A
        new  channel guide will  be
        available shortly, which is
        being forwarded to  us.  It
        is   to   show  all   their
        satellites    world    wide
        together  with  the  users.
        The   full  list  will   be
        available to those who  ask
        for  it.  The 1992 Intelsat
        report   has   just    been
        released      with     some
        interesting statistics. The
        assets of Intelsat stood at
        $2,488,597,465.  The  total
        revenue  generated in  1991
        amounted  to  $563,439,047.
        More from this report  next
        month in a special Intelsat
        feature.
        EUTELSAT
        Is  to  re-launch  its  On-
        Line-Eutelsat service,  the
        interactive   fax  service.
        This is free to callers and
        provides full details about
        Eutelsat.      IIF4     has
        completed tests and by  the
        time  you receive FP  test-
        cards    and    programmers
        should be on-line.  After a
        successful  'Eutelsat Road-
        Show'  in certain areas  of
        Europe,  further shows  are
        to        take       place.
        Manufacturers  and  dealers
        will  be  told  about   the
        future  plans  of  Eutelsat
        and      what     reception
        equipment  will be  needed.
        The   aim   is   to   avoid
        receivers  being made  that
        will  only  work  with  one
        satellite system or  owner.
        ASTRA
        Have    at   last   started
        talking  about  radio   all
        over Europe. Astra GMBH has
        always    promoted    radio
        services  and  it looks  as
        though   other    marketing
        outlets   for  Astra   will
        follow  shortly.  A  future
        edition of their newsletter
        will  even  mention  TESUG,
        whatever  next?  August  24
        saw    Astra   admit   that
        Filmnet  was going  D2-Mac,
        with the comment,"This  has
        been introduced in order to
        eliminate  the 'piracy'  of
        the   channel  outside  its
        intended  broadcast  area".
        (However,  we are told that
        there is now a brisk  black
        market  business  for  card
        swap centres). A "Know- it-
        all"   satellite  file  has
        been   sent   to   dealers.
        Although it is a little bit
        out of date and needs  some
        inaccuracies  ammending  it
        is the best yet from Astra.
        Astra  claim,"The satellite
        file  will keep dealers  in
        touch with everything  they
        need   to   know  to   help
        customers.   With  such  an
        abundance  of   information
        all  in one  file,  queries
        take  no  time  at  all  to
        answer."
        OLYMPUS
        Is  still keen to encourage
        use  of the  satellite  for
        testing  purposes.   Rumour
        has   it  they  are   still
        inviting users to use their
        satellite, although time is
        getting shorter.
        TELECOM
        Will the arguments ever get
        sorted out? The latest news
        is       that      previous
        broadcasting  options  will
        be maintained.  This  means
        that  you  can transmit  in
        any   format   you    like.
        Capacity  on 'II' is almost
        full.
        MARCOPOLO/NORWAY
        Various  tests  have   been
        taking place,  many seen by
        TESUGIANS.     Our     next
        Scandinavian   report  will
        bring more details.

        OTHER    SATELLITE     NEWS
        Arianespace  have won  more
        contracts for launches. The
        backlog  now stands at over
        40 satellites.
        AsiaSat  is about to get  a
        sister  satellite.   Called
        AsiaSat  2  the   satellite
        contract  looks like  being
        Hughes Aircraft Co.
        GALAXY  1R failed  recently
        when   the  Atlas1   launch
        vehicle   exploded  shortly
        after  take off  from  Cape
        Canaveral. The good news is
        that no one was injured and
        the   fragments  from   the
        rocket    fell   into   the
        Pacific  ocean.   Builders,
        Hughes,  maintain they will
        find  out what  when  wrong
        with the launch.

        NEWS  FROM THE BROADCASTERS
        Canal  6  which  has   been
        testing on Intelsat will be
        one  of the new channels on
        Eutelsat IIF4.
        MTV    is   now    in    29
        territories. The latest two
        areas being Romania and the
        middle East.  Italy has re-
        newed   its  contract  with
        MTV. Under an EC directive,
        which   requires    minimum
        levels      of     European
        broadcasting  on  networks,
        MTV      have      official
        confirmation that they  are
        complying      with     the
        directive.   The  directive
        suggests  that  a  majority
        proportion of  transmission
        time  should  be  used  for
        European works.  MTV have a
        new   line-up  for  Autumn.
        Full details on MTV text.
        RTL+ has now started a text
        service. Although pages are
        limited at present, news is
        that further pages will  be
        added  after taking note of
        the interest from  viewers.
        TCC  goes pop.  A new block
        of  air-time,  4.30  - 7pm,
        will  now be  dedicated  to
        the 10 to 15 year olds. You
        can  test  your skills  and
        knowledge  of  music.   You
        will also see some  re-runs
        of old programmes.
        BSkyB have relaunched their
        range  of merchandise,  You
        could   soon   be   walking
        around   sporting   a   Sky
        Sports  logo on your  sweat
        shirt  if you want to  part
        with  18  pounds   sterling
        plus   postage.This,   plus
        many  other "offers" are in
        Skys   Autumn  edition   of
        Skylights.  However,  there






        is   an  interesting  story
        about Sky News.  Have  they
        seen  the  FP  line-up  for
        this month?
        SAT  1  are rumoured to  be
        looking  at a move back  to
        Eutelsat.  The full reasons
        why  are  not  clear,   but
        Eurosport   moved  back  to
        ensure  coverage for  their
        cable contracts. Maybe Sat1
        are doing the same thing.
        Canal  +  again  go  clear.
        Broadcasts from the channel
        are   regularly  going   to
        soft-scram   enabling  many
        with  D2-Mac  receivers  to
        take a look at the channel.
        SUPERTEXT is to expand  its
        'In  Orbit'  service.   The
        service  will now include a
        technical  review   section
        and readers panel.
        SCREENSPORT  goes  football
        mad,  along  with  everyone
        else,  and  will be showing
        qualifying  matches in  the
        lead  up to the  World  Cup
        Finals in 1994.  Once famed
        for   Motorsport  it  would
        appear  that most of  their
        energy  is now directed  at
        competing with Sky Sports.
        ***************************
        CALLING  ALL YOUNG  DOCTORS
        fans.   If  you  are  nutty
        about  the Ausy  soap  then
        Darren  Gray  of the  Young
        Doctors        Appreciation
        Society would like to  hear
        from  you.  He is currently
        campaigning  to  keep   the
        show on Sky 1. If you would
        like to write to Darren the
        address is;
        TYD
        2 Marston Lane
        Anchorage Park
        Portsmouth
        Hampshire
        PO3 5TW
        England.
        Darren claims that he is in
        regular  contact with 'TYD'
        groups  in  11   countries.
        There  are over 8000 people
        who regularly write or talk
        to  each  other  about  the
        soap  and by the  sound  of
        things Sky may be taking it
        off.  When  we  asked  they
        only  laughed,  that wasn't
        very    nice    was     it?


