Point-to-point comm possible?

[DefCon4]

Since the ex-DirecWay dishes with modems are transceivers, is it theoretically possible to achieve point-to-point communications with 2 of them pointing at each other? I am not able to find specific info on uplink frequencies from the dish, or how the frequencies are controlled. I suppose the FCC keeps the info suppressed.

[grohgreg]

Since the ex-DirecWay dishes with modems are transceivers, is it theoretically possible to achieve point-to-point communications with 2 of them pointing at each other?

No. There is a frequency conversion that takes place through the satellite. It takes the frequency one earth terminal sends, and translates it into the frequency that another earth terminal receives.

//greg//

[bradleys]

The fact that the uplink and downlink frequencies are very different is a huge problem. Dish A dish would be transmitting on a different frequency than Dish B would be listening on.

The other killer problem is that the satellite is the controller for your dish. For example, the satellite can actually tell your dish to stop transmitting, if your dish is sending a crummy signal.

I think the freqencies are documented in the license for the satellite. I don't know if that's public or not. I'm almost positive that any control commands and protocols are super-duper-secret.

Are you asking just for fun, or for video link, or for data link? If you're asking about data link, that's easy using standard wireless WAPs and yagi or data-specific dish antennas.

[grohgreg]

Current Ku-band satellites are little more than orbiting radio relays. It's the NOC to which a customer is connected that issues control commands to errant modems.

Frequencies are for the most part public information in the USA. For the Direcway frequencies, one need merely know how to extrapolate the information from the modem's user interface.

//greg//