Phonotrend SDR 2800 Phonotrend SDR 3000 Pioneer Planet PL 9000 Quadro DR 9100 CI Radix DT-30 CI Radix DT-31 CI Radix DT-43 VACI Radix DT-5300 HDD Radix Epsilon 3 CI Sagem Samsung DSB A200 Samsung DSR 9000 VIA-CI Samsung DSR 9000 CI Samsung DSR 9400 Samsung DSR 9400 VIA Samsung DSR 9500 AR Samsung DSR 9500 AT Samsung DSR 9500 AY Samsung DSR 9500 CI Samsung DSR 9500 EM Via Samsung DSR 9500 VIA CI Samsung DSR 9500 Z Samsung DSR 9510 X Samsung DSR 9510 Y Samsung DSR 9510 Z Samsung DSR 9600 C Samsung DSR 9600 W Samsung SPVR 801 CI Samsung SVA 202 Samsung SVACI 202 Sat + Sat Crusier DSR 301 Ace Sat Crusier DSR 301 P Ace SIM2 SMB 1800 SIM2 SMB 1900 SIM2 SMB 1950 SIM2 SMB 2700 Simba 202 Sky Pilot SP2 Skybox Skyline Smart Centurio CI Smart Vento CI Starsat SR V5000 CI Strong 6355 Strong SRT 4155 Strong SRT 4255 Strong SRT 4355 Strong SRT 4356 PVR Strong SRT 4375 Strong SRT 4400 Strong SRT 4401 Strong SRT 4430
Viaccess Viaccess + Common Interface Seca Common Interface Common Interface Common Interface Common Interface Viaccess + Common Interface Common Interface Common Interface Viaccess Common Interface (NO KEY FLY) Viaccess + Common Interface Common Interface Free to air Viaccess Irdeto + Common Interface Common Interface Common Interface Common Interface Viaccess Viaccess Common Interface Viaccess Viaccess + Common Interface Common Interface Common Interface Viaccess + Common Interface Common Interface Viaccess Viaccess + Common Interface Common Interface Viaccess Irdeto + Common Interface Viaccess Irdeto + Common Interface Common Interface Seca Irdeto Seca Viaccess Common Interface NDS Viaccess Common Interface Common Interface Viaccess Seca Free to air Free to air Common Interface Common Interface Common Interface Viaccess + Common Interface Viaccess + Common Interface Viaccess
Strong SRT 4450 Strong SRT 4451 Strong SRT 4475 Strong SRT 4500 Strong SRT 4510 Strong SRT 6155 Strong SRT 8000 Strong SRT 8100 Strong SRT 8500 Strong SRT 8600 Strong SRT 8700 Supermax VA 4000 CI Supermax VA 4020 Technisat DigiBox Beta 1 Technisat DigiBox Beta 2 Technisat DigiBox Irdeto Technisat Digibox Viaccess Technisat Digicom 1 A Viaccess Technisat DigiCom 1 plus Technisat Digicom 1 Plus Viaccess Technisat Digity CI Technisat StreamStore 24 Technisat TechniBox Cam 1 Plus Technisat TechniBox VIACAM Technisat TechniBox VIACAM 2 Technisat TechniBox VIACAM EN 2 M Technosat 6000 Plus Technosat T1VACI Techsan TS-4000 CI Techsan TS-6000 VI Techsan TS-7000 VI-CI Techsan TS-8000 VCAP Teko Telemann DTR 4000 CA Telemann DTR 5000 N Telesystem sat Telewire 3002 CI Telewire 3403M Thomsson Tmx 7000 Tmx 7010 Tmx 7020 CI Tmx 7021 CI Tmx 7030 CI-S Tmx 7090 Tmx MS 8100 TopField PVR 4000 CI TopField PVR 5000 CI TopField TF 3000 CI TopField TF 3000 CI PRO Triax DVB 40 S Triax DVB 63 S Triax DVB 65 S CI World sat Maestro Cherokee 1000

SATELLITE

TELE INTERNATIONAL
http://www.TELE-satellite.com B 9318 E ISSN 1435-7003

Inhalt

1998/12

Satellite Venues

Leserbriefe Messen IBC 12 Letter To The Editor Satellite Fairs Amsterdam ASTRA-Fachhandel ARC Satelliten Panorma 14 20

Content

Advertisers Index
STRONG HUGHES New Digital World New Products PACE ASTRA MTI MASCOM HUMAX FAMS EUROSAT Sat-Systems Tratec Gewinnspiel GALAXIS ProVision Doebis/STS STS Doebis HC, Mikronik T+FGetronik, Triax Lemon, Radix, Roche KWS, Kathrein Blankom, MWC, Sat-Discount Promax, Huth AEF 99, Istanbul Szinter Sat CAIRO TELECOMP SAT-TV Kiev SPACECOM Lockheed Martin Intersputnik TELENOR Cable & Satellite Russia Anten Dnyasi 96 Branchenfhrer AIC Hungary 1 Hungary 2 TKT Nichimen Lorenzen 36-166-184 18ASTRA Return Channel Universal Analog & Digital Receiver

