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SAT Observations 97.06.13




WELCOME TO SAT-MIDEAST !
A news release from Cairo, Egypt, located at 30.3 North - 31.15 East,
sponsored by TELE-SATELLIT INTERNATIONAL, SATCO-DX and TBS Internet.
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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 97.06.13 REPORT:

- LMI Ltd.
- Launch Info
- AsiaSat 2
- Intelsat 801
- Greek TV on 13E
- Amos Info
- Bits & Pieces

LMI VENTURE
-----------
As expected, Lockheed Martin's Space & Strategic Missiles Sector and the
Intersputnik International Organisation of Space Communications have
formed a joint venture company to provide world-wide communications
services.  The new company, Lockheed Martin Intersputnik, Ltd., or LMI,
will have its headquarters in London with a marketing office in Moscow.

LMI will provide a full range of satellite products and services. The
first satellite deployed will be Lockheed Martin's A2100 on a Proton
launch vehicle in late 1998.

Initially, LMI will provide broadcast, fixed telecommunications and VSAT
services to customers in Eastern Europe, South Asia, Africa and the
Commonwealth of Independent States. These services will expand to
include direct-to-home video and audio, and mobile services to customers
world-wide.

(Source kindly submitted by SAT-NA)

LAUNCH INFO,  http://www.satcodx.com/launches.shtml
-----------
Eutelsat's Hot Bird 4 now seems to be launched with an Ariane 4 in
December '97, at earliest, due to various delays in satellite readiness
earlier this year. The launch of Hot Bird 3 is still scheduled to take
place on July 29th, a change in flight partner has not yet be announced.

The next Ariane flight V96 brings the Intelsat 802 in an eliptical orbit
in the night from June 25th to June 26th, from where it will be deployed
to it's final geostationary position in the Clarke Belt. 

The second qualification flight of Arianespaces future flagship, Ariane
5, is still scheduled to take place on September 16th from ELA-3 launch
platform. The (a-technical expressed) main-part of the launchers body
has been shipped the 31st of May from France to the launch center at
Kourou, French Guiana, where other parts are already waiting for final
integration.

Detailed information can be obtained from Martin OA Ransoms great
"go_Ariane" web site, here two interesting direct hits:

ARIANE 502 PAYLOAD INFO:	
	http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/2058/news_13.html

ARIANE 5 FUTURE MODIFICATIONS:
	http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/2058/tech_09.html

ASIASAT 2, 100.5 East, http://www.satcodx.com/asia2.html
---------
Star TV is broadcasting SKY for Asia. Here is the new line-up of various
channels:

On C-Band frequency 3.700 GHz, V, SR 28100, FEC 3/4:
ESPN Contribution, Racing Channel, NBC, CNBC, Viva Cinema, Sky News,
Star Chinese Channel and Star Movies Southeast Asia.
All channels are encrypted, except ESPN, VPID: 0207, APID: 029C.

On C-Band frequency 3.900 GHz, V, SR 28100, FEC 3/4:
VPID 0200, APID 02xx: Star Plus Japan (FTA)
VPID 0204, APID 0290: Racing Feed (FTA)
VPID 0205, APID 0294: Sky NEws (FTA)

Sky Racing Channel on 4.015 GHz, V has switched to MPEG-2, SR 18000, FEC
1/2. Sky 2 and Sky 3 have been added to this transponder.
All channels are encrypted.

(Info kindly submitted by Ghassan Tabet via SATCO-DX)

EXPRESS 6, 80 East, http://www.satcodx.com/e6.html
---------
The announced alledged bankrupcy of the 2x2 part-time broadcaster on the
AST channel, 4.025 GHz, Rc  seems not to hinder them in transmitting. I
personnally saw them doing so, including the well-known B&W on-screen
logos, today at 10:00 CAT. Should they be well and still in business ?

THAICOM 3, 78.5 East, http://www.satcodx.com/thai78east.html
---------
On the new Thai satellite the Army TV Channel 5 on 3.760, GHz, V, and
Channel 11 on 3.870 GHz, V, are still varying much in reception quality,
whereby the first mentioned is clearly the more powerfull channel.

PANAMSAT 4, 68.5 East, http://www.satcodx.com/pas4.html
----------
ART Australia and RAI International have left 3.880 GHz, H.
They are now only on 3.966 GHz, H, MPEG-2 FTA, as recently announced.
(Info kindly submitted by U.Blass)

The Disney Channel has started on 3,980 H, MPEG-2 FTA, SR 6620, FEC 3/4.

