HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ksrao@POWER.EEE.NDSU.NODAK.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Subject: Re: Kudos to rec.video.satellite and Pacific bird questions
Date: 14 Apr 92 13:48:54 GMT
Article-I.D.: plains.16775
Reply-To: ksrao@POWER.EEE.NDSU.NODAK.EDU
Distribution: usa

In article <MBN.92Apr13093407@hw1.fps.com>, mbn@fps.com (Mike Northam) writes:
>I'm not sure if the Intelsats are receivable with a dish as small as 12
>feet--I'd love to hear details from someone knowledgeable.
>
     I do not kno about Pacific Intelsats, they are below horizon for me but I
can receive a pretty decent picture from an Atlantic Intelsat at 53 deg West
with an 8.5 ft dish. Stuart Kingsley reports that he can receive the Intelsat
at 27 degrees West with a 10 foot dish. I do think that the Pacific Intelsat at
180 degrees should be visible for the viewers on the West coast.


>--
>Mike Northam    mbn@fps.com   Home:123 11' 40"W   45 37' 14"N

K. Sankara Rao                          e-mail ksrao@power.eee.ndsu.nodak.edu

Department of Electrical Engineering
North Dakota State University
Fargo, ND 58105  USA

Phone:  (701)237-7217  (o)
        (701)235-9912  (h)
From: hoisve@XANADU.CC.UTAH.EDU (David Hoisve)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Subject: Re: Dish questions...
Date: 7 Apr 92 06:16:50 GMT
Organization: University of Utah

I posted this recently.  Due to a bogus date, I don't think it made it 
outside of Utah...  

>I have a few beginner questions...

>I recently purchased an inexpensive, used 6' perf dish, receiver and LNA 
>used locally.  I installed everything last week, turned it all on, and...  
>NOTHING!  I think the problem is with the reciever (the weird smell and the 
>smoke are solid clues, but I don't really know much about 
>electronics ... :-) )

UPDATE!  It WORKS!  The weird smell was due to an incredible buildup of dust 
in the unit.  A little cleaning, and it seems to work!

Note that my first channel was a "Home Shopping Network".  Although it was a 
CANADIAN shopping network.  Kinda amazing -- receiving something no stronger 
than a CB radio, from 20,000+ miles in space, amplifying it 100,000+ times.  
Incredible!  The picture is choppy on some satellites and/or transponders, 
but it WORKS!

>Two quick questions ...

>First, how can I check out the dish?  Both to make sure everything is lined 
>up (including locating the feed at the focal point), and the dish is 
>reasonably parabolic.  I have been VERY carefull about gaps between the 
>dish "petals", and ensuring that there are no height differences between the 
>petals.  Any other suggestions?

Two quick ideas -- first, my feed was slightly off center.  This was 
confirmed by measuring the length of each feed support.  Second, I initially 
tuned and peaked the dish with one of the Anik satellites roughly due south 
of my location.  I swung the dish both east and west.  At both ends, I found 
a satellite and adjusted the elevation to peak it.  Heres the trick -- at 
the eastern end I needed to raise the elevation to peak it, and the western 
end, lower it.  Thus the dish was pointing slightly east of true south.  I 
set the declanation using roughly the same procedure (if, at each end (east-
west), it is either high or low, the declanation should be tweaked).

This was all based on a WAG (Wild Ass Guess).  Is it the correct procedure?  
Unfortunatly, my system did not come with any manuals.  

>Second, does anyone have a good, inexpensive, non-IRD receiver for sale?  
>What I'd like to do is purchase a great used receiver and one of the new 30-
>degree LNBs replacing the current 85 degree LNA and 70 mhz downconverter. 

I'm still interested.  

Thanks to this group for the great ideas and information.  

