QRZ! Ham Radio 3/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 3.iso/world/mac/space/glxytxts.hqx/GALAXY.TXT

Text File | 1992-08-08 | 110KB | 2,259 lines

                  COMMUNICATIONS IN SPACE--EDITION 5.3

                      THE DXers GUIDE TO THE GALAXY


George Wood                                                August, 1992


                            TABLE OF CONTENTS

      I.    Introduction-Satellites...................................1

      II.   Satellite Broadcasting-TVRO...............................1
               North America..........................................2
               Coming Channels and Satellites.........................5
               Non-Video Signals......................................6
               North American DBS.....................................8
               Europe and Astra.......................................9
               Eutelsat..............................................13
               Intelsat..............................................14
               PanAmsat..............................................17
               European DBS..........................................16
               PAL vs MAC............................................17
               Radio.................................................18
               The Third World.......................................20
               African Satellite Broadcasting........................21
               Middle Eastern Satellite Broadcasting.................21
               Asia and the Pacific..................................23
               Star-TV...............................................23
               Other Asian Satellite Broadcasters....................24
               The Pacific...........................................25
               Asian Satellite Radio.................................26
               Global Satellite Channels.............................26
               International Radio Broadcasting By Satellite.........27

      III.  Weather, Navigation, and Earth Resources Satellites......29
               Other "Utility" Satellites............................29
               Equipment.............................................30

      IV.   Amateur Radio in Space...................................30

      V.    Monitoring the Space Shuttle and MIR.....................32
               Amateur Radio on the Shuttle..........................33
               MIR...................................................33
               Amateur Radio on MIR..................................33

      VI.   Military Communications in Space.........................34

      VII.  Horizons.................................................35

      VIII. For More Information.....................................36


      Copyright 1992 Radio Sweden. Reproduction of this publication is
      permitted to non-commercial media provided credit is given to
      Radio Sweden and "Communications in Space".

      Radio Sweden is not responsible for anything that might happen
      because of possible mistakes, inaccuracies, or out-of-date
     information.. In the beginnning, the Great Prophet Marconi cast his bread upon
the waves. Long, medium, even short wave--the ether was filled, and at
home listeners tuned the bands, and heard far away signals from
Bonaire, Motala, and Oakland.

     Then, on October 4, 1957, the world changed. The Soviet Union
launched the Sputnik satellite, and listeners around the world tuned in
to its signals just above 20 MHz. The Space Age had begun.

     What we find is this...the skies are filled with satellites that
can be monitored, some with simple equipment, some with more complex
and expensive gear. Weather pictures, satellite TV, astronauts and
cosmonauts, computer bulletin boards in the sky, are all there waiting.

     We used to call satellite DXing the shortwave listening of the
future. Well, the future is now. The signals are there, and more are
coming. This guide is intended to help you tune in to signals from
space. Equipment varies from USD 2000 for C-Band TVRO dishes and
receivers to less than USD 200 for a scanner and discone antenna.


I. INTRODUCTION-SATELLITES

     Communications satellites were first proposed by science fiction
writer Arthur C. Clarke in 1945. Clarke pointed out that if a satellite
was positioned high enough above the equator (36,000 kilometers or
23,000 miles), its orbit could be matched to the rotation of the Earth.
The satellite would appear to remain fixed in one particular spot in
the sky. Such a position would be ideal for relaying telephone, radio
and television communications. Three such satellites located
equidistant from each other could cover the entire Earth.

     It took technology a while to catch up with Clarke's idea. In 1957
the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world's first artificial
satellite. In 1962 the United States launched Telstar, the world's
first communications satellite. Today there are more than 100
commercial TV and telecommunications satellites in geostationary orbit,
and many more are scheduled for launch before the end of the century.

     In addition, there are communications satellites in non-
geostationary orbits (such as the former Soviet Molniya), weather and
other Earth resources satellites, amateur radio satellites, and
American and CIS space vehicles. All are accessible, if you have the
right equipment.


II. SATELLITE BROADCASTING-TVRO

     Television Receive Only systems allow home monitors to tune in to
radio and television from geostationary satellites. There are around
3.3 million TVRO installations in North America and more than 1 million
in Europe. These differ because of the different bands used for
satellite broadcasting. The satellite TV bands are:

     S-Band    1700-3000 MHz
     C-Band    3700-4200 MHz
     Ku1-Band  10.9-11.75 GHz
     Ku2-Band  11.75-12.5 GHz (DBS)
     Ku3-Band  12.5-12.75 GHz
     Ka-Band   18.0-20.0 GHz
North America

     Most North American TVRO uses the C-Band. Dish antennas are at
least nine feet (3 meters) in diameter. Dishes and receiver prices
start at around USD 1000 for systems without decoders, and USD 1500 for
systems with decoders.

     Here are the North American C and Ku-Band downlink frequencies:

     Channel  1 = 3720/11730 MHz   Channel 13 = 3960/12096 MHz
     Channel  2 = 3740/11743       Channel 14 = 3980/12109
     Channel  3 = 3760/11791       Channel 15 = 4000/12157
     Channel  4 = 3780/11804       Channel 16 = 4020/12170
     Channel  5 = 3800/11852       Channel 17 = 4040
     Channel  6 = 3820/11865       Channel 18 = 4060
     Channel  7 = 3840/11913       Channel 19 = 4080
     Channel  8 = 3860/11926       Channel 20 = 4100
     Channel  9 = 3880/11974       Channel 21 = 4120
     Channel 10 = 3900/11987       Channel 22 = 4140
     Channel 11 = 3920/12035       Channel 23 = 4160
     Channel 12 = 3940/12048       Channel 24 = 4180

     The Ku-Band frequencies are based on a 16 channel system. For the
32 channel format, half-spacing is used.

     The 20 plus C-Band satellites above North America stretch from 69
degrees West longitude to 143 degrees West. They typically carry 24
transponders (each transponder can carry one TV channel and several
radio channels or many voice and data channels) each with 5 to 8 watts
of power.

     American programmers, led by the pay-film channel Home Box Office,
began scrambling signals in 1986. On April 27, 1986 a "video hacker"
calling himself Captain Midnight (the hi-tech hero of a 1960's TV
series) interupted Home Box Office's broadcast of the film "Falcon and
the Snowman". He transmitted a message over the satellite link,
overpowering HBO's uplink to the Galaxy 1 satellite. The message was a
protest against HBO's scrambing. (The choice of the film was apt, as it
concerns military spy satellites.)

     John McDougal, who called himself Captain Midnight. was traced to
a Florida uplink station where he worked part-time. He was fined USD
5000.

     Many popular American satellite channels now scramble their
signals, using the VC II system. Modern satellite receivers come
equiped with decoders, and TVRO enthusiasts can subscribe to the coded
channels, either by monthly payment to the stations directly, or to
organizations offering special packages. The system is being updated to
a VC II+ system.

     The company manufacturing VC II decoders, General Instruments, has
a market monopoly. Separate decoders for receivers lacking them are
extremely difficult to find, and can cost between USD 600 and 800.
There is a lively underground of enthusiasts hacking decoders, hardware
and software, in order to view pay channels for free.

     Here are the C-band satellite above North America, and Some of the
more interesting satellite channels:

     Satcom C5 (139 degrees): Alaska Satellite TV is on transponder 24.

     Satcom C1 (137 degrees): Mainly the western coded feeds of network
affiliates from Denver. California's Cal-Span is on transponder 16,
with the Jade Channel in Chinese on transponder 1 and the NHK feed to
Japan on transponder 21.

     Galaxy 1 (now at 133 degrees, after a move from 134): This
satellite includes several popular coded services, including the Disney
Channel (West), Comedy Central (East), Cinemax (East), HBO (East),
Showtime (West), and the Discovery Channel. Other services have moved
to Galaxy 5.

     Satcom 1R (131 degrees): Court-TV, devoted only to live and taped
court cases, is on transponder 12. The Entertainment Channel is on
transponder 15, and the Learning Channel on transponder 2.

     ASC-1 (128 degrees): Brightstar feeds are on transponder 21. The
BBC's "Nine O'Clock News" is carried weekdays at 6:15 PM Eastern Time.
VisNews in London is on three times a day.

     Galaxy 5 (125 degrees): This new satellite is the first of a new
generation of high-powered satellites. It includes many popular coded
services, including the Disney Channel (East), Home Box Office, Cinemax
(West), Showtime (East), Turner Broadcasting, ESPN, Arts and
Entertainment, and the USA Network. CNN transmits the regular Cable
News Network on transponder 5, and CNN Headline News on transponder 22.
Both are usually coded.

     Telstar 303 (123 degrees, after moving from 125 degrees): Carries
mainly TVN pay-per-view programming. Fox (East) is on transponder 18,
Fox (West) on transponder 23.

     Spacenet 1 (120 degrees): The Public Broadcasting Service used 4
transponders--3, 5, 9, and 23 until July, 1992. SCOLA, which carries
news broadcasts from around the world (including Sweden's TV4), is on
transponder 24.

     Morelos 1 (113.5 degrees) and Morelos 2 (116.8 degrees): Mexico's
Morelos 1 offers a number of local stations and sports feeds. Morales 2
is less active, but Turner Broadcasting's TNT Latin America, coded and
not available for the US market, is on transponder 16.

     Anik E1 (111.1 degrees): Canadian channels and feeds. The TV
Northern Canada service for Native Americans is on transponder 19, and
the Brightside Network was on transponder 23.

     Anik E2 (107.3 degrees): Canadian stations including Weather Now
on transponder 1 and relays of the Canadian House of Commons on
transponder 24, with sound in English and French on separate
subcarriers. The CBC uses transponder 11 (Pacific), 15 (French), and 19
(Atlantic). Visnews/London uses transponder 17, where the BBC
"Breakfast News" is carried weekdays at 3:00 AM Eastern Time.

     Spacenet 4 (101.5 degrees): Launched on April 12th, 1991. Three of
the six Ku-band transponders have reportedly gone bad and are
considered unusable. CNN's Telemundo feed in Spanish was on transponder
10. On July 17, 1992 PBS moved from Spacenet 1 to Spacenet 4
transponders 6, 8, 10, and 12.
    Galaxy 6 (99 degrees): Once the home of PBS. Now, a couple of
religious channels, and many feeds. Deep Dish TV is on transponder 11
twice a week. During the Gulf War, this satellite carried many feeds
from the Middle East. CNN used transponder 20 and pool reports were
carried on transponders 2 and 3.

     Telstar 301 (96 degrees): Many news and sports feeds, including
ABC on transponders 6, 11 (sports), and 12. CBS on transponders 2 and 7
are sometimes in the clear. CNN In-Flight News on transponder 13 is
broadcast daily at 4:15 AM Eastern Time.

     Galaxy 3 (93.5 degrees): Fox (National) is on transponder 2. C-
SPAN provides live coverage of the American Congress on transponders 14
and 24.

     Spacenet 3 (87 degrees): Nebraska Educational Television is on
transponder 2. Several coded services, including MTV and Nikelodeon.

     Telstar 302 (85 degrees): Several coded services, including HBO's
second and third services, and Cinemax 2.

     Satcom 4 (82 degrees): Many (coded) sports channels. Nostalgia
Television is on transponder 21. The New England News Channel is on
transponder 5.

     Galaxy 2 (74 degrees): CNN feeds can be found on transponder 5,
sports feeds on many others.

     Satcom 2R (72 degrees): NASA Select TV, including live video from
space shuttle missions, is on transponder 13. Programming is in four
hour blocks, repeated during the broadcast day. The Arab Network of
America on transponder 1 is a Saudi-financed channel seeking to reach
the one million Arabic-speaking Americans and expatriates in the U.S.
It hopes to broadcast 24 hours a day of news, entertainment and
religious programming. Another Arabic channel, MBC, is to expand to the
United States in mid-1993.

     Spacenet 2 (69 degrees West): The United States Information Agency
uses transponder 3. There are Spanish feeds and programming on
transponders 9 (Telemundo), 10 (Galavision feed), and 22 (Sur-Pan
Americana).

     Panamsat 1 (45 degrees): is used to relay signals across the
Atlantic, to Latin America and the Caribbean on C-band and to North
America and Europe on Ku-band. There are four Ku-band transponders to
North America, with feeds on transponders 1 and 7, Belgrade TV in NTSC
on transponder 4, and Japan's NHK in NTSC on another transponder.