Satellite Products

w w w. T E L E - s a t e l l i t e. c o m / T S I / / p r a x i s. s h t m l PRAXIS DIGIMASTER 9800AD+P VORTEC VS-9700 RADIX Epsilon 2AD HUMAX F1-CI STRONG SRT 4300 GRUNDIG DTR 2000 S DOEBIS XSAT CDTV 350 GALAXIS IQG.I KOSCOM KSR-3010 AMSTRAD SRDA 5101 KWS AMA 210S BLANKOM Cable Distribution SAT-SYSTEMS AUSL40 & AUSS w w w. T E L E - s a t e l l i t e. c o m / T S I / / s a m r a a. s h t m l 38 Analog & Digital Receiver with 3300 Channel Memory w w w. T E L E - s a t e l l i t e. c o m / T S I / / r a d i x. s h t m l 43 Analog & Digital Receiver with 1400 Channel Memory FTA Receiver with Common Interface Digital Receiver with Common Interface Digital Free-to-Air Receiver Analog & Digital Receiver withSCPC Digital Receiver for Open TV with Common Interface Analog Receiver with 500 Channel Memory w w w. T E L E - s a t e l l i t e. c o m / T S I / / h u m a x. s h t m l w w w. T E L E - s a t e l l i t e. c o m / T S I / / s t r o n g. s h t m l w w w. T E L E - s a t e l l i t e. c o m / T S I / / g r u n d i g. s h t m l w w w. T E L E - s a t e l l i t e. c o m / T S I / / d o e b i s. s h t m l w w w. T E L E - s a t e l l i t e. c o m / T S I / / g a l a x i s. s h t m l w w w. T E L E - s a t e l l i t e. c o m / T S I / / w e i s s. s h t m l w w w. T E L E - s a t e l l i t e. c o m / T S I / / a m s t r a d. s h t m l 43 Analog & Digital Receiver with 1400 Channel Memory 90 Portable Power Lab for digital signals One satellite transponder on one cable channel Universal Single LNB w w w. T E L E - s a t e l l i t e. c o m / T S I / / k w s. s h t m l w w w. T E L E - s a t e l l i t e. c o m / T S I / / b l a n k o m. s h t m l w w w. T E L E - s a t e l l i t e. c o m / T S I / / s a s y. s h t m l
w w w. d r d i s h. c o m DLR-TUBSAT 92
w w w. s a t e l l i t e - s h o p. c o m Exhibition Report ANTENNE, Paris

Satellite Operators

Roton Revolution Sandblasted Satellites 12x HUGHES Gals-R16, NTV-Plus 110 114

Satellite Reception

SATCO DX Satellite Snap Shots C-Band Miracle Knowledge Zone 170 176
http://www.TELE-satellite.com

Leserbriefe

Letters to the editor
TELE-satellite International PO Box 801965, DE-81619 Munich, Germany
-----------------------------------------------------------------Email: editor@TELE-satellite.com Online: http://www.TELE-satellite.com/email_ts-letter.html Kundendienst: customerservice@TELE-satellite.com

Crime Search

In unserem Institut werden die Sat-Spionage Geschichten Ihres Autors C. Mass jedesmal mit Spannung erwartet, diskutiert und teilweise auch nachvollzogen. Eine Lachnummer war die Cashvia-Satellite-Sache. Wir hatten keine groe Mhe, selbst einmal hineinzuhorchen. Zweifel lste die Geschichte zum Thema der Tatfahrzeugerkennung via Satellit aus. Wie schwer es ist, an geeignete Aufnahmen heranzukommen, bewies auch der verzweifelte LKA-Mann, der sich an den Autor wandte (TSI 9/10). Trotzdem versuchten wir, an Fotos (unter Institutnamen) von zwei sensitiven

Zeitalter der Digitaltechnik: Einschleus-Matrix von Ankaro
The digital age: distribution matrix from Ankaro
Digital satellite reception multicast
Viewing habits will definitely change, at least according to Astra: the digital age will not only improve the quantity of television but also the quality, as new levels of customer service, new applications and comprehensive addedservices will become possible. The Internet is one element that will actually boost the spread of digital technology. Even today the Internet is a widespread tool for millions of people to send and receive electronic mail, and to exchange all kinds of data, audio and video. There are a number of ways to get connected to the Internet, either via conventional telephone lines, via fibre glass cable or via satellite, depending on the customers needs. Astra has already introduced Astra-Net which allows the transmission of Internet-based data via Astra satellites. With the launch of Astra 1H in the first quarter of 1999 the technology will be upgraded to bi-directional mode. Two transponders of 1H will be used to transmit data in the Ka-band range between 18.80 and 19.30
GHz for downlink and between 29.50 and 30.00 GHz for uplink. New applications based on point-to-point and point-to-multipoint systems will be possible and return channels via satellite will become available for the first time. The transceiver (transmission/reception) unit is small and dish sizes between 60 and 120 cm will be enough to guarantee extremely high transmission speeds. So what are the benefits for the specialised dealer? Astra provides a complete listing of Astra-Net service partners who have to rely on the dealers to install the systems for Astra-Net customers. To put it in Gernot Buschs words, only those willing to embrace the future will be successful. Many dealers seem to think alike, since over half of them raise their hands when asked whether they are connected to the Internet. Put into perspective the Internet is of course only one aspect. The major point concerns the future of analogue and digital TV and radio channels. Astra is definitely on the digital track, arguing that more and more service
providers go digital in order to be more cost efficient. Some experts suggest that next year all channels that are still analogue will get a digital twin, and that by 2004 the number of digital homes will outnumber analogue homes. By 2010 analogue television will be a thing of the past. Towards the end of the meeting dealers exchanged information and revealed some secrets of their success. Currently, the upgrading of conventional cable distribution systems for (analogue) satellite reception seems to be booming business. A huge Bavarian buffet finishes off the meeting and leaves the specialised dealers with many figures, projections and suggestions. The general feeling seems to be lets wait and see what the months ahead will bring.