-- Dave
David Hoisve
HOISVE@XANADU.CC.UTAH.EDU
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Date:         Wed, 15 Apr 1992 10:24:19 PDT
From:         "Vijay Vaidyanathan" <zycad!yoda!vijay@SUN.COM>
Subject:      The Janeil Stereo Processor
X-To:         HOMESAT@VM1.NoDak.EDU
              15 Apr 1992 12:50:38 EDT <9204151701.AA01758@Sun.COM>

> I was watching them demonstrate this unit last week, and from what I
> saw, it did not cover the whole band from 0 - 8 MHz, but only the
> typical 5-8 MHz.  I beleive the original poster specified 0 -8.

I have the Janeil SP2000 (which I bought from SAH @ 69 bucks, and
they are now seeling for $39!).

You are right, the Janeil does go from 5 to 8 MHz, but it is a
fine unit. What am I missing in the 0-5 MHz range?

The only problem I have with it is that it switches automatically
to Wideband ... and occasionally gets that wrong. In particular,
it *always* gets the BBC on G3/24 wrong and it upsets the heck out
of me.

I was told that there was a Mod that would allow me to manually
control the Narrow/Wide setting rather than have it switch
automatically. Does anyone have the modification? Can it be done
with only a soldering iron? (i.e. no oscilloscope).

- VV
-----
From: Thomas.Tornblom@nexus.comm.se (Thomas Tornblom)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Subject: Serial port protocol on Chaparral Monterey
Date: 13 Apr 92 22:34:01 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Communicator Nexus AB


Has anyone any info on the protocol used on the serial ports of the
Chaparral Monterey? Has anyone tested the PC software available to
control it?

Thomas
--
Real life:      Thomas Tornblom           Email:  Thomas.Tornblom@nexus.comm.se
Snail mail:     Communicator Nexus AB     Phone:  +46 18 171814
                Box 857                   Fax:    +46 18 696516
                S - 751 08 Uppsala, Sweden
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Date:         Fri, 17 Apr 1992 10:47:46 EDT
From:         Bill Jones <wejones@CRDEC7.APGEA.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: Re: The Janeil Stereo Processor
X-To:         "HOMESAT - Home Satellite Technology" <HOMESAT@vm1.nodak.edu>

>
> Audio below 5.00?  Huh?  My Sierra ][ only goes down to 5.00 as far as I know,
> so how can I get these lower frequencies?  I have noted that on some occasions
> I can get a video signal, but an audio sweep from 5.00 to the top of the
 Sierra
> band produces nothing.  Maybe these are similar situations to the one you
> discussed.  Are there also channels with audio ABOVE the top of the bandwidth?

As far as I have seen, the audio below 5.00 (receivable by conecting a
shortwave radio with FM {preferrably with selectable bandwidths} mode to
the baseband output of the sat receiver) is only found on transponders
that are not carrying video.  If you see video and no audio, they probably
don't have the audio on.
From: huopio@lut.fi (Kauto Huopio)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Subject: Re: CNN
Date: 15 Apr 92 19:15:11 GMT
Organization: Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed below are writers own.
Peruutus: Mielipiteet ovat omiani.

In article <4195@gos.ukc.ac.uk> sdb@ukc.ac.uk (S.D.Burge) writes:

> I would have mailed this but I'm not priveleged enough to do so,
> so here comes another question...

> I've noticed that during the ad breaks, there are adverts mainly for a
> European audience. Does this mean that CNN-I has several different feeds
> from the US for localised regions, such as one for Europe, one for Asia etc.
> or is CNN downlinked from another bird over the atlantic and re-uplinked
> say from London with the adverts inserted there.

> The quality of their VT material leaves a lot to be desired, but then
> again that's NTSC.

