XPost: rec.video.satellite.tvro, rec.answers 
 From: drlev@hotmail.com 
  
 Archive-name: Satellite-TV/TVRO/part1 
 Posting-Frequency: 15 Days 
 Disclaimer: Approval for *.answers is based on form, not content. 
  
  
 PART ONE - What is TVRO? 
  
 TVRO is an acronym that stands for TeleVision Receive Only. Generally 
 speaking, 
 TVRO is the satellite distribution system for delivering programming to 
 cable 
 TV 
 headends and systems. Of course, anyone with a home TVRO satellite system 
 can 
 potentially receive programming for their enjoyment. To receive TVRO 
 satellite 
 signals, at least a modern C-Band only or Ku-Band only capable receiver and 
 an 
 appropriate satellite dish antenna is necessary. Usually with TVRO, the 
 bigger 
 the 
 dish, the better. In fact, TVRO is often referred to as big dish satellite 
 television. 
 Unlike direct broadcast satellite (DBS), TVRO uses mostly open standards 
 technology so equipment and dish sizes can vary greatly (More on this later 
 in 
 the 
 FAQ). 
  
  
 * How did satellite TV begin? 
  
 In 1945, science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke envisioned the positioning 
 of 
 objects 22,300 miles in orbit above the Earth that could send and receive 
 information. This would cause these artificial satellites of the Earth to 
 seemingly 
 "hover" above the ground without moving. The orbital "belt" around the Earth 
 containing communications satellites would later be named the Clarke Belt in 
 honor 
 of Arthur C. Clarke's original vision. By 1957, the former Soviet Union 
 created 
 the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, which sent out electronic beeps of 
 Morse Code 
 extolling Soviet technological-superiority propaganda. Sputnik, however, did 
 not 
 orbit the Earth at the exact distance of 22,300 miles needed to seem 
 stationary from 
 the ground; this orbit is known as geosynchronous orbit. In 1962, the first 
 satellite- 
 relayed television program was broadcast over the Telstar 1 satellite from 
 France to 
 the United States. By 1973, Canada's Anik A1 satellite became the first 
 domestic 
 satellite to be placed into geosynchronous orbit over North America. 
  
 In 1976, Home Box Office (HBO) became the first non-terrestrial television 
 network 
 to relay its signal via satellite. Soon, Ted Turner, owner of Atlanta, 
 Georgia 
 UHF 
 station WTBS also decided to uplink its station via satellite, creating the 
 first 
 "superstation". Pat Robertson created the Christian Broadcasting Network 
 (now 
 ABC Family Channel) and uplinked it also. The foundation for modern cable 
 programming and the modern cable television industry had begun. 
  
 But even as this was all happening, an industrious Stanford University 
 graduate 
 named Dr. H. Taylor Howard had a vision of his own. He knew about the 
 potential 
 of being able to receive satellite programming and decided to build a 
 homemade 
 parabolic satellite receiving antenna and receiver unit. In 1977, the first 
 home satellite 
  system was built and the home satellite industry was born. He even 
 attempted 
 to pay 
  HBO for its programming but HBO refused, saying that it only accepted 
 subscription 
 fees from cable companies! 
  
 By 1980, several companies were manufacturing home satellite equipment and 
 anyone simply having a satellite dish, back then usually 12 to 16 feet in 
 diameter, 
 was bound to draw attention from neighbors and friends. The early satellite 
 industry 
 was somewhat chaotic; standards and legal clarification were needed to set 
 guidelines 
 for the usage of satellite receiving equipment and the reception of 
 satellite 
 signals. This 
 occurred in 1984, when then President Ronald Reagan signed into law the 
 Cable 
 Communication Policy Act. Among other things, the new law established the 
 legal 
 status of owning home satellite equipment. It also permitted program 
 providers 
 to 
 encrypt, or "scramble", their signals and allow home satellite viewers the 
 option of 
 paying for subscription programming for a nominal fee. 
  
 In 1986, HBO, the first cable-type service available via satellite, became 
 the 
 first 
 programming service to encrypt its signals. Long gone were the days of 
 Taylor 
 Howard being denied the ability to pay for his programming! Many people 
 became 
 a 
 fraid that encryption was the end of home satellite reception and this view 
 caused 
 many satellite dealers to get out of the satellite system retail business. 
 By 
 the late 
 1980's, satellite TV became well established as the best method of program 
 reception available. 
  
  
 * How exactly are satellite signals transmitted? 
  
 Satellite transmissions start with the uplink signal, which are transmitted 
 by 
 very large 
 fixed satellite dishes up to the satellite in orbit above the earth. The 
 satellite then 
 retransmits the signal on a lower frequency down to a general geographic 
 area 
 of the 
 earth with what is called the downlink signal. On the ground, home satellite 
 receiving 
 equipment converts the downlink frequencies to the even lower 950-1450 MHz 
 standard frequency block. The signal then travels to the satellite receiver 
 for 
 modulation to TV channel 3 and is then sent to the television itself. 
  
  
 * What frequencies and/or bands are used for TVRO satellite transmissions? 
  
 Satellite transmissions can be received from two different bands: C-Band and 
 Ku- 
 Band C-Band was the original band of frequencies used for the transmission 
 of 
 communications satellite signals and is still the most commonly used band 
 for 
 TVRO 
 use. In fact, the term C-Band is often used interchangeably with TVRO; 
 unfortunately, 
  this usage is actually incorrect since Ku-Band TVRO also exists. C-Band 
 frequencies 
 fall within a range of 3.7 to 4.2 GHz. 
  
 Ku-Band is a newer satellite band for TVRO transmissions. Ku-Band 
 frequencies 
 fall 
 within a range of 10.9 to 12.75 GHz. Unlike C-Band, Ku-Band has no accepted 
 standard for reception, at least in terms of channel number assignments. As 
 far as 
 reception, any satellite receiving system capable of receiving C-Band can 
 receive Ku- 
 Band with only minimal need for additional equipment. In fact, Ku-Band can 
 be 
 received with smaller satellite dishes than those needed for C-Band 
 reception! 
 (More 
  on this later in the FAQ) Ku-Band is also the satellite band used for DBS 
 systems 
 (more on DBS later). 
  
  
 * Who is likely to be a prospective big dish system owner? 
  
 The prospective big dish system owner is primarily the person who wants 
 choice. 
 The big dish offers the most variety of programming of any direct-to-home 
 television 
 distribution method. Whether its standard "cable-type" programming, audio 
 (music 
 and radio networks), or non-standard fare, the "BUD", or "big ugly dish" as 
 it 
 is 
 affectionately called, offers a little bit of everything. Big dish offers 
 the 
 flexibility of 
 more than a few satellites worth of programming, all the advantages of 
 modern 
  
 [continued in next message] 
  
 --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05 
  * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)