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SAT Observations 97.09.05




WELCOME TO SAT-MIDEAST !
A news release from Cairo, Egypt, located at 30.3 North - 31.15 East,
sponsored by TELE-SATELLIT INTERNATIONAL, Europes Satellite Magazine.
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WHAT YOU'LL FIND HERE:
- Satellite and Transponder Observations in C- and Ku-Band,
- Commented from the Middle Eastern perspective.
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Send relevant infos, interesting news, and creative comments to :

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THE HEADLINES IN THIS 97.09.05 REPORT (with a tear in the eye...):

- Launch Information
- Hot Bird Infos
- WorldSpace Radio
- CFI back to Arabsat ?
- Bits & Pieces

LAUNCH INFORMATION, http://www.satcodx.com/launches.shtml
-----------------
Arianespace has successfully launched the Hot Bird 3 and Meteosat 7
satellites for Eutelsat and Eumetsat respective. The launch took place
at 01:21 CAT from the Kourou launch center. Flight 99 was carried out by
an ARIANE 44LP, the most powerful version of the European launcher with
two solid and two liquid propellant boosters.

The launch was covered for the Middle East via Eutelsat II-f4 M, at 7
East. Transponder 26, 11.080 Ghz, V, was dedicated to it, featuring a
French audio channel on 6.60 MHz and an English one at 7.20 MHz. Some
disruptions of the audio carriers from the up-link site, with exchange
of the two sound channels, could be noticed during the broadcast.

Hot Bird 3 was built by Matra Marconi Space in Toulouse and will be
positioned at the 13 degrees East orbital location over Africa. It will
provide digital or analog direct broadcasting of TV programs for all
European countries and beyond.

Meteosat 7, the sixth Meteosat series satellite launched by Arianespace,
will provide service for meteorological data and images through 2002. It
is equipped with one S-band and one UHF-band transponder. Positioned at
0 degrees over the Gulf of Guinea, it will cover Europe, Africa, the
Middle East, the Atlantic and part of South America.

Meteosat 7 is the last of its series, a new, more powerful and larger
model is presently under construction for a launch in the next century.

Ariane flight number updates:

V100 - 23/09 - Intelsat 803
V101 - 30/09 - Ariane 502 with Maqsats
V102 - 22/10 - Sirius 2 & Cikrawatra 1 (the re-named Indostar 1)
V103 - 13/11 - JCSAT 5
V104 - 08/12 - Hot Bird 4 & BSAT 1B
V105 - xx/01 - Nilesat 1 & ?

HOT BIRD INFO
-------------
Hot Bird 3 features 26 transponder of which are 20 active at one at the
same time. They are powered by 135 Watt TWTA's (Traveling Wave Tube
Amplifiers), which is a nice increase compared to the 110 Watt TWTA's
used on Hot Bird 2.
A slight improvement in EIRP could be expected, with at least higher
saturation figures.

In general an EIRP of 43-45 dBW of the Widebeam transponder can be
expected on the Barbary Coastline, with the exeption of Marocco, Algeria
and Tunesia where at least 47 dBW will be received. The Canary Islands
and the Gulf States will receive special spots with a coverage of 42
dBW.

The coverage of the Hot Bird 3 is in general identical to that of Hot
Bird 2; new is an adjustable beam, onto which six of the twenty active
tranponder can be switched. This first time feature on an Eutelsat
satellite is able to cover every point on earth visible from the 13
degrees East slot, with an EIRP in the spot-center of nominal 54 dBW.
(See below for a frequency/channel list)

Hot Bird 4 is also equipped with an adjustable beam as Hot Bird 3 and
features 13 active transponder in the range of 10.700-10.950 GHz and 7
active transponder in the range from 12.500-12.750 GHz.

Hot Bird 4 is the first Eutelsat satellite able to receive individual
digital transmissions and perform the so-called "Skyplex" multiplexing
of signals aboard, prior to re-transmission in MPEG-2 packages.
A launch by Arianespace flight V104 is scheduled to take place December
8th 1997. 

Hot Bird 5 has been announced to be positioned in mid 1998 on the 13
degrees East spot and offers 22 active transponder, two more than Hot
Bird 3 and Hot Bird 4.
Hot Bird 5 has, as Hot Bird 4, on-board "Skyplex" multiplexing
capabilities.

Hot Birds 2, 3, 4 are configured to backup the Eutelsat II-f1, which
will be relocated after the launch of the final replacement satellite
Hot Bird 5.