I think that CNN has different feeds to different areas. I guess that
the old Intelsat-feed was uplinked directly from states, but how about
this Astra one? Is there a delay between the Astra and the
Intelsat-feeds (= Astra is after Intelsat) or do they come at the same
time? If there is a delay like this, it would indicate that Astra gets
the CNN via the old Intelsat-feed.. But when the Intelsat-feed closes,
is there some kind of a C-band feed to Europe enough strong to be
re-uplinked? 
CNN video quality is...well, what one could expect from a NTSC-> PAL
-conversion? Besides, quite a lot of the news footage used has gone
through several up/downlinks.. What I really hate..the "ad breaks".. I
mean the SAME tune every 5-6 minutes 24 h/day and the totally unuseful
list of hotels passing by.. Sometimes _very early_ CNN time there are
american ads, but I think these come trough by accident (the
international uplink feed operator must be on a coffee break or
something).. 
I usually watch Sky News. Although a low-budget (!) news
operation, they have more international (not just UK) news and less
filler stories. By being a low-budget channel I mean that they use a
LOT less live reports (there must be something REALLY big happening
before they go live), and less video reports in general. Nearly all
the foreign reports are usually phone only, or with
Visnews/EBU/whatsoever-bought footage. And Sky News do REPEAT
stories.. There was this story of a 92 year old football fan which
they showed on THREE days..
I'd watch BBC WS a LOT more, but the local cabel network has some
trouble with the audio (4-5 % distortion, complaints won't help), so I
have to watch CNN or Sky News..

--Kauto

--
****************** Kauto Huopio (huopio@kannel.lut.fi) **********************
*  Mail: Kauto Huopio, Punkkerikatu 1 A 10, SF-53850 Lappeenranta,Finland   *
*****************************************************************************
Xref: sparky rec.video.satellite:2180 rec.sport.baseball:11989
From: autry@sgi.com (Larry Autry)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Subject: Re: SURPRISE, SURPRISE !
Date: 11 Apr 92 16:37:03 GMT
Organization: Silicon Graphics, St. Louis, MO

In article <9204110146.AA03762@lopez.UUCP> lopez!flash@SHARKEY.CC.UMICH.EDU (Gary Bourgois) writes:
>And I assume it is NOT SCRAMBLED.  Of course we Americans can not view CNNI
>no matter what we do, and we must PAY to see CNN and CNN headline news
>(Except for the free morning feeds of CNN headline which are for TV stations)
>
Let us turn and face Denver, Colorado, home of TCI to thank them for the
opportunity to pay for commercial television.  
(More scrambled programming = more cable viewers, so sayeth TCI.)
--
Larry Autry
Silicon Graphics, St. Louis
autry@sgi.com 
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Organisation: European Space Operation Centre (E.S.O.C)
Date: Tuesday, 7 Apr 1992 15:08:07 CET
From: <RFLOOD@ESOC.BITNET>
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Subject: Re: British Election Results Party - April 9, 5 pm EST ---->

Those of us in 'Europe' (i.e., those of us who don't live in the U.K.)
are watching the election via ASTRA 1A/B, and have been SATURATED with
reports by SKY News. By now (L minus 2) the very mention of Ashdown, The Welsh
Windbag, or the other one - the man in the grey suit with spectacles -
is enough to bring on an attack of projectile vomiting. Seriously, chaps,
is any other satellite user offering a more mature view of the beanfeast ?
From: cue@apple.com (Eddy Cue)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Subject: online tv guide
Date: 7 Apr 92 07:08:21 GMT
Organization: Apple Computer, Inc.

What ever happened to the satellite tv guide channel? Is it is still available,
how much does it cost, comments?

Eddy Cue
cue@apple.com
From: rdickel@cs.strath.ac.uk (Robert A Dickel IE91)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Subject: CNN on Astra 1B
Date: 11 Apr 92 11:26:11 GMT
Organization: Comp. Sci. Dept., Strathclyde Univ., Glasgow, Scotland.
Originator: rdickel@simpson-04

This morning I'm receiving CNN International from Astra 1B:

	Transponder:	28
	Frequency:	11.627GHz
	Polarisation	Vertical

Since this transponder has been on of Astra's test transponders does anyone
know whether this is a permanent feed or just a test by CNN??

Thanks,
	Bob.



