X-Mailer: NMail (1.1.0)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Date:         Sun, 3 Jan 1993 03:42:46 EST
From:         Gary Bourgois <flash@LOPEZ.MARQUETTE.MI.US>
Subject:      Why the G5 rumor makes no sense.

The call I got from a listener took me by surprise.  The very thought of G5
moving to the G1 slot is pretty unbelievable.  He would not give a source
when he called FNL, but said it was "someone in Rhode Island".  He said it
would happen in 30 to 45 days.

Something that quickly down the road just can't happen without some fairly
regular folks knowing, like people at the CABLE COMPANIES and UPLINKERS.  I
did manage to get to ONE highly placed source (the same person who told me S1
was sold two weeks before it was announced) and he just laughed.

If AL is right on this one, he is the insider of all insiders and a true
guru.  I will so recognize him if it comes to pass.

However let us examine the situation carefully:

G1 is between C3 and C4.  There is some crosstalk.  EWTN seems to be
suffering quite a bit here on MY system.  It looks fine on CABLE though, but
I can see a white bar drifting through the picture on my 10 foot paraclypse
(which is pretty bunged up and has very bad side lobes).

Now the scenario WAS for G6 to replace G5.  This makes sense.  G6 has no high
ticket customers.  AEN, Tavern TV, WHMB, FAMILYNET...  Those are not major
customers and none of them are big time cable channels.  They can find new
homes anywhere in the arc, such as on G2 which is pretty empty.  Or G7 even.

BUT what about G5?  Who is there?  Only the biggest customers in the
industry.  This is the MAJOR bird right now.

Move it?  You gotta be kidding.  My friends at the local cable company were
pulling their hair doing all the C3 G5 C4 moves just recently.  In order to
move G5, you would have to first find a place to put all 24 customers.  It
should be on ONE bird.  Which one?  You don't think you can shut down HBO,
CINEMAX, SHOWTIME, TMC, TNN etc etc etc etc for two or three days while you
drift G5 over.  Can't happen.  Moving them to anywhere else wont work either.
You would at the bare minimum have to do a HOT switch at the same orbital
slot as G5 before you could move G5, and what are you going to put THERE?
G6 is the only logical candidate.  If they hot switch all G5 services over to
G6 though, all those people with the small G5 dishes will suddenly notice
their pictures are no longer perfect, and THEY are gonna complain big time.
Of course TVRO is not as important as cable, so this scenario is a
possibility, though an unlikely one.

As I always say with ANYTHING of this nature:  LOOK where the BUCKS are, and
that is how you will determine what is going to happen.

Look at the customers on G1.  To be sure they are not slouches, but EWTN does
not carry the clout of HBO, Sorry.

My prediction?  The "rumor" will prove to be false.  The truth is G6 is going
to be the bird replacing G1 as we have been told by Hughes and so far no one
at Hughes has said anything different.  Unless they make a big announcement
MONDAY, I would say that the lady who called all upset that the SCI FI
CHANNEL might be moving should not be worried.

It has always been my practice with SIGNALS and FNL to verify my stories from
a minimum of 2 sources, preferably 3.  People I know in the industry.  I
don't have personal friends at Hughes, but I know some of their customers,
and they give the straight dope if they know it.

We will have an answer to this story this week.

I will say this:  It caught me completely off guard, and being live radio it
is difficult to handle things like that on the fly, especially right at the
END of the program.

I also want to say that if anyone construed my comments regarding the other
talk show as negative, let me assure you they were in good natured jest.  I
like friendly competition.  I have never been a back biter and I don't like
fueds or controvercy between services.  I do plan to issue a statement on
this on the next FNL.

I said "you were listening to the wrong show" only because the statement
about G5 was just so unbelievable.  I personally think that Sue from Missouri
is one of the most dedicated and hard working people that has been doing
things FOR the dish owners.  I have also offered her time on MY show any time
she has something to give out regarding getting the dish heads working in the
legislative arena (Even though the thrust of our program is primarily
technical and hobby oriented).  She has also been welcomed on other shows on
the network, and will always be.

Meanwhile if ANY of you have ANYTHING on this G1/G5 swap thing, I need to
know it.  If they could teleport birds instantly, then and only then would it
make sense to put G5 in G1's slot and G6 where G5 is.  That would eliminate
crosstalk with G1.  HOWEVER I would not be very happy with the move.  I like
G5 where it is now.  A move to the G1 slot would fuzz it up for me pretty
bad.  It is SPARKLIE FREE and all the audio services come in perfect where it
is now.

We will be making a lot of phone calls this week, and I will let you know
what I find out.  Those of you who also have industry connections please do
the same and let's get some answers here.


--
    /   Gary Bourgois, WB8EOH, The Birdwatcher: Marquette Michigan  USA   \
   ([-o ~ Tune FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE!  S3/21 5.8  Fridays from 9-midnight ~ o-])
    \  Now a snazzy new DOMAIN address!  flash@lopez.marquette.MI.US      /
        GEnie: SIGNALS   FAX: (906) 228-7477    GWN BBS: (906) 228-4399