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Tech Talk
Fall 2009
Satellite World, Inc. The Carousel of Progress:
Satellite World, Inc. A Clear Look At The Latest In TV Technology
P.O. Box 90958
Henderson, NV 89009 About 100 years ago, am- digital versatile discs (dvd), way we listen, watch, and
Phone: 702.564.0790 plitude modulation (am) satellite phones, global po- communicate. Some of us
e-mail: info@satworld.biz radio was just coming into sitioning systems (gps), can roll with each change
www.satworld.biz
everyday use around the digital satellite television in technology with enthusi-
world. Nearly 65 years (DTV), digital storage de- asm and an understanding
ago, record discs were the vices, High Definition tele- of what is going on. Most of
Inside this issue: only way to record voice vision (HDTV), and Blu- us, however, get dizzy as
and music. The flood of ray. In 2009, we saw ana- the carousel of progress
technology that followed log television be replaced spins, oftentimes finding
Televisions and 2 went something like this: with digital television ourselves frustrated and
Antennas tape recorders, black and (DTV), allowing HDTV to confused.
Ask Warren! 2 white television, color TV, be broadcast over land-
In this newsletter we will
frequency modulation (fm) based transmission anten-
attempt to clear things up
radio, tubes to transistors, nas. Technology is a contin-
Mobile Satellite 3 and give you a better un-
4 & 8 track players, audio ual progression. As Walt
Systems derstanding of the technol-
cassettes, analog satellite- Disney would say, it is a
delivered television(C- carousel of progress. ogy around you, so that you
Warren Teasley: The 4 can utilize and enjoy it to
Brains Behind The Brawn band), laserdiscs, hard
During each of these tran- the fullest.
drives, compact discs (cd),
sitions, we as consumers
cellular phones, Internet,
have had to change the
s
Keeping Up With Today’ Technology: Satellite-Delivered TV
Most media content is delivered via DishNetwork turned on its signals so much content. Both DIRECTV and
a satellite at some point before it shortly thereafter. Then the race be- DishNetwork have additional satellite
gets to us. tween providers began. As the small positions that are used for niche pro-
18-inch reflectors aimed at high- gramming. Both providers also utilize
Satellite Television
powered Ku satellites provided in- the single-reflector design to pick up
Satellite television has grown from creasing numbers of channels, con- the desired satellite’s microwave sig-
the days of large C-band reflectors sumers became thirsty for more televi- nals from space. The multiple low noise
scanning over 20 satellites in space sion. block (LNB) converters on all reflectors
to today's one-position mini reflec- (5 LNBs for DIRECTV & 3 LNBs for
The satellite industry grew from a sin-
tors of providers DIRECTV & Dish- DishNetwork) are combined into one
gle satellite position in space to
Network in the United States and big LNB assembly at the end of the
DIRECTV’s five main satellite posi-
Shaw Direct & Bell in Canada. The LNB arm attached to the bottom of the
tions and DishNetwork’s three main
switch to mini reflectors started in reflector. This allows for seamless auto-
satellite positions. The reason for the
the early 90s, with DIRECTV trans- matic switching between the satellites
multiple satellite positions is due to
mitting at some 24,000 miles in a for the user’s viewing pleasure.
the many broadcast & music channel
stationary position of 101° over the After the providers tackled multiple
programs that the mass market de-
equator aimed at North America. satellite positions, their next advance-
sires. A single satellite can carry only
(Continued on page 3)
Page 2 Tech Talk
Televisions Ask Warren!
Let's start with your television. If both analog and digital tuners built How Can I Get The
you have a glass picture tube TV in them, so no converter box is Best In HDTV?
(analog) that has been around for needed. You may ask, “Why do these -Terry from Seattle
awhile, you are currently receiving new TVs still have analog tuners?”
no picture or sound unless you have That's because all cable companies
a cable or satellite provider or have are not required to switch to DTV at Believe it or not, the best quality HDTV
purchased a new DTV converter box this time (that may change in the signals come right off your local off-air
that converts the new digital signals near future), and most still deliver transmitter tower. At this time, due to
to an analog type signal. It is some programs in both analog and the way signals are processed and the
important, particularly in the RV digital. Another reason that new TVs off-air bandwidth available to the local
world, to know that most DTV boxes are still made with analog tuners is broadcasters, these signals are even
need 110 volts AC to operate. If you because some cities are still better than satellite HDTV signals.
are going to use an analog 12 volt DC transmitting some channels in
television connected to 12 volts, you analog, and some countries, like
Will the digital tuner in my new TV
may not receive anything through Canada, are still fully transmitting
make everything run nice & easy?
your converter box, because all in analog & digital.