     Intelsat 513 (53 degrees): is also used to relay signals from
Europe to North America. Australia uses the satellite to relay TV
programs from London to Los Angeles. They are retransmitted to
Australia from there on Intelsat 508 over the Pacific.

     Intelsat 601 (27.5 degrees), generally a European satellite, also
carries NTSC transmissions to North America from Europe. During the
lead up to the Gulf War its predecessor Intelsat VI-F4 was used for
NTSC feeds from the United States, presumeably programs for American
soldiers in the Gulf, on Ku-band 11.056 and 11.090 GHz.

    The transponders there were filled with feeds during the Gulf War.
Transponder 11 was the NBC Atlantic link, transponder 14 the ABC
Atlantic link, with sound from London's Capital Radio when not being
used for feeds. Transponder 15 has carried the U.S. Information
Service, which usually airs C-SPAN I, broadcasts from the American
Congress, with Transponder 16 as the CBS Atlantic link, with BBC World
Service sound when not being used for feeds.

     Transponder 10 has been BrightStar Communications, with the BBC
Six O'Clock news at 18:00 hrs. Mondays through Thursdays, the Six
O'Clock News is also carried on Westar 4 Transponder 12. This, and many
other British newscasts are also carried in PAL on Intelsat VA-F13, at
53 degrees West, on transponder 14.

     Intelsat-K (21.5 degrees): This Ku-band only satellite was
launched in June, 1992, also to relay signals across the Atlantic,
initially from the summer Olympics. The satellite carries 32 high-
powered television channels, which can be directed to North America (as
far as the Midwest), Europe (as far east as Greece), and selected parts
of South America. All beams will use 11.45-11.7 GHz, while 11.7-11.95
GHz will also be used to the Americas. Deutsche Welle is planning to
use this satellite to relay its new service to North America.

     At least 6 satellites regularly use the Ku-Band and 16 others use
the Ku-Band for occasional video. Home installations require additional
low noise block amplifiers for Ku-Band reception. The most used Ku-band
satellites are:


     Gstar 4 (125 degrees): CNN uses transponders 6 (CNN
International), 13 (Checkout Channel), and 14 (Airport Channel).

     Anik E2 (107.3 degrees): Many Canadian Channels

     Gstar 2 (105 degrees): news and sports feeds

     SBS-6 (99 degrees): College and pro sports feeds. The Asia Network
(in Korean) is on transponder 19. Newsfeeds between Germany and the
United States have recently appeared, transmitted in PAL.

     SBS-4 (91 degrees): A few pro sports feeds (NBA and NHL). The Fire
and Emergency TV Network is on transponder 5.

     K-1 (85 degrees): PrimeStar DBS pay channels

     K-2 (81 degrees): NBC uses transponders 3 (East), 7 (Pacific), 10
(sports feeds), 11 (sports feeds), 19 (Central), 23 (news feeds), and
27 (news feeds).


Coming Channels and Satellites

     More high-powered satellites will be following Galaxy 5 over the
next few months. Galaxy 1R will replace Galaxy 1, Satcom C4 will be
placed at 135 degrees, and Satcom C3 at 131 degrees. The Galaxy 7-H
"hybrid" C-Ku band satellite will be located at 91 degrees.

    Turner Broadcasting, which operates CNN, has confirmed it intends
to start a 24 hour satellite channel for children. The Cartoon Network
will begin on October 2nd in the US, and is to be followed by a
European service. The channel will rely on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon
library, which Turner bought in 1991.

     Turner also operates the Airport and Check-Out Channels. Ted
Turner has announced he is thinking about starting The Fitness Channel
for use by Health Clubs. It should be noted that Mr. Turner is married
to Jane Fonda, who's best know these days for her exercise videos.

     There's been much speculation about a planned Science Fiction
Channel. Much delayed, according to one report it will be incorporated
into the existing USA Network.

     Jim Bass, founder of the "Let's Talk Radio" program, has left it
to develop a TV program on amateur radio called "QSO Amateur Radio" on
the Galaxy 6 satellite.

     Mexico has signed a contract for two new Solidaridad
communications satellites. They are to be launched in 1992 and 1993,
and besides Mexico, will cover the southern United States; as well as
the Detroit, Chicago, and New York areas; the Caribbean, Ecuador, Peru,
and Columbia. They will also reach Buenos Aires, Montevideo, and
Santiago de Chile. The new satellites will have three times the
capacity of Mexico's existing two Morelos satellites.


Non-Video Signals

     Communications satellites carry much more than TV signals. There
are also telephone channels, transmissions by international news
agencies, stock market reports, commodity news, and hundreds of radio
network relays.

     There are two main kinds of audio signals. Audio subcarriers are
extra signals transmitted along with the video signal. The video
information on a satellite transponder typically occupies the space 0-
4.2 MHz. Subcarriers are added at frequencies higher than the video.
Usually they will be on 6.2 or 6.8 MHz, but any frequency between 5 and
8 MHz can be used.

     Modern satellite receivers come equipped with tunable subcarrier
control. If a satellite receiver lacks tunable subcarrier control, the
antenna jack of a shortwave communications receiver can be plugged into
a jack on the back of a satellite receiver marked "video", "baseband
video", or "6.8". Subcarrier services should be found in the 5-8 MHz
range, generally in FM.

     There are more than 70 audio only signals available on North
American satellites. Here are a sample:

Satellite/Channel        Program                     Frequency(ies)

Spacenet 2/7             Radio New York Int.           7.50  MHz

Spacenet 2/9             Hispanic Radio Broad.         7.75  7.93

Spacenet 3/2             Nebraska Public Radio         5.76  5.94

Spacenet 3/15            KLON-FM (Jazz/NPR)            5.58  5.76

Spacenet 3/21            Let's Talk Radio              6.2

Galaxy 3/7               Southern Gospel Music         5.36
                         Contemporary Hispanic Net.    5.94

Galaxy 3/8               Minnesota Public Radio        8.235
                         Business Radio Network        8.055
                         In Touch (for the blind)      7.875

Galaxy 3/11              Classical Collections         6.30  6.48
                         Soft Rock                     5.22  5.40
                         America's Country Favorites   5.04  7.74
                         New Age of Jazz               7.38  7.56
                         Light and Lively Rock         5.94  6.12
                         Soft Sounds                   5.58  5.76
                         Golden Oldies                 8.10  8.28

Galaxy 3/24              BBC World Service             5.40
                         International broadcasters    5.22

Anik E2/16               CBC Radio                     5.41

Anik E1/17               Radio France Internationale   5.41  6.12

Spacenet 1/24            Radio France Internationale   6.20

Galaxy 5/22              CNN Headline News             6.30

ASC 1/22                 WCCO Minneapolis              6.20
                         Minnesota Pubic Radio         8.23

Satcom 1R/15             Radio Japan (Japanese)        7.38

Satcom C5/24             KSKA-FM Anchorage/NPR         7.30  7.56


     "Let's Talk Radio" is a program about radio and television on the
Spacenet 3 satellite (87 degrees West), transponder 21, using the 6.2
MHz subcarrier (daily at 6:00 PM-1:00 AM Eastern Time). There are
programs about satellites, amateur radio, shortwave listening, and
computers.  Ironically, given the communications hobbyist audience, a
VC II descrambler is necessary to hear the program. Founder Jim Bass
has sold the channel to a group of radio amateurs, who have promised to
expand the service.

     The satellite and cable station C-Span carries broadcasts from the
American Congress. C-Span also has two special audio channels. One
rebroadcasts BBC World Service 24 hours a day, the other carries a
variety of international broadcasters, including Deutsche Welle, Radio
Japan, "As It Happens" from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and
Radio Sweden's program "Sweden Today".

     "Sweden Today" is carried on Saturdays at 9:30 AM Eastern Time,
which during the summer would be 5:30 hrs UTC. C-Span is on transponder
24 on the Galaxy 3 satellite at 93.5 degrees West. BBC World Service
uses the subcarrier at 5.4 MHz. The international broadcasters are on
5.22 MHz.

     Digital Cable Radio has signed a contract for a transponder on
Satcom C-3, which is due to be launched in September, 1992. DCR
delivers 28 CD-quality channels to cable networks. Another digital
music service called Digital Planet plans to broadcast to home dish
owners, possibly via HBO.


     The second system of sending audio by satellite is SCPC (single
channel per carrier). This involves dividing up an entire transponder
into individual non-video channels. There is both FM and single side
band (SSB) SCPC. Most of the high quality audio (and data) services
today use FM/SCPC. It is typically used for network relays.

     The American non-commercial radio network National Public Radio
has 16 audio channels on the Westar 4 satellite, on transponders 2, 3,
and 4 (which are used for many other SCPC services as well, such as
NPR's rival, American Public Radio. The BBC World Service is carried
for some 8 hours a day on an APR SCPC channel.

     There are special SCPC receivers, but SCPC can be monitored with a
satellite-TV receiver and a continuous coverage scanner or VHF-UHF
communications receiver, although the quality may be less than with a
dedicated SCPC receiver. Some (older) TVRO receivers have intermediate
or downblock frequencies at 70 or 134 MHz. If this signal is available,
a scanner or VHF-UHF receiver can be used to monitor the frequencies 18
MHz to either side of these channels on appropriate transponders.

     On more modern TVRO det-ups, a splitter can be installed in the
cable from the LNB to the satellite receiver, and the extra output can
be fed through a DC block to an FM scanner that covers the LNB's 950-
1450 MHz range.

     SSB/SCPC includes many digital services offering news or business
information. Fine tuning will reveal many radioteletype (RTTY) signals
which can be monitored with the proper RTTY interface.

     Many satellites carry telephone services, One single transponder
can hold 9000 telephone channels. These services can be monitored by
hooking an SSB communications receiver to the 0-4.2 MHz output of a
TVRO receiver. The telephone services, on satellites such as Satcom 5
and Galaxy 2, can usually be found by tuning the SSB receiver between
3720 and 4180 MHz.

     Radio Netherlands is to use PanAmSat (PAS-1) to broadcast to Latin
America andthe Caribbean, but this will be a digital audio signal (64
Kb/s in a 10 kHz audio channel). This Ku-band signal will be downlinked
in Florida and uplinked on C-band to receiving stations in the
Caribbean.


North American DBS

     Most North American satellite television has been in the C-Band,
which is really intended for professional relays and not for home
viewing. Many American TVRO enthusiasts have added extra low noise
block amplifiers for Ku-Band, however. The NBC network, for example,
has stopped using C-Band, and can be found only in the Ku-Band, on the
K-2 satellite at 81 degrees (transponders 3, 7, and 11 with feeds on
transponders 5, 23, 27, and others).

     There are also several plans for European-style direct satellite
broadcasting to North America, using the Ku-band. The first proposals
came in early 1990, when General Electric announced a joint venture
with 9 major cable operators to deliver 10 channels of programming
using medium power in the Ku-band.

     The service, called PrimeStar, began in November, 1990, using the
Satcom K1 satellite stationed at 85 degrees West. It now uses 11
transponders on the satellite. Three of the channels are pay per view,
the others so-called Super Stations, and include Japan's NHK.

     Another system, called SkyPix, was unveiled at the Consumer
Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, 1991. SkyPix offers up to 80
channels in the Ku-band, on the SBS-6 satellite at 99 degrees West.
Using digital signal compression, the 80 channels are squeezed onto 10
satellite transponders. The digital audio quality rivals that of CDs.

     Current antennas are 1.2 meters in diameter. Receivers are about
the size of a cigar box, and will handle up to 250 channels when more
powerful satellites are launched later this decade. Receivers cost
around 700 dollars, along with a 15 dollar a month subscription fee.
Viewers would be able to choose between news, sports, children's
programming, and 10 so-called "super stations" as well as pay-per-view
access to up to 50 major Hollywood movies at any time.

     A direct satellite broadcasting venture called Sky Cable, which
was to carry more than 100 channels, has been disbanded, Sky had four
powerful backers: News Corporation, which owns British Sky
Broadcasting, NBC, satellite makers Hughes Communications, and the
cable operators Cablevision.

     However, Hughes says it has signed an agreement with United States
Satellite Broadcasting to build and run a separate DBS system, called
DirecTV by the summer of 1994. The satellite would be able to carry up
to 150 channels, including regular cable channels, pay-per-view
networks, and high definition television services.