        NEWS  FROM ACROSS THE POND.
        Many  have asked  how  they
        get   regular   information
        about  American  satellites
        and/or magazines.  Although
        we  can  offer some of  the
        news from America,  much of
        which  will,  in some  way,
        contribute to the  European
        scene in time,  it would be
        a  touch boring to dedicate
        too   much  space  to   the
        subject in FP. But here are
        some addresses for  you.  A
        magazine for you is;
        Via Satellite
        Philips Publishing, Inc.
        7811 Montrose Road,
        Potomac,
        MD 20854
        USA.

        A  regular newsletter,  not
        that  far removed from  the
        layout  of  FP,   is   also
        published  by Philips.  The
        shock  price  is  $697  per
        year.   However,   a  quick
        check  of  the  print  size
        confirmed  that 4 weeks  of
        the    newsletter    called
        'Satellite News' was  equal
        to  one copy of FP.  Do you
        think  we  should  increase
        the   price  of  FP  - only
        joking!!!!!!

        IRIDIUM,  the mobile  phone
        system  linked by satellite
        is moving closer.  Reported
        earlier  this year  in  FP,
        the  American based project
        will  use LEOs  (Low  earth
        orbit  satellites) to  link
        phone and paging systems.
        DirecTV   has   signed   an
        agreement    with   Digital
        Equipment.    The   DirecTV
        system     will      enable
        satellite  viewers to  tune
        into  150 channels from one
        DBS satellite.  DirecTV see
        this   new  service   using
        small  38cm  dishes,   that
        sounds familiar, as being a
        major  winner by  the  year
        2000.
        The    ITU   (International
        Telecommunications   Union)
        and other interested groups
        are  to meet in America  to
        talk  about  DAB   (digital
        audio broadcasting).

        The   Americans  feel  that
        Europe  is overtaking  them
        inside Intelsat,  according
        to   recent  reports.   The
        argument is over who should
        build future equipment. The
        Americans  are saying  that
        they should and we want the
        contracts in  Europe.  With
        over 30% of the vote it may
        well  mean that  we,  being
        Europeans,     may     win.
        Unconfirmed reports suggest
        that  the Americans may  be
        visiting  Europe  and   the
        signatories  of Intelsat to
        try    and    reach    some
        agreement  on the  subject.
        One     journalist      has
        suggested  that the  future
        building  programme  should
        be  shared  between  Europe
        and  America.  We await the
        outcome.
        At a demonstration of high-
        definition TV in America it
        was such a success that one
        reporter  claimed  it  was,
        "the  first time ever" that
        HD   was   received    from
        satellite   (where  has  he
        been  for last few years  -
        Ed).  The  system used  for
        the    demonstration    was
        DigiCipher.
        The failure of the  Italian
        satellite  carried  by  the
        space  shuttle Atlantis may
        be  the result of  dampness
        in  the cable according  to
        one scientist who worked on
        the project.  The  moisture
        would have turned to ice in
        outer-space  and this would
        have  caused  the  problem.
        Hence the satellite was not
        deployed.  Fortunately  the
        crew  of the  shuttle  were
        able  to bring the tethered
        satellite  back  into   the
        shuttle  and  store it  for
        the  return  journey.   The
        mission  was  then  aborted
        and it is hoped to try  and
        deploy  the satellite in  a
        future NASA mission.
        NASA  are to allow a  whole
        range       of      private
        experiments to be attempted
        on future shuttle missions.
        However,   our  information
        does  not  show  any   that
        started life in Europe.






        SEX CHANNELS - WHAT ARE ALL
        THE    ARGUMENTS     ABOUT?
        To  begin  with  a  comment
        from  New Scotland Yard,"We
        are worried what will  come
        in the future".  This was a
        comment    made    to    us
        recently.   More  on  that,
        being Red Hot Dutch, later.
        However,  you can have some
        understanding     of    the
        comment  when  so many  see
        pornographic      material,
        being shown on satellite at
        the  momemt,   leading   to
        'video nasties' circulating
        Europe via satellite.  But,
        there are very strict rules
        on  the subject.  These are
        all  covered in  the  cross
        border         broadcasting
        agreement signed by all EEC
        member countries.  However,
        it    appears   that   some
        countries have now  decided
        that  programme content  is
        not  acceptable.  Since the
        announcement    that    the
        British   government    are
        hoping  to ban the sale  of
        equipment    that   enables
        Europeans  to view  certain
        channels,   it  seems  that
        other 'Heads of State'  are
        also  looking  at  blocking
        viewing.   Yet   they   all
        forget  one  major  factor.
        THE CHOICE IS YOURS,  not a
        controlling body in a small
        office  that  has  probably
        not  watched  satellite  or
        even  understands  what  it
        achieves.   Mrs  CF  Martin
        wrote  on the subject,'What
        is up with the  government?
        Is  the UK the only country
        where  people take  a  bath
        with there clothes on?  The
        decision  about my  viewing
        habits        is        my
        responsibility.    NOT    a
        person  who  thinks  he/she
        knows   what   I  want   to
        watch'.     Juliet    Stone
        wrote,'What  is  the  world
        coming  to? I would like to
        join one of the groups that
        decides what I can watch. I
        have  never been asked  for
        my views'.  There have been
        more    letters   on    the
        subject,  many from  women,
        who express the same views.