-Francis from Las Vegas
television signals are now
transmitted in the DTV format in
Not exactly. One of the quirks of the
both emergency and non-emergency
scenarios. latest technology is that you must auto
scan your digital tuner in every city you
Most new flat screen televisions have visit. Almost every city uses different
channel frequencies. It's not like the
analog days where 3 is 3 and 5 is 5 no
matter where you roam. Those days are
What About Antennas? gone.
FYI: VCRs, dvd players and video
Standard analog antennas can usually receive the new DTV signals when hardware are no longer manufactured
paired with a DTV converter box or a new flat screen TV. There are new with ch. 3 or 4 modulators.
digital types of antennas on the market that might address your reception On the up side, the digital signal that is
needs if you are having a problem with your standard analog antenna. transmitted today has many features
In Las Vegas we have seen a number of good and bad off-air reception situa- that were never possible with analog.
tions. One example is that for over 20 years, customers staying at the Cir- Where we used to get one channel from
cusCircus RV park on the Las Vegas strip have called to say that their off- our local or national network, we can
air reception is lousy. We have had to tell them that is normal for that loca- now get 2, 3 or 4 different options (i.e.
tion because the surrounding tall buildings cause ghosts and snowy pic- selection of different camera angles and
tures. As new buildings went up, the ghosts and snowy pictures increased. Internet, with more to come as
technology marches on).
Five years ago, when we heard that analog TV was being replaced with digi-
tal television, we assumed that change would make reception of television
signals more limited, particularly for users in troublesome spots like Circus- Have a question to ask Warren? Send it
Circus. We thought that the pure digital signals would be finite like satellite to warren@satworld.biz , and you just
reception, where if you are under a tree or behind a tall building you will might find your question in the next
not receive a signal at all. Well, we were wrong. Because of the way the issue of Tech Talk!
digital signal is processed, it can find a reflection off a building in the area,
and give you a clear picture, with even HDTV signals coming in very clear. Be sure to check out the article about
On the other hand, when a plane flies around your location you may get a Warren on page 4 of this issue.
drop out or still frame picture from time to time. Another interesting fact
with digital is that some tuners seem to be better than others in picking up
a signal, even in the same model line.
Something To Think About:
If you wait for the best,
you will never buy anything.
Page 3
(Keeping Up With Today’s Technology, continued from page 1) dome type systems. DishNetwork transmits 80% of its SD
programming on satellite 119° and 20% on the 110° Satel-
ment was into the world of satellite-delivered High Defini- lite. A dome can only look at one satellite at a time, which
tion Television (HDTV). As in the case of off-air delivered may cause problems when two or more receivers are being
HDTV, satellite-delivered HDTV requires a lot of band- used at the same time.
width. The only way to deliver this robust content was to Pop-Up
put up more satellites. DIRECTV shot two new Ka type
satellites that strictly handle HDTV programs. DishNet- The alternative to a dome antenna is the stationary pop-up
work shot up a third Ku satellite strictly for HDTV. (C, Ku, reflector system. Today's pop-up reflectors can take very
& Ka band are terms the satellite industry uses to identify strong wind loads. In fact, manufacturers have recom-
the frequency spectrum that satellites use) Both providers mended leaving it up during windy weather, as when you
deliver crystal clear programming. attempt to park the antenna, it will raise up to 90° and may
DIRECTV and DishNetwork have almost the same basic catch a gust of wind as it travels to the park position.
programming, with some specialty programming available If HDTV is a must, the pop-up is your only choice. The re-
on each. Prices are plus or minus a few dollars. So, do your flector and LNB used on a land-based system is the same
homework. Remember, too, that there are about 30,000,000 used in mobile applications, which allows the proper inter-
DIRECTV & DishNetwork customers, and less than 1% are facing to the receiver. Another reason to choose a pop-up if
RVers and boaters. So when you call DIRECTV or Dish- you want HDTV is the fact that HDTV is not available with
Network because of a technical problem with your mobile DIRECTV in a dome system. (There is one in-motion type
system, be prepared for some long call times and for the dome that provides HDTV. However, it is designed for the
possibility of wrong information being given to you. When I marine industry, is 50’ tall & costs about $30,000.) Dome
install any satellite system, dome or pop-up, I always tell systems can be used to get HDTV with DishNetwork, but
customers to call me before they call the provider, as it there are some ifs, ands or buts, so, again, do your home-
makes the journey so much more enjoyable. work.
