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DirecTV Band Plans, Frequencies, TIDs and TPNs
Updated 06/01/24

Tom Speer

The attached Excel workbook shows the four frequency bands used by DirecTV for broadcast. Each band is in a separate tab, with the frequencies arranged in order from top to bottom. The TPN numbers that DirecTV assigns to the 36 MHz (24MHz for Ku band) wide digital channels is shown, as well as the TIDs on each satellite that use that frequency. Each Ka band transponder can carry 6 to 9 HD TV channels through statistical multiplexing of the packetized data stream. The TPN number, used by the Signal Strength display on the receivers, is a reference to a frequency and polarity combination.

The TID number is an index to a table of tuning parameters the STB needs to tune to a transponder. The TID number corresponds to a physical transponder on the satellite. The Net and TID numbers, taken as a pair, uniquely identify a transponder, its specific orbital position, frequency, polarity, modulation and encoding characteristics, to allow the receivers to tune to it.

The Ku band is where DirecTV started. It presently carries mostly MPEG2 encoded SD channels multiplexed into 24 Mhz wide digital transponder streams. The TID numbers are simply one less than the TPN. Formerly, Multiple Spot beam transponders in the Ku band shared the same TID number, but they have all been retired.
The two Ka Bands, and the reverse band are mostly where the HD channels are, encoded in MPEG4 format. Some channels on these transponders are MPEG4 encoded, but are only in SD.

The modulation characteristics of each transponder, whether Ka or Ku, is determined by the modulation of the uplink channel. There is no technical reason that the Ku satellites have to stay as MPEG2, except for the population of older SD only receivers with no MPEG4 capabilities. DirecTV has phased out most Local SD duplicates of HD channels.

Major Changes:
6/22/15 SW2 out of service, D14 TIDs fully defined
6/24/15 More D14 TIDs in service
7/8/15, 7/10/15, 7/15/15, 7/22/15, 7/29/15 More D14 TIDs in service, SW1 losing channels
7/29/15 added tab for RDBS frequencies
8/5/15: Most of the TIDs for SW1 have been removed from the system. The remaining ones were loaded up. Some D14 spots were moved back to SW1
11/08/15 Added TPN and TID for RDBS band.
12/03/15 Corrected a long standing error in the frequency of the transponders on D5 @ 110. The LNB for that orbital position uses a different LOF, so we were miscalculating the actual frequency.
4/12/17 Activated National Transponders on D14
8/8/18 Updated information for Reverse Band transponders and added reconfigured SW2 to the Ka-Hi Band Plan
10/4/18 D15 replaced D8 at 101
01/23/19 Updated Ka-Hi chart at 103
09/19/19 Updated to remove D4S, add T16, and show D15 back at 103, D9S role has changed. Also corrected frequencies on Kalo band (B-band)
11/21/20 substituted D8 for D7S at 119 (Net 3)
07/24/21 Eliminated G3C@95W and D5@110 from active transponders. Showed D15 capable of providing TPNs 1 to 24,and 124 to 137 at 103W
06/01/24 Eliminated D9S from the Ku bandplan

Direct Uplink Facilities and Earth Stations

Updated 4/27/2023
Doctor J

The attached table summarizes the information from all of the FCC filings for the DirecTV Earth Stations that transmit data and digital streams to the satellites.

Note that the FCC filings, in specifying the receive spot beams of the satellites, only specify "the area around Los Angeles, California" for instance, rather than a specific facility. The beams are not that narrow. So, any receive beam noted in the Satellite Transponder Tables as LABC for instance, would receive from any of the facilities in Southern California transmitting on their designated input frequency and polarity. Likewise the CRBC, SWUF, NEUF, NWUF, and MWUF all have diversity sites within the receive beam patterns, but separated from the primary site.

File From 2016
Will try to update soon

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