     The DirecTV satellite is to be launched from French Guiana in
December, 1993. To be located at 101 degrees West, it will deliver
news, sports, movies, and other programming to American homes equiped
with 45 cm (18 inch) antennas.


Europe and Astra

     The Soviet Union's Ghorizont was the first TV satellite over
Europe. The Ghorizont satellites operate in the C-Band. Western
European satellites use several sections of the Ku-Band for different
purposes. The Ku1-Band 10.9-11.75 GHz is, like the American C-Band,
intended for professional relays and not for home viewing. Home
reception was originally intended for the Ku2 (DBS) Band 11.75-12.5
GHz. The Ku3-Band 12.5-12.75 GHz, or Telecom Band, is also not intended
for home viewing.

     The first Western European satellites were from Eutelsat, which is
made up of the PTTs and Telecom administrations of Western European
countries. The intention was that individual countries would offer home
viewing to their own residents over high-powered DBS satellites
offering only a few channels. Astra, operated by Luxembourg's SES, has
changed all that.

     Astra uses the Ku1-Band for medium-powered signals, with 16
channels per satellite. Astra 1A and 1B are already in orbit, both at
19.2 degrees East. The similar 1C is due to be launched at the earliest
in April or May 1993. Astra 1D is planned for launch in 1994, and will
also contain transponders for High Definition Television.

     Because Astra's medium-powered satellites are at the same spot in
the sky, viewers with relatively small antennas (60-90 cm) can tune
into currently 32 and eventually 64 channels without antenna rotors.

     British Sky Broadcasting, the company formed by the merger of Sky
Television and British Satellite Broadcasting in 1990, is a major user
of the Astra satellites. BSB's channels are Sky News, the entertainment
channel Sky One, the Comedy Channel, Sky Movies Plus, the Movie Channel
and Sky Sports. The latter four are coded pay channels, requiring
special decoders.

     Here are the channels on Astra 1A and 1B (as of August, 1992):

Channel                  Transponder Frequency   Language

1    Screensport                   11.214 GHz     several
2    RTL Plus                      11.229         German
3    TV3 Sweden (D2-MAC)           11.244         English/Swedish
4    Eurosport                     11.258         several
5    Children's Channel/Lifestyle  11.273         English
6    SAT 1                         11.288         German
7    TV1000 (D2-MAC)               11.303         Swedish/English (pay)
8    Sky One                       11.317         English
9    Teleclub                      11.332         German (pay channel)
10   3-SAT                         11.347         German
11   FilmNet (to Scandinavia)      11.362         several (pay channel)
12   Sky News                      11.377         English
13   RTL 4                         11.391         Dutch
14   Pro 7                         11.406         German (partly pay)
15   MTV Europe                    11.421         English
16   Sky Movies Plus               11.435         English (pay channel)
17   Premiere                      11.464         German (pay channel)
18   The Movie Channel             11.479         English (pay channel)
19   ARD 1 Plus                    11.493         German
20   Sky Sports                    11.509         English (free/coded)
21   Tele 5                        11.523         German
22   MTV Europe                    11.538         English
23   FilmNet (D2-MAC)              11.553         several (pay channel)
24   Children's Channel/JSTV       11.567         English/Japanese
25   N3                            11.582         German
26   TV Asia/Comedy Ch./Adult Ch.  11.597         English (pay)
27   TV3 Denmark (D2-MAC)          11.611         Danish
28   CNN International             11.626         English
29   Astra info                    11.641
30   Astra promo                   11.656         English/German/French
31   TV3 Norway (D2-MAC)           11.670         English/Norwegian
32   -----                         11.685


     All channels are PAL unless D2-MAC is indicated. Pay channels use
a variety of scrambling systems, although the emerging standards seem
to be Videocrypt for PAL channels and Eurocrypt for D2-MAC. (There is a
new D2-MAC coding system called Videoguard, as well.)

     There are changes coming. British Sky Broadcasting is planning to
redefine or close down its Comedy Channel on Astra, once the relaunch
of Sky One has been completed. Observers say the Comedy Channel (which
is free only to subscribers to either of BSkyB's pay-film channels) has
continually failed to secure satisfactory ratings.

     Sky Sports was coded but free until August 1, when a subscription
fee was introduced. (Because of BSkyB's expensive purchase of rights to
British soccer matches.) However, BSkyB ultimately intends to operate a
pay-per-view system for its soccer coverage from the 1994/95 season.

     A deadline of July 1, 1994 has been set by BSkyB for the
introduction of subscription services for all its channels. BSkyB is
reported to be planning to offer a basic package of services for GBP 5
per month, which would include Sky One, Sky News, Bravo, Discovery, the
Children's Channel and the UK Gold series of channels. All of these
channels will be encrypted with Videocrypt.

     Discovery is reported to be encrypting its signal on Intelsat 601
soon, prior to switching to Astra (probably Astra 1C).

     TV Asia, which serves the South Asian community in Britain, began
broadcasting on the  Comedy Channel transponder in July, 1992.

     BBC Enterprises is launching a new channel called UK Gold on Astra
with Thames Television, the company that recently lost the London
independent television franchise. The new service is to be on the
satellite by the end of 1992, drawing from the extensive libraries of
the two companies. Initially it will be in the clear, so Astra viewers
across Europe may be able to watch. But the intention is to introduce a
subscription system during the first quarter of 1993, limiting the
channel to the British audience. According to one report, British Sky
Broadcasting has offered the Comedy Channel transponder to BBC
Enterprises and Thames. Other channels may also be in the offing.

     Thames has a second Astra option, which would probably be on Astra
1C. The station is the sole remaining applicant for Britain's new fifth
national TV network, and the satellite could be used to distribute the
new service. But Thames is also reported to be discussing a D2-MAC
widescreen channel.

     Super Channel, which currently broadcasts on Eutelsat II-F1, is
also reported to be planning a D2-MAC widescreen channel on Astra.

     Talks are reported between the BBC and BSkyB about collaboration
for a 24-hour news service. Both companies agree that it would be
foolhardy to operate two news networks in the UK and Europe. Last year
the BBC Director-General, Sir Michael Checkland, committed the BBC to a
new news service, providing much the same service as BBC World Service
Television's current broadcasts to Asia and Africa.

     The Gameshow Channel is set to launch on Intelsat 601 at 27.5
degrees West in October, 1992. It will initially broadcast for 6 hours
a day. In 1993 the channel plans to switch to Astra 1C, and will expand
to 18 hours a day.

    The American evangelist Morris Cerullo is to launch a 24 hour
religious channel on Astra in September, 1992. The controversial faith-
healer was criticised by Britain's Independent Television Commission
last year for his broadcasts on Super Channel, because his claims of
miracle cures could not be substantiated. His new European Family
Christian Network will carry a disclaimer. Cerullo operates the
Inspirational Network in the United States, which he bought from
disgraced evangelist Jimmy Swaggart.

     A group of Australian beer-makers has applied for a licence to
broadcast to Australians and New Zealanders in Britain via Astra.

     Disney, which initially planned to go onto Astra when it was first
launched in 1989, is again looking at taking a satellite transponder.
This may have something to do with Turner Broadcasting's new Cartoon
Channel, which after its American launch, may be extended to Europe.

     Viacom, which operates MTV, is also reported to be considering an
Astra-based children's channel, based on Viacom's American service
Nickelodeon.

     The home shopping channel Regal Shop, which has been testing early
mornings and late at night on the Sky One transponder, is reported to
be looking for a permanent position on Astra.

     A new German language entertainment channel directed to
Switzerland and the adjoining alpine regions of Austria, Italy, and
Germany, is reported likely to be appearing on Astra by the end of
1992. It would broadcast for 8 hours a day. Nestle and three other
Swiss companies are investing in the channel.

     The German broadcaster RTL is reported to be starting a down-
market RTL-2 service on Astra as early as September, 1992. A third
channel, carrying sports and news, has also been proposed.


     Other European Ku1-Band satellites include:

Intelsat 511        63   degrees East   Italy/Iran
Intelsat 602        60   degrees        4 Turkish transponders
Eutelsat I-F4       36   degrees
DFS 2 Kopernikus    28.5 degrees        German broadcasters
DFS 1 Kopernikus    23.5 degrees        German transponders
Eutelsat I-F5       21.5 degrees        Croatia, Eurospace
Eutelsat II-F3      16   degrees        Spanish coded
Eutelsat II-F1      13   degrees        many European programs
Eutelsat II-F2      10   degrees        Italian, Spanish, Turkish
Eutelsat II-F4       7   degrees        Eastern European/EBU
Intelsat 512         1   degree  West   transponders for Norway
Intelsat 515        18   degrees        EBU, Italian
Intelsat K          21.5 degrees        new trans-Atlantic
Intelsat 601        27.5 degrees        European (BBC, Discovery)
PAS 1               45   degrees        mostly feeds (PAL and NTSC)


Eutelsat

     The Eutelsat II satellites are higher-powered than their
predecessors, and approach Astra in strength. There's been controversy
over Eutelsat II-F3 at 16 degrees, just 3.2 degrees away from Astra.
Eutelsat has registered several of the Astra frequencies, and there's
concern there may be interference for viewers with small (60 cm)
antennas. Eutelsat has the prior registration, but Astra has accused
Eutelsat of "planning overcapacity" by placing satellites in orbital
positions across the sky.

     The most interesting Eutelsat is II-F1 at 13 degrees East, which
includes the following transponders:

Eurosport           10.970 GHz
Super Channel       10.987              Radio: BBC World Service
Der Kabelkanal      11.052              D2-MAC
TV5 Europe/WorldNet 11.080              Radio: VOA Europe
Der Kabelkanal      11.095
Deutsche Welle      11.162              Radio: DW, VOA
TRT                 11.181
MBC                 11.554              Arabic (see Middle Eastern)
BT Services         11.596              (formerly After 12)
FilmNet (Benelux)   11.678              D2MAC
TV5 Europe          11.658              Until Sept. 1992
FilmNet (Benelux)   11.678              PAL with Digital sound


     Germany's international radio broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, has
taken over the facilities of the Berlin-based American TV station RIAS,
and is broadcasting on Eutelsat II-F1 with three two hour blocks
between 14:00 and 20:00 hrs on 11.162 GHz. The first 90 minutes each
time is in German, followed by 30 minutes in English. Spanish is to be
added later.

     The same transponder is carrying Deutsche Welle radio programs on
audio subcarriers, with German on 7.02 MHz, other European languages on
7.2, and Asian languages on 8.1 MHz, as well as VOA Europe.

     Deutsche Welle plans to put its TV programs on Intelsat-K over the
Atlantic to relay its signals to North America, beginning in the Fall,
1992.

     The American government's WorldNet program has shared the French
TV5 transponder, but TV5 has expanded to 18 hour a day operation.
Because of WorldNet's contract, TV5 is broadcasting those 18 hours a
day on the transponder on 11.658 GHz. But when that contract ends in
September, 1992, WorldNet will have to look for a new home. This might
be with Deutsche Welle.

     Turkey's TRT International includes daily 10 minute news bulletins
in English at around 19:30 hrs and in German at around 19:40.

     Turning to the other Eutelsats, II-F3 (16 degrees East) carries
three coded Spanish private channels. Croatia's HTV has begun using the
transponder on 10.986 GHz. For a few days in June, 1992 the Dutch HD-
MAC TV Plus on 11.675 GHz dropped coding. The Portuguese RTP
International service has begun broadcasts from II-F3 at 11.573 GHz.
RTP also transmits to Africa on Ghorizont 12 at 40 degrees East, at
3.925 MHz.

     Spain's TVE broadcasts on Eutelsat II-F2 (10 degrees East) at
11.149 GHz. Italy's RAI has two transponders on the satellite and there
are three private Turkish stations.

     Eutelsat I-F4 (7 degrees East) has been replaced by II-F4. It has
carried transponders from Serbia, Greece, and Cyprus. The new satellite
has extended Eastern European coverage. It carries four transponders
for EBU traffic. Telecom Denmark is leasing a single transponder to
telecommunications traffic between Denmark, the Faroes, and Greenland.