The Eutelsats II on 7 and 10 East are expected not to broadcast anymore
in the range above 12.500 GHz, in order not to interfere with MPEG-2
transmissions on neighbouring satellites. (13 East and the Skandinavian
satellites on 5 East)
(SME, sources: Eutelsat, Matra Marconi)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOT BIRD 3, 13 East, launched with Ariane V99 -> 2/3 September 1997

[Not named channels are either S or W / A or D / F or C] 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
tp#, freq#, S/W(Super/Wide beam), A/D(Analog/Digital), F/C(Free/Coded)

Vertical	S/W	A/D	F/C	Channel			
------------------------------------------------------------------------
70: 12.111	S	D	C	Telepiu, Italy, MPEG-2, IRDETO [1]   
72: 12.149	S	D	C  	Telepiu, Italy, MPEG-2, IRDETO [1]				
74: 12.188	S	D	C   					
76: 12.226	S	D	C   					         
78: 12.265	S	D	C   					
80: 12.303	S	D	C   					
82: 12.341	S	D	C   					
84: 12.380	S	D	C   					
86: 12.418	S	D	C	TPS, France, MPEG-2, VIACCESS [5]  					
88: 12.466	S	D	C	TPS, France, MPEG-2, VIACCESS [5]   					

Horizontal	S/W	A/D	F/C	Channel
------------------------------------------------------------------------
71: 12.130	W	A	F	MTV2, Hungaria, PAL, 6.60 [6]
73: 12.169	S	D	C
75: 12.207	S	D	C
77: 12.245	S	D	C
79: 12.284	S	D	C
81: 12.322	S	D	C
83: 12.360	S	D	C
85: 12.399	S	D	C	Various, Switzerland, MPEG-2, VIACCESS [8]
87: 12.437	S	D	C
89: 12.476	S	D	C

Bandwith of tp 88 is 60 MHz, the other tps are 33 MHz width.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Telepiu uses HB2 V tp62:11.958,tp64:11.996,tp66:12.034,tp68:12.073

[5] TPS uses E2f1 V tp45:12.542,tp46:12.584,tp49:12.708

[6] Audio Subcarriers:
	7.02 - MTV2 Left  / Hungarian language mono
	7.20 - MTV2 Right / Original language mono
	7.38 - Unknown Radio
	7.56 - Unknown Radio

[8] Channels:
	DRS 1
	DRS 2
	TSR 1
	TSR 2
	TSI	
	& approx 10 Radio Channels
		
FURTHER CHANNEL RESERVATIONS:

Bloomberg.......MPEG-2..Super...Clear
ET1/ERT.........PAL.....Wide....Clear
Animal Planet...PAL.....Super...Clear
TV Slovenya.....MPEG-2..Wide....[9]SLO1,SLO2,Koper Capodistria & 5 Radio
Croatian TV.....MPEG-2..Wide....[9]HRT1,HRT2,HRT3,HRT Sat & 3 Radio
Polish package..MPEG-2..Super...?
DMP Germany.....MPEG-2..Super...(Deutsche Multimedia Plattform)
FilmNet Hellas..MPEG-2..Wide....IRDETO (hor tp)
MCM.............MPEG-2..Super...Viaccess (hor tp)
Nethold.........MPEG-2..Super...IRDETO (three tp)


[9]	TV Slovenya & Croation share one transponder
	The channels will be launched latest November 1st 1997
	and stay for an limited initial period in the clear

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Afristar satellite for Worldspace Radio (to be launched by
Arianespace on 16 June 1998) will be located at 21 East. Contracts for
the manufacturing and distribution of the DTH digital radio receivers
are awarded to Hitachi, Matsushita, JVC and Sanyo, with an allowed 24
month of exlusivity.

The initial sales price of these receivers will be around USD 200, which
is double the amount of the previous targeted price. A drop is to be
expected after an increase in produced quantities of the unit (and have
to sell them first...;-).

Two follow-up satellites Asiastar and Caribstar will be launched in
December'98 and June'99 respective.
(SME)

EXPRESS 6, 80 East, http://www.satcodx.com/e6.html
----------
TV6 Moscow on transponder 10, 3.875 GHz, R, added the number of 850, in
white, below their station logo carried in the upper-left corner of the
screen. This reflects the 850-year festivities of the city of Moscow
these days.
(SME)

PANAMSAT 4, 68.4 East, http://www.satcodx.com/pas4.html
----------
Doordarshan International on transponder 12, 4.034 GHz, V, changed also
its on-screen logo to commemorate the 50 years of India's independency
of the British Empire, by adding two banners and the number 50 to the
standard logo.
(SME)

