Ian & Stuart's Australian Mac: Not for Sale/Another.not.for.sale (Australia).iso/Dr. Doyle/Satellites/Satellite Audio

Text File | 1994-09-28 | 19KB | 342 lines

                            LISTENING TO YOUR DISH


Date:         Sat, 13 Nov 1993 23:17:44 EST
Reply-To:     HOMESAT - Home Satellite Technology
Sender:       HOMESAT - Home Satellite Technology
From:         Gary Bourgois
Subject:      SATELLITE AUDIO ARTICLE (Lengthy)

LISTENING TO YOUR DISH
An Examination of Satellite Audio
By Gary Bourgois, [e-mail]
THE BIRDWATCHER

This article is a bit rambly.   It is actually written for a magazine.
I am sending it along here on the group as is, and may edit it down
later....

Those of us who are greying baby boomers fondly remember the radio.  Yes
there was a time before TV was in every home.  I remember when we got our
first TV set, in 1953.  Thing is, back then, TV was mainly RADIO WITH
PICTURES.  All the popular radio shows were made into TV shows.  And some
how, the flickering image on the 10 inch screen was not as good as the
pictures that came out of the radio.  So while TV took over, many of us who
grew up in the radio era still stuck with the box that made the sounds.

And radio grew and changed to meet the challenge of the flickering lighted
box.  I remember the beginnings of Rock 'n Roll, the early DJ's, and also the
early talk shows, like Gene Shepard, Long John Nebel and other true radio
personalities.

In 1958, my family moved from New Jersey, where we had full time access to
New York AND Philadelphia radio stations 24 hours a day, to the middle of
nowhere (The Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where I still live today).

I was used to a radio with stations from one end to the other.  So after
unpacking, I put my "All American 5" radio on the bedside, and turned it to
the low end of the dial to hear all the stations in my new home town.

Surprisingly, at first I thought the radio was dead.  There were no stations
at all.  Until I hit 1450.  It was POLKA music.  Nothing else was heard for
the rest of the dial all the way up to 1600.

This was TERRIBLE!

In the depths of my depression I went in and turned on the TV to see what
stations would come in.  The huge antenna on top of the house (A wonder to
me, since we got 12 channels back east with Rabbit Ears) surely would bring
in all my favorite shows and then some.

It was the same thing.  There was one station, very weak and snowy.  It had
Championship Bowling.

As an eleven year old media junkie, I was crushed.

However, that night, I discovered the magic that has since lead to my
involvement with TVRO satellite....

It was well after dark, before I turned the radio on again.  The polkas had
given way to big band music.  I knew it would be pointless, but I nudged the
radio dial.  To my amazement, immediately I found another station.  It had a
swirly strange sound to it, but it was a station,  Indeed, I found out that
night that the entire radio dial was covered with stations, MORE stations in
fact than I was ever able to hear in New Jersey.

Thus began a life long love of chasing audio signals, which lead to a career
in broadcasting, which is not the topic of this article.

The fact that this phenomenon (Skywave propogation) only worked in the dark
of night quickly lead me to become a nocturnal creature, as during the day,
the AM band gave me only that polka station (there were no FM stations within
500 miles back then).  But along the way I discovered another survival
mechanism that would also affect me for all time: SHORTWAVE RADIO.  The CBC,
the BBC, Deutche Welle, and the rest provided hours and hours of
entertainment and information.  News and information.  Good stuff.

It all remained a part of my life.  Radio gets in your blood.  So it was that
in the late 1970's while working at an NPR station I was there the day the
10 meter dish went in.  Satellite!  Public Broadcasting was actually one of
the first to get involved with satellite delivery.  There were only three or
four satellites up there, and a 30 foot dish was a really impressive piece of
hardware, as were the racks and racks of equipment that brought the signal
into the station, where TV got three video channels, and radio got 12!

And so many happy hours I spent turning the thumbwheels that changed the
frequency of the SCPC receivers, finding MUTUAL, The Navy Clock, Muzak and
lots of occasional audio services.  I had impossible fantasies of some day
having my own satellite receiver, but it seemed like an impossible dream.

