Satellite Update

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published

AfriSpace requested authority to modify its license for AfriStar-1 at 21 degrees east longitude (EL) to utilize an alternative downlink beam configuration and to transmit with carriers with 1.71 MHz bandwidth in addition to its recently authorized 2.6 MHz bandwidth. AfriSpace said the modifications were necessary to meet customer demand and to accommodate the satellite’s diminishing power. From FCC Report SAT-00510.

The FCC withdrew the special temporary authority (STA) authorized in file SAT-STA-20080306-00059. This STA allowed EchoStar to move EchoStar 3 from 61.5 degrees west longitude (WL) to 61.35 degrees WL while traffic was transitioned to AMC-14. As previously covered in RF Report, AMC-14 failed to achieve geostationary orbit after launch.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung
Contributor

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.