-- 
  /          /   Robert Dickel, University of Strathclyde, aka
 /__  ___   /__  rdickel@cs.strath.ac.uk, caa309@ccsun.strath.ac.uk
/__/ /__/  /__/ "de de dah de de de dah" (honest I didnt steal the lyrics)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
From: ttkunat@lims02.lerc.nasa.gov (DAVE KUNATH)
Subject: VCIIRS upgrade
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
Date: 10 Apr 1992 08:51 EST  

	About two months ago I received a letter from Showtime satellite 
networks (who I subscribe to) concerning the VCIIRS upgrade to customers of 
Showtime.  In the letter, they said that General Instruments would sent me 
a letter telling me to call a number to receive my free VCIIRS module.  I 
haven't received anything, and I'm wondering if anyone else on the net has 
received contact from G.I. yet ?  


David J. Kunath
Electronic Data Systems
NASA Lewis Research Center
Cleveland, ohio








Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
From: juergenb@ecs.comm.mot.com (Juergen Bartels)
Subject: Re:      ASTRA tr # 29
Organization: eng
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 10:01:51 GMT

In article <m0lbCPp-0001IcC@mcshh.hanse.de> "Wolfgang R. Schulz" <wrs@MCSHH.HANSE.DE> writes:
>I do see a MAC signal on ASTRA, transponder 29 since today. As I don't
>have a decoder (yet), could anybody please tell me what program is on
>there? It used to be a Betzdorf testpattern until yesterday.
>

BSkyB performs a test in the wide screen format. According to SATNEWS
it runs daily until 19:00 CEST. I saw it myself, it stopped at exactly
that time the SI (servive Info) mentioned BSkyB and wide screen format.
Unfortunately it's scrambled, so I don't know the content.

Jurgen



Jurgen Bartels   Taunusstein near Wiesbaden  Germany


juergenb@tau_mail.comm.mot.com                <---- try this address, first

Jurgen_Bartels@p11.f29.n249.z2.fidonet.org    <---- if above doen't work, use this

Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
From: roberts@triton.unm.edu ()
Subject: Re: British election feeds
Date: Thu, 09 Apr 92 03:38:25 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

In article <35053@nntpd.lkg.dec.com> hughes@gary.enet.dec.com (Gary Hughes - VMS Development) writes:
>
>Anyone have any suggestions for likely places to find election coverage feeds
>from the UK tomorrow (Thursday) evening, other than Stuart Kingsley's home :-)?
>

I've heard that CSPAN on Galaxy 3 will cover the election coverage.  I'd
also bet that there are many feeds on G6 and/or W5.

Robert

-- 

Robert Smathers   (roberts@triton.unm.edu) Albuquerque, NM  USA
Moderator, UNI Satellite TV Conference
From: Thomas.Tornblom@nexus.comm.se (Thomas Tornblom)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Subject: Re: Intelsat VI-F4
Date: 13 Apr 92 11:01:09 GMT
Organization: Communicator Nexus AB

In article <4186@gos.ukc.ac.uk> sdb@ukc.ac.uk (S.D.Burge) writes:

   I have a 'fixed-dish' Astra system - an NEC 3022 with 80cm NEC dish.

   The system works fine for Astra. I've also managed to get pictures from
   the ECS sats at 21.5, 16, 13 and 10E.

   However, I now wish to try and get some sort of programming from 
   Intelsat VIF4 (sp?) at 27.5W. What sort of picture would I get on CNN 
   and Discovery, ie: would it be watchable? I think the LNB noise figure
   is around 1.4dB or so, although that figure is probably a typical 
   value.

As you probably already have noticed, CNN has moved to Astra, channel
28,  as of this week-end! It seems they will drop Ku transmission on
27.5W in the future. 