Little did I know that the dream was lurking just over the horizon.

A wealthy Doctor I knew, who lived outside of town was the first person in
the area to have a home dish.  I assisted in the installation, and while the
system cost him over $5,000, by today's standards it was primative.  AZ EL
mount (Polar mounts had not been invented yet) Polarity changed by an Aliance
Tenna Rotor (It took about 15 seconds to go from H to V!)  But it was
glorious.  Everything was unscrambled.  BUT the fascinating thing to me was
that in addition to the video, there were AUDIO channels.  Radio from the
sky.

Satellite stuff was expensive, but I always managed to find one to satisfy
the urge to look and listen to.

In the early 80's I got involved with a local group that won the local cable
franchise, and had more dishes to play with.

There were so many other priorities though that my own system came much later
than it should have.  BUT I have made up for the lost time, that is for sure.

As is fitting for a die hard radio listener, and shortwave fan, the main
reason I wanted a dish was to be able to hear the BBC WORLD SERVICE during
the times of day when they were not available on Shortwave, which happened to
be the times I most wanted to listen.

Knowing that the BBC was available on satellite, I set out to put together a
cheap system just for audio purposes.  For a very minimal investment I
obtained a less than state of the art system, consisting of many mis matched
analogue tuned boxes and a rather battered 10 foot dish that I got free for
salvage.  Much to my amazement, not only did this system bring me the BBC,
but I found MANY MANY other audio channels and soon became a die hard sky
scanner.  I kept adding more and more boxes, that allowed me to tune
additional frequencies that brought me more audio services.  I kept a logbook
of stations and programs, and I found that the dish offered me many more
options than my local AM/FM and shortwave set combined.

The reason is simple.  The sheer amount of Radio Frequency Spectrum available
on the satellites is astounding.  With 38 satellites each containing several
hundred megahertz of spectrum space, and the constantly changing landscape of
satellite services, just keeping track of it all is a major undertaking.
Fortunately, with access to the world wide Internet Computer Network, I
managed to find others who were interested in satellites.  About the time I
was fully hooked on satellite scanning, a group of us formed a new world wide
conference called HOMESAT/rec.video.satellite which caters to the true
satellite nuts.  The original members of the conference divided up duties of
creating an online information environment, which has led to the most
comprehensive constantly updated single source of online satellite
information on the planet.  All of this information is available to ANYONE
via our FREE BBS system.  Just call [phone] or [phone].  Use
2400 Baud, 8-N-1 configuration.  When you see the login prompt, type

bird

for files access menu, or type

dish

to plug into the world wide HOMESAT conference and see what folks are talking
about.  The data is feed continuously in ASCII form, so have your capture
buffer working.

Audio via satellite is something that is underplayed by most dealers and
manufacturers, and gets little press in the Satellite Magazines.  This is a
real shame, since we feel that satellite audio is one of the most exciting
and useful aspects of dish ownership.

To have it all, you need to tune the three main types of satellite audio
available to the home TVRO owner.  Sadly, we can't get DATS and SEDATS
digital audio YET, but we can still have a blast with what we CAN tune in.


ANALOG STANDARD SUBCARRIER

This is the first type of satellite audio is what most TVRO users encounter
first.  Every satellite receiver can pick up this type of audio.  It is the
same kind of audio that is used by unscrambled satellite programming.  It
rides along with the video carrier.  In addition to the usual 6.2/6.8 audio
subcarriers used for sound for the TV show, there can be many more audio
channels ranging from 5mhz to 9 mhz in frequency.  Older receivers have a
knob to twist to pick up these channels (like an old fashioned radio dial)
and more modern receivers use on screen digital tuning, and will even allow
you to program in audio services on every transponder as well as make up a
menu of your favorite audio services.

