Satellite Update – November 24, 2010

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EchoStar Corp. requested special temporary authority (STA) to operate its EchoStar 4 DBS satellite at 86.5 degrees west longitude (WL) for 180 days. FCC Report SAT-00738 said in a separate but related STA application, in connection with relocation from 77 degrees WL, EchoStar requested authority to operate the satellite at that location for an initial 30-day period. EchoStar 4 is being operated as a Mexican-licensed satellite at 77 degrees WL.

Intelsat North America LLC received authority to construct, launch and operate C-/Ku-band Intelsat 17 at 66 degrees east longitude (EL) providing fixed-satellite service in the 3625-4200 MHz, 10.95-11.20 GHz, 11.45-11.70 GHz, and 12.50-12.75 GHz frequency bands (space-to-Earth) and in the 5850-6425 MHz and 13.75-14.50 GHz (Earth-to-space) frequency bands. Telemetry, tracking and telecommand operations are authorized on specified C-band frequencies.

Sirius XM Radio Inc. was granted STA for two terrestrial repeaters at EIRP up to 2,000 watts in New York, NY. One of the repeaters will operate in the 2320-2332.5 MHz satellite digital audio radio service (SDARS) band and the other in the 2332.5-2345 MHz SDARS band. Sirius XM Radio also received STA to continue to operate five terrestrial repeaters with an EIRP up to 2000 watts for use on the Sirius network (2320-2332.5 MHz) and one, also with an EIRP up to 2000 watts, on the XM network (2332.5-2345 MHz) at various locations throughout the United States.

The conventional C-band and Ku-band frequencies previously licensed to PanAmSat Licensee Corp. at 76.85 degrees WL are available for reassignment effective 2:00 PM EST on November 19, 2010. PanAmSat is no longer operating a space station at that location in these bands.

This information is from FCC Report SAT-00739.

Users of C-band satellite AMC-18 located at 105 degrees WL (255 degrees EL) are probably aware the out-of-control Galaxy 15 satellite is passing through AMC-18’s orbital location. Tuesday’s Galaxy 15 ephemeris showed Galaxy 15 passing 255.0 degrees EL at 18:00 (UTC), Wednesday afternoon EST on November 24. Intelsat and SES are working together to minimize the impact to AMC-18 users.

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.