Info-phone: +352-4672361

TW1Tourism and weather around the clock
Gone are the days when regional versions of The Weather Channel provided European homes with accurate forecasts and all sorts of weather-related stories. Now at least a German-language weather channel is back, this time from Austria and free to receive for everyone with a digital receiver. TW1 is the first thematic channel of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF and is transmitted via Astra 1G (12.692 GHz) as well as on cable networks in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. TW1 is a channel dedicated to weather and tourism and it offers weather forecasts and regional information as well as documentaries and soothing images for meditation. Weather, however, is the core of the business and a range of forecasts are offered all through the day: business weather focuses on Europe in general and major business centres in particular. Leisure weather concentrates on forecasts for nine zones of the alpine region. Since the beginning of 1998 there is also a segment dedicated to water temperatures of major lakes and at seaside resorts. As far as lakes are concerned valuable information for wind-surfers and sailors is included while the sea segment gives an overview of all region from the North Sea to the Mediterranean. At the centre of the weather reports is a service called weather panorama, in which cameras installed in 40 Austrian tourist resorts deliver live images to your screen. TW1 is also a platform for the Austrian tourism industry and offers an array of special interest shows for topics like travel, wellness, society, the arts and so on. If the shows make you crave for that weekend out then trips can be booked directly at the TW1 travel club. Late in the evening and during the night TW1 broadcasts natural and cultural highlights in the Treasures of Europe segment and thematic documentaries.

Info: www.tw1.at

Astra 2A gestartet
An Bord einer Proton-Trgerrakete hob am 30. August 1998 auf dem Kosmodrom in Baikonur (Kasachstan) der Astra 2A-Satellit der Socit Europene des Satellites (SES) ab. Astra 2A ist der achte Satellit in der Astra-Serie und der erste, der permanent auf der Orbitalposition 28.2 Ost positioniert wird. Bei Astra 2A, der von Hughes Space and Communications in Kalifornien gebaut wurde, handelt es sich um einen HS 601 HP Satelliten (HP = High Power). Er stellt in den ersten 5 Betriebsjahren 32 aktive Transponder mit einer Sendeleistung von 98,5 Watt ber Wanderfeldrhrenverstrkern. Fr Bahnkorrekturen ist der Satellit sowohl mit neuartigen elektronischen Xenon-Triebwerken als auch mit herkmmlichen Triebwerken ausgestattet. Eine Besonderheit ist die Oberflchentechnologie der Firma Hughes fr die beiden groen, leichtgewichtigen Antennenreflektoren. Die Lebensdauer des Satelliten ist auf 15 Jahre ausgelegt. Mit dieser neuen Orbitalposition sollen fr die Zielmrkte Grobritannien und Irland Digital-Dienste etabliert werden. Transponderkapazitt auf Astra 2A wurden bisher von BSkyB, BBC, Flextech, Discovery, UKTV, Turner Broadcasting und Viacom gebucht.

PRAXIS

Im Test wurde der DigiMaster 9800AD+P an einem 240cm-Spiegel mit Egis-Rotor und an einem 120cm-Spiegel mit herkmmlichen Aktuator betrieben. Wie schon beschrieben, lt die grozgige Ausstattung des Receivers mit ZF-Eingngen verschiedene Antennen-Konfigurationen zu. So fhrt dann auch der erste Weg in das Installationsmen. Nach Festlegung der lokalen Oszillatorfrequenzen aller verwendeten LNBs mute noch die Art der Empfangsebenen-Steuerung gewhlt werden. Im Testfall war es der mechanische Polariser mit Skew-Funktion. Bei einem magnetischen Polariser geht es nicht ohne das kleine Interface (IRTE) aus alten Tagen. Im analogen Men wird der Signalweg der ZF eingestellt. Der Praxis war bereits mit nahezu allen europischen und asiatischen Satelliten vorprogrammiert und so war es recht leicht bei akkurat montiertem Polarmount die Ost und West-Limits festzulegen und die dazwischen liegenden Satelliten zu finden. So weit wie mglich
Most of the really ambitious satellite DXers have been waiting for the first real universal analogue/digital receiver to hit the shops for quite a while.
So far, they will have been struggling with multiswitches, interface boxes, adapters and other stuff to get all the signals to their digital and analogue boxes. It works, but it is hard to remember how. Many have been waiting for a receiver capable of receiving analogue and digital television and radio (both SCPC and MCPC), a positioner for a 24-inch motor, Ku-band and C-band reception and support for a dual rotor installation. And this does not only go for the die-hard enthusiasts, who are just a small group of people, but also for those in need of a combination of C-band and Ku-band reception just because they live in an area where both bands are used. A separate positioner will certainly do, but that means yet another box, yet another remote. Praxis had already introduced a universal receiver for analogue and digital reception, featuring a polariser connector, but this was only functional with the analogue part of the receiver. Now, Praxis introduced the DigiMaster 9800AD+P that does not have this limitation. Beside that, it is a highquality receiver with a lot of features, showing how very well Praxis understands what the user wants. It can control a motor with either Hall- or Reed sensors. A corotor can also be connected and operated in both analogue and digital modes. This new receiver can store up to 700 analogue channels and 2,900 digital (1,500 TV and 1,400 radio).

