Directv T15 moving to provide KU at 100.85W

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Sounds like they want to test ka usability at 101°.
 
I think what it means is 1) they expect T16 to launch sometime next year (since they currently expect to move T15 back sometime in 2019) and 2) it is to allow them to retire D5, which means they need a satellite at 101 able to reach Puerto Rico so they can still get guide data etc. once D5 has left 110 for the satellite retirement village that awaits it in parking orbit.

They probably originally planned to have T16 in place before D5 needed to retire, but it always takes longer to build and launch a satellite than planned...
 
DirecTV has been licensed for Ka at 101 for years and an existing satellite at 101 had limited Ka capability for testing.

The narrative says nothing about Ka testing, and is in fact pretty specific that this move is all about Ku. Besides that doesn't even make sense, yes they are licensed for Ka from 101 but in order to use it they'd need a satellite permanently located at 101 with full CONUS Ka capability instead of a couple of test spotbeams like D11 & D12 have. If T16 has Ka capability they would test it when it launches to 101 next year. If it doesn't, testing Ka from 101 would be pretty pointless, like car shopping right before you go to prison for 20 years.
 
Why do KA at the 101 when KA is more susceptible to rain fade? Then there wouldn't be any point in doing MPEG 4 SD duplicates using the KA band right? If KA is going to be at the 101 wouldn't that also confirm no MPEG 4 SD duplicates?
 
My memory is fuzzy but I remember something about DirecTV licensing Ka at 101 to preclude a competitor from parking there. I also think DirecTV would never broadcast Ka from 101 because it would be a nightmare making an LNBF with a dual Ku/Ka feed for the same slot. I believe the reflector would have to be larger to make up for the losses.

And what license is that? None that I am aware of other than uplinks and control.
 
I think what it means is 1) they expect T16 to launch sometime next year (since they currently expect to move T15 back sometime in 2019) and 2) it is to allow them to retire D5, which means they need a satellite at 101 able to reach Puerto Rico so they can still get guide data etc. once D5 has left 110 for the satellite retirement village that awaits it in parking orbit.

They probably originally planned to have T16 in place before D5 needed to retire, but it always takes longer to build and launch a satellite than planned...

This one sounds pretty logical as everything about this move says temporary business need.
 
My memory is fuzzy but I remember something about DirecTV licensing Ka at 101 to preclude a competitor from parking there. I also think DirecTV would never broadcast Ka from 101 because it would be a nightmare making an LNBF with a dual Ku/Ka feed for the same slot. I believe the reflector would have to be larger to make up for the losses.

Why would the reflector need to be larger?

Slimline dishes are focused on 101 anyways, and KU at 101 only requires an 18 Dish.

If anything having a KA signal right in the center of the dish should be stronger than the 99 and 103 signals.

Other than that, this sounds like they just need permission to move around satellites and this move would be so they can take traffic off another satellite so they can move an existing satellite.
 
The existing Slimline obviously has a feed for 101 Ku but making that feed a dual band Ku/Ka would be complicated and the end result would probably loose efficiency on both bands, so to meet current specs I feel the reflector would have to grow to make up for the feed losses.The first DirecTV Ka/Ku dish with an integrated 99Ka/101Ku/103Ka feed was a heck of an engineering challenge for the companies participating in the design.

The Slimline reflector size was at the maximum size that DTV executives would allow when it was designed, so going bigger is not an option. The Slimline also barely meets some specs like 2deg adjacent Ka spacing and adding Ka at 101 might dip below acceptable performance between 99/101Ka and 101/103Ka.


Why would the reflector need to be larger?

Slimline dishes are focused on 101 anyways, and KU at 101 only requires an 18 Dish.

If anything having a KA signal right in the center of the dish should be stronger than the 99 and 103 signals.

Other than that, this sounds like they just need permission to move around satellites and this move would be so they can take traffic off another satellite so they can move an existing satellite.
 
The current T8 and T9S satellites at 101W actually have Ka band payloads which DIRECTV uses (or perhaps "used" in the past) for internal signal backhauling purposes.

The problem is the payloads appear to have been designed to support an earlier plan for DIRECTV's satellite ground infrastructure, which has long since been abandoned.

For instance T8's Ka payload has uplink spotbeams for regional "aggregation" sites for local channel backhauling in Seattle, NY, Atlanta, and their broadcast center at Castle Rock, CO. ("CRBC"). And has downlink spotbeams to the broadcast center in LA ("LABC") and to Kansas City, MO.

But of course there's no DIRECTV satellite facility in Kansas City.

And T9S's receives on uplink spotbeams to the LABC and Boise, ID., and then downlinks on spotbeams to two of DIRECTV's regional uplink facilities in Oakdale, MN. ("MWUF") and their SW uplink facility near Tucson, AZ. ("SWUF").

But of course there is no DIRECTV uplink site in Bosie, ID. And it's rather pointless to downlink to just those two regional uplink facilities today when twice as many just as important exist. Not to mention all their associated diversity sites.

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For those that like this stuff.

The FCC maintains an indexed (excel file) list of the approved space stations indexed by location with links to the permits as extracted from the IBFS system. As they point out, the IBFS system is the master source and will have current day by day updates.

Click "The List" to download the file.

Approved Space Station List
 
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