Telstar 5 (Ku-Band) before Sky Vista

JosephHolloway1998

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Jan 29, 2019
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Porter Ranch, CA
As a follow-up to my G4 communications failure post,
prior to the launch of Echostar's "Sky Vista" in late 1998, occupying the Telstar 5 Ku Band satellite. I wonder Telstar 5 Ku Band was being used for? (mainly FOX feeds, ESPN feeds, sports backhauls, news feeds, affiliate feeds, special/electronic news gatherings, Digital VideoCipher (via 4DTV) etc...) Tell me what you think!
 
If memory serves, Echostar used some of the left over transponders that had been leased to AlphaStar. In case you don’t know what AlphaStar was, it was Tee-Comm Electronics ill-fated DBS venture. Tee-Comm was a Canadian firm, and served both American and Canadian customers on T5. It launched in 1997 and didn’t last but a few months. I believe you can check out what they had up on T5 if you look at SatcoDX from 1997 at the Archive.com way back machine.
 
Really? Again? Another separate thread for this? I'd really appreciate this TV Guide Q&A all in one thread, all in one forum.

BTW - I'm trying to solve a crime from 1998. The suspect said he was home watching feeds on G4 when the neighbour was robbed. I think he's lying because he said he was watching a feed of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous on Transponder 11 but ...
 
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aside from the FOX feeds (SNG), didn't T5 Ku also carry CBS Newspath feeds (CBS News feeds for Affiliates) as well as the international channels? (just before Echostar's Sky Vista DBS services resided on that satellite later in July 1998)
 
A quick google shows sky vista started in January,2002 on Telstar5, not 1998. Couldn't have lasted long because it was not there when I put a dish on T5 in 2004.

Catamount
 
I shouldn't answer because he knows the answers already but transponders 3, 11, 13, 19, 25 & 26 were used for sports backhauls. ESPN, FSN and other stations. Feeds from Hawaii were on here too. Steelers kdka had preseason games one year. Only year they were on ku .

Sent from my VS995 using the SatelliteGuys app!
 
+catamount Echostar's Sky Vista DBS service started in late 1998, see the Internet Archive page, here's the link:1 and Only Sky Vista Website, and +Mikel in addition to the sports backhauls, what about the FOX feeds (including SNG feeds) including NewsEdge? (KTTV/Los Angeles, WNYW/New York City, WFLD/Chicago, KSAZ/Phoenix, KDFW/Dallas Ft. Worth, WSVN/Miami Ft. Lauderdale (also carried as the PT24 Fox affiliate (on C-Band & DirecTV) until they dropped the Fox affiliation in 1997), WAGA/Atlanta, WFXT/Boston, KTVU/San Francisco, WTTG/Washington, D.C., WPGH/Pittsburgh etc...) Loral Skynet was the owner of the Telstar 5 satellite (the satellite previously reserved for Alphastar).
 
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OK, I corrected it but aside from the sports backhauls (ESPN, Fox Sports Net, Empire Sports Network, MSG, NFL Preseason etc...), Hawaiian feeds. What was on T5 Ku before Echostar's Sky Vista DBS service resided on that satellite? (FOX feeds, CBS Newspath feeds etc...)
 
Pardon me for reviving this dead thread, but I'd want to continue on with the thread. (but I'd still like to know what was on Telstar 5 Ku (aside from sports backhauls) before Echostar's Sky Vista DBS service resided on that satellite in mid-July 1998)