SES 3

[photoman76]

It appears that SES 3 will finally replace AMC 1.
SES has applied to the FCC to replace AMC 1 with SES 3.
The application has not been approved yet, but SES has asked for expedited authority so I think they want to begin transition soon.
Also, the filing indicates that ku on SES 3 will not be skewed like AMC 1 so the transition will take longer to finish.

http://licensing.fcc.gov/myibfs/download.do?attachment_key=979353

 

[Lone Gunman]

Also, the filing indicates that ku on SES 3 will not be skewed like AMC 1 so the transition will take longer to finish.

I hope this is correct as there's been a bunch of sports feeds there that I haven't been able to get without horking up everything else in the arc. I know a bunch of PPL have setup stationary dishes specifically for 103w Ku but I really didn't want to do that so I've just done without those feeds in the past. Be nice to be able to get them with standard skew settings.

 

[Tron]

Good news, thanks Photoman!

 

[photoman76]

Some details from the filing:

"SES requests expedited Commission grant of this application to permit an orderly transition of customer traffic from AMC-1 to SES-3. Extra time is expected to be needed for this transition because AMC-1 and SES-3 have different Ku-band polarization characteristics."

"Specifically, the AMC-1 Ku-band transponders have a polarization cant of 26 degrees. See 1994 GE-1 Order, 9 FCC Rcd at 1273-74, ¶¶18-19. In contrast, the SES-3 Ku-band transponders have horizontal and vertical polarization with no cant."

 

[Anole]

Not sure I've heard anyone say "cant" in the last 20 years.
Seeing it in writing is even more disturbing.

The auto spell checker wanted to argue about it, too.

 

[gpflepsen]

And who thought, no, almost bet the farm that the cant would remain the same on the replacement sat? This is good news!

 

[SatPhreak]

I really hope that the skew will be "normal", I haven't set up a dedicated dish for 103w yet, but hopefully I'll get some NBC before winter ends.

 

[Anole]

I can't believe they used the word: "cant" !

(not to be confused with can't, which means: can not)

At first, I thought Dictionary com didn't know the word.
Then I scrolled down, and they do.
It's is NOT a common word in American English, unless it's relegated to some specific niche.

Here are some typical meanings that will make "cant" more clear.

- tilt
- pitch
- slant
- turn
- tip
- incline

Or to be less obtuse, once SES3 is up, you won't have to skew your LNBF any more.


Honestly, does anyone know where the term is commonly used?

 

[FaT Air]

Government forms?

 

[rgk]

It's a somewhat common term in rail and roadway design regarding banked turns.

 

[SatelliteAV]

Cant is also used in medical and engineering terminology (base word for cantilever?).

 

[phlatwound]

I have never heard a good explanation as to why this sat's skew was out of whack to begin with...anyone know?

And I have always heard the word "cant" used in reference to sawmill lumber here in Hillbillistan. Here is a description I found on the webbytubes:

"A cant is a partially sawn log with at least one flat side. That is, you can have a one-sided cant (sawn on one side only and the other three sides still round), a two sided cant (sawn on two sides, usually opposite sides), three sided, and four sided."

 

[primestar31]

I believe they had a failure of the KU side antennas complete deployment, right after the sat was placed in orbit. So, they deployed partially, giving the odd skew.

At least I think i read that somewhere.

 

[qwert1515]

NewsTruck who worked in an uplink truck posted a while back about the skew:

It was a launch/positioning anomaly. When it achieved permanent orbit, it was tilted by -- whatever it is -- 20 or so degrees.

There are now hundreds of uplinks that are permanently skewed "off" to compensate for it, so it'll NEVER change. So I have to manually rotate and manually cross-pole each time I go up.

 

[Jim S.]

The guy who works for SES who posts on the Fridge says that it was set at an angle as an attempt to combat rain fade. It didn't work.

I don't know if I buy that. I can't imagine why a company engaged in the aerospace industry couldn't come up with enough computer power to simulate the effect rather than just going ahead and launching a satellite based on an unproven theory!

 

[primestar31]

NewsTruck who worked in an uplink truck posted a while back about the skew:

Yet, we've had many a person that has said that a (small, lol) 1.2 meter dish, even with "normal" skew is capable of receiving even the skewed KU transponders perfectly fine.

That being true, why would even larger uplink dishes care if the NEW satellite is deployed with normal skew? Is we see from the documents, it's going to have normal skew. So, something has to give. If it's an issue, there's going to be a big future for sat techs to re-skew a LOT of uplink dishes...

 

[SatelliteAV]

There will be many busy station engineers optimizing the feeds. A 26 degrees skew misalignment will certainly be adjusted.

Quite a difference in link margins, uptime and reliability requirements between a downlink providing services for hundreds of thousands if not millions of viewers and that of a hobbyist.

Once again, there is best practice operation and "it works so it must be right"...

 

[Panavision]

Normal skew will be welcome! By the way, as a TV director, I sometimes deal with a canted shot as it pertains to a handheld camera angle. Also known as a dutch angle. Useful for concerts and wild things.

 

[Larobpra]

Normal skew will be great. I spent a while today changing LNBs and adjusting things to get Cozi and still have the RTV mux on 83 and others that I lost when I initially got Cozi to come in the other day.

 

[Tron]

Yep it will be great to skip the 'Ghetto Skew" adjustment when I want to look at COZI ...