IMPRESSION

At first sight you may not expect the high performance this receiver is capable of. A four-digit display shows on the front, where we could not find a stand-by button. Not immediately, that is. The emergency buttons are all hidden behind a lid, together with some more. It is possible to operate this receiver, including all menus, just with the buttons on the front. The remote is still handy but not necessarily needed to be fully in control of this box. Also positioned behind this lid are common interface slots for two card readers. Starting from January 1999, this receiver will come with this

feature built-in as standard. If you are planning to subscribe to pay-TV, this might be important. Our sample was still a real free-to-air receiver and therefore without Conditional Access. No less than four F-connectors are present at the back. One of them is marked as being an output. Nowadays, there are more receivers with three connectors for LNB signals. Most of the times, one output supplies the signal to the analogue part of the universal receiver. But what about this fourth connection? You can connect another dish or LNB to it. It also features DiSEqC, so it can handle up to six LNBs in total. But a separate dish for C-band reception can supply its signal to this input too, of course. We tested C-band reception using a switch on the first LNB input. A phono jack supplies the 0/12Volt switch power. The actuator and polariser can be connected to these tight clamp connectors. Three scart (peritel) connectors take care of supplying your television set and VCR with the appropriate signals. A decoder can be connected to the third scart. Separate composite video is available from another phono jack. For real DX pleasure, it is possible to connect an audio receiver for listening in on the telephone signals in FDM. For better video quality, this DigiMaster 9800AD+P has an Y/C output on S-VHS level. Two phono jacks can be connected to your stereo for real stereo sound. To connect this box to your PC, a serial interface is in place (RS232) and also built-in is a modulator adjustable for the whole UHF band and offering PAL D/K/B/G and I. This box will do its job when supplied with anything between 90 and 240VAC (being 50/60Hz). The days of the remote controls with dozens of buttons are finally over. Lately, we have not been seeing many of them anymore. The DigiMasters remote comes with 18 buttons only and a numeric keypad. It is very easy to operate and has a clear layout.

PRACTICE

To test this receiver, we connected it to our 240cm dish with Egis rotor and to a 120cm dish with a no-name actuator. As we already mentioned, this receiver is really capable of being the heart of a true DX installation. It can handle much more than just one or two LNB signals only.
Our first encounter with this receiver in operation is, of course, the installation menu. After setting the LOFs of all LNBs used, we had to choose the polarisation mode. We used a polariser with skew-function. Using a magnetic polariser, still means you will have to use a small interface, as back in the old days. The analogue menu gives you the opportunity to determine the way of the LNB signal. This DigiMaster 9800AD+P comes with almost all European and Asian satellites pre-programmed. This makes it very easy to fix the limits of the polarmount with the built-in positioner, as well as finding the satellites in between. We programmed as many positions as possible using the analogue receiver. But for some satellites (where there were no analogue signals) we had to switch to digital reception. A built-in signal strength measuring tool in the install menu of the digital reception part of this receiver was very convenient for this. Now, we were able of catching almost anything between 80 degrees East and 53 degrees West. Of course, this only applies to the place where we did the test. There are some less important settings such as the on-screen display time (permanent or between one second and one minute) or enabling the teletext being fed into the vertical blank of the video signal, so you can still use the teletext decoder of your TV. Favourite channels can be stored in a favourite list for easy retrievalanalogue or digital, it doesnt matter. Just take your pick and this box will do the rest all by itself. Performing manual or automatic searches will show you that the size of the channel memory is absolutely not exaggerated, especially when one also wants to store occasional video channels. Still, this DigiMaster will find any channel fast and reliably. It processes SCPC signals without hesitation or any problem whatsoever. It can also handle some PowerVu signals and other exotic stations which are not fully DVB compliant. Unwanted channels can be deleted from the list and the order adjusted to your needs very easily. In the unlikely case of the DigiMaster not being able to find the right PIDs, you can enter these manually. This not only goes for the audio and video PID, but for the PCR PID as well. It is easy to add new satellites to the system. Just pick a free position and enter the name, together