On Subcarrier, you find several music services, as well as regional radio
stations, many international stations and news/talk/information channels.
Also there are reading services for the blind and one public radio station
for NPR fans.  To receive Analogue Subcarriers, you only need a standard
satellite receiver or IRD.  Sadly, many low end IRD's neglect the audio
subcarrier features, giving it a back seat.  While they give you stereo from
the descrambler, the subcarrier tuner will NOT provide stereo.  The reason
for this is that STEREO via subcarrier actually uses TWO frequencies, one for
each channel.  This provides 100% stereo separation, much less noise and
excellent frequency response.  If you are shopping for an IRD, make sure it
tunes SUBCARRIER STEREO.  Just because it says "Stereo" in the promotional
material, don't be misled.  You need to be able to tune TWO audio frequencies
in order to pick up stereo subcarrier.  Whatever type of music you like, it
is up there.  If you like news and talk, it is up there.  AND of course, if
you like international shortwave, the BBC, RAI from Italy, and Deutche Welle
from Germany all have their international services available on standard
subcarrier.  Some of the best subcarrier listening is found on the ANIK birds
from Canada.  There are three feeds of CBC stereo, as well as CBC stereo
French Service, and many local Canadian radio stations.  The quality of these
programmers is excellent, with a lot of variety.  From great information
shows, to music that ranges from Classical to New Wave, the Canadian
satellites offer a real goldmine of great listening.


FM SQUARED

This odd type of signal is virtually ignored and hidden because most dealers
do not know it is there.  The satellite magazines don't make mention of it,
making it one of the best kept secrets in satellite audio.  FM squared
signals are not that prolific, found mainly on the S3 satellite, (and a few
other spots in the sky) the programming on FM Squared may not be for
everybody, but it has it's devotees.  Primarily found on this mode are Music
Services in a wide variety of formats, news networks, TONS of religious
shows, including the controvercial Bob Larson, who exorcises deamons LIVE
over the phone.  FM squared is similar to regular subcarrier, EXCEPT there is
NO VIDEO on the channel.  Tune to S3/17 and you will see nothing except a
slight darkening of the screen, but your signal meter will indicate that
there is something there.  What the FM Squared system does is to provide a
TRICK locking signal, that makes the receiver think there is a video signal
to lock the AGC to, but instead of being between 5 and 9 mhz, FM Squared uses
the range of 0 to 5 mhz.  Since the regular IRD stops tuning at 5 mhz, it can
not hear these signals.  There are a number of ways to receive FM squared.
You can hook a TV band radio to the RF output (The line you usually connect
to your TV coax for channel 3 or 4 reception) and connect it to a TV band
radio.  Tune your IRD to S3/17 and then hook the coax to a piece of wire and
wrap it around the antenna of a TV band radio.  Tune the TV radio to whatever
output channel you are using on the IRD, and tune around.  You will hear
signals.  They will be hissy and weak, but you will get an idea of what is
available, and if it interests you, you can invest in a better way of tuning
FM Squared.  The ICOM R-100 that we recommend for SCPC reception will also
work on FM Squared.  BUT the best method we know of is to use the T-1
convertor and MAASPRO stereo processor.  This device costs around $300, but
can sometimes be had cheaper.  Call 218 681 5616 for more information.


If you are a tinkerer, we offer this schematic for an SCPC convertor that
will work with your FM radio.  I have not built this, nor do I know anyone
who has.  The 100 khz oscillator is a hard part to find.  If you do build
this device, please write and let me know how it works....


 This convertor will take the baseband output from your satellite receiver
 and convert it to the REGULAR FM BAND so you can tune it on a standard
 FM Receiver.  The hardest component to locate is the Crystal Oscillator.


 Connect Baseband from Satellite receiver to J1.
 Connect J2 to input of standard FM receiver.