     Eleven European TV networks have agreed to set up the pan-
European Euronews channel, to begin broadcasts in January, 1993.
EuroNews will be supplied by 12 satellite signals and four terrestrial
signals. The final signal will be transmitted on Eutelsat II-F1 at 13
degrees West. There will be 6 mono sound subcarriers offering language
channels in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Arabic. It
will also be relayed to the Middle East on Arabsat.

     Eutelsat II-F5 is due to be launched in early 1993, and is to be
located at 36 degrees East.

     Eutelsat is to modify its Eutelsat II-F6 satellite so that it can
be co-located with Eutelsat II-F1 at 13 degrees east. The satellite,
due to be launched in the second half of 1994, will be able to relay 16
additional television channels. This move has been viewed by observers
as an attempt to compete with Astra.

     Eutelsat will be able to offer 39 television channels for
reception once the co-location has been completed. Eutelsat believes
that demand for the new satellite transponders will be strong,
especially from eastern and central Europe.


Intelsat

     Another interesting satellite is Intelsat 601 at 27.5 degrees
West. This carries CNN (11.155 GHz), Discovery (11.175), Children's
Channel (11.135), and BBC World Service Television (10.995). However,
the latter is coded (using an obscure encryption system called SAVE),
CNN and Children's Channel are now on Astra (and CNN will end the
Intelsat service soon), and Discovery says it plans to encrypt its
signals. BBC says it is developing a subscription service with a new
scrambling system that is more readily available.

     During the night, however, the BBC transponder carries the Asian
edition of World Service Television uncoded.

     Brightstar, which relays news feeds across the Atlantic, has taken
over the former Children's Channel transponder (11.011 GHz). Most
programs are in the American NTSC standard.

     In May, the American space shuttle Endeavour successfully captured
the Intelsat 603 satellite and relaunched it into its proper orbit.
(34.5 degrees West) and its TV transponders will be used to relay
broadcasts from the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The satellite was
launched in 1990, but a mistake put it into a useless orbit.

    Intelsat-K was launched into orbit on June 10th. Designed to last
11 years, the new satellite is located at 21.5 degrees West, in order
to relay signals across the Atlantic. It will initially be used to
relay signals from the summer Olympics. The satellite carries 32 high-
powered television channels, which can be directed to North America (as
far as the Midwest), Europe (as far east as Greece), and selected parts
of South America.

     All beams on this all-Ku band satellite will use 11.45-11.7 GHz,
while 11.7-11.95 GHz will also be used to the Americas, and 12.5-12.75
GHz to Europe.

     An Asian oriented general entertainment channel called Namaste has
received a licence from the British authorities. It will broadcast from
a low-powered Intelsat.


PanAmSat

     Alpha Lyracom has taken on the massive Intelsat, seeking to
provide an alternative international satellite organization. PAS-1,
launched in 1988, is located at 45 degrees West, carries the American
Galavision to Europe, along with several channels for newsfeeds.

     PAS-2 and 3 are to located close by, with PAS-3 at 43.5 degrees
reching farther into Scandinavia and the Middle East, and PAS-2 as a
reserve. They are scheduled for launch in 1993.

     Other parts of the world are to be covered by PAS-4 and 5 above
the Pacific, to be launched to 166 and 168 degrees East in 1994 or
1995, and PAS-6 and 7 above the Indian Ocean at 68 and 72 degrees,
which may be launched in 1994.

     There are 5 European satellites currently using the 12.5-12.75 GHz
Telecom band:

     DFS Kopernikus 2    28.5 degrees East        Germany
     DFS Kopernikus 1    23.5 degrees             Germany
     Eutelsat II-F3      16   degrees             European
     Eutelsat II-F1      13   degrees             European
     Eutelsat II-F2      10   degrees             European
     Telecom 2B           3   degrees             France
     Telecom 1C           5   degrees West        France
     Telecom 2A           8   degrees             France

     To Astra's disappointment, French TV broadcasters have not booked
any Astsa channels. Instead, France plans to use its own Telecom 2A
satellite, at 8 degrees West, for direct to home broadcasting. The (at
least) 7 channel Canal Satellite package is to be launched soon, but
has been delayed because of a disagreement between the French
government and Canal Plus, which is involved in the new channels.

     Canal Plus wishes to broadcast in the existing SECAM system, while
the French government suddenly decreed that D2-MAC was to be used.
According to one report, Canal Plus is threatening to move the package
to Astra (which won't have enough transponder space until Astra 1C is
launched next year).

    Besides Canal Plus, the Canal Satellite project is to include TV
Sport, MCM Euromusique, a children's channel called Canal J, Planete
(the French equivalent to Discovery), and two film channels, Cine-
Cinemas and Cine-Cinefil. The Paris regional channel Paris Premiere
could also be included.

     France's Telecom 2B has been testing at 3 degrees East. It will
probably replace Telecom 1C at 5 degrees West.


European DBS

     Direct Broadcast satellites (DBS) are intended to beam a few (2-5)
high-powered signals directly to homes in a single country. Viewers
require dish antennas less than 30 cm in diameter. A number of DBS
satellites have been orbited above Europe:


     Tele-X               5   degrees             Sweden
     Olympus             18.8 degrees West        Western Europe
     TDF-1 and TDF-2     19   degrees             France
     TV-SAT 2            19.2 degrees             Germany
     Marco Polo 1/2      31   degrees             Britain


     The Franco-German cultural channel Arte is using the former La
Sept transponder on TDF 1/2 (11.881 GHz) evenings, along with 11.548
GHz on Kopernikus 1.

     Astra's hopes to attract Spanish customers are threatened by
Spain's Hispasat two direct broadcast satellites. Hispatsat 1 is due to
be launched on September 8, 1992, and to located at 31 degrees West.
Hispasat 2 is to be launched in the first quarter of 1993. Each
satellite carries 3 DBS TV channels directed to Spain and the Canary
Islands. Three transponders are to be made available to private
broadcasters, with two more reserved for public broadcasters. Three
channels are expected to start via Hispasat 1 by the beginning of
January, 1993, with the remaining two via Hispasat 2 from July, 1993.
Each satellite will also carry one transponder to relay signals to
Latin America and southeastern North America.

     But the DBS idea seems to have been made obsolete by improving
technology. Viewers want more than 2-5 channels and they want channels
from other countries. A 60 cm Astra dish that can deliver 16, 32, or 48
channels is more desireable than a 30 cm dish with access to only 3
stations.

     1990 saw two events which may turn out to be the beginning of the
end of the direct broadcast satellites. The first was the merger
between Sky Television, a major user of Astra, and British Satellite
Broadcasting, which had relied on the direct broadcast satellite Marco
Polo. The combined British Sky Broadcasting Network, with six channels,
has continued on Astra, with five channels on Marco Polo through
December 31, 1992.

     The second big set-back for DBS was the French government's
decision not to build a third direct broadcast satellite, to follow up
the existing TDF-1 and TDF-2 satellites. The two have developed faults
which have reduced the number of usable channels. Instead, French
Minister for Post, Communications, and Space Paul Quiles announced the
satellites will be replaced in due course by a new generation of
spacecraft. In the meantime, France is concentrating on its medium-
powered Telecom satellites.

     Similarly, Germany's Kopernikus (and the German channels on Astra)
have proved to be more popular than TV-SAT.

     The Swedish Space Corporation tried to buy one of the Marco Polo
satellites, BSB 2, to move it next to Tele-X at 5 degrees East, to
provide an additional 5 channels of Nordic DBS. But they were outbid by
Norwegian Telecom, which is moving the satellite to 1 degree West,
where the much weaker Intelsat 512 carries programs to Norway.

     Apparently 5 DBS channels are to be made available to
Scandinavians, but Norwegian Telcom seems to be planning to use the
cumbersome D-MAC system, which may discourage potential viewers.

     Another factor which has delayed European DBS has been
international agreement that such satellites would transmit in D-MAC or
D2-MAC. Delays in developing consumer receivers for these systems have
greatly slowed DBS, and were primarily responsible for the end of the
original British BSB over Marco Polo. Astra sidestepped the problem by
using medium-powered satellites on frequencies not intended for DBS.
Thus most Astra channels have used the cheaper and available PAL
system.

     Eutelsat's answer to Astra is Europesat, a series of high-powered
satellites being called "second generation DBS". Six of the 8 countries
with DBS allocations at 19 degrees West (France, Germany, Austria, the
Netherlands, Italy, and Switzerland), along with three others
(Portugal, Sweden, and Yugoslavia) have signed a memorandum of
understanding. Europesat will consist of three satellites, plus one in-
orbit back-up, all located at 19 degrees West. Together they will carry
36 channels, in either PAL, Secam, MAC, or HD-MAC.

     Medium quality reception should be possible with 25 to 30 cm dish
antennas. The first Europesat satellite is expected to be launched in
1996, with new launches every six months. Since the 9 countries between
them are seeking between 39 and 54 channels, it is possible that more
satellites will be placed in another slot at 29 degrees East.

     As an interim measure, a 12 transponder European DBS for France,
Germany, Italy,and Sweden is to be launched in mid-1993 and placed at
19 degrees West.


PAL vs MAC

     The European Commission has backed down on its proposal for the
forced rapid introduction of the D2-MAC standard, as a step towards the
future introductin of a system called HD-MAC for high definition
television. Existing satellite broadcasters would be allowed to
continue using the current PAL and SECAM systems.

     But new satellite services from January 1, 1995 will have to use
D2-MAC, and from January 1, 1994 all widescreen TV sets must include
D2-MAC. The plan has been supported by countries with consumer
electronics industries, such as France and Germany. Opposition has come
from Britain and Luxembourg, both involved in Astra, as well as from
broadcasters, who are looking forward to digital HDTV systems.

     Besides somewhat increasing the cost of receivers, there is one
major drawback to D2-MAC. It restricts the number of sound channels,
which could be a major obstacle for future satellite radio. It's use as
a bridge to HD-MAC is questionable, since by the time HD-MAC is
introduced, it will undoubtedly already have been made obsolete by
digital HDTV.

     FilmNet recently joined Sweden's TV3 and TV1000 in using D2-MAC.
Ironically, one of the main PAL proponents, British Sky Broadcasting,
tested in wide-screen D2-MAC April 5-15, 1992, using 11.641 GHz between
09:00 and 17:00 hrs. (According to one report, a BSB executive was
fired for leaking news that BSB plans to switch to D2-MAC.)

     During the 1992 Winter and Summer Olympics there were many trial
feeds using D2-MAC for widescreen broadcasts. The use of D2-MAC will
undoubtedly increase in Europe.

Radio

     There are nearly 50 radio channels on European satellites, using
audio subcarriers, slowly approaching the number in North America.

     Astra is a radio pioneer, with many interesting stations, both new
channels and established international broadcasters. There are music
stations, such as Sky Radio, Radio Luxembourg, and Holland's Radio
Tien. Sunrise Radio is a commercial medium wave station in London for
the Indian community there, now on satellite as well.

     Radio Sweden is now broadcasting over Astra 1B, on the Comedy
Channel transponder at 11.597 GHz, audio subcarrier at 7.74 MHz. Our
satellite schedule is also transmitted over the Tele-X direct broadcast
satellite, using the TV4 transponder at 12.207 GHz, audio subcarrier
7.38 MHz.

     Another shortwave broadcaster to appear on Astra is Swiss Radio
International, on the Teleclub transponder at 11.332 GHz, audio
subcarrier 7.2 MHz.

     Solar Radio is a new station testing on the Sky Sports transponder
at 11.509 GHz, audio subcarrier 7.38 MHz. A monthly program for
satellite hobbyists called "Communicate 738" is being broadcast on an
irregular basis.