Two Hearts Beating

in one chest
Combining digital and analogue technology into one box still seems to be very difficult for most manufacturers. That is why we still havent seen many of these receivers around. And from the ones available, the analogue part mostly seems to be a part that the manufacturer thought of at the very last moment. Most of the time, the analogue specifications we would like to see are not there.
Now, a Samsung company called Vortec has developed the VS-9700 with two things in mind: analogue and digital. The complete concept of the receiver is based on that. Other requirements Vortec defined were universal appliance and high specifications. And so it has. The VS-9700 can be plugged into the wall socket almost anywhere in the world. And besides that, is has absolutely no problem with SCPC or any MCPC bouquet. Since it is a universal receiver, the VS-9700 comes with a lot of channels pre-programmed. Not just ASTRA and EUTELSAT, but the whole bunch of TURKSAT, EUTELSAT, SIRIUS, THOR, INTELSATs, KOREASAT, HISPASAT, PAS, ASIASAT, ARABSAT, OPTUS, THAICOM and DFS. And both C-band and Ku-band. To store all these channels one needs a very large memory. So the VS-9700 is equipped with 400 channels for analogue and not less than 2.900 channels for digital (TV 1.500, Radio 1.400). Even a corotor for mechanical polarisers can be connected. But although the VS-9700 is a receiver with two brains, it is unfortunate that only one brain knows about this corotor connection, which means it only works for analogue reception. That is not so clever of Vortec. Then why would you use this box together with a corotor if you cannot use it for digital reception? Only 5 buttons and a menu button enable you to operate the complete receiver in every little detail. These are located on the front together with a four-digit display, showing the channel-ID or the search status. You wont find a slot for a CAM module, since the VS-9700 is an FTA receiver. At the back, we found two Scart (Peritel) connectors, together with two RCA audio/ video outputs, which is absolutely sufficient for normal use. Other connectors we found were for the mechanical polariser and an RS232 for the link to your personal computer. Those of you with an S-VHS VCR will like the Y/C connector. Of course, the 0/12volt control is present. To the integrated analogue receiver you can connect two LNBs. The third LNB input is meant for the digital part of the receiver. The second input for analogue can also be used for C-band reception. When using a 0/12V switch you can, of course, also connect a C-band dish to the digital receiver part. And universal it is. The VS-9700 will accept every power between 84 and 260 VAC (50/60Hz). With all these specifications one would expect a remote control with a 10 days training video included. Absolutely not necessary. The remote comes with only 17 buttons and a numeric keypad. Thats it. The ease of use clearly shows. Browsing all those channels has been made much easier with the satellite selection menu. First you choose the satellite you want to see and then you only see the channel available on that particular satellite. These very long lists are something of the past, although this depends on how many channels you can catch on one single orbital position, of course. The appropriate LNB configuration is automatically chosen. Finding new channels and programmes can be done with the AUTO-SEEK/AUTOSCAN feature. New channels can also be programmed by entering the exact parameters. The VS-9700 processes signals in a very fast way. Within a very short time it has found the channels. No problem whether it is MCPC or SCPC. When it finds the PID codes, it will immediately show the channel in sound and vision. Manual PID control is not available. Channels with the same PIDS and very closely together on a satellite are still perfectly well separated by the AFC. In total, we have to say that this VS-9700 is a very fast receiver. It immediately responds to everything that you want it to do. Zapping in this case does not show this annoying slow-motion way of processing where you can take a sip of your coffee before you get to see a glimpse of the next channel. Electronic programme Guide information is processed as it should be. Very clear views show you what is on and what is to be expected. On the condition that the channel provides this information, of course. To keep track of the whole bunch of channels available today you will find the EDIT tool just the right thing. It enables you channel swap, deletion and insertion. Switching from digital to analogue reception takes a few seconds. It shows another on-screen display, which indicates there is in fact a separate receiver built-in. It is based on a very high-end low threshold receiver. It offers a 32 step low-threshold extension and 400 channels. It can receive S-, C- and Ku-

ZF-Bereich 2.ZF /Bandbreite MPEG-2-Standard Programmpltze SCPC-tauglich Symbolraten Flash-Memory 900-2150 MHz 480MHz/55MHz voll DVB-kompatibel 1500 TV, 1400 Radio ja 2-45 Msps 1 Mbytes 1 Mbytes 2 Kbytes
Manufacturer/Distributor Vortec / Samraa Trading Est, Dubai, V.A.E. Information fax +971-4-379762 Scart (Peritel) connectors 2 PhonoVideo outputs 2 PhonoAudio outputs 2 S-VHS (Y/C) yes Timer yes 12-Volt control yes DiSEqC 1.0 yes 22 kHz yes Voltage supply 84-260 VAC (50-60Hz)
LNB input MPEG2 standard Channel memory SCPC compatible Input symbol rates Flash memory Programme DRAM EEPROM 900-2150 MHz fully DVB-compatible 1500 TV, 1400 radio yes 2-45 Msps 1 Mbytes 1 Mbytes 2 Kbytes
band signals and offers two bandwidths (18 and 27MHz). Polarisation can be changed with the today more common 14/18Volt switch or with the polariser connectors for a mechanical polariser. Differences in the video level can be equalised between the satellites by using the video hub settings in 4 steps. Lets hop on to the audio part of the analogue receiver. It offers all possible bandwidths between 130 and 500kHz. Unfortunately, we didnt find a Panda-Wegener stereo system, but still a fairly good DNR chip. Other nice features are the possibility to set the time based on your time zone by choosing a city nearby, the 16:9/4:3 video format selection, UHF modulator with not only the cable channel number but the frequency as well, DiSEqC 1.0, PAL settings (European version only) and the option to choose between Stereo or left or right only. For the digital receiver, we can only say that the on-screen graphics look very nice and clear. All information available is shown immediately after it has been processed by the receiver. The only things we can comment about is that the mechanical polariser is not available for the digital receiver part and the fact that there are only two languages to choose from: English and Arabic. Compared to the digital receiver part, the analogue on-screen display could be a little bit better.