        Although  few have asked or
        wish to see a  pornographic
        channel,   24hours  a  day,
        they all require the choice
        of viewing.
        WHY   HAVE   THE   PROBLEMS
        started?  The originator in
        the    current   round   of
        viewing standards is the UK
        government.     This    has
        developed into the  French,
        Dutch   and  Germans  being
        dragged into the  argument.
        It  is hoped that  pressure
        can   be  levied  on  those
        respective  governments  to
        ban  the sale of  reception
        or enable citizens in other
        EC countries working for or
        supporting          certain
        satellite channels.  Broad-
        casters  under pressure are
        Filmnet, Canal+ and Red Hot
        Dutch.  It is felt that  it
        was  the start of RHD  that
        sparked   off  this  latest
        effort  to erode the  cross
        border         broadcasting
        agreement.  The area  which
        is of most concern to those
        who  have written to us  is
        the  EC rules on equipment.
        This  is also quite  clear.
        The free movement of goods,
        articles  30  to   36,   is
        specific on the subject and
        as  such enables  Europeans
        to  purchase equipment that
        is  available  on  a   pan-
        European basis. This is why
        we have produced the letter
        on the following page.  You
        may  be  keen to know  that
        Miss   Sarah   Young   from
        Germany  has already  taken
        out  her own case with  the
        EC.   There  is  also  some
        confusion  about the  rules
        of watching Red Hot  Dutch.
        They  are very clear in the
        EC.  Because the station is
        based in Holland and  meets
        with the regulations of the
        Dutch  government,  it also
        has the required  approvals
        to  broadcast,  the station
        is legal to watch. However,
        in some European  countries
        it is ILLEGAL to video tape
        the  shows if you ever loan
        them to friends. You may be
        in    breach    of    local
        pornographic          laws.

        Yet  you can watch  without
        any  problems.  You  should
        also  consider that you may
        be  in breach of  copyright
        laws      by      recording
        programmes.
        THE  IMPLICATIONS  ON   THE
        FUTURE   of  cross   border
        broadcasting.   If  the  EC
        agreement           becomes
        unworkable  the chances are
        that satellite will  become
        a mass of DBS (Direct Broad
        cast  Satellite)  services.
        Although  you probably will
        all  agree,   that  to  see
        satellite  devalue  into  a
        mass    of     pornographic
        channels  would be a  crime
        in  itself,  you the viewer
        should have the opportunity
        to  decide  the  programmes
        you wish to watch.  This is
        why  we would ask that  you
        make  your  views  felt  in
        Brussels.  If  you  have  a
        differing   view   on   the
        subject,  to  the  enclosed
        letter, then send that. The
        major problem is that those
        who   are  there  to   help
        Europeans  rarely  get  the
        information  they  require.
        But  why have we  got  'on-
        the-case'? The prime reason
        is  you.  If you choose not
        to watch a  licensed,  pan-
        European, programme that is
        your right.  Similarly,  if
        you wish to watch that same
        licensed,     pan-European,
        programme  you should  have
        that  opportunity to do so.
        To  avoid any confusion  we
        will forward a master  copy
        of FOOTPRINT to the EC. The
        letter has the full address
        and  contact  point at  the
        EC.  We would warn you that
        this type of complaint does
        take a long while to filter
        through  all the red  tape.
        But,  we will publish  your
        reply  in a future  edition
        of  FP  and naturally  keep
        you informed of any updates
        or    correspondance     we
        receive  from the EC on the
        subject.   We  can   supply
        original   copies  of   the
        letter if you choose not to
        photo-copy the letter,  THE
        CHOICE IS YOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!



        EEC letter


        Wiltsher writes............
        Lets  hope  you enjoy  this
        new  addition  to  FP.  The
        decision was taken to  give
        me  this space as it  stops
        me  moaning all month about
        what  is going  on.  But  I
        hope to bring you some good
        news as well. That is where
        we  will start.  Good  news
        for radio people,  NDR2 and
        4  have  started on  Astra.
        NDR2    has   a   mix    of
        programmes and the  station
        claims  some jokes and gags
        in the programmes  together
        with   sport  and  cultural
        shows.   NDR4  has  a  more
        subtle  music  policy  plus
        some international show-biz
        gossip.  The music includes
        Jazz,  Folk  and  Swing.  I
        must  admit that the  later
        is  not my taste in  music,
        but   the  music  on   NDR2
        certainly had me interested
        for  a  long  while  - good
        stuff.
        Now  come on  Europe,  stop
        moaning.  I  know that  the
        audio  level of Super is  a
        bit  low but at  least  you
        don't  get charged for  it.
        Isn't this a fair deal.  If
        you  want it for free  then
        you   should  turn  up  the
        volume.  It makes sense, or
        does it not?
        TESUG  has  had a  load  of
        letters  on the subject  of
        adult  programmes.  If  you
        want to watch them you can,
        just   don't  force  anyone
        else to if they don't  like
        them.    But   this   whole
        subject  has  gone  just  a
        little too far for me.  The
        whole  idea of satellite is
        to  get  away  from  almost
        zero choice.  I don't  mind
        if  you want to watch  RHD,
        go  ahead.  I  don't  think
        that I am mad or a pervert,
        just your average European.
        So  if  it fits in  for  me
        then  it should fit in  for
        everyone  else on the  same
        basis.  Now  I am not going
        to get political but,  WHEN
        WILL GOVERNMENTS LEAVE  OUR
        VIEWING HABITS TO US.  Will
        someone  please  tell  them
        that us adults know what we
        want  to watch and we don't
        need some do-gooder telling
        us what we should watch.
        Now this really is a clever
        show.    Have   you    ever
        listened   in  when   Chris
        England  does  his show  on
        Euronet,  I have and I know
        your  clever  little   game
        young  Chris.  What happens
        is that whatever you say he
        argues  with  it.  Then  he
        starts  to slag-off  anyone
        that can't fight  back.  Or
        his   latest  trick  is  to
        suggest that all women  are
        idiots, ah but we know what
        you  are up to  Chris.  You
        see  he wants you to react.
        He  needs your  letters  of
        complaint  and phone calls.
        Thats  the  way  he  works.
        Then     long      standing
        broadcaster  Chris can jump
        up  and  down  telling  the
        world  he has this  massive
        audience.  He will probably
        run   around  the   Euronet
        studio shouting to everyone
        that he has more mail  than
        the  rest of the shows.  So
        now you know what he is  up
        to  and  you  can  probably
        save   yourself   a   small
        fortune  in postage  stamps
        and  phone calls.  You  see
        Chris,  my man, we have got
        you sussed.  After having a
        chat  with Tod Slaughter of
        QEFM fame, he tells us that
        the largest mail bags  come
        from good shows.  Just one,
        one  hour show resulted  in
        almost 200 letters. Can you
        top that?
        Now  that the Norweigan PTT
        has  gone for  virtually  a
        non-standard   system   for
        Scandinavia  where will  it
        all  end?  Isn't  it  about
        time  we reduced the amount
        of    systems.     I    can
        understand that  Videocrypt
        goes   with  Pal  and  that
        Eurocrypt goes with D2-Mac.
        But give us a break. Enough
        is enough, my front room is
        already suffering under the
        strain  of all  the  boxes.
        Plus  my wife went mad when
        I  took  the  last   add-on
        home.  Finally,not everyone
        is football mad, are they?