CCTV 3 and CCTV 4 ceased on 3.980 GHz, H. CCTV 4 is now receivable on
4.144 GHz, V, in MPEG-2 FTA, as part of the DStv Multichoice Africa
package.

(Info partly submitted by S.Hammad via SATCO-DX)

SAT-7 used today the 4.038 GHz, H, frequency for their religious
broadcast, identical to those on Eutelsat II-f3, at 16 East, transponder
37, 11.575 GHz, V.

Revised Panamsat footprints are currently available for the various PAS
satellites from the Panamsat web-site. Here the URL's for the satellites
receivable in the MidEast:

	PAS-3:	http://www.panamsat.com/sat_info/beam/p3beam.htm
	PAS-4:	http://www.panamsat.com/sat_info/beam/p4beam.htm
	PAS-7:	http://www.panamsat.com/sat_info/beam/p7beam.htm

SME Comment: Remarkable is the difference between the PAS-4 and the, to
be co-located, PAS-7 footprint. It seems that tests on the PAS-4 led to
a complete reworked footprint estimation for the PAS-7.

INTELSAT 602, 63 East, http://www.satcodx.com/i602.html
------------
Just for the record: transponder 71A, 71B and 72B ceased transmission of
resp. IRIB 4, IRIB 2 and IRIB 3. IRIB 1 is still transmitting, however
with lowered saturation, on transponder 73, 11.155 GHz, V.

INTELSAT 801, 62 East, http://www.satcodx.com/i801.html
------------
The Irananian governemental channels have been transferred from Intelsat
602 at 63 East, to the new Intelsat 801 on June 8th. All channels are
transmitted in SECAM FTA and include all earlier known radio
frequencies.

The transfer position of the NGC "Sima-yeh Moghavmat", lately also seen
on 63 East, 4.188 GHz, Rc, is presently unclear. 

Some reception reports:

CAIRO, EGYPT using a 240 cm solid dish:
Signals can only be detected with highest treshold settings and sync
inserter, except for 11,174 V, IRIB TV 1.
11,174  V  IRIB TV 1  Colour, sparkly, better than I602
11,096  V  IRIB TV 3  B&W, very poor, as I602
10,998  V  IRIB TV 2  B&W, very poor, I602 is better
10,964  V  IRIB TV 4  B&W, very poor, as I602
(Henk Room)

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY:
IRIB TV 1 is receivable with 140 cm dish almost spark-free! IRIB TV 3 is
weaker but watchable, TV 2 is colourful, but hardly watchable. IRIB TV4
is not receivable.
(A.Kardos)

HELSINGBORG, SWEDEN using a 140 cm dish:
11,174  V  IRIB TV 1  very good, sparkle-free, no threshold
11,096  V  IRIB TV 3  a few sparklies without threshold
10,998  V  IRIB TV 2  needs 50% threshold to get rid of sparklies
10,964  V  IRIB TV 4  a lot of sparklies, but watchable
All channels are considerably stronger than on Intelsat 602.
(Christian Lyngemark)

IRIB TV 2 has a teletext service: IRIBTEXT.

(Info kindly submitted by B.Sundberg)

The current radio line-up on IRIB TV 1:
5,54/6,20: IRIB Radio 1
     5,94: Voice of IRIB 1
     6,48: IRIB Radio 3
     7,20: Voice of IRIB 2
The station behind IRIB TV 2 is obviously not Voice of IRIB 1.
It is a station with classical music, commented in Farsi, name unknown.

(Info kindly submitted by Richard Eckendorff via SATCO-DX)

INTELSAT 604, 60 East, http://www.satcodx.com/i604.html
------------
Russian channel NTV is on 11.515 GHz, V, MPEG-2 FTA. There are actually
three identical channels with these VPID/APID's: 01FF/0100, 02FF/0200,
03FF/0300, but only the last mentioned combination has normal TV audio.
The other audio PIDs carry poor audio, like analogue telephon systems,
between Moscow and St. Petersburg, and the sound of an unknown Russian
speaking TV channel (probably MIR TV)!

Russian RTR Teleset package on 11.135 GHz, V, has changed its SR to
17898. Only a test card is receivable on VPID 0021, APID 0022.

(Info kindly submitted by Nickolas - SAT-Moscow)

SME Comment: These transmissions use the Intelsat transponder 69, which
was in earlier years used by TRT. At present times the transponder has
been switched to a different spotbeam and no reception is  possible
anymore in the Middle East. The last time this transponder in Cairo has
been seen tested was March 10 '97.

ARABSAT 2B, 30 East, http://www.satcodx.com/a2b.html
----------
Lybias domestic transmission of its channel PR-TV on transponder 21,
4.167 GHz, Rc, has ceased.