Program DRAM EEPROM

Programmpltze ZF-Bandbreiten Threshold-Extension Audiobereich Deemphasen Bandbreiten 400 27/18 MHz ja (3.0 dbM [typ.] in 32 Schritten) MHz J17/50s/DNR 130/150/230/280/330/550 kHz
MORE INFORMATION -www.TELE-satellite.com/TSI/9812/samraa.shtml
Although we can think of a few things for Vortec to change, the receiver as we got it for testing purposes, is one of the best-combined analogue/digital receivers so far. Of course, we would like to see manual PID entry and things like ADR perhaps? On the other hand, ADR is a very European standard and even more German in fact. Updates will be made available on Internet by Vortec. The manual has been completely written in English and it comes with a frequency chart for your convenience. We are convinced this VS-9700 will be the perfect receiver for a lot of DXers.

Analogue part

Analog-Teil

Vom Hersteller wurden bereits 495 der 500 Speicherpltze mit den Programmen aller wichtigen Satelliten zwischen 42 Ost und 8 West belegt. Zumindest wird so die Installation innerhalb Europas zu einem Kinderspiel. In den recht grozgigen On-Screen-Mens geht der Hersteller von der Nutzung eines Universal-LNBs (LOF: 9,75/10,6 GHz) aus, doch lt sich jeder andere Wert problemlos einstellen. Ungewhnlich und bemerkenswert: das gilt auch auch die fr das C-Band verlangten 5,15 GHz! Entsprechend kann im Men auch zwischen Ku- und C-Band gewhlt werden. Grundstzlich gilt fr diesen Receiver: anschlieen und empfangen. Im Test wurde er auch erst einmal so betrieben. Dankenswerterweise spendierte der Hersteller dem Receiver Original Panda Wegener, und die Vorteile dieses Audio-Systems sind auch sofort hrbar. Der gute Ton wird von einem sauberen und
Wer einen analogen Zweitreceiver erwerben
Recent surveys suggest that there is a rising trend on the consumers side to buy easy-to-use and inexpensive analogue satellite receivers. Even though the introduction of user-friendly free-to-air receivers has triggered substantial market growth in the digital sector most satellite homes still have a second or third receiver to watch analogue channels. While the price tag is important consumers nonetheless demand good quality and durability throughout many years. Product tests in recent months have shown that high quality and low cost neednt be a contradiction in terms. In our search for a reasonably priced basic analogue receiver as an add-on to a digital box or as a basic unit for the novice to satellite reception we discovered the Koscom KSR-3010.

Back To The Basics

whenever the batteries of the remote control need to be replaced. Simplicity is also the major feature on the back panel. On the model we tested there were one IF-in socket, two scarts a.k.a. peritel connectors (one for the TV, the other either for a decoder or a VCR) and two phono jacks for the sound. An alternative model with two IF-in sockets would be the KSR-3020. The KSR-3010 boasts a comprehensive installation menu but apparently the manufacturer forgot to add an electronic adjustment of the modulator. If the channel of the modulator needs to be changed this has to be done the old-fashioned way, with a screwdriver. Nevertheless, back to basics doesnt exclude convenience. That becomes strikingly clear as soon as the remote control is used. In addition to the necessary 1-10 numbering keys there are only eight additional buttons to do all the work. Even the clumsiest user will soon become a perfect couch potato. For everyday operation four buttons arranged as a circle suffice for controlling the channels and the volume of the sound. quickly and reliably, at least within Europe. Big

-www.TELE-satellite.com/TSI/9812/weiss.shtml
consistently good video quality the video level can be adjusted in two levels for different satellites. Not every user will want to keep the manufacturers channel line-up, so the three-page setup menu in either German or English has to be used. Since some frequency charts publish only the IF frequencies of transponders this figure can be keyed in directly. If the LOF of the LNB has to be adjusted fine-tuning of the frequency is possible. The LNB power control can be switched off in case the KSR-3010 is used as slave receiver in a more complex configuration. You might think that a low-cost receiver like this one can only be used for receiving one satellite, but this is not the case. Apart from supplying a 22 kHz control the KSR-3010 also features tone/pulse switches for both 60 and 400 Hz and even DiSEqC 1.0. The conventional power unit is spread out within the chassis and thus avoids developing too much heat. In fact, the KSR-3010 can easily be squeezed between a VCR and a digital receiver without any danger of choking in its own heat. The only point of criticism we have is the fact that the scart sockets are placed directly on the main board rather than being fixed at the back panel. This method of assembling receivers has become frequent due to cost reductions, but if scart connectctions are changed frequently this might eventually lead to loose contacts.