        ****  FACT SHEET FILE  ****
        For  those that have  asked
        here is a run down;
        Type of Information      No
        2nd dish installation     1
        Add Telecom band          2
        Scarts & 'D's             3
        LNBs explained            4
        VCR problems?             6
        Rumanian dish guide       7
        Amstrad 48 upgrade        8
        Radio Fact sheet          9
        (please specify station)
        Amstrad 100 re-tune      10
        Find-a-satellite         11
        284 channel Amstrad      12
        Home distribution        14
        Motorised install        19
        Fixed dish install       20
        Polarity failure         21
        SRD 400 unlock           22
        MBC                      23
        PAL I/G (Pace)           25
        Build a P/F dish         30
        Decoder loop through     31
        Trac transcoder        TR01
        CNN dish guide        CNN01
        Fitting little xtra    ST08

        There  are  also a  growing
        number of re-tuning  sheets
        for the following;
        BUSH IRD 155
        ECHOSTAR SR5500
        FERGUSON SRD4
        GRUNDIG GIRD 2000
        GRUNDIG GIRD 3000
        ITT NOKIA 1100
        ITT SAT 1500
        MASPRO SRE 350
        NEC 3022
        PACE SS9000 IRD
        PACE SS9200
        PHILIPS STU 801
        SALORA 5902
        UNIDEN UST 7007
        UNIDEN UST 8008

        There  are  also full  hand
        books  on more systems  and
        we will continue to add  to
        the  tuning  guides as  and
        when you want them.
        Also  the  number  of  full
        workshop manuals is growing
        well. If you require any of
        the above or the  satellite
        info  sheets please include
        a  description of the  fact
        sheet  as numbers are  hard
        to read. Sorry C-band boys,
        a  full list for  you  next
        issue  plus  other   lists.



        INSIDE    DEUTSCHE   WELLE.
        Many  have asked about  the
        D.W.  radio service and the
        head  of the network agreed
        to  give us the answers  to
        your question. The answers;

        Deutsche   Welle   is   the
        German             external
        broadcasting service.
        Deutsche Welle
        -broadcasts worldwide in 34
        languages  for a  total  of
        approximately  90  hours  a
        day,  with  about 100  news
        bulletins.  Or,  to  put it
        another way,  it  transmits
        more   than  600  hours  of
        programmes a week;
        -has   been    broadcasting
        regularly   since  3rd  May
        1953,  at first with only a
        single  20 kW  transmitter.
        Today     it    uses     43
        transmitters  with a  total
        capacity of 11 550 kW;
        -is   a  German   programme
        which     provides      its
        listeners worldwide with up
        to   date  information   on
        politics, economy, culture,
        society and sports;
        -has  a radio transcription
        service(since     September
        1963)   and  a   television
        transcription       service
        (since  1st October  1964).
        Both  services as  well  as
        Deutsche  Welle TV  provide
        ready-for-broadcasting
        radio  and TV programmes in
        English,  French,  Spanish,
        Portuguese,     Indonesian,
        Chinese,   Hausa,  Swahili,
        and  Arabic  to  more  than
        1150  stations  abroad,  as
        well   as  making   German-
        language   and  dubbed   TV
        productions  available   to
        Eastern  Europe  and  North
        America;
        -received well over 400,000
        listener's letters in 1991,
        more   than  two-thirds  of
        which came from  developing
        countries;
        -operates  transmitters  in
        Julich, Konigs Wusterhausen
        Leipzig,      Nauen     and
        Wertachtal,   as   well  as
        relay      stations      in
        Kigali/Rwanda,  Sri  Lanka,
        Sines/Portugal,  Malta  and
        Antigua,    is    currently
        leasing three  broadcasting
        stations in Russia,  one in
        Brasilia/Brazil  and one in
        Sackville/Canada;
        -has(since July 1990)  also
        been    broadcasting    its
        programming  to Europe  via
        the  Astra 1A and  Eutelsat
        II-F1   satellites,    thus
        providing optimum reception
        quality;
        -employs    a   staff    of
        approximately  1600,   two-
        thirds    of    whom    are
        technical               and
        administrative   staff  and
        one-third        'programme
        makers' (i.e.  editors  and
        translators);
        -has  an  annual budget  of
        397  million   deutschmarks
        1992,   most  of  which  is
        provided   by  the  federal
        parliment;
        -has  a 17 member board  of
        governors(Rundfunkrat)  and
        a  7 member  administrative
        board (Verwaltungsrat);
        -has,  since  1st  December
        1989, Dieter Weirich as its
        director-general;
        -also  benefits  from   the
        expertise    of   programme
        director Josef M.  Gerwald,
        director    TV    Siegfried
        Berndt,      administrative
        director   Gebhard   Braun,
        technical  director  Gunter
        Roessler   and   editor-in-
        chief  (radio)  Dr.  Franz-
        Josef Neub;
        -has run a training  centre
        since   1965  (the   DWAZ),
        which  provides preliminary
        and  advanced training  for
        radio   staff   from    the
        developing  countries.   To
        date,    more   than   2500
        trainees    have   attended
        courses   in  Cologne   and
        elsewhere.