BAZTAB, the Iranian entertainment channel could not be seen anymore on
the Arabsat 2B. It also seems that the transmission feed on Orion 1, has
ceased.
As transmissions via the Asiasat 2 had been announced earlier, (I don't
have access to that bird) it is possible that the signal is down-linked
from there, transmitted via PAS-2 (or other sat) from the USA.

HOT BIRD 2, 13 East,  http://www.satcodx.com/hb2.html
----------
The Greek channels Mega TV, ANT 1, ET 1 and ET 2 have started on
transponder 55, 11.823 GHz, H, MPEG-2, IRDETO encrypted.

(Info kindly submitted by D.Shimoni via SATCO-DX)

Italian state television RAI has announced plans to launch a new
information TV channel covering news of interest for the Mediterranean
countries. The new channel which is set to start broadcasting by the end
of the year will be similar to Euronews - it will have a multilingual
news service and will based in Naples. Most probably the channel will be
transmitted as part of RAI's digital package on the Eutelsat Hot Bird 2
satellite.

(Info ©1997 TSI, All Rights Reserved, submitted by Branislav Pekic)
 
EUTELSAT II-f1, 13 East, http://www.satcodx.com/e2f1.html
--------------
European Channel Management, which markets and distributes BBC World and
BBC Prime, has announced that from this August it will transmit both
television channels on the 36 MHz wide [superbeam] transponder 38,
11.617 GHz, V, using digital/analogue simulcasting. 

BBC Prime, a 24-hour entertainment pay-TV channel, will be available in
continental Europe on a digital, DVB compatible carrier. The analogue
transmission of BBC World, a round-the-clock news and information
channel which broadcasts in analogue in the clear, will be unaffected.
A slight shift in frequency could be expected, however.
 
EUTELSAT II-f2, 10 East, http://www.satcodx.com/e2f2.html
--------------
BHT (Bosnia-Herzognovina) has ceased on 11.080 GHz, H, it used to
broadcast from 23:00 to 24:00 CAT.

(Info kindly submitted by Karl Nilsson via SATCO-DX)

AMOS 1, 4 West, http://www.satcodx.com/amos1.html
------
The Hungarian Broadcasting Corp. announced that it has signed a
satellite distribution contract with Antenna Hungaria using space on the
Amos satellite. Service is expected to begin June 26, 1997. Antenna
Hungaria will provide satellite-to-cable transmission services for
HBCO's Hungarian broadcasting station, MSAT, to cable operators in
Hungary.  This distribution is in addition to the AM Micro transmission
in Budapest.

In a separate, but related announcement, Hungarian Broadcasting Corp.,
signed a termination agreement with Nethold Development B.V., effective
June 30, 1997, whereby Nethold will cease transmitting MSAT's signal on
the Astra satellite.  

This follows Nethold's previously announced intentions to reduce its
business activities in Hungary.  As compensation to Hungarian
Broadcasting for the direct and indirect costs of this service
cancellation, Nethold has agreed to pay HBCO $1.4 million, including
$200,000 of service credits for the period January 1, 1997 to June 30,
1997.

(Info ©1997 TSI, All Rights Reserved)

SME Comment: Above information regards the East European beam
(Horizontal polarization) of the AMOS-1 satellite; the info below
concerns the Middle Eastern beam (Vertical polarization). A second AMOS,
co-positioned, will use the opposite beam polarization. That satellite
is presently constructed in Israel and the owners have made a
declaration of intention to launch it in 1998 with an Arianespace
vehicle.

By the end of the year several private broadcasters will be on AMOS 1
with the same EIRP as current broadcasts, in a mix of clear and encoded
channels. The entire Israel Cable Systems TV package is supposed,
according to new ['96] broadcasting legislation, to be transferred to
Amos before too long, but they will eventually encode it. Present
terrestrial transmissions will stay FTA, at least for the time being.

(Info kindly submitted by David Nessim)

EXPRESS 2, 14 West, http://www.satcodx.com/e2.html
---------
On the mainly digital used frequency 3.975 GHz, Rc, a colorbar test card
has been visible again for a day. Last analogue sightings were from May
4th '97.

SAT-MidEast Intern, http://www.sat-net.com/sat-mideast/
------------------
Between the messages of Friday, 27 June and Friday, 18 July, there is a
summer break, where no SAT-MidEast Observations will be submitted. 

Thanks to all friendly notes, concerning the non-arrival of my NOKIA
MPEG-2 receiver. I appreciate it very much and have still great hopes to
own one after my annual vacation.
Let's wait and drink some more tea, the world will anyway keep on
spinning !

Best regards,

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