Mobile Satellite TV When a pop-up is used, DIRECTV and DishNetwork both
In a fixed location such as a house or building, it’s some- deliver clear pictures.
what easy to bolt a satellite antenna & adjust it. As long as If both in-motion and HDTV is desired, your best bet is to
no trees grow in front of it and nothing hits it, you may install both a pop-up system and a dome system, along with
never have to realign it after the initial installation. RV & an A/B switch, so you can easily switch between the dome
marine users, on the other hand, have to realign their an- when under way and the pop-up when parked.
tenna every time they move, which can become frustrating
with traditional hand crank and tripod antennas. All domes and pop-ups must have a 110VAC to 12- 15VDC
regulated power supply. Do not wire to the coach's 12 VDC
Automatic Mobile Satellite Systems supply, as it varies too much, and at times the voltage is
Enter in the semi-automatic & automatic roof-mounted sat- not clean enough for the sensitive circuits in the satellite
ellite systems, and gone are the days of manual realign- system. The 12 VDC that is provided in the chassis is used
ment. With most of the automatic systems the user simply to power water pumps, fans, lights, motors, etc. that are not
has to turn it on, and then the antenna is aligned and as sensitive to voltage variations.
locked-on automatically. With semi-automatic systems, you
have to hunt for the satellite you want, then watch the sig-
In the next Tech Time newsletter, look for our
nal meter from the satellite receiver on the TV screen.
continuation of “Keeping Up With Today’s
Dome Systems Technology,” as we take a look at
One automatic option is the dome-enclosed type of satellite satellite-delivered Internet, radio, phone and GPS.
reflector used by those who want in-motion satellite recep-
tion while under way or by those who want the look of a
sleek dome on the roof. The upside of a dome antenna is
that it can be used either while driving down the road or
while parked. The downside of a dome is that when the out-
side of the plastic dome gets wet from rain, dew or water
spray, the signal becomes attenuated to the point of no pic-
ture until the dome is somewhat dry. Then it will perform
again as it should.
DIRECTV's single satellite position of 101° transmitting
standard definition (SD) programming is recommended for
Contact us!
Satellite World, Inc.
P.O. Box 90958
Henderson, NV 89009
Phone: 702.564.0790
e-mail: info@satworld.biz
www.satworld.biz
When the lines are down,
the satellites are up!
Warren Teasley: The Brains Behind The Brawn
Warren Teasley is a legend in the cal recordings, he also developed some worked with major companies, includ-
technology world. Having no formal electronic music and commercial jin- ing IBM and Motorola, interfacing e-
training, he climbed his way to the top gles, and he created the sound effects mail technologies for training by those
of the industry armed only with his for the first animated scoreboard at companies.
natural ability and innovation. the Dallas Cowboy’s football stadium.
In 1990, Warren relocated to Las Ve-
During this time, Warren also worked
His interest in technology and com- gas, Nevada, where he changed his
on modifying and designing video
munications started in 1955 when he focus to satellite technology. He be-
equipment such as VTRs and VCRs
was a guest on The Howdy Doody came a frontrunner in the satellite
for specialized needs of the recording
Show and The Arthur Godfrey Show industry, working with residential,
industry. Warren became known for
in New York. Growing up in Azusa, marine, mobile, and commercial sys-
his quality work and innate ability,
California, he built Ham radios as a tems. His work with satellite technol-
leading to several connections in the
boy and spent his teenage years re- ogy led to the development of a revo-
industry.
pairing 8 and 4 track audio machines lutionary GPS tracking system. War-
and constructing amplifiers for In 1975, Warren started Audio Video ren is a master of satellite-delivered
friends’ guitars. Directly after high Service Center in West Hollywood, television feeds & distribution and is
school, Warren joined the United California. There he became a leader a leader in mobile communications.
States Marine Corps, where he fur- in equipment repair and multimedia He has also developed multimedia
ther developed his technical skills by system set-up. His reputation became systems for many top Las Vegas ho-
working with electronic avionics in so notable, that he was asked to sup- tels and residences and is currently
military aircraft. ply, service, and maintain the large developing communications systems
screen projection television systems for homeland security, integrating
After the Marines, he used his skills
for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los cutting edge technology such as satel-
in the music industry in Hollywood
Angeles. After that notable feat, War- lite phones and satellite Internet.
where he owned and ran Devista Re-
ren went on to work with government
cording with his uncle, master musi- Time will only tell what Warren will
agencies in developing specialized
cian, Jimmy Carroll. Besides the typi- bring next to the table.
cameras and equipment. He has also
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