Luken KU feeds leaving soon?????

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Mr Tony

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Nov 17, 2003
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Mankato, MN
Sounds like the feeds on 83W might be leaving soon. I saw a thread over in the OTA area about a low powered station that is losing PBJ, RTV and TuffTV...here is what the station wrote

I have some bad news to report but I wanted to inform everyone as soon as I found out. The network just informed me that they plan to drop the satellite feed I receive sometime in the next 2 to 4 weeks. If they do this I will lose RTV, PBJ, and Tuff for some period of time.

I don’t know why they didn’t give me more notice than this but I did inform them that I don’t have the funds for the equipment to needed to receive their signal from a different satellite. To do so would require a different satellite dish that is much larger than the broadcast site I’m at may allow. I also don’t know if the change in satellite will necessitate a change in equipment for the rest of the station.

http://wleptv.com/2013/04/network-may-cut-satellite-feed/?fb_source=pubv1

Now as the FTA'ers know its pretty easy to decipher what the above means. If he loses RTV, Tuff and PBJ and says he can't afford the "different satellite dish" you can add 2 and 2 together and see he is getting those feeds via KU and would have to upgrade to C-Band

Now I know a while ago I heard rumours that Luken was going to drop the KU feeds earlier this year....so it is possible that they may drop those. I guess "stay tuned"
 
Looks like 83W isn't getting much love lately. One of my favorite feeds changed from it to 103W recently, now Luken may be dropping their feed.
 
I'm guessing Luken is eventually banking on TNN to make them $$$ They've lost so many stations since the good ole days they started RTV/RTN I doubt now they would keep paying the sat fees to keep 83w.
Sad but the programming ain't what it should be anymore
 
This guy Kevin says he has a 6 footer now and would need a 13 footer? for C band. Somebody ought to be able to hook him up with a 10 footer really cheap
 
Perhaps kevin should take a drive out into the country and go dish hunting. lots of old farmers still have buds in their yards. they may even give it away for free to to get rid of it. its worth a shot to try and get one.
 
Hopefully the Luken feeds on Ku will remain or change to another Ku spot. Luken has been a great supporter of the home Ku satellite enthusiast keeping their feeds open and on Ku for such a long time. They have gone through troubled times before and still remain. RTV/RTN over the years have brought us many hours of enjoyment with the old classics we all enjoy. This rumour of leaving Ku happened once a while ago and they were able to keep the Ku going. Hopefully they can do it again. Their programming may not be what it once was, but if we loose the Ku signal, it will be missed. I for one am greatfull for Luken providing the Ku signal over the years. I have enjoyed their programming, and still enjoy it. Hopefully it will stay on Ku, but if we loose it, then I just want to say Thank You to Luken for providing it for us.

Hoping they work it out and the Ku signal remains....Larry
P.S. Bo (Captain RTN) is sitting beside the TV hoping the picture does not go out......
 
A Luken engineer at NRB 2013 indicated that the KU feed was to be terminated for financial reasons and they were reconfiguring some parameters of the C-band services.

I believe that they remain committed to FTA, but are taking measures to control costs. Not many NA footprint KU band satellites less expensive than 83w...
 
Before Luken drops 83 West Ku-band, they need to figure out what is wrong with 87 West on C-band.
I have my own theories, but more than one affiliate has contacted me for advice, after running into a stone wall with Luken's engineering department. Affiliates are being told that they need a 12 to 16 foot antenna. The fact that I have a very hard time keeping signals running from Luken's 87 West C-band on my own 10-foot antenna that is otherwise well-tuned across the arc, while many other report great signals on their West Coast feeds from 137 West tells me that something is not right on 87. It used to work quite well, before things were reconfigured over a year ago. Could it be a matter of power balancing on both satellites? Too many channels presently running on 87, with a relatively light load on 137? Since 137 is working so well, they should consider adding a single national east coast feed of each of their networks to 137 West. This would allow affiliates that do not have a five figured bank balance burning a hole in their pockets the ability to reliably maintain service, and allow Luken to safely drop Ku-band, if that is their intention. I am afraid they are unwittingly creating an artificial barrier for many potential affiliates in the eastern 2/3 of the Lower 48, who don't have the bucks for the huge antenna they now recommend. Competing services work reliably on other satellites with 3 to 3.8 meter antennas, and stations may take a cue about their entry costs, going to another service instead.

SatelliteAV said:
A Luken engineer at NRB 2013 indicated that the KU feed was to be terminated for financial reasons and they were reconfiguring some parameters of the C-band services.

I believe that they remain committed to FTA, but are taking measures to control costs. Not many NA footprint KU band satellites less expensive than 83w...
Click to expand...
 
I agree they need to fix the issues on 87W first. They might risk losing more affiliates if they switch and they can't get a steady signal..except on sunny days lol
 
So, the Ku-transponder space on 83W is more expensive than C-band space on 87W, or is it just a matter of coverage area on the dollar?
 
PBJ tv and the other feeds on 83w are watched daily here, would hate to see these disappear, as I don't have a HD reciever yet. 87w would be best, but I don't have room for that size dish, nor the money. I might be able to do 137w is the signal strong enough to use my 36 inch dish for c-band?
 
13 ft? Humm, don't know where he's located but I'm picking that Luken stuff up on 87w with the 7.5 foot SAMI system thats listed in my sig? That stuff is also available on 137w too, isn't it?
 
When a broadcaster establishes a link budget for distribution, it includes maintaining a specific signal margin in a specific footprint to provide xx% uptime for a downlink. A regional rebroadcast with thousands or greater number of viewers demands a much greater margin than the home viewer with a few occasional use viewers.

While signals are able to be received on a much smaller and less efficient dish, a commercial rebroadcaster requires the service to be available through all but the most extreme situations and conditions. It is likely that Luken engineers based their satellite distribution model with a specific signal margin that is based on the gain and efficiency of the 13' dish with standard electronics and plant.

I agree with Mike Kohl that they will likely lose many smaller market affiliates and FTAers if only available on C-band.
 
Lone Gunman said:
13 ft? Humm, don't know where he's located but I'm picking that Luken stuff up on 87w with the 7.5 foot SAMI system thats listed in my sig? That stuff is also available on 137w too, isn't it?
Click to expand...

the link says where he is located ;)
Its Erie, PA
 
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