MORE INFORMATION

Everyone looking for a good-value satellite receiver to be added to an existing system or to get to know satellite television in the beginning will be happy with the Koscom KSR-3010. The quality of workmanship is good and the variety of features is good basic standard. Everyday operation of the receiver is easy and convenient and a programme memory of 500 is large enough to accommodate the channels of two or even three satellites. The KSR-3010 can receive both Ku-band and C-band signals and thus can be used in a variety of different set-up environments. Among the positive aspects of this unit are Panda stereo, the well structured users manual and a consumer-friendly on-screen menu which makes the initial set-up a hassle-free procedure. However, more languages should be added to the on-screen menu to boost the product in other markets as well. But then again, there is also big brother KSR-3020 with four languages to choose for the OSD (German, English, French, Turkish), three scarts, two IF-in sockets (with two bandwidths), a low-threshold level of <3.5 dB, and an integrated timer for VCR recordings.

Making light work of it

Another feature of the Roton is its lightweight vehicle structure achieved through the extensive use of sophisticated composite materials. These materials have been used successfully in the DC-X programme and in dozens of advanced aircraft. Many of these advanced aircraft have been built by Scaled Composites, the integrating contractor for the Roton. Scaled Composites, of Mojave, California, headed by aerospace legend Burt Rutan has built many composite aircraft and space vehicle structures, including the McDonnell-Douglas DC-X aeroshell. Rutan also designed Voyager, the only aircraft to have flown around the world without refuelling,which was piloted incidentally by his brother, Dick. Scaled Composites is responsible for building the Rotons composite airframe, propellant tanks, cargo bay fairing, rotor, and thrust structure/heat shield. In Rutans words the Roton is The most important project ever to come in the doors at Scaled Composites.

What goes up.

Of course getting to orbit is only part of the challenge. The other key aspect of a reusable vehicle is return from space. The Roton accomplishes this using conventional thermal protection to moderate the heat of re-entry into the earths atmosphere, in a similar way to NASAs Apollo craft, but a unique enhancement will be introduced, until now only used in classified military projects. To keep the temperature of the heat shield down to below 700C during re-entry, RRC plan to cool the shield and recessed combustors with a constant
The Roton-C space vehicle is a vertical take-off and landing SSTO design, approximately 16 meters high. At take-off, the Roton is powered by a proprietary Rocketjet aerospike engine at the base of the vehicle that rotates about the vehicles vertical axis. The rotation pumps the liquid oxygen and aviation kerosene propellants into the combustors at high chamber pressure. The engine combustors being placed at the periphery of the engine. This eliminates the need for turbopumps to feed the engine. The Roton-C will deliver its cargo directly to low earth orbit (LEO) and then return to its initial take-off site. The Roton-C has the capability to remain on-orbit should weather conditions preclude landing on schedule. After atmospheric reentry, the Roton-C will deploy rotors that will allow it to land like an autorotating helicopter. The autorotating blades provide directional control and braking for a precision, soft, landing. The Roton-C lands vertically, essentially empty of propellants. The vehicle has been designed from the outset to be serviced by a small team of ground personnel and to be turned around in 24 hours or less.

(Presented at ICSC 98 by A. Kozlov)
The new Russian satellite for direct-to-home services
GALS-1 and GALS-2 satellites will allow to transmit as much channels to European part of Russia as possible. If the number of requested transponders will be below 16, the remaining transponders can be switched to a different beam and transmit the programming, for example, to Kazakhstan and Western Siberia, which can be also covered from 56 East orbital position. According to WACR-77 plan, the frequencies of GALS-R16 differ from each other by 19.18 MHz for 40 frequency channels. GALS-R16 will be ready to operate on any 16 of these 40 channels, which will allow it to be operational outside Russia. GALS-R16 will be capable to broadcast both digital (MPEG-2/DVB) and analogue services.
GALS footprints, wide [top] and narrow, covering all parts of Russia
NTV Plus The Russian Digital Television System is almost there
Nickolas Ovsyadovsky, rus@satcodx.com
NTV Plus is the first Russian commercial Direct-To-Home television service, being broadcasted from satellites. The satellites for this project are located at 36 degrees east orbital position,and they are: GALS-1, GALS-2 (Russian) and TDF-2 (French, which is leased from Eutelsat). Each satellite at the moment has 2 operational transponders, 6 in total. The current analogue service consists of following channels: Nashe Kino (Russian Movies), Mir Kino (International Movies), Sport, Music, Detskij Mir. Additional subscription is required for adult channel called Nochnoi Kanal. The signal is uplinked to satellites using 9.2m dishes from two earth stations - in Moscow (GALS 1, GALS 2) and in Ekaterinburg (TDF 2). Together with keeping up the analogue will be launched to 36 deg. East position in November, 1998. To control this satellite and uplink the signals to it, a brand-new teleport and uplink-station are under construction. The first part of this center will be ready by November, 1998 aswell. Digital NTV Plus channels will be broadcasted in MPEG-2/DVB, with usage of Philips digital compression units, and will be encrypted in Viaccess (the conditional access system have been ordered from France Telecom). Other agreements are to be reached with leading manufacturers of digital receivers for their IRDs to be used in NTV Plus digital project. As it was announced before, NTV Plus is also planning to extend its broadcasts towards Eastern Russia. After the launch of Eutelsat W4 satellite to 36 deg. East in April 1999, Bonum1 is expected to move to 56 deg. East, where it will start broadcasting towards Eastern and Wester Siberia. This fill finally allow reception of NTV Plus channels on small dishes for the residents of Eastern Russia. The broadcasts for the Western Russia will be completely moved to Eutelsat W4 satellite, on which NTV Plus will lease more then 10 transponders. Later on, NTV Plus is planning even more wide range of services, including Pay-Per-View, Video-On-Demand, radio channels, data transfers and Internet access via satellite. (Presented at ICSC 98 by L. Kantor) Mr. L. Kantor, Bonum-1 company