Thomas
--
Real life:      Thomas Tornblom           Email:  Thomas.Tornblom@nexus.comm.se
Snail mail:     Communicator Nexus AB     Phone:  +46 18 171814
                Box 857                   Fax:    +46 18 696516
                S - 751 08 Uppsala, Sweden
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
From: john@jwt.UUCP (John Temples)
Subject: I've lost transponder 1
Organization: Private System -- Orlando, FL
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 19:48:49 GMT


In the last couple of days, I've realized that I can't get anything on
transponder 1 of any satellite.  It's just pure video noise; not even
the slightest hint of any signal there.  Adjusting the video fine
doesn't do a thing.  Transponders 2 through 24 work fine.  Has my LNB
failed?  My receiver?  Is there something I can adjust somewhere?
-- 
John W. Temples -- john@jwt.UUCP (uunet!jwt!john)
From: hughes@gary.enet.dec.com (Gary Hughes - VMS Development)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Subject: Re: Intelsat K (was Re: Deutsche Welle TV)
Date: 7 Apr 92 14:31:06 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation


In article <9204061653.AA28909@lopez.UUCP>, lopez!flash@SHARKEY.CC.UMICH.EDU (Gary Bourgois) writes...
>Well I wonder if it will get into the VERY FAR NORTH of the midwest....  I
>have had no luck whatsoever with international birds so far.
> 
The footprint of existing Intelsats does not offer very much power even on the
east coast. Remember, they are happy if they get good performance from a class
A earth station in Maine.

For Intelsat K however, it looks like MI is well within the 47dBW contour,
according to the footprint map that I have.

>I assume this will also be KU only?
> 
Yup, Intelsat's first Ku only bird. It is linear pol, btw. The only satellites
that use circular pol. on Ku are the high power DBS birds over Europe and Japan.

gary
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
From: juergenb@ecs.comm.mot.com (Juergen Bartels)
Subject: LA 5 closed this sunday
Organization: eng
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 07:50:04 GMT

Finally, this sunday at midnight La 5, the french TV station who
went bankrupt, closed at midnight. I catched the last 30 minutes,
the whole staff was present when they showed a flashback of its
programming.

Jurgen



Jurgen Bartels   Taunusstein near Wiesbaden  Germany


juergenb@tau_mail.comm.mot.com                <---- try this address, first

Jurgen_Bartels@p11.f29.n249.z2.fidonet.org    <---- if above doen't work, use this

Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
From: andre@farside.slc.mentorg.com (Andre' Hut)
Subject: Re: VCII+ Subscription Problems
Organization: Mentor Graphics
Date: 7 Apr 92 14:35:18

In article <1992Apr5.041105.15036@edsr.eds.com> cheeks@tantalum.eds.com (Mark Costlow) writes:
   >I would like some info on exactly how the VCII+ system works.  I've got
   >a VCII+ and subscribe to several of the channels I used to get with
   >cable.  The following has happened about 4 times since we got our
   >satellite system 6 months ago, and two of them were in the last week:

	   One minute, everything if fine, the next minute ALL of my pay
	   channels become unavailable.  The message I get from the IRD on
	   *any* VCII+ channel is "Authorization not available".  Note
	   that this is on any VCII+ channel, whether I'm paying for that
	   service or not, and the message is *not* the same as the "No
	   Subscription" message one normally gets when you turn to a
	   transponder you aren't subscribed to.

   >To remedy the situation, I have to call up my programmer (Jones) and
   >bicker with them for a few minutes (their accounting system must really
   >suck -- they never seem to know what's going on).  Eventually they
   >resign to give me a "hit", and service is back instantly.

   >Do any of you know enough about the VCII+ system to explain this
   >failure mode?  Is the problem a glitch at the providers' end, or at my
   >end, or some combination?  Just how do they transmit the enabling codes
   >which tell my IRD it's ok to display the current program?  Do they just
   >send them at regular intervals?  I would think if that were the case
   >that my service would come back on relatively soon, but my system is in
   >a state where it won't receive any VCII+ programming until I get the
   >programmer to "hit" me (in fact that's why I'm writing this now ...
   >it's Saturday night and my programming just bit it, so I can't watch
   >the movie I was planning to watch since Jones only answers the phone
   >during business hours).  Does this mean they just stopped transmitting
   >my code?  Is there an undocumented key sequence I can use to reset my
   >VCII+?

