Azteca

[Jim-S]

Azteca America Oest Galaxy 25 93W 11985/v/8687, has been showing something like a live web cams, don't know what it is. Bunch of guys and gals living in a dorm like situation.

[Babadem]

Is this still on?

[Jim-S]

Yes..That is reality show called "La Academia".
They participants live all together and they get classes on singing, dancing some acting to get ready for a big contest where they demonstrate their skills and talents competing against each other.
At the end only one survives and gets the prices, contracts and starts his or her new life as an artist.
This is like 5th or 6th season.
Used to be only for mexicans but now they have participants from other countries.
In fact I am watching it right now at 7am et. Their sleeping.
It may be on 24/7

[wildshovelbill_06]

looks as if there packing up this morning
been away a while back now ill bring in some post

[bennsat]

You have probably heard about satellite dishes, maybe even seen them. But do you know what a satellite dish does or can do? If not, let us tell you all about satellite dishes, the receivers that are used with the dishes, and low noise blocks or LNBs that are an important component of this arrangement.

A satellite dish is shaped like a parabola and works like an antenna. This dish is designed to capture signals on the microwave frequency from communication satellites in orbit around the world. A satellite dish can be used for both, sending out signals (Satellite TV) as well as work as data transmitters. The parabolic shape of these satellite dishes help to absorb signals to their core or center. The feedhorn or the center-point of the dish is designed to collect and conduct signals to, what is known as, a block down converter. This converter is commonly known as a low noise block or LNB.

LNBs are instrumental in converting the many signals emitted at the various frequencies like radio, electromagnetic etc. The reason for conversion is to make these signals more readable, recognizable. A LNB can also shift signals from low-band frequencies like C, Ku up to L band. If you observe carefully, most of the satellite dish antennas that broadcast directly have a LNBF. A LNBF plays the dual role of a LNB and a feedhorn.

The design of satellite dishes are based on many important principles of physics. One such is that with increase in frequency, the directive gain also increases. Nevertheless, the actual gain depends on several other important factors as well include the material of the dish, its surface finish, the level of accuracy while manufacturing the dish, and the feedhorn. However, some other satellite dishes like those that function on low-band frequencies like C, allow for more flexibility with regards the design and material used. It’s safe to say that such dishes are more versatile and offer better performance. Engineers are currently experimenting with the material used to build the large satellite dishes and an outcome of this effort is the use of metal mesh in an all metal frame. Unfortunately, as the frequencies increase, metal mesh becomes redundant.

The satellite dishes used nowadays, especially for DishTV, have a fixed diameter that ranges from 43cm (18 in) - 80cm (31 in). Unidirectional in direction, these dishes communicate with other satellites in orbit on the Ku-bandwidth. Satellite dishes that have 60cm diameter with a gain value of 37.50dB at 11.75 GHz are the most commonly employed commercial purpose antennas.

Another important component of a satellite TV system is the receiver. Satellite receivers are used to do the following:

1. Descramble encrypted signals
2. Convert digital formats like MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 signals into readable or analog formats that can be read by your TV
3. Pull out channels, one at a time from larger orbiting satellites and
4. Send billing, pay-per-view information etc on a timely basis from the customers to the central command.

With technology, all these components will change and improve, but they will always remain a sound investment.

[bennsat]

The first satellite television signal was relayed from Europe to the Telstar satellite over North America in 1962. The first geosynchronous communication satellite, Syncom 2, was launched in 1963. The world's first commercial communication satellite, called Intelsat I (nicknamed Early Bird), was launched into synchronous orbit on April 6, 1965. The first national network of satellite television, called Orbita, was created in Soviet Union in 1967, and was based on the principle of using the highly elliptical Molniya satellite for re-broadcasting and delivering of TV signal to ground downlink stations. The first domestic North American satellite to carry television was Canada geostationary Anik 1, which was launched in 1972. ATS-6, the world's first experimental educational and Direct Broadcast Satellite, was launched in 1974. The first Soviet geostationary satellite to carry Direct-To-Home television, called Ekran, was launched in 1976.
Technology
Satellites used for television signals are generally in either naturally highly elliptical (with inclination of +/-63.4 degrees and orbital period of about 12 hours, also known as Molniya orbit) or geostationary orbit 37,000 km (22,300 miles) above the earth equator.
Satellite television, like other communications relayed by satellite, starts with a transmitting antenna located at an uplink facility. Uplink satellite dishes are very large, as much as 9 to 12 meters (30 to 40 feet) in diameter. The increased diameter results in more accurate aiming and increased signal strength at the satellite. The uplink dish is pointed toward a specific satellite and the uplinked signals are transmitted within a specific frequency range, so as to be received by one of the transponders tuned to that frequency range aboard that satellite. The transponder 'retransmits' the signals back to Earth but at a different frequency band (a process known as translation, used to avoid interference with the uplink signal), typically in the C-band (48 GHz) or Ku-band (1218 GHz) or both. The leg of the signal path from the satellite to the receiving Earth station is called the downlink.
A typical satellite has up to 32 transponders for Ku-band and up to 24 for a C-band only satellite, or more for hybrid satellites. Typical transponders each have a bandwidth between 27 MHz and 50 MHz. Each geo-stationary C-band satellite needs to be spaced 2 degrees from the next satellite (to avoid interference). For Ku the spacing can be 1 degree. This means that there is an upper limit of 360/2 = 180 geostationary C-band satellites and 360/1 = 360 geostationary Ku-band satellites. C-band transmission is susceptible to terrestrial interference while Ku-band transmission is affected by rain (as water is an excellent absorber of microwaves at this particular frequency).
The downlinked satellite signal, quite weak after traveling the great distance (see inverse-square law), is collected by a parabolic receiving dish, which reflects the weak signal to the dish focal point. Mounted on brackets at the dish's focal point is a device called a feedhorn. This feedhorn is essentially the flared front-end of a section of waveguide that gathers the signals at or near the focal point and 'conducts' them to a probe or pickup connected to a low-noise block downconverter or LNB. The LNB amplifies the relatively weak signals, filters the block of frequencies in which the satellite TV signals are transmitted, and converts the block of frequencies to a lower frequency range in the L-band range. The evolution of LNBs was one of necessity and invention.
The original C-Band satellite TV systems used a Low Noise Amplifier connected to the feedhorn at the focal point of the dish. The amplified signal was then fed via very expensive and sometimes 50 ohm impedance gas filled hardline coaxial cable to an indoor receiver or, in other designs, fed to a downconverter (a mixer and a voltage tuned oscillator with some filter circuitry) for downconversion to an intermediate frequency. The channel selection was controlled, typically by a voltage tuned oscillator with the tuning voltage being fed via a separate cable to the headend. But this design evolved.

[Jim-S]

No Azteca again on Galaxy 25 it looks like they come and go, they will be there one day and gone the next. I have one channel that has dancing color bars and a loud tone?

[KRLOS]

Originally Posted by Jim-S

No Azteca again on Galaxy 25 it looks like they come and go, they will be there one day and gone the next. I have one channel that has dancing color bars and a loud tone?

you can find it at Galaxy-23 C band, dvb-s2 hd.

[Jim-S]

Bummer all I have is ku band.