                                                 | \ |
 +-----+-----------------------------------------|-->|---------------------+
 |     |                              |          | / |_ 9.1 v Zener        |
 |    GND       BASEBAND              |                       1N757 1w     |
 |              RF INPUT              |               .01ufd               |
 |----------------(O)                 +----------------| |-----------------+
 |                 | J-1              |                                    |
 |     75 OHMS     |                  |         +------------------+       |
 |----/\/\/\/\/--- +                  |         |  International   |       |
 |                 |         +--------+---------+ Crystal Mfg. Co. +-------+
 |  2.7E (see note)|        GND                 |      OE-1        |       |
 |  +-/\/\/\/\/----+                            |    100 MHz       |       |
 |  |                                           |   oscillator     |       |
 |  |    180pf                                  +------------------+       |
 |  |-----| |------+                                     |                 |
 |                 |                                     |                 |
 |     2.2 uh      |                                    ---  47 pfd        |
 +-----uuuuuuuu----+                                    ___                |
 |                 |                                     |                 |
 |          180pf ---                                    |                 |
 |                ---                                    |     +---/\/\/\--+
 |    100K         |                                     |     |   100 Ohms
 +---/\/\/\/\/-----+-----------------+                   |     |
 |                        100K       |                   |     +-----------+
 |                 +------/\/\/\/\---|------+------------+                 |
 |                 |                 |      |                              |
 |                 |                 |      |                              |
 |                 |              -- | ---  | --                           |
 |                     |            /    |      |    \
|
 |                 |           /  G1 |      | G2   \                   |
 |                 |          |    --*--  --*--     |                      |
 |                 |          |                     | 40673                |
 |    .01ufd       |          |    --*--  --*--     | MOSFET               |
 |------| |--------|           \   S |      | D    /                       |
 |                 |             \ _ |      | __ /                         |
 |    220 Ohms     |                 |      |                              |
 |----/\/\/\/\-----+-----------------+      |                              |
 |                                          |                              |
 |                        33 Ohms           |                              |
 |                 +------/\/\/\/\----------+                              |
 |                 |                                                       |
 |                 |      2.2 uh                            220 Ohms       |
 |                 +-----uuuuuuuuu----------+--------------/\/\/\/\/------ |
 |                 |                        |                              |
 |                 |                        |                              |
 |                 |                        |                              |
 |                --- .01 ufd              ---  .01 ufd                    |
 |                ___                      ___                             |
 |                 |                        |                              |
 +----------------(O) J2                    |                              |
 |             RF Output                    |                              |
 |                                          |                              |
 |                                          |                  100ufd      |
 +------------------------------------------+-------------------| |--------+
 |                                                                         |
GND                                                                        O
                                                                       +9 to
                                                                        +18V

Note:   Reduce resistor value if            TUNE BETWEEN 105 and 108 mhz
        FM receiver requires more           on Standard FM Receiver
        Signal Gain.




SCPC

Single channel per carrier is by far my favorite kind of satellite audio.
This method uses a separate audio carrier and separate uplink for each signal
on the transponder.  It is the method used by MANY radio stations and
networks, and provides the widest possible variety of programming.  While
very specialized, there are a number of receivers made for the home TVRO
user, including the HEIL SC-ONE, THE UNIVERSAL SCPC-100, or my favorite, the
ICOM R-100.  News, Music, Major market radio stations, and the wide variety
of TALK shows.  For a complete discussion of SCPC, write me for the SCPC FAQ,
as this topic requires in depth coverage.  The SCPC FAQ includes various
methods of receiving SCPC.  My first SCPC setup added $3 to my total system
cost, and was a great investment in helping me get to know what was up there.


Most of you reading this already know what fun there is to be had with
satellite audio.  Listening to your dish is something that will bring back a
love for radio.  Whether you are relaxing to a jazz station from California,
Classical music from New York, or a soccer game from England, there is
something for everyone on satellite audio.

Satellite Audio is FUN and it is up there for FREE.  There is no subscription
fee needed to listen to the hundreds of stations that come in with better
than FM studio quality on your dish.  If you are not listening to your dish,
you SHOULD!
--
    /   Gary Bourgois, WB8EOH, The Birdwatcher: Marquette Michigan  USA   \
   ([-o ~ Tune FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE!  S3/21 5.8  Fridays from 9-midnight ~ o-])
    \  Now a snazzy new DOMAIN address!  [e-mail]      /
       GEnie: BIRDWATCHER   FAX: [phone]    GWN BBS: [phone]