FCC filing for the T16 satellite (finally!)

[HoTat2]

AT&T/DIRECTV finally submitted the official filing for the long anticipated "T16" satellite.

Notify going to License

Haven't read the entire narrative yet, but looks to be just like T15 and destined for 103W?

With T15 supposedly to move back there as well?

Don't get it ...

Was certain it was going to 101W to relieve T15 to go back to 103W.

Oh well ... enjoy anyway ...


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[nelson61]

Looking at the GIMS contours - just a simple conus+ type satellite with KA/BSS 17/24 Ghz/KU payload beams.
Not licensed for KU transmission at the 103W location,
I will convert it to Google Earth kmz for reference .

 

[nelson61]

AT&T/DIRECTV finally submitted the official filing for the long anticipated "T16" satellite.

Notify going to License

Haven't read the entire narrative yet, but looks to be just like T15 and destined for 103W?

With T15 supposedly to move back there as well?

Don't get it ...

Was certain it was going to 101W to relieve T15 to go back to 103W.

Oh well ... enjoy anyway ...

Sent from my LG-H932 using Tapatalk

Looks like a spare which could be parked at 103W.
Or they could use one for KA and the other for BSS 17/24.

 

[HoTat2]

Looks like a spare which could be parked at 103W.
Or they could use one for KA and the other for BSS 17/24.

Yeah, but how is the SD transition going to work with both T15 and T16 having permanent assignments to 103W?

One of them obviously has to remain at 101W for its needed Ku DBS band payload.

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[slice1900]

They obviously won't leave them both at 103. Since they are essentially identical I think it is very likely T15's "temporary" move to 101 will become permanent.

The only reason they'd swap them back is if one of them has a hardware issue with a transponder or something (i.e. if one has a bad Ku transponder they'd want it at 103, if one has a bad Ka or RDBS transponder they'd want it at 101)

 

[nelson61]

Factoid from the filing:

"All new DIRECTV subscribers, and over 90% of the total DIRECTV customer base, subscribe to HD services"

So something less than 2 million customers have SD service

 

[Juan]

Factoid from the filing:

"All new DIRECTV subscribers, and over 90% of the total DIRECTV customer base, subscribe to HD services"

So something less than 2 million customers have SD service

What about those who have both?

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[HoTat2]

What about those who have both?

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All DBS Ku MPEG-2 only receivers must go, whether on sole SD accounts or those mixed with HD receivers ...

The big unknown though leading to all the speculation and debate is exactly how and on what schedule the old MPEG-2 DSS transmission format will disappear. And what (if anything at all for 110 and 119W) will replace it on the DBS transponders licensed to DIRECTV almost from its inception at 101, 110, and 119W.

It assuredly seems the SD local spotbeams from 101 and 119W are the first to be all eliminated by sometime next year.

As for what comes next after that. No one can state for certain, even though slice and others here can offer some very good guesses.

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[slice1900]

The last data point we had for SD subscribers was in 2013, when there were 5 million of them. So they've been doing a good job of getting rid of them via attrition.

I wonder whether SD subscribers in an MPEG4 only market who have R22s instead of D1x are counted in that "over 90%" or not. Those people won't need upgrades.

 

[HoTat2]

I wonder though with T15 now parked at 101W and will soon start lighting up its DBS Ku band payload. That even if (God forbid) T16 suffers a catastrophic launch failure next year, which would only garanttee T15 stays put until a replacement is built.

Isn't it safe to say Hawaii subs. can soon select for new installs, or ditch their current AK/HI dish if they choose, for standard Slimlines. And PR subs. (while perhaps among the least of their concerns post-Maria) use SL3 LNBs. What with the CONUS+ spot mirrors for both carried by T15?

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[raoul5788]

The last data point we had for SD subscribers was in 2013, when there were 5 million of them. So they've been doing a good job of getting rid of them via attrition.

I wonder whether SD subscribers in an MPEG4 only market who have R22s instead of D1x are counted in that "over 90%" or not. Those people won't need upgrades.

I'd guess that the number of R22 only (no hd equipment) owners is very low.

 

[slice1900]

I wonder though with T15 now parked at 101W and will soon start lighting up its DBS Ku band payload. That even if (God forbid) T16 suffers a catastrophic launch failure next year, which would only garanttee T15 stays put until a replacement is built.