        If  you want to  know  more
        about     your    favourite
        channel  or  station   then
        please  let us know and  we
        will  go behind the  scenes
        for you.  Don't panic if it
        takes  a  couple of  months
        for us to reply as it takes
        a  while for us to  contact
        the  broadcaster.



        THE  SKY NEWS TEAM,  top of
        the TESUG poll cam Sky News
        and  here are some  details
        about the faces  on-screen.
        SELINA  SCOTT,  formerly of
        the   BBC,   is   the   co-
        presenter of Sky World News
        Tonight.  Miss Scott voices
        documentarties and  reports
        on   Royal   Weddings   and
        Elections.
        SCOTT CHISHOLM,  previously
        with  Visnews,  has been  a
        journalist  for  nearly  20
        years.  He was awarded News
        Presenter  of the  Year  in
        1990.  He  is regualarly on
        Sky World News Tonight.  He
        is  one  of  the  few  news
        presenters  that has has  a
        sponge  cake pushed in  his
        face   at  the  end  of   a
        newscast,it  was to be  his
        birthday cake.  At the  end
        of one news cast he refused
        to  read  a story from  the
        Sun newspaper.  So  further
        show  his  dislike  of  the
        story  he  crumpled up  the
        newspaper and threw it over
        his   shoulder.    Did   Mr
        Murdoch see that?
        CHRIS  MANN,  was  born  in
        Scotland   and  was   named
        investigative journalist of
        the year in 1987.
        Vivien  Creegor was one  of
        the  first  Sky  presenters
        with Kay Burley.  Vivien is
        the weekend co-presenter of
        Sky World News Tonight.
        Kay Burley was Sky's  first
        presenter.   She  presneted
        the  first  documentary  on
        Sky   before  the  first  4
        channel  network   started.
        British    viewers    would
        remember her from TV-am.
        Chris  Morris,   originally
        from the BBC, was a foreign
        corespondant  before moving
        to Sky.
        Penny Smith,  who soon took
        over  from Alison  Holloway
        after  she  left  Sky,  was
        soon    part    of    Scott
        Chisholms comedy show.  She
        now co-hosts the am news.
        Bob  Friend joined  Sky  in
        1898. Another defector from
        the BBC. He worked with the
        BBC  for  20 years and  now
        has various spots on Sky.





        SIGHTINGS
        Bob Thornton writes;
        28/8/92    Sky   One    - A
        commercial for 'Satellite &
        Video Today' at 21.00BST.
        29/8/92 TDF1A - MCM off air
        from 16.20 BST.  Came  back
        at  16.27  with  motorcycle
        scrambling  followed  by  a
        test  card  with  classical
        music and then MCM returned
        30/8/92 TV1000 - Clear from
        11.45 - 12.08 BST
        31/8/92  TV  SAT2  - 12.054
        from 12.00BST showed Eureka
        95 test.
        1/9/92    Eutelsat    - 2F3
        10.988H Tandberg Norway D2-
        Mac Eurocrypt.
        1/9/92   Olympus   18.8   -
        Raisat  clear showed  piano
        concert in D2-Mac.
        TV  Asia keeps showing  the
        Comedy Channel text even on
        Sky One.
        Bob  also asks were can  he
        find   details   of   Radio
        Caroline   on  short  wave.
        Take a look at this  months
        competition.

        Intelsat K
        'K'  rock  has been  heard,
        this is a rock station from
        New York. 11.531 and 11.719
        showed PAL & NTSC.

        Mr  Carmichael  found   the
        LIVE  football on  Eutelsat
        IIF1,(11.617V) he said that
        it was cheaper than BSkyB.
        HBB TV on Eut IIF3  11.668V
        showing   the   'Landscape'
        channel.

        Anthony  King reports  that
        Telecom 2B is nearly  full.
        Canal 6 has started on 27.5
        AKI   &   ET1  are   almost
        watchable  on his 1.2  dish
        in the north of England.

        The   sightings  column  is
        just for you.  This  months
        winner is Bob Thornton.  He
        will get a 'TESUG APPROVED'
        t-shirt.  Closing  date for
        mail  to this section  will
        be   30   September   1992.

        Next month we will give you
        a list of those  interetsed
        in the magazine 'swap shop'