Satellite Equalizer (Satslope)
km from the nearest footprint. I look forward to hearing from you. D. Boldyn, Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) Answer from Dr.Dish: With a EIRP between 36 and 38 dB a 220 to 280cm dish should do the job in your area, but only on the East-Beam of Turksat 1C. No chance for the West-Beam. For programming have a look at the internet pages at http:// www.satcodx.com/turk1c.shtml. Wait for Eutelsat W4 and SEASAT (launch first quarter 1999) at 36East. These satellites should give much more programming with a smaller dish.

(courtesy: BFBS)

6398, 1/2, ENCODED (system is unknown to me). However, AFRTS radio on Inmarsat still uses analogue techniques and transmits on 1537 MHz.
Temporary weak signal reception
I have a Pace 508, a 1m dish, a Cambridge 0.7dB universal LNB and a Philips CTU900. Last night the power level of the channels on Astra, Hotbird, etc., in the range 11.2MHz to 11.6MHz dropped to nearly non-existent. All other channels outside this frequency range were OK. I checked again this morning, at 6.30am and they were still gone, but by 8am they were all OK again. Could this be a problem with my LNB getting wet as it rained quite heavily yesterday? If so is there anything I can do about it? Mike Gibson (UK) Answer from Dr.Dish: Rain attenuates the signal. But to be on safe side, disconnect during a dry day the f-connector on your LNB. If the plastic between hotwire
UHF UFO satellite unwanted traffic
We discovered unwanted traffic nearly on all US-military UHF-satellites in the POR. Radio-stations (Radio Shanghai, XiangRadio, UID-stations and particular traffic).Some of them are in 25 kc and some coming in with 5 kc bandwidth. What is the reason and can the US-military or the manufacturer do anything against this "intruders"? Can HOKA-Software decode the data-traffic? Thank you very much for publishing your findings in Tele-satel-

Weak signal in Mongolia

Are there ways to catch very weak signals out of EIRP footprints? For example, I want to receive Ku-band channels from Turksat 1C in Ulaanbaatar, which is 1000

only get sound, but no picture at all? Is the service encrypted? L.v. Uden Answer from Dr.Dish: That's why we are writing a special magazine: Back in issue 11/12-97 of TELE Satellite International I wrote a piece about this matter. EBU uses MPEG-2 4:2:2 and your homeequipment runs under the DVB-compliant standard 4:2:0 and does not understand 4:2:2. The results of 4:2:2 are better video quality and 4 sound channels (384KBit/s), whereas the former SiS carried only one audio-channel. The only receiver able to receive both systems known to me is the ALTEIA IV from Standard Communications.
A North Korean rocket blasts off from a launch site.
(courtesy: North Korean TV )

Internet via satellite

I was wondering how is it possible to be interactive with the Internet through satellites or how can get the Internet via satellite as I am living in the Middle-East area, so then I can send and receive email and the web pages. Victor Fouad Answer form Dr.Dish: We tested for TELE Satellite International different cards for Internet via satellite. All of them are only good for a one way connection. To get certain information, you must order them and this still done via the ordinary and costly telephone-line to your local Internetprovider. Delivery is done then in real high speed via satellite. The commercial way would be to communicate directly with the satellite. This is today too costly for the private sector. But I believe in two years time little uplinkfacilities are available and affordable by the common user.
fact Korea launched on August 31 the first satellite from the launch-pad at Musudan-Ri. The plarorbiting satellite (apog. 6.978/perig 218 km) needs for one round trip 165 minutes. Payload is 27 MHz-transmitter (CB-radio) which plays continuously the revolutionary "Song of General Kim Il Sung" and in CW the text "Juche Korea". A precise frequency was not given and at this moment I could not find the Keplerian Data to search for the satellite. Nothing is mentioned in which way the country financed the toys. Some people suspect, that Korea sold the rice given by international organizations to a third country, in order to buy a CB-radio and the 3 stages of the rocket. If we know more about the orbital data and correct frequency, we will publish it here.
lite magazine. It take a lot of courage to do this. N.N. Singapore-online Answer from Dr.Dish: The same has been reported by the Hearsatpeople (Smart FM, belonging to Radio Shanghai). The different bandwidths are are quite simply: All UFO-satellites of the USmilitary uses for Navy Fllet Relay 25 kHz and the Air-Force uses only 5 kHz. It would be very difficult to stop this unwanted traffic, because if the military uses high-power kill the signals the satellite goes deaf for normal traffic. Shut down transponders make the satellite useless. Dangerous is the construction anyway. Imagine someone unfriendly to the US would use very high power transmitter on this satellites. It would disrupt all military traffic. I am not sure about the decoders and software from HOKA. What I know this people offers also prof. software, but I believe it is only good for low speed traffic on shortwave. Even the company is not far away from my place, press information is seldom. But if we get hold of new hard- and software, I will test it.