     List of Radio stations broadcasting from the ASTRA satelites
     -------------------------------------------------------------

    Station                  Frequency     Subcarrier(s)    TV station
    ------------------------------------------------------------------
    Deutsche Welle           11.229        7.38             RTL-Plus
    Deutsche Welle           11.229        7.56             RTL-Plus
    Deutschlandfunk          11.288        7.38/7.56        Sat.1
    Deutschlandf.Int.        11.288        7.74             Sat.1
    Deutschlandf.Int.        11.288        7.92             Sat.1
    Sky Radio                11.317        7.38/7.56        Sky One
    Hit Radio                11.317        7.74/7.92        Sky One
    Swiss Radio Int.         11.332        7.20             Teleclub
    Opus Radio               11.332        7.38/7.56        Teleclub
    Chiltern Super Gold      11.376        7.92             Sky News
    Radio Luxemburg          11.391        7.38/7.56        RTL-4
    RTL-4 Radio              11.391        7.74/7.92        RTL-4
    Star*Sat Radio           11.406        7.38/7.56        Pro-7
    Radio-Ropa               11.406        7.74/7.92        Pro-7
    Power-FM                 11.420        7.38/7.56        MTV-Europe
    Quality Europe FM        11.435        7.38/7.56        Sky Movies
    ASDA storecast FM        11.435        7.74             Sky Movies
    Sunrise Radio            11.479        7.38             Movie Ch.
    Holland-FM               11.479        7.56             Movie Ch.
    Sudwestfunk 3            11.493        7.38/7.56        Eins Plus
    Solar Radio              11.509        7.38             Sky Sports
    Radio Luxemburg          11.523        7.38/7.56        Tele-5
    Radio Sweden             11.597        7.74             Comedy Ch.


     A very interesting station called the World Radio Network
conducted tests for one week in late April 1992 on Astra 1B, on the Sky
Sports transponder at 11.508 GHz, audio subcarrier 7.56 MHz, relaying
English language programs from a number of broadcasters, including
National Public Radio from the United States, BBC World Service, All
India Radio, Radio Australia, Vatican Radio, and Radio Sweden. Some
relays were from satellite, some used digital ISDN telephone lines, and
some were directly off shortwave.

     WRN co-founder Karl Misoga told us the experiment had gone well,
and WRN hoped to begin regular broadcasts within three months. There
are more far-ranging plans for services in German and French. WRN is
also offering to relay international broadcasters over the National
Public Radio satellite system in the United States.

     A few days after WRN's tests ended, a  new station called Euronet
took over the same channel for test transmissions. According to
reports, it was set up by staff from Radio Caroline. Euronet management
offered Radio Caroline the opportunity to broadcast for up to 16 hours
a day live from the radio ship the "Ross Revenge".

     Caroline's offshore broadcasts came to end when the British
government passed the new Broadcasting Act two years ago. Most recently
the station has been operating with a special events licence in Dover
harbor. When that came to an end, Caroline began broadcasts over
Quality FM, which is on the Sky Movies Plus transponder on Astra at
11.435 GHz, audio 7.38 and 7.56 MHz.

     Britain's Radio Authority has intervened to establish who has the
legal right to use the Radio Caroline name.


     Other audio subcarriers can be found on:


DFS Kopernikus 1 (German channels)

Eutelsat II-F1 (BBC World Service, VOA, Deutsche Welle, Sky Radio, etc)

Eutelsat II-F2 (Eurojazz, Spanish channels, Radio Free Europe)

Eutelsat II-F3 (Portugal's Radio Renascena)

Eutelsat I-F4 (Spanish channels)

Tele-X (Radio Z)

Intelsat 512 (Norwegian channels)

Telecom 1C, TDF-1 (French channels)

Intelsat 601 (BBC and CNN)


     Satellite radio stations appear and disappear with the speed of
light. Some stations rumored to be appearing in the near future
include: Radio Nova (the former Irish private station, on a Eutelsat),
religious broadcaster Trans World Radio (via Quality FM on Astra), and
the American Forces Network.

     The BBC is said to be interested in distributing its Radio 1 and
Radio 4 via satellite, possibly on the UK Gold TV channel starting on
Astra in September, 1992. London's Capital Radio, also rumored to be
interested in a satellite relay, may use the same transponder.

     British Telecom and IDB Communications are reported to have joined
forces to offer broadcasters a European satellite program distribution
and syndication service, using subcarriers on Astra 1B. Links will also
be provided to the US using the existing BT/IDB IDAT network.


The Third World

     In many ways, Third World countries have more to gain from
satellite communications than do the developed nations. Arthur C.
Clarke, who first proposed artificial satellites, is today a citizen of
Sri Lanka, and a dedicated advocate of satellites for Third World
development. As one of Sri Lanka's representatives at a UNESCO
conference in 1981, Clarke said:

     "To many developing countries, satellites are ESSENTIAL; they will
make it unnecessary to build the elaborate and expensive ground systems
required in the past. Indeed, to many countries, satellites could be a
matter of life and death."


African Satellite Broadcasting

     In Africa, satellite broadcasting is expanding, particularly from
South Africa. European satellites can be monitored in southern Africa,
and there are even reports of reception of Astra (with a 4 meter
antenna)! An important satellite is Intelsat 601 at 27.5 degrees West.
While European broadcasters use this satellite for Ku band
transmissions, C-band is used to Africa.

     The newest C-band beam to Africa from Intelsat 601 is CNN
International on 4.055 GHz. Other users include:

     BOP-TV from the South African homeland Bophutaswana on 3.875 GHz.

     Canal France International on 3.915 GHz. Radio France
International is also broadcasting to Africa on an audio subcarrier on
this transponder.

     BBC World Service Television on 3.65 GHz, initially using the
existing 24 hour news service to Asia. The signal is encrypted using
the IRDETO system, requiring a decoder from the South African-based M-
Net company. (This is in fact the same system  used by the Dutch RTL-4
on Astra, but known there as Luxcrypt.)

     When the service is in full operation, BBC will be broadcasting
between 00:00 and 09:00 and 15:00-17:00 hrs UTC. The rest of the time
M-Net will be operating a pay-TV service on the channel.

     The South African Broadcasting Corporation on Intelsat 505 at 66
degrees East has dropped use of the B-MAC transmission system in favor
of M-Net's IRDETA encoded PAL. The SABC may be moving as well to
Intelsat 601, and also intends to move from the C-band to the Ku-band
in 1994.

     The international French-speaking channel TV5 Europe is now
broadcasting to Africa via the former Soviet Ghorizont 12 at 40 degrees
East (on 3.725 GHz). Initially the European service will be broadcast,
but a TV5 Afrique may be set up later. Besides TV5, CNN (3.825 GHz) and
Portugal's new RTP International (3.925 GHz--this transponder was
previously used by BrightSide) are on this satellite. Unfortunately,
Ghorizont 12 is in an inclined orbit, which means that Earth stations
must be able to trackthe satellite as it drifts in a "figure eight"
pattern.


Middle Eastern Satellite Broadcasting

     The Middle East is an expanding area for satellite broadcasting,
centering around the Arab League's Arabsat satellites and Turkey's
broadcasts to Turkish emigrants in Western Europe and the newly
independent countries of Central Asia.

     On April 1, 1992 all services on Arabsat 1A transferred to Arabsat
1B at 26 degrees East. Arabsat 1C is at 31 degrees East. Both have 25
C-Band transponders, as well as one strong S-Band transponder around
2600 MHz. 1B is used to relay programs from Morocco, Saudi Arabia,
Oman, and Mauretania. One transponder is used for Inter-Arab news,
co-ordinated via Tunis. CNN International is also on 1B.

    The Gulf War brought relays of Egyptian television to the Gulf.
Egypt's information minister says the Egyptian Space Channel will soon
be uplinked to one of the new Intelsat 7 satellites, as well as to
European and Scandinavian satellites. Different languages are to be
introduced, so the Space Channel can express the Arab perspective to
the entire world.

     The Kuwait Satellite Channel began broadcasts via Arabsat 1-B on
July 4, 1992, using the transponder at 4.052 GHz. The five hour a day
service is in Arabic, except for a news bulletin in English at around
19:30 UTC.

     MBC TV, the Middle East Broadcasting Centre, is a London-based
Arabic channel. Although it is Saudi-backed (the chairman is the
brother-in-law of Saudi Arabia's King Fahd), the channel was briefly
banned in Saudi Arabia for its bare-headed female anouncers. The
Associated Press has described MBC as "glossily packaged news, fashion,
music and travel programs", and an alternative to the Middle East's
"often monotonous, heavily censored state television." The channel,
which was founded in September, 1991, is part of a Saudi effort to
bring Arab news to the world, influenced by the success of CNN during
the Gulf War. Ironically, MBC recently bought the American UPI, one of
the world's major news bureaus.

     MBC currently broadcasts to the Middle East and North Africa in
Arabic via Arabsat 1C. Parallel transmissions continue to Europe on
Eutelsat II-F1. There are plans to expand to the United States in mid-
1993, where it will compete with the Saudi-financed Arab Network of
America.

     Arabsat 1C also carries: CNN (3.828 GHz), Saudi TV1 and TV2 (3.976
and 4.05), four channels of Indian television (4.118, 4.1, 4.135, and
4.188), and Omani TV (4.062).  CNN is reported to be experiencing
intermittent audio and video problems.

     Intelsat 511 at 63 degrees East carries Iran's IRIB TV1 and TV2 on
Ku-band 10.990 and 11.150 GHz.

     The Turkish State Television TRT began satellite broadcasting 4
channels to Central Asia on April 1, 1992, using Ku-band transponders
on Intelsat 602 at 60 degrees East (10.974, 11.138, 11.647, and 11.683
GHz). TRT hopes to reach as many as 57 million Turkic speakers in the 6
new Moslem states of the former Soviet Union. To reinforce the Latin
alphabet used in Turkey, TRT will run Latin-alphabet subtitles several
hours a day.

     Turkey's first 12 channel Turksat is due to be launched in 1994,
with a second satellite 6 to 12 months later.

     Israel's Amos, carrying 6 or 7 Ku-Band transponders, is due to be
launched, probably from French Guyana, in 1994.


Asia and the Pacific

     There are 27 geostationary satellites in orbit above Asia and the
Pacific. Four are former Soviet satellites, 7 are from Intelsat. The
Intelsat satellites provide a variety of C-Band services. Intelsat 508
at 180 degrees East relays Australia's ABC, as well as Japan's JISO,
and the American CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, and AFRTS in NTSC. There's an
RFO-France relay in SECAM and ITN/BBC news feeds to New Zealand in PAL.

     Intelsat 505 (66 degrees East) carries USIA/Worldnet, several
Chinese channels, as well as television from Ethiopia and France's
Canal France International. There are also Ku-Band transponders for
Iran, Turkey, and the American AFRTS, directed to Turkey. Intelsat 511
(63 degrees) carries business communications for Malayasia, India,
Thailand, Japan, and Hong Kong. There are TV transponders for Thailand
and Sudan, as well as sports feeds from Hong Kong to Britain. (There
are also several Ku-band Italian channels.)

     There are Ghorizonts at 40, 53, and 90 degrees East. Each has 6 C-
Band transponders, and the latter two have experimental Ku-Band
transponders as well. CNN Headline News can be found in PAL on
Ghorizont 12 at 40 degrees, on 3825 MHz.

     The Soviet satellite Ekran at 99 degrees East carries a powerful
relay of the Orbita III program, on 714 MHz. This is between Japanese
channels 53 and 54 and European channels 51 and 52, and is reported to
be available all over Asia.


Star-TV

     Asia No. 1 (or Asiasat), the first commercial satellite designed
for Asian countries, was launched in April, 1990 by a Chinese Long
March rocket. Located at 105.5 degrees East, it carries 24 C-Band
transponders, half dedicated to a North Beam covering northern Asia,
the rest to a South Beam covering southern Asia.

     The first pan-Asian satellite broadcaster, Star-TV, went on the
air in August, 1991 on Asiasat. Owned by Hong Kong's Hutchvision, the
service includes 5 channels, each on both beams (N/S):


     1) Star-Sports (3.80 GHz/3.86 GHz)
     2) MTV Asia (3.84 GHz/3.90 GHz)
     3) BBC World Service Television (3.88 GHz/3.94 GHz)
     4) Mandarin TV (3.92 GHz/3.98 GHz)
     5) Star TV (entertainment) (3.96 GHz/4.02 GHz)

     (The northern beams are in NTSC, the southern in PAL.)

     The Hong Kong authorities have given permission for Star-TV to
broadcast in Cantonese. This service will begin after the system's
three year trial ends.

     There are also rumors that Star-TV intends to launch a new
channel, in the Hindi language, following the success of its first 5
offerings. Star-TV now reaches at least 1.8 million homes from Asiasat
1. Pakistan's PTV-2 is testing over Asiasat (4.1 GHz). Malaysia's RTM-3
is also expected to start a new service soon. Asiasat 2 is planned to
be launched in 1994.