INTELSAT 704, 66 East, http://www.satcodx.com/i704.html
------------
Vijay TV has left 4.180 GHz, R, and can be found presently only on
Thaicom 3 at 78.5 East: 3.616 GHz, V.
(SME)

INTELSAT 703, 57 East, http://www.satcodx.com/i703.html
------------
Indian broadcaster NEPC TV has again left 4.060 GHz, L and could not be
observed from another satellite location. As the ceasure occured with
the dawn of the new month, it must be the end of contract, or end of
paid transponder time.
(SME)

TURKSAT 1C, 42 East, http://www.satcodx.com/turk1c.html
----------
Digital transmissions of Sun TV on 11.045 GHz, H have ceased.
(SATCO DX) 

ARABSAT 2A, 26 East, http://www.satcodx.com/arab2a.html
----------
Ku-band transponder 5, 12.605 GHz, H, showed this week often an empty
carrier, with various saturation levels, but never higher then 70
percent.
Are we experiencing here test for the expansion of the 1stNet DStv
bouquet or are these test in order to allow CFI to return to the Arab
World ?

ARABSAT recently offered CFI, as part of a compromise deal, a Ku
transponder on Arabsat 2A, and confirmed that the possibility of a
C-Band transmission was ruled out. An eventuel acceptance of CFI is not
confirmed yet.
(SME)

EUTELSAT II-f3, 16 East, http://www.satcodx.com/e2f3.html
--------------
Due to the current IFA exhibition in Berlin, Germany, regular feeds can
be found on 11.668 GHz, H, MPEG-2, clear, with SR 6109, FEC 3/4, and
VPID: 4021, APID: 4022.
(SATCO DX)

EUTELSAT II-f1, 13 East, http://www.satcodx.com/e2f1.html
--------------
On October 3rd, TVN (northern Poland) will start on widebeam transponder
41U, 12.567 GHz, H, MPEG-2, 07:00-16:00 CAT. Programming will contain
information, entertainment, sports and movies. Pro TV uses this
frequency in the evening.
(SATCO DX)

A reception is only possible in the western parts of the Middle East
with very good equipment, as the transmitted power from this satellite
is quite low.
(SME)

HOT BIRD 2, 13 East, http://www.satcodx.com/hb2.html
----------
The RAI MPEG-2 package on transponder 54, 11,804 GHz, V, features
teletext services on RAI Uno/Due/Tre.
The Mediaset MPEG-2 package on transponder 60, 11.919 GHz, V, features
teletext services on all channels, exept the feed channel.
(SATCO DX)

HOT BIRD 3, up there, somewhere, http://www.satcodx.com/hb3.html
----------
TV Slovenija will start to transmit its three TV channels (TVS 1, TVS 2
and TV Koper - Capodistria), plus five radio channels at latest
November1st.

The MPEG-2 TV channels will be in the clear for the first three months,
some of the daily programming will be encrypted later for copyright
reasons.
On the same (yet unknown) transponder, Croatian TV will transmit its
four TV channels (HRT 1, HRT 2, HRT 3, HRT Sat) and three radio channels
on the same basis.
(Gregor Bregar)

SME Curiosity: Hot Bird 2 was publicly seen transmitting first life
signs from 26 East only nine days after been deployed in orbit. Soon
thereafter a full day of Eutelsat broadcasts could be seen from the 29
East position.

It would be interesting to see if the Matra Marconi & CNES engineers
manage to get at least one transponder of the Hot Bird 3 going in less
than 200 hours after launch, wouldn't it ? It's just a matter of proper
goal setting! ;-)
(SME)

AMOS 1, 4 West, http://www.satcodx.com/amos1.html
------
Transponder 3L, 11.131 GHz, V, was used for a public, commercial
presentation of a new Israeli aircraft, build under the wings of the
IAI.

On various Vertical transponder could at times SNG be observed for the
various local and international news services after another unfortunate
incident in the capital Jerusalem.
(SME)

EXPRESS 2, 14 West, http://www.satcodx.com/e2.html
---------
After a strong PAL test card the IRIB test card appeared again on 3.980
GHz, R, with a sinus wave on the audio subcarriers 6.20 & 6.80 MHz.
Transmissions of the IRIB exterior service could not be observed yet.
(SME)

PANAMSAT 3R, 43 West, http://www.satcodx.com/pas3r.html
-----------
Exeptional strong feed signals on 12.701 GHz, H and 12.730 GHz, H.
(SME)

That's all folks, see ye' in good health...

Henk C. Room / SAT-MidEast / Cairo - Egypt

Best regards,

Henk C. Room / Sat-MidEast / Cairo - Egypt
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