        RADIO NEWS

        COUNTRY  NITES 1440AM is to
        link  its  Surrey   England
        based   studios  with   the
        transmitter     site     in
        Luxembourg via satellite.
        RADIO  NOVA claims it  will
        now broadcast on Astra.  It
        is suggested that they will
        use  spare capacity on  the
        Lifestyle  sub-carrier that
        Country  Nites will use  in
        the evenings.
        THE VOICE OF  PEACE,  radio
        ship  will soon be heard on
        Euronet.  Taped shows  will
        be sent from Israel. If you
        fancy  working  on a  radio
        ship,   Euronet   will   be
        advertising for an  English
        speaking  engineer and  DJs
        to work on VOP.
        HOWARD ROSE,  editor of the
        Radio Magazine is hoping to
        launch an oldies station on
        Astra.
        RTL INT, had a few problems
        in   the   first  week   of
        September  with the  signal
        fading,  this  was a  land-
        line  fault  and  not   the
        satellite itself.
        QEFM,  in August celebrated
        their   birthday   with   a
        special          programme,
        presented  by our very  own
        Eric,  all  about the  off-
        shore radio stations of the
        1960s and 70s.
        RADIO LUXEMBOURG can now be
        heard  in Scotland via  its
        first  FM relay  agreement.
        It  is  a shared  frequency
        with a local group.
        RADIO No 1 has again closed
        down. The service scheduled
        to   broadcast  to   Turkey
        stopped  broadcasting   via
        Astra   amid  rumours  that
        they   were  in   financial
        difficulties.
        RADIO  CAROLINE has  blamed
        the  Post Office for  their
        lack of programme  material
        on  QEFM.  Station Manager,
        Roy Litchfield,  got so fed
        up that he put a Radio Nova
        tape out.  Recordings  from
        the  Caroline  studios  on-
        board  the MV Ross  Revenge
        were   sent  by  registered
        mail.       Major  sponsors
        are  now  very   interested
        in  the station with a view
        to getting a full time sub-
        carrier for Caroline.  This
        has  been  achieved   since
        Radio  Caroline was awarded
        a British satellite licence
        under  the callsign  'Radio
        Caroline'. This might sound
        daft to you,  as it did  to
        us,  but  others outside of
        the  Caroline  organisation
        wanted  to  use  the  name.
        Therefore,   the   Caroline
        boys had to prove they were
        entitled  to use their  own
        name.  This  has  now  been
        achieved   and  they   have
        their licence. Knowing that
        so   many   of   you    are
        interested  in the  station
        we    contacted   'Offshore
        Echoes'.   The  editor   is
        Chris Edwards. Their mag is
        full  of stories about off-
        shore  radio and  what  has
        happened  to the presenters
        who started on ships. Chris
        has  sent some CDs  called,
        'The Legend Lives On'. This
        is a documentary about  the
        station     and    contains
        material  from  the   1960s
        onwards.  For  a chance  to
        win a copy, which will be a
        draw,   entries   must   be
        received  by  us  no  later
        than   30  September.   The
        question  is," Name one  of
        the  satellites that  Radio
        Caroline  broadcasts   on".
        There  are two.  Our thanks
        go to Chris.  You can write
        to  him  via PO  Box  1514,
        London, W7 2LL, England. If
        you  want to write  to  the
        station,  their  address is
        Radio Caroline PO Box  963,
        London,  SW20 8XL, England.
        If you enclose a SAE or two
        IRCs  then  they will  send
        you information about their
        listeners club and  amateur
        radio society.

        MIMTEC  are  to make  their
        satellite  radio   receiver
        available  in  stores.  The
        price will be maintained at
        just   under  100   pounds.
        More  radio,   stop  press,
        news   in  NEWS  IN  BRIEF.





        BBC WORLD SERVICE IN D2-MAC

        Tuesday 1 September the BBC
        announced   that  they  had
        gone  into  a   partnership
        with  Philips and that they
        would  now be using  D2-Mac
        as  their new  transmission
        standard. It also announced
        that    they   would    use
        Eurocrypt  for  encryption.
        The   announcement   caused
        more reports claiming  that
        the  only  way that  D2-Mac
        would grow was via business
        partnerships           with
        manufacturers.  The leading
        one being Philips.  Like it
        or not, from mid-Autumn the
        BBCs  24 hour service  will
        be broadcast across  Europe
        in    D2-Mac.    A   second
        contract  announced on  the
        same  day  confirmed  views
        that  the  cost  would   be
        similar  to that which  the
        British pay for TV,  namely
        around  72pounds sterling a
        year for the  service.  The
        company            handling
        subscriptions    for    the
        channel  is TV Extra  based
        in Sweden. Philips are part
        owners  of  TV  Extra.  The
        move   to  D2-Mac  was   to
        reduce   piracy   problems,
        claimed the BBC.  They also
        claimed that piracy was the
        major    reason   why   the
        service  had  not  expanded
        faster.    However,    this
        latest   news   does   make
        things  a  lot  easier  for
        those  who have  wanted  to
        subscribe  for  months  and
        have  not been able to.  To
        subscribe contact TV Extra
        Storgatan 9
        S-591 33 Motala
        Sweden
        Tel: +46 141 35512
        Fax: +46 141 35513
        They are to include the BBC
        in a subscription  package.

        SUPER  CHANNEL new  line-up
        for the Autumn.Super  claim
        the new programming,  which
        includes   a   new   series
        called    "Serie     Noire"
        featuring    spy,    drama,
        crime,  and  black  humour,
        will    increase   viewers.

        SKY  LAUNCHES 'MOVIE GOLD'.
        With  falling  ratings  Sky
        will   close   the   Comedy
        channel   at  the  end   of
        September.  More about  the
        new  channel  in a  moment,
        but why did they close  the
        Comedy Channel?  In reality
        it  was  the  ratings.  The
        high  spot  of the  channel
        came  from repeats  of  old
        British programmes.  As the
        British  content  decreased
        so  did  the  ratings.  For
        some months the channel has
        been under threat and after
        a   new   film   deal   was
        completed  BSkyB were  able
        to sketch out a new service
        called 'Movies Gold'.
        The    channel   will    be
        available      free      to
        subscribers,     but    the
        wording  from Sky is," free
        to   subscribers  to   both
        Sky's    existing     movie
        channels".  It is still not
        clear  if  that means  that
        you   need  to  have   both
        channels   to  get   'Gold'
        free. Sky claim,"Sky Movies
        Gold  will  feature  titles
        from   the   major    movie
        studios.   In   the   first
        season,  viewers  will  see
        all-time   greats  such  as
        Cleopatra,  The  Battle  of
        Britain  and Blade  Runner.
        Other titles include  Dirty
        Harry,      The      French
        Lieutenant's  Woman,  Klute
        and   The   Cowboys".   The
        channel  will start at  6pm
        through    till    midnight
        during  the  week and  will
        open  at 4pm on  the  week-
        ends.
        Initial   reaction  to  the
        change   has  been   mixed,
        however,  most  have  taken
        the  view that if you  have
        to   subscribe   to    both
        channels   then  they  will
        leave  it  alone.   On  the
        other hand movie buffs have
        given the channel a vote of
        approval.Time will tell and
        it  will be interesting  to
        see  what the  ratings  are
        for  'Sky Movies Gold'.  If
        you  have a chance to  view
        the channel write and  tell
        us    what    you    think.