Isn't it safe to say Hawaii subs. can soon select for new installs, or ditch their current AK/HI dish if they choose, for standard Slimlines. And PR subs. (while perhaps among the least of their concerns post-Maria) use SL3 LNBs. What with the CONUS+ spot mirrors for both carried by T15?

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If T16 really will launch and go operational in Q1 of next year, then they must be in a real hurry to do something that made them move T15 to 101 and target T16's launch for 103.

The only thing I can think of as far as what that "something" might be is that D5 is maybe on its last legs and they can't wait until T16 launches retire it and get Puerto Rico using 101 for their guide data etc. Given the timelines in the letters they've been sending out, I don't see how they can be ready to shut down the spot beams on 101 yet, which doesn't leave a lot of room for anything else to be the reason. They'd need to free up those spotbeams if they were going to migrate the contents of G3C or 119's CONUS to 101.

 

[nelson61]

If T16 really will launch and go operational in Q1 of next year, then they must be in a real hurry to do something that made them move T15 to 101 and target T16's launch for 103.

The only thing I can think of as far as what that "something" might be is that D5 is maybe on its last legs and they can't wait until T16 launches retire it and get Puerto Rico using 101 for their guide data etc. Given the timelines in the letters they've been sending out, I don't see how they can be ready to shut down the spot beams on 101 yet, which doesn't leave a lot of room for anything else to be the reason. They'd need to free up those spotbeams if they were going to migrate the contents of G3C or 119's CONUS to 101.

Directv always has been secretive about the condition of their satellites. They release no data. Dish is quite the opposite and documents degradation or fuel problems in their quarterly 10k reports.

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[HoTat2]

Directv always has been secretive about the condition of their satellites. They release no data. Dish is quite the opposite and documents degradation or fuel problems in their quarterly 10k reports.

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Oh, much agreed ....

In fact if it weren't for FCC public filing requirements and the analytical work of datadigesters on the iamanedgecutter site today, no doubt we'd know next to nothing about the technical details of DIRECTV's satellite fleet.


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[TheRatPatrol]

This will obviously give them some more bandwidth, correct?

So I guess satellite TV isn’t going away, as some have stated?

 

[HoTat2]

This will obviously give them some more bandwidth, correct?

So I guess satellite TV isn’t going away, as some have stated?

Specifically T15 will give an increase in "CONUS+" wide bandwidth at 101W, yes ...

That is, whenever the LiL spotbeam tps. on T4S/T9S are shutdown freeing up 6 additional tp. channels for CONUS+ service.

It will also give PR more bandwidth on the DBS Ku band by allowing their subs. to see the 32 tps. at 101W instead of limited to only the three at 110W.

And while not actually bandwidth related, T15 at 101W will also allow Hawaii subs. a hugh advantage by allowing them to ditch the big, ugly, and awkward 1.2m AK/HI dish for standard Slimlines.

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[slice1900]

This will obviously give them some more bandwidth, correct?

So I guess satellite TV isn’t going away, as some have stated?

Yes, all the people who said AT&T was going to drop satellite within a few years look pretty stupid now, with AT&T about to launch a brand new satellite

 

[Bruce]

Yes, all the people who said AT&T was going to drop satellite within a few years look pretty stupid now, with AT&T about to launch a brand new satellite

That was ordered and planned well before AT&T bought DirecTV, all the talk about DirecTV going internet came directly from AT&T after the purchase.

I do think it will happen but not for about 10 years.

 

[goaliebob99]

AT&T/DIRECTV finally submitted the official filing for the long anticipated "T16" satellite.

Notify going to License

Haven't read the entire narrative yet, but looks to be just like T15 and destined for 103W?

With T15 supposedly to move back there as well?

Don't get it ...

Was certain it was going to 101W to relieve T15 to go back to 103W.

Oh well ... enjoy anyway ...


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I'm wondering if they are testing at 103W and will move T16 later to 101, or if they decided to save on fuel and just leave T15 at 101 satisfied with its mission there. I'm not sure how much fuel is used to drift a satellite, but I would imagine that one way would use more than the other with the way the earth spins. That also could be calculated into this occasion. Interesting to see T16 go to 103W. The less fuel you use, the more life you get out of the bird.

 

[navychop]

It takes very little fuel to change orbit out there, if you’re in no hurry. Just go a little higher or a little lower.


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