     According to another report, a  group of non-resident Indian
businessmen is planning another Hindi-language channel, to be
downlinked from a Ghorizont, with a second channel by the end of 1992
and possibly two more in 1993. Three of the audio subcarriers would be
in English, French, and Arabic and long-term plans to extend the
service into Europe and North America.

     As competition to the Star-TV service, Hong Kong Telecom
International is offering a package of CNN, Home Box Office, and the
sports channel ESPN over one of Indonesia's Palapa satellites. CNN has
faced problems since it lost its aging Asian Intelsat, and the launch
of a replacement failed.

     Indonesia has three Palapa C-Band satellites. Palapa B4 is now at
118 degrees East, Palapa B2P is at 113 degrees, and Palapa B1 at 108
degrees. All have 24 transponders. B2P provides television for
Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines as well as Indonesia. B4 will
be used by Indonesia, Papua-New Guinea, Brunei, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.


Other Asian Satellite Broadcasters

     Japan has been a pioneer in direct satellite broadcasting, as
might be expected from its consumer electronics industry. The world's
first direct broadcast satellite was Japan's BS-2. It's successor, BS-
3A, is positioned at 110 degrees East. It carries three 12 GHz
transponders, and one wide-band data channel.

     Other Japanese satellites are JCSat 1 and 2 (at 150 and 154
degrees respectively) each with 32 Ku-Band transponders. CS-3a and CS-
3b Sakura (132 and 136 degrees) each carry 2 C-Band and 10 Ka-Band
(17.7-19.45 GHz) transponders.

     On August 25, 1991 Japan successfully launched the BS-3B
satellite, which can be used for high definition television. Eight
hours a day of experimental broadcasts of NHK's high definition TV
system, known as Hi-Vision, began on November 25th (the date, 11/25,
referring to the number of lines in HDTV signals, 1125, nearly twice
that of conventional TV systems). HDTV sets currently cost more than
USD 30,000 in Japan.

     On February 26, 1992 an Ariane rocket put into orbit Japan's
Superbird B-1 (or 1-E), at 158 degrees East. Superbird carries six new
satellite TV stations, including CNN International. This satellite
carries 10 Ku-band transponders and 10 Ka-band transponders, and can be
received on 20-24 cm dish antennas.

     BBC World Service Television is to begin a 24 hour news and
information channel to Japan by the end of 1992, together with Japanese
partner the Nissho Iwai Corporation. While programs will be sold to
terrestrial broadcasters in Japan, the service will also include direct
to home broadcasts.

     India began using the American ATS-6 satellite for rural
education, the SITE experiment, in 1975. The first Insat satellite was
launched in 1983. Insat 1D at 74 degrees East has 12 transponders for
telecommunications and 2 high-power S-band national coverage TV
broadcast transponders (2.575 and 2.615 GHz). It is to be replaced at
by Insat 2-A, launched on July 9, 1992. (This is the first satellite
ever to be designed and built in India, and will provide
telecommunications and weather forecasting, as well as radio and TV
broadcasting. Insat 2-B is to be launched in 1993. India's Doordarshan
and All India Radio also lease 4 transponders on Arabsat 1B (26 degrees
East).

     China's DFH2-A1 at 87.5 degrees East carries 4 C-Band
transponders. DFH2-A2 at 110.5 degrees was launched in late 1988. It
also carries 4 transponders. SCPC traffic used by the Chinese military
has been transfered from DFH2-A1.

     Intelsat is to relocate Intelsat 501 at 91.5 degrees East to
provide  expanded coverage to the Asia-Pacific countries. The move will
take place during the first half of 1993. An Intelsat 7 satellite will
be located at 174 degrees East after its launch in October 1993.


The Pacific

     Australia's 3 Aussats are located at 156, 160, and 164 degrees
East. They provide television to the Australian Outback, New Zealand,
and the Pacific, using B-MAC. Each satellites has 15 Ku-Band
transponders in the 12.25-12.75 GHz range.

     There are many new Pacific satellite services being planned:

     China is to launch Australia's Aussat B1 (also called Optus B1) in
August, 1992, following the aborting of the first attempt on the launch
pad in March. This satellite carries 15 Ku-band transponders, and is to
be placed at 160 degrees East.

     Assuming the launch of Aussat B1 is successful, Australia is to
have a 6 channel subscription satellite TV service, expected to start
operation in early 1994. Viewers will use 60 centimeter dishes to watch
the first four channels. The estimated USD 8 monthly fee would include
rental of the receiving equipment. The 5th and 6th channels would begin
operations one year after the initial service starts, presumeably after
the launch of Aussat B2.

     In addition, the Australian government has ended the moratorium on
pay-TV, opening the door to many new services.

     Following the success of Star-TV, the Australia Broadcasting
Corporation is planning a Pacific and southeast Asian TV service,
offering the best of Australian TV. Once the direction for the proposed
service is known, plans will be put before the federal government.

     According to Australian Broadcasting Corporation Assistant
Managing Director Malcolm Long, the ABC is still looking for a
satellite. Asisat and Palapa are being considered, along with upcoming
satellites from Thailand, Malaysia, and Intelsat. Radio Australia radio
programming would also be included with the signal, and the target date
is the end of 1992.

     New Zealand is also planning a satellite TV service across the
Western Pacific and East Asia.

    Alpha Lyracom, the company behind the trans-Atlantic satellite
PAS-1, is preparing to cover the Pacific with its OrbX system
(apparently another name for PAS-4 and 5). When launched in late 1994,
these will have up to 14 individual beams for transponders in both the
Ku and C bands.

     The American company TRW has filed to launch Pacificom 1 in 1994,
to operate in both the Ku and C bands from 172 degrees East. The
footprints would reach from the American West coast into Asia and
Australasia. There would be 11 high-powered Ku band transponders for
DBS services, along with 8 C-band transponders.

     Pacific Satellite Company hopes to launch Pacstar 1 into an
orbital slot at 167.5 degrees East in late 1994. This will cover the US
West Coast, Pacific islands, and East Asia.

     Unicom intends to operate two Tongasat satellites on Tonga's
behalf, first at 138 degrees East in 1994 and then at 170.8 degrees the
following year. Coverage would be from Asia across the Pacific to the
Western US. Each satellite would carry 12 C-band and 6 Ku-band
transponders. In the meantime, Tongasat is trying to purchase or lease
a Russian Ghorizont satellite, which it would place in one of Tonga's
orbital slots.


Asian Satellite Radio

     Japan has launched the world's first nationwide digital radio
system, using BS-3A. The broadcasts use pulse code modulation, or
PCM, matching the quality of compact disks, and free from the usual
radio hissing noises.

     A Japanese company currently provides 440 cable radio channels.
There are plans to expand the system to 1000 channels within 5 years,
with the ultimate aim of 2000 channels. Since the Japanese are addicted
to background sounds, the offerings include such things as steam
trains, roosters, cows, army songs from World War II, and ringing
bells.


Global Satellite Channels

     The war in Vietnam was called the first television war, with the
pictures of violence and horror on American TV screens night after
night contributing to the feelings that fed the growing peace movement.
The conflict in the Gulf was the first live TV war, broadcast around
the world by satellite, and underlining the arrival of the first global
TV broadcaster, the Cable News Network, CNN.

     Arthur C. Clarke, the English visionary who first proposed
communications satellites in 1945, watched what he called "the first's
first satellite war" from his home in Sri Lanka.

     In an interview with Reuters, Clarke said communications is power,
and the forces unleased by satellites in the Gulf War have the
potential for making the world a safer place. The further development
of a satellite communications network with the wider availability of
telephone, fax, and television, Clarke says, will make us one global
family, whether we like it or not.

     Mark Rudolf, Managing Director of CNN International Sales in
London told Radio Sweden the recent introduction of broadcasts via
Astra is part of a global effort to upgrade CNN's satellites, including
moves to a new Galaxy satellite over North America, direct to home over
Japan on Superbird, Indonesia's Palapa, and the new Arabsat 1C to the
Middle East and South Asia. CNN has also added a C-band Intelsat 601
relay to southern Africa and the Mediterranean.

     The conflict in the Gulf was also a boost for the BBC's long
discussed plans for World Service Television, which became a reality on
March 11th, 1991, taking over the existing BBC-TV Europe service on
Intelsat VI-F4 (now Intelsat 601). In October, 1991 the 24 hour a day
service to Asia via Asiasat began, and in March, 1992 the European
service also expanded to 24 hours, using the Asia programming during
the night. An African service, also on Intelsat 601, began in May,
1992. A DBS service to Japan is to be introduced by the end of 1992.
The service is also to be extended to Australia and North America.

     Deutsche Welle plans to put its TV programs over the Atlantic
using Intelsat-K to relay its signals to North America, beginning in
the Fall of 1992.

     Brightside Broadcasting, which claimed to be a global satellite
broadcaster, began operations in January, 1992 on Canada's Anik E1
satellite at 111.1 degrees West, transponder 23, uplinked from Atlanta,
Georgia.  The service was also relayed to other parts of the world on
the former Soviet Ghorizont 12 and 15 satellites, at 40 degrees East
and 14 degrees West. Those transmissions use the C-Band, which means
most European satellite monitors were unable to tune in. However,
Brightside ceased broadcasts in March, 1992.

     In July, 1992 Brightside said it was still waiting for
uplink/downlink equipment to clear customs in Russia, and hoped to be
in operation by late July/early August.

     One highly touted alternative to CNN has fallen by the wayside.
Claiming that CNN is forcing US news on the rest of the world, Japan's
NHK tried to create the Global News Network with other broadcasters
from around the world.

     Under the plan, broadcasters from Asia, Europe, and North America
would have been responsible for three 8 hour daily segments each
focusing on their own region. But NHK has given up the idea as too
expensive.

     Another broadcaster beginning a global outreach is the Arab
world's MBC, which broadcasts to the Middle East and North Africa on
Arabsat, Europe on Eutelsat, and is planning North American broadcasts
by mid-1993.


International Radio Broadcasting By Satellite

     While the BBC, Radio France, and Deutsche Welle can put out 24
hour services in their native languages by satellite, services which
can be relayed over cable networks, it's much harder for small
broadcasters. Both Radio Sweden amd Swiss Radio International now have
satellite channels. But what cable system would relay them, each with a
series of programs in varying languages?

     One possibility is for many international broadcasters to share
several satellite radio channels, one for English, one for French,
one for German, etc. Cable operators in Britain, for example, could
offer one channel with alternating programs, say from Sweden, the
Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and so on.

     An organization called the World Radio Network has proposed such a
system of time-sharing, starting with an English language channel on
one of the Sky transponders on Astra. It tested the system for a week
at the end of April, 1992, and hopes to return with a permanent
service.

     There are some other options farther into the future, such as
Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) by satellite, also called BSS-Sound.
This would provide high quality radio reception to portable receivers.
BSS-Sound was approved by the World Administrative Radio Conference
held in Torremolinos, Spain during February, 1992. Three separate
frequency ranges were put forward for the new BSS-Sound service.

     The conference agreed that 1.5 GHz was the most technically
suitable. It offers best reception for portable receivers, without
interference from the terrain or buildings. Small whip antennas can be
used and the satellites will be cheaper to build.

     However, politically many countries could not agree, one of the
reasons being that their existing users at 1.5 GHz in some cases
include the military. About half the world backed an allocation around
1.5 GHz, with the other half, including most of Europe, opting for a
band around 2.5 GHz, while the United States wanted 2.3 GHz. The
conference reached absolute deadlock on this subject, and it was only
in its very last stages that a compromise was drawn up.

     This provided the world with three separate allocations for
BSS-Sound. One is at 1.5 GHz--with a small portion of the band
available immediately, another allocation at 2.6 GHz, and a separate
band for the US at 2.3 GHz. The result is that digital satellite radio
is now just around the corner, Provided, of course, satellites are
built and receivers brought on to the market.

     Worldspace, based in Washingtion, DC, plans a service called
Afrispace, which would broadcast 9 digital radio channels to Africa and
the Middle East. The planned portable receivers are expected to cost
around USD 100 each. The World Health Organization is supporting the
project. Afristar 1 would be located at 12 degrees West, and Afrispace
hopes to be operating by late 1994. Radio Netherlands has already
signed a contract with Afrispace to broadcast 24 hours a day to Africa
and the Middle East.