        CNN  STAYS ON INTELSAT  but
        WHY?

        First  we should say  thank
        you  to  all the  Tesugians
        that have sent  information
        via   the  office  to  CNN.
        Although we haven't got  an
        official thank you, we were
        one  of  the first to  hear
        that  the Intelsat  service
        would be continued.  It  is
        very   important  that  you
        keep  those reports  coming
        in  for future  reviews  by
        CNN.
        The  official word is  that
        signal     reports     have
        resulted  in  the  Intelsat
        service continuing. Reports
        from  Astra  were not  that
        which  CNN  expected.   The
        back-up to Astra was  hoped
        to   be  Intelsats   C-band
        transponder.  However, this
        also   proved  to  be   un-
        acceptable     as    signal
        reports  did not offer  the
        coverage  that  was   hoped
        for. For the time being CNN
        will  remain across  Europe
        via Intelsat.
        If you want to write to CNN
        send your letters to us and
        we will make sure that they
        get to the right places.

        All the 'TOONS' for the USA
        but not for Europe.  Turner
        broadcasting   will   start
        their  24hr cartoon service
        via  the  Galaxy  satellite
        with the footprint covering
        north/central  America  and
        the Carribean.  But no date
        has  been set  for  Europe.
        The  channel is called  the
        'Worldwide          Cartoon
        Network'.  Programmes  will
        include   all  the  regular
        favourites including Tom  &
        Jerry, Tweety and Yogi Bear
        and a whole host more.  Ted
        Turner  has reportedly said
        that he is only  interested
        in   International   market
        places  which leaves us all
        wondering when the  Cartoon
        network   will  arrive   in
        Europe.   The   service  in
        America  is  designed   for
        distribution via cable & is
        a   subscription   channel.




        PORTASAT   - PORTABLE  DISH
        What  is  it and  how  well
        does it work?  Being  asked
        by  so  many that have  2nd
        homes  or holiday  retreats
        we  took  a  look  at   the
        'Portasat'antenna   system.
        At the moment there is only
        a  60cm  version  available
        but  the makers claim  they
        will   soon   be   offering
        larger models.  The antenna
        comes  as  a kit and it  is
        supplied with very easy  to
        follow instructions. If you
        have  ever seen the antenna
        used by BSB,  the squarial,
        or  the flatplate  antenna,
        built  by  Technisat,   the
        Portasat   is  of   similar
        design  but it does use  an
        LNB.   The  flat  dish   is
        mounted  into  rectangular,
        tubular   frame.   A  large
        plastic clip, supplied with
        the kit,  is bolted to  the
        top  of  the frame and  you
        fit your LNB into  it.  The
        manufacturers advise you to
        obtain   a  compass,   tape
        measure and some tent  pegs
        or   large   weights.   The
        compass  is obvious but why
        the tape measure?  Supplied
        with  the  kit is  a  table
        that represents  elevation.
        After  you have established
        the   elevation,   at  your
        location,     you    simply
        measure     the    distance
        between  two parts  on  the
        tubular   frame   and   the
        elevation  of  the dish  is
        set. The weights are purely
        to  keep  the dish  secure,
        but  you may prefer to  use
        some  form  of  tent  style
        fixings.      There     are
        instructions   on  how   to
        assemble the dish. However,
        we  found  it  so  easy  we
        didn't need them. The first
        LNB  we fitted was for  the
        DBS  band.  If you  take  a
        look  at the 'data file' in
        the July edition of FP  you
        will  see what we achieved.
        TV-Sat2,  TDF1 and  Olympus
        were    very   good.    The
        interesting  thing is  that
        we could not improve on the
        receive    signal     after
        following  the instructions
        supplied with the kit.  The
        other  interesting,  albeit
        lucky,  thing  was we  were
        directly  on the  satellite
        at  the  first  attempt.  A
        look  at Eutelsat  produced
        the  results  we  expected.
        Superbeam transponders were
        acceptable,   but  Widebeam
        signals  left us with  some
        noise on video.  Astra  was
        naturally  clear.  The  bad
        news,  from a testing point
        of view, was it was a cloud
        and  rain free  day.  Enter
        Bill   and  the   handpipe.
        Completely   covering   the
        antenna did slightly reduce
        the signal,as you'd expect,
        but changes we no different
        to any other 60cm  antenna.
        It  will  be very  good  to
        test  the larger version of
        the  antenna  as  Astra  is
        only  one satellite and  it
        would  be  nice  to  see  a
        Eutelsat  model and  really
        put    the   flat   antenna
        through its paces.

        THE  PALCOM SL-4000RP is by
        no means a standard  Palcom
        receiver. We quickly hooked
        the  4000RP  to a  1.5metre
        IRTE and it was playtime at
        the  office.   Apart   from
        being  a  heavily  featured
        receiver  positioner it has
        some nice features for  the
        'DX'viewer.   The  optional
        video  blanking  is a  real
        bonus when looking at  weak
        satellites.   However,  the
        very  good threshold of the
        receiver  does help you  if
        you have been suffering  in
        the  past.  The software of
        the  4000RP  will  interest
        both  the true hobbyist  as
        well  as those who wish  to
        tune    into    as     many
        frequencies   as   possible
        without really knowing what
        is  happening  technically.
        It  is fair to say that the
        receiver  copes  with  most
        that we  threw  at it. 'C'-
        band reception was real fun
        as were other bands.  There
        is also a dual IF input and
        a  range of  settings  that
        will   give  you  dual   or
        triple  band LNB  settings.