   >Any info would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks,

Mark,

	I have a VCII+ and have *never* seen the problems you describe.
You have one or more of the following problems:

	- You may have a bad IRD.  If it "forgets" it's authorization, you
	may lose until you get hit again.

	- Your programmer may periodically deactivate your system for what-
	ever reason.

All the VCII descramblers receive their authorization codes periodically.
It's suggested that you leave your IRD on, and turned to a VCII transponder
when not in use.  There is a field in the setup-0 window (diagnostics) that
shows how many times your system has been "hit".  The 0 key clears this
field.


--
-------------------------------------------------------------------
My opinions are solely my own, and do not necessarily reflect those
of my employer.

Andre' Hut       andre@slc.mentorg.com  or  utah-cs!caeco!andre
Mentor Graphics, Suite 300, 5295 South 300 West, Murray, Utah 84107
-------------------------------------------------------------------
From: skingsle@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Stuart A Kingsley)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Subject: Optical SETI
Date: 14 Apr 92 21:43:47 GMT
Article-I.D.: magnus.CMM.0.90.2.703287827.skingsle
Organization: The Ohio State University


Just a brief notice that I have just posted an updated notice about my
Optical SETI talks in the U.K. to sci.space and sci.astro.

Stuart

P.S.  If I can find the time before I depart for England, I will post a
      message concerning the improved reception of Intelsats that my
      new 25 K C-Band LNB provides.
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Subject: Info wanted on transponder frequencies
From: geoffrey@cosc.canterbury.ac.nz (Geoff Thomas)
Date: 16 Apr 92 14:06:40 +1200
Distribution: world
Organization: Computer Science,University of Canterbury,New Zealand


Hi, I'm after info on where to get transponder freqs. for satellites.
I've found some info in the ITU launch records that are published
every year or so, but I'd like more detailed info on more satellites.

Any help much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,


Geoff Thomas.


Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
X-Mailer: NMail (1.1.0)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Date:         Wed, 8 Apr 1992 19:32:27 EDT
From:         Gary Bourgois <lopez!flash@SHARKEY.CC.UMICH.EDU>
Subject:      Re: British election feeds
X-To:         "HOMESAT - Home Satellite Technology" <HOMESAT@VM1.NoDak.EDU>

I plan to look on W5, they have been using channel 3 lately for BBC
newsfeeds.  CSPAN might also be a place to look.

And don't forget the AUDIO service of BBC on G3/24 5.4 audio.  I remember
huddling around my NC-183 to hear Maggy get elected the very first time.
This election I will be listening and hopefully watching via satellite.

It WILL be up there, so try all the traditional news places:  G6, W5, T301,
S2, G2 and the rest of the arc.  If you scan you will find the coverage.

KEEP WATCHING THE SKIES!

--
=Marquette MI: It's Not the END of the world, but you can see it from here=
==  Gary Bourgois flash@lopez (rutgers!sharkey!lopez!flash)  GWN UPLink  ==
==  3.950  Nationwide Amateur Radio Nightly after 0200z=Learning Channel ==
=============== WB8EOH = The Eccentric Old Hippie = WB8EOH ================
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
X-Mailer: NMail (1.1.0)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Date:         Fri, 10 Apr 1992 13:04:30 EDT
From:         Gary Bourgois <lopez!flash@SHARKEY.CC.UMICH.EDU>
Subject:      Re: British Election Coverage
X-To:         HOMESAT@VM1.NoDak.EDU

The BBC and ITN graphics were ASTOUNDING.  I spent the whole night watching
the feeds.  Absolutely wonderful.  AND the come from behind win by the
conservatives was worth the lateness of the hour.

--
=Marquette MI: It's Not the END of the world, but you can see it from here=
==  Gary Bourgois flash@lopez (rutgers!sharkey!lopez!flash)  GWN UPLink  ==
==  3.950  Nationwide Amateur Radio Nightly after 0200z=Learning Channel ==
=============== WB8EOH = The Eccentric Old Hippie = WB8EOH ================