     An American company called the International Radio Satellite
Corporation, or RadioSat, has announced plans to create a worldwide
direct broadcast satellite service for international broadcasters. The
aim of the enterprise is to ultimately replace shortwave broadcasting.

     RadioSat plans to launch three high-powered satellites, each with
more than 200 channels to be leased to international broadcasting
organizations. RadioSat says the Voice of America, BBC World Service,
Radio Moscow and 5 other broadcasters have expressed interest and
support. RadioSat hopes to launch the first of its three spacecraft in
1995.

III. WEATHER, NAVIGATION, EARTH RESOURCES AND RESEARCH SATELLITES

     If TVRO is the satellite version of shortwave broadcast DXing,
these satellites provide the equivalent of utility monitoring and
scanning. The equipment required can be much less elaborate and much
less expensive than for TVRO.

     WEFAX or Weather Facsimile, is the method used to transmit
photographs and weather satellite maps via radio and telephone lines.
The satellite version is known as APT. There are many low orbit weather
satellites using this system in the 136-138 MHz band.

     Some of the active satellites that can be monitored are the
American NOAA, along with the Soviet Meteor and Okean:

     Meteor 3-3 and 3-4............137.300 MHz
     Okean 2 and Meteor 3-5........137.400 MHz
     NOAA 10 and 12................137.500 MHz
     NOAA 9 and 11..................137.620 MHz
     Meteor 2-18, 2-19, and 2-20...137.850 MHz

     The American geostationary GOES satellites downlink on 1691 MHz,
while the European Space Agency's Meteosats use 1694 MHz. Meteosat-3
has been positioned at 50 degrees West longitude, but in early 1993 it
is to be moved to 75 degrees West. GOES-2 is at 59 degrees West, GOES-6
at 135 degrees West, and GOES-7 at 112 degrees West.


Other "Utility" Satellites

     The National Bureau of Standards in the United States has been
using two GOES satellites to relay time signals. The western satellite
at 135 degrees operates on 468.825 MHz. The eastern satellite at 59
degrees can be received on 468.8375 MHz.

     The American Transit and former Soviet CosNav satellites provide
navigational data to ships and submarines. They transmit simultaneously
on two frequencies:

     Channel 1--149.910 and 399.762 MHz
     Channel 2--149.940 and 399.842 MHz
     Channel 3--149.970 and 399.922 MHz
     Channel 4--150.000 and 400.200 MHz
     Channel 5--150.030 and 400.082 MHz


     The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a new system that will
eventually include 16 satellites in a 55 degree inclined orbit at a
distance of 12,625 miles. So far 11 satellites have been launched.
These provide accurate longitude, latitude, and altitude information to
handheld units that monitor 3 to 4 satellites. They use spread spectrum
transmissions around 1500 MHz. Besides the commercial version, there is
a more accurate military system which was used by American Army
intelligence during the Gulf War.

     Other interesting satellites include the American research
spacecraft Hilat (149.988 MHz narrow band FM) and Geosat (150.015 and
400 MHz CW). India's Bhaskara 1 (137.230 MHz) and 2 (137.380 MHz) also
use narrow band FM. MOS-1B is a Japanese Marine Observation satellite,
which transmits on 136.11 MHz.


Equipment

     An ordinary VHF-UHF scanner and a small non-directional discone or
active antenna are usually all that are required for satellites in low
orbit. Larger dish antennas and converters or special receivers are
needed to tune in to GOES and other satellites in geostationary orbit.
Computers and special interfaces or decoders are necessary to make
sense of weather maps or telemetry.

     For more details about such equipment, as well as satellite
tracking programs, see our book "THe DXers Guide to Computing"
(available from Radio Sweden for USD 5, GBP 3, FF or SEK 30, DM 8, or 8
IRCs). There are many new interfaces available. Check out articles and
especially advertisements in such magazines as "Monitoring Times" in
the US and "Shortwave Magazine" in Britain.


IV. AMATEUR RADIO IN SPACE

     Besides governments and corporations, radio amateurs have also
launched many satellites. The first communications satellite was in
fact the Moon, which radio amateurs bounced have bounced signals off
for years. In 1960 a group of radio amateurs in the United States
formed the Project Oscar Association to design and build satellites for
use in the amateur radio bands.

     Oscar ("Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio") was succeeded
by the Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) in 1969. There are
national AMSAT societies in many countries, and international
headquarters is in Washington, DC.


Amateur Radio Satellites:


Satellite      Orbit          Beacon or Downlink       Modes/Comments

Oscar 10       elliptical     145.810/145.987 MHz
Oscar 11       circular       145.826/435.025
RS 10/11       circular       29.357/.408              RS-10 CW
                              145.857/.903                "
                              29.407/.453              RS-11 CW
                              145.907/.953                "
Oscar 13       elliptical     145.812/435.651
UO-14          circular       435.070
PO-16          circular       437.02625/437.0513
DO-17          circular       145.825                  voice synth.
WO-18          circular       437.0751/437.102         slowscan TV
LO-19          circular       437.1258/437.15355       packet BBS
FO-20          circular       435.795/435.910          packet BBS
RO-21                         145.987                  FM/packet dnlink
                              145.800/.819/.838/.948   beacons
UO-22          circular       435.120 (see below)      packet BBS
RS-12/13       circular       29.408/.454              RS-12 CW
                              145.912/.959                "
                              29.458/.504              RS-13 CW
                              145.862/.908                "


     Oscar 10 and 13 have elliptical orbits, which mean that they tend
to "hover" over the Northern Hemisphere, making for long periods for
contacts with little adjustment needed in tracking antennas. However,
they require antennas with higher gain than those used for the circular
orbit satellites.

     The former Soviet RS-10/11 and RS-12/13 are each two separate
packages on the same satellite.

     UO-14 (UoSat-3), PO-16 (PacSat), DO-17 (Dove), WO-18 (WeberSat),
LO-19 (LuSat) are known as "microsats" because of their small size.
They were launched together with an Ariane rocket in January, 1990.

     UO-14 was made by the University of Surrey in Britain, following
on UO-9, which was launched in 1981, and UO-11 in 1984. UO-15, launched
with UO-14, stopped transmitting the day after launch.

     Owned by Volunteers in Technical Assistance, it carries a packet
radio bulletin board, which is used to transmit free medical
information to universities in East Africa. The service, known as
HealthNet, is operated by an organization called Satel-Life.

     The information is uplinked from a ground station in Newfoundland.
Ground stations have been shipped to universities in Kenya, Zimbabwe,
and Zambia. The researchers who built the satellite at the University
of Surrey are also developing portable ground stations that will fit
into a briefcase, so that field workers can take them to isolated
villages.

     Health-Net transmissions use packet radio at 9600 baud, with
downlinks on 428.01 and 429.985 MHz.

     PO-16 was built by AMSAT-North America, and LO-19 by AMSAT
Argentina. They contain packet radio bulletin boards (BBS), with uplink
frequencies in the 2 meter band using FM and downlinks in the 70 cm
band in SSB. Dove is a Brazilian-made "peace satellite". It has a voice
synthesizer and also transmits standard packet AFSK-FM on 145.825 MHz.

     WO-18 was built by Weber State University in Utah. It contains an
onboard camera that downlinks its pictures by packet radio. The
Japanese JO-20 (Fuji-2) also carries a packet BBS, with similar up and
downlink frequencies to PO-16 and UO-19.

     Conventional packet radio uses a system known as AFSK (Audio
Frequency Phase Shift Keyed) modulation. This was used by some earlier
amateur radio satellites, such as UO-11, and is used by Dove. Because
of the Doppler Effect (frequency shift from high speed), satellite
packet generally uses a different system called PSK (Phase Shift Keyed)
modulation. Circuit boards and kits for PSK modems can be ordered from
AMSAT-UK and the Tucson Amateur Packet Radio Corporation (TAPR). A
commercial model called the PSK-1 is sold by PacComm (3652 West Cypress
Street, Tampa, FL 33607, USA)

     The French satellite SARA is an amateur astronomy satellite, with
a beacon on 145.955 MHz. It's use of an amateur radio frequency is
controversial, and probably illegal.

     South Korea's KITSAT-A, or Oscar-23, is due to be launched soon.
It will downlink packet radio at 9600 baud on 435.175 MHz.

V. MONITORING THE SPACE SHUTTLE AND MIR

     Space shuttle communications have been relayed on shortwave from a
number of amateur radio clubs at NASA bases. These are in single side
band (SSB), and the frequencies to look for are 3860, 7185, 14295,
21395, and 28650 kHz from the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland;
3840, 14280, 21350, and 28495  kHz from the Johnson Space Center in
Texas; and 3840 and 21280 kHz from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
California.

     Here are some reported frequencies connected with the shuttle
missions:

Shortwave (SSB):

     Western Test Range.............................. 5700 kHz
                                                     13218
     Eastern Test Range.............................. 5190
     NASA Tracking Ships............................. 5180
                                                      5187
     Launch Support Ships............................11104
                                                     19303
     NASA Kennedy Operations......................... 7675
     USAF Cape Radio................................. 6837
                                                      6896
                                                     11414
                                                     11548
                                                     19640
                                                     23413

     Shuttle-Mission Control.........................11201

     NASA Ascension Island tracking..................20186
     NASA CB Radios..................................27065

UHF (AM):

     Military aircraft emergency frequency...........  243.0 MHz
     Primary shuttle communications..................  259.7
     Shuttle space suits.............................  279.0
     Primary UHF downlink............................  296.0
     Air-to-ground or orbiter-to-suit................  296.8

S-Band (Wideband FM):

     NASA downlink................................... 2205.0 MHz
                                                      2217.5
                                                      2250.0
                                                      2287.5
     Primary digital downlink........................ 2287.5


     North American satellite TV monitors can watch the missions. NASA
Select transmits live video from shuttle missions on the Satcom 2R
satellite (72 degrees West) on transponder 13. A voice TV schedule
update can be heard by calling American telephone number 1-202-755-
1788.


Amateur Radio on the Shuttle

     There have been a number of amateur radio operations from the
shuttles, known as SAREX (Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment). The first
was Dr. Owen Garriott, W5LFL, from "Columbia" in 1985. He was heard by
tens of thousands of listeners and made two way contact with some 350
stations using FM with a downlink on 145.55 MHz.

     With the resumption of shuttle missions after the "Challenger"
crash, amateur radio operations have resumed as well. Ron Parise,
WA4SIR, operated from "Columbia" on a long-delayed mission in early
1991, with both voice and packet radio. Unfortunately, the signals
could only be heard over the lower latitudes. The frequencies used were
145.51, 145.55, and 145.59 MHz.

     STS-37, on "Atlantis" in April, 1991, was particularly noteworthy,
as all five crew members were licensed radio amateurs. There were
hundreds of contacts with amateur radio operators on Earth. While a
problem curtailed packet radio and slowscan television operation, the
first television picture ever received on board a spacecraft was
carried out using fast scan television. The Atlantis crew was also able
to hear the Soviet cosmonauts on MIR, but were unable to complete two
way communications.

     The entire crew of STS-45, in March, 1992, were also radio
amateurs. Nine of the current astronauts have amateur radio licences,
which means that virtually every launch will have an amateur onboard.
Unfortunately most shuttle flights maintain an inclination of 28
degrees, which restricts radio contacts to stations within around 30
degrees of the Equator. Occasional missions use a greater inclination,
such as STS-47, scheduled for lift-off on September 15, 1992, which is
to have an inclination around 57 degrees. This will make it possible
for many more people to listen to and contact the shuttle.


MIR

     The former Soviet MIR space station can easily be heard with its
powerful FM signals on 143.625 MHz. Voice communications are also
reported on 143.42 and 142.42 MHz, as well as a beacon on 121.75 MHz.
Data communications from MIR can be heard on 166.130 (or possibly
165.875) MHz. Other frequencies reported from the former Soviet space
program are:

     Salyut space station (now crashed)....  19995 kHz
     Soyuz T-11 space vehicle telemetry....  20008
     Soyuz T-11 voice communications.......142.423 MHz
     Soyuz TM-3 and TM-4...................121.750
     Progress 7 supply ship................166.000


Amateur Radio on MIR

     Several MIR cosmonauts have been radio amateurs. In 1988 amateur
radio stations U1MIR, U2MIR, and U3MIR operated on 145.550 and 145.400
MHz FM. Musa, U2MIR, has been on the air in 1990 and 1991.