        Two  decoder   ports    are
        available  and they can  be
        connected  to either PAL  +
        MAC  or  MAC +  MAC.  Audio
        out, which is very good, is
        available     via     phono
        sockets.With  the  addition
        of 'CYCLOPS' you can  cross
        connect  the  4000RP  to  a
        home   distribution  centre
        and  have  control  of  the
        receiver in any  room.  The
        receiver    has    English,
        German,  French and Spanish
        menus  which can be a  real
        help  if  you are  learning
        your  way  through  a   new
        receiver,   especially   if
        some   of   the   technical
        jargon   is  not  in   your
        native    language.    Dish
        Programming  is  very  easy
        and can be achieved without
        moving from your couch. The
        autofocus also helps ensure
        that   you  remain  on  the
        satellite in the event that
        anything  drifts  off.  The
        main   menu   follows    a,
        surprisingly,       logical
        pattern.  Many receivers do
        not.   After  entering  the
        menu  of  your  choice  the
        receiver  almost helps  you
        through  the  questions  it
        asks.  The  other  sensible
        feature of the menu is that
        it only needs you to do one
        thing   at  a   time.   For
        example  there  are   times
        when  audio 'L' and 'R'  do
        not  follow a pattern.  The
        Palcom asks you to set each
        frequency  separately.   It
        then does the bandwidth and
        onto the pre-set volume. At
        the   end   of   all   your
        programming,  you know  how
        one thing never works quite
        as  you would like it,  the
        trouble shooting section of
        the handbook helps you sort
        things  out.  All the  main
        aspects  of  the  receiver,
        Video,  Audio,  decoder and
        dish set ups are excellent.
        If you get a chance to test
        the  4000RP DO IT!  As  for
        those  upgrading this is  a
        receiver  you  should   put
        high on your shopping list.
        Our  thanks go to PALCOM UK
        tel: +44(0)895 431 633.




        TESUG   NEWS   TESUG   NEWS
        We  have requests for  some
        additional  services.   The
        first  being  a  mag  swop.
        This  idea came from a long
        conversation          about
        programme  listings.   What
        people   want  to   do   if
        regularly swop magazines so
        that  they can see what  is
        on  in other countries.  To
        save space in FP,  this  is
        how  we  will run  the  mag
        swop. If you are interested
        in  exchanging mags let  us
        know  what you have to swop
        and  which mag (  or  which
        country you want the mag to
        originate  from) you  would
        like  to receive.  We  will
        then, providing others wish
        to  swop in  that  country,
        exchange  information  with
        another  memeber  for  you.
        The  rest  is  up  to  you.
        Please   remeber  our  laws
        mean  that we do need  your
        permission to forward  your
        details    to   any   other
        person. Therefore, will you
        include  your  approval  in
        your letter.

        SUBSCRIBER            SALES

        David Gaskill
        'Robin Hill'
        Woodhead Road
        Hale, Altringham
        Cheshire UK
        Tel 0836 607234
        David   has   for  sale   a
        complete  system  for  sale
        including  a,"Raynor   5000
        receiver   with  integrated
        positioner complete with H-
        H mount, 90cm dish, 1dB LNB
        Polarotor  and feed  horn".
        The  asking  price  is  300
        pounds sterling.

        YOUR   LETTERS  AND   CALLS

        Nick Presland called in,"As
        a   non-football  fan   why
        should  I pay 2.99 for  Sky
        Sports. There is no mention
        of Motor Racing. Sky should
        re-assure      non-football
        viewers   that   there   is
        something  for  them.   How
        about   a  TESUG   teletext
        service on Astra?" Reply>>>

        We  contacted Sky who  were
        very  quick  to admit  that
        they had forgotten to  talk
        about  anything other  than
        football.  The reason given
        was  the  media  were  more
        interested in Football than
        anything  else.   Sky  then
        listed  of  a long list  of
        sports   for  the   channel
        including athletics,  motor
        cycling and motor sport. On
        the  question of Formula  1
        motor car racing there  was
        silence,   however,  NASCAR
        was     offered    as    an
        alternative.
        We,  being TESUG,  did look
        at Astra for a text service
        over a year ago.  The  main
        problem  we bumped into  at
        that time was the rules and
        regulations  that were part
        of  an  agreement  to   use
        Astra. The major attraction
        of  Super was that we  only
        had   to  comply  with  the
        normal TESUG rules. Meaning
        you  don't have to be  rude
        to  get your point  across.
        It was also agreed from the
        beginning that the  service
        would  cover all satellites
        and  not just the  one  the
        service   originated  from.
        You  may have noticed  that
        some  magazines are  really
        only  Astra  magazines.  We
        did  not feel this was  the
        route that TESUG wanted  to
        follow. We still don't. The
        objective still is to bring
        as  much  news as  possible
        about   all  the   European
        satellites, not just one.

        ROBERT  DIMLER   writes,"Is
        there   anyone  who  has  a
        working  save decoder  they
        want to sell for around  50
        pounds sterling? My daytime
        number is 071 247 0303".

        Liam     Kelly     writes,"
        EXCELLENT!  This  months FP
        is the best yet;well  done.
        Enclosed  is  a copy of  my
        installation details.  Keep
        up the good  work;  without
        your  help and info all  my
        expence   would  have  been
        wasted".   Thanks  for  the
        comments. Liams system>>>>>


        HOW  LIAM HAS IT  CONNECTED


        Echostar Dual   Racal
        band LNB 1.1    p/rotor




                          90cm p/f
                          Precision
                          motorised
                      (patio mount)


                Connextions
             CX 9002 splitter



        Kids bedroom

             VIDEOCRYPT
        (mainly Sky Sports)
             UNIDEN 8008
        (switched to slave)



                         Lounge

                        VIDEOCRYPT
                   (mainly movies)
                       UNIDEN 8008
                       UNIDEN 881

        Thanks  to  Liam  for   the
        drawing but, have you got a
        really unusual installation
        If  so send us the  details
        and we will fit it into FP.


        Prof   Nixon   BA   writes,
        "Thank  you for a wonderful
        service  on Text  and  your
        news letters.  I wonder how
        to get to Intelsat 'K',  as
        honestly  I don't know  how
        to get to 21.5 west.  Is it
        near the BBC at 27.5".

        Reply......A  quick  glance
        at  the  sightings,   which
        follows,  will give you all
        you need to know about 'K'.
        However,      we     should
        congratulate  all those who
        found this new bird when it
        had  only  blank   carriers
        running.  Most  would  have
        gone straight past thinking
        it    was    just    noise.