     Britain's first astronaut, Helen Sharman, spent 8 days on MIR in
May, 1991. She operated the amateur radio station there, under the call
sign GB1MIR. Contacts on 145.55 MHz have continued in 1992.

VI. MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS IN SPACE

     During the Gulf War, monitors reported that American military
communications in the Gulf could be heard from the FLEETSATCOM
satellite network between 240 and 270 MHz. Most of the voice traffic is
in the 260 MHz range, and most is coded. One monitor has reported to
"Popular Communications" American AWACS planes on 263.825 MHz and Saudi
forces on 249.325 MHz. Other active frequencies reported were 261.825,
262.200, 262.150, 262.425, and 263.525 MHz. According to another
report, traffic on Fleetsatcom 7 has been heard on 249.125, 250.350,
262.300, and 263.825 MHz.

     The American government and military also lease commercial
satellites called Gapsats and use transponders on Marisat. These geo-
stationary satellites use frequencies in the 200-400 MHz range, with
most of the unencrypted voice traffic around 260-263 MHz.

     Since the shooting down of an American U-2 surveillance plane over
the then Soviet Union in 1960, the United States has developed a
network of spy satellites, some of which monitor radio communications.
The most recent generation known to the public is KH-11, first launched
in 1976, and the first spy satellite to transmit images in real time. A
new type, called "Advanced KH-11" was first put into orbit by the space
shuttle Discovery in 1989. The following satellites are active or have
been active in recent years: (KH-11) 84-122A, 87-90A, 88-99A,
(Advanced) 89-61B, 90-19B, 90-50A.

     In order to communicate with ground stations the KH-11 satellites
use a system of satellites in polar orbits. The 14 current satellites
in this Satellite Data System (or SDS) seem to use frequencies around
240 MHz and in the 1700-1900 MHz range.

     As there have been no SDS launches since 1988, there is a good
possibility that the American Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS)
are taking over the task of relaying data from the KH-11 satellites.

     The next generation of American military satellites is called
Milstar. Funding for 6 Milstars has been approved. They will be themost
sophisticated communications satellites ever designed, putting all
military communications in the same system, making possible
communications between the various services.

     The former Soviet military and navigation satellites use the 149
MHz band, for example: 149.91, 149.94, and 149.97 MHz.


VII. HORIZONS

     Space exploration can be expected to continue. The American space
station Freedom is scheduled for launch in the late 1990's. AMSAT and
the ARRL have submitted a formal proposal to NASA for a permanent
amateur radio station on Freedom. The proposal includes downlinks in
the 145, 435, and 2401 MHz bands. Three geostationary satellites would
be used to relay continuous communications from Freedom. AMSAT hopes to
have its own goestationary satellites in orbit in the near future.
Until then, the system would use the TDRS satellites used for shuttle
communications.

    Farther into the future, it may be possible to monitor
communications from proposed Moon bases, expeditions to Mars, or future
space colonies in Earth orbit.

     Moving deeper into space, radio astronomy probes the limits of the
universe on wavelengths other than those of light used by conventional
astronomy. To this belongs SETI, the Search for Extra Terrestrial Life.
The United States is planning to launch a 10 year SETI project, using a
super computer to pick up possible signals from any distant
civilization. NASA scientists also plan to transmit radio signals to
every star which can be detected in the universe, in the hope of
getting a reply.

     Project META, a SETI project at Harvard University, funded by the
Planetary Society and film firector Steven Spielberg (the maker of
"E.T." and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind") has searched the
entire sky at 1420 MHz and is beginning a full search at 2840 MHz.
These are both "water hole" frequencies where scientists think
intelligent civilizations may try to communicate.

     There may be a role in the SETI quest for amateurs. Speaking to
"Monitoring Times", astronomer Kent Cullers of the NASA Ames Research
Center in California says that amateurs could try searching the 1-1.4
GHz range, because "interstellar noise is relatively low there."
"Monitoring Times" points out that antennas are critically important,
and suggests dishes, quads, and helical antennas. A computer can be
programmed to scan frequencies. If signals are passed through a
digitizer, the computer can break the information into small slices and
can reject certain kinds of local interference.


VIII. FOR MORE INFORMATION

     One way to keep up with the amateur radio satellites is to listen
to one of the AMSAT nets on shortwave. Here are some:

     International Net--Sundays 19:00 hrs UTC on 14282 kHz
     European Net-------Saturdays 10:00 hrs on 14280 kHz
     Asian-Pacific Net--Sundays 11:00 hrs on 14305 kHz

     AMSAT and its national societies publish newsletters and sell
computer hardware and software for use in monitoring amateur radio
satellites. The main AMSAT address is: Box 27, Washington, DC, 20044,
USA. AMSAT-UK is at 94 Herongate Road, Wanstead Park, London E12 5EQ,
England. AMSAT-Sweden is at Box 1311, S-600 43 Norrkoeping, Sweden.

     There are a number of computer bulletin boards for space
enthusiasts in the United States:

     1-205-895-0028      NASA BBS
     1-512-852-8194      AMSAT Software Exchange BBS
     1-214-394-7438      Downlink BBS (AMSAT)
     1-214-340-5850      N5ITU BBS
     1-513-427-0674      Celestial RCP/M BBS
     1-904-786-8142      Starship Enterprise BBS
     1-804-743-0559      Astro BBS (amateur astronomy)

    The CompuServe HamNet Forum has a section devoted to amateur radio
satellites. The Consumer Electronics Forum has a TVRO section. There
are a number of other space forums on CompuServe, including a NASA
section with news from the American space agency. For more information
contact: CompuServe, 5000 Arlington Centre Blvd,. Box 20212, Columbus,
OH 43220, USA.

     Also on CompuServe, in the Data Libraries of the HamNet and
IBMEurope Forums, is "SatNews", a biweekly publication by Darren Ingram
which is one of the best sources of satellite broadcast news we've
found. It's available on many networks, including Fidonet and Usenet.

     "Dial-a-Shuttle" is a telephone number available during shuttle
missions, with news updates and live relays from the astronauts. The
number is 1-900-909-6272.

     The 1992 World Radio TV Handbook contains a new section on World
Satellite Broadcasts, underlining that satellites now play an important
role in international broadcasting. This section lists current and some
planned geostationary broadcast satelliteslites, with some detailed
lists of transponder useage. We made extensive use of the WRTH in
compiling the section on Asian satellites.

     The 1992 World Satelllite Annual, compiled by Mark Long, has just
about everything you could possibly want to know about communications
satellites. It lists all the current and many planned satellites in
geosynchronous orbit, with footprint maps and channel tables. There are
chapters on satellite launch vehicles for the 1990s, the status of DBS
in America, updates on Intelsat and Eutelsat, European Scrambling
Systems, and the Satellite News Gathering Revolution. The book is
expensive, at USD 100 plus postage. But for the serious satellite DXer,
it's well worth it. For more information contact MLE Inc., Box 159,
Winter Beach, Florida, 32971, USA.

     Together with Jeffrey Keating, Mark Long as also written The World
of Satellite Television, a basic guide to installing, operating, and
maintaining a backyard satellite dish antenna. Available for USD 13
from Quantam Publications, Box 310, Mendocino, CA 95460, USA.

     Communications Satellites, by Larry Van Horn, covers U.S. and
Soviet manned space missions, military, weather, navigational, and
communications satellites. It's available for USD 13. (*)

     The Hidden Signals on Satellite Television, by Thomas Harrington
and Bob Cooper Jr., goes into detail about SCPC, audio subcarriers,
teletext, and other non-video signals on North American satellites. It
also covers the equipment needed. Available for USD 20. (*)

     The three books above are the best guides for satellite radio and
TV DXing. Those interested in weather satellites should look into:

     The New Weather Satellite Handbook by Dr. Ralph Taggart.  The new
4th edition is available for USD 20 from the American Radio Relay
League, Newington, CT, USA, or from Metsat Products, Box 142, Mason, MI
48854, USA. (*)

    AMSAT and the American Radio Relay League have published an
excellent guide to amateur radio satellites called The Satellite
Experimenter's Handbook. (*) The 2nd edition is available for USD 20,
from: AMSAT, Box 27, Washington, DC 20044, USA. AMSAT also publishes
"Satellite Journal" magazine and "Amateur Satellite Report".

     Most of these books are available from a number of sources. Many
of the ones marked (*) should be available from the following: "73
Magazine", Forest Road, Hancock, NH 03449, USA; Grove Enterprises, 140
Dog Branch Road, Brasstown, NC 28902, USA; Universal Electronics, 4555
Groves Road, Suite 3, Columbus, Ohio 43232, USA); and EEB, 323 Mill St.
NE, Vienna, VA 22180, USA.

     Some books of interest to Europeans may be ordered from PW
Publishing, Enefco House, The Quay, Poole, Dorset BH15 1PP, Britain.

     The best program listing for North American TVRO monitors is
"Satellite TV Week", available for USD 48 a year from Satellive TV
Week, Box 308, Fortuna, CA 95540, USA.

     There are a couple of British monthlies with channel listings and
satellite news, "What Satellite" (57-59 Rochester Place, London NW1
9JU) and "Satellite TV Europe" (5 Riverpark Estate, Berkhamsted HP4
1HD).

     "Transponder" is a British newsletter, filled with information
about satellite broadcasting. Published 24 times a year, it's available
in the UK for GBP 37, in Europe for GBP 60, and outside Europe for GBP
75, from: Transponder, Box 112, Crewe Cheshire, CW2 7DS, England.

     "Satellite Watch Newsletter" is the magazine of the video pirate
satellite underground, people who regard any kind of coding as a
violation of American Constitutional rights. Lots of details on
descrambler hardware and software. But 12 issues are available for USD
35, from: Walker Media Group, 6599 Commerce Ct. No. 103, Gainsville, VA
22065, USA.

     Radio Netherlands publishes an interesting leaflet called "Weather
Satellite Fact Sheet", as well as "Satellites for the Shortwave
Listener". Both are available for free from: Radio Netherlands, Box
222, NL-1200 JG Hilversum, the Netherlands.

     The Fall, 1990 edition of "Whole Earth Review" has an excellent
article by Robert Horvitz called "Tabletop Earth-Watch Stations" about
monitoring WEFAX, with the WER's usual good guide to sources. Available
for USD 7 (more for postage abroad) from: Whole Earth Review, Box 38,
Sausalito, CA 94966, USA.

     The American magazines "Monitoring Times" and "Popular
Communications" have columns with the latest on North American
satellite TVRO. "73 Magazine" has a column on amateur radio satellites.
The British sister magazines "Short Wave Magazine" and "Practical
Wireless" cover satellites very well from the European perspective. The
emphasis in the former is on TVRO and WEFAX, in the latter on amateur
radio satellites.

     For information about amateur radio astronomy, you can contact the
British Amateur Radio Astronomy Society, c/o Steven Newberry, 19
Oakway, Kingsley Park, Birkenshaw, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD11 2PG,
Britain.

     Reason not-withstanding, the universe continues unabated, terribly
huge and terribly complicated. "The DXers Guide to the Galaxy", while
relatively short, and undoubtedly filled with much that is wildly
wrong, out-of-date, or at least of marginal interest, is nevertheless
greatly inspired by (some might say plagerized from) Douglas Adams and
"The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy".

     We hope he doesn't mind too much.

     For more information on this engrossing subject, consult the books
and magazines mentioned above. We did to write this. Please note that
things change rapidly in this field, numbers to computer bulletin
boards even faster. This is as accurate as we could get it on the day
it went to the printers, in August, 1992. There were undoubtedly
mistakes then, and many changes since. We disclaim all responsiblity
for anything due to these mistakes or changes.

     Should you have any information you would like to pass along, in
order to rectify or update any of these unavoidable errors, you can
contact Radio Sweden's DX Editor George Wood through any of the
following electronic means:

     CompuServe Mail 70247,3516
     MCI Mail or Internet (to the above CompuServe number)
     Fidonet to George Wood at 2:201/697
     Packet Radio to SM0IIN on the SM0ETV mailbox
     Telefax [phone]

     In case of electrical failure the mail will also work:

     Radio Sweden
     S-105 10 Stockholm
     Sweden