Microcom's Space Newsfeed 22 February 2004<br />Space Industry News from Around the World<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Web resources from Microcom Systems:<br /><br />Satellite Industry Links: the largest satellite and space industry directory on the web
http://www.satellite-links.co.uk<br /><br />Satellite on the Net: white papers, industry events, launch information and space bookshop
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http://www.space-jobs.co.uk post your CV or job specification here<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Handbook of Satellite Services in Europe<br /><br />This unique publication provides detailed information on all aspects of the European satellite scene including extensive data on service providers, national regulations, satellites used in Europe as well as background on satellite communications technology.
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http://www.spacenewsfeed.co.uk/ratecard.html<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Contents<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Satcoms:<br />AsiaSat to Offer Back up Services to Star<br />Intelsat and Telespazio Bring GSM Service to Cruise Ship Passengers<br />NeoMagic's MiMagic 6 Selected for Demonstrations of Satellite Broadcast Services<br />Optus Buys Additional 2,500 Skystar 360E VSATs<br /><br />Military Space:<br />Lockheed Martin-Led Team Submits Proposal for Next Generation Narrowband Tactical Satcoms System<br /><br />Manned Space:<br />Space Dynamics Laboratory to Research Plants for Space Travel<br /><br />Technology:<br />X-43A Flight Delayed<br /><br />Launch Services:<br />ATK to Supply Orion Rocket Motors to OSC<br /><br />Launches:<br />Cosmos 2405<br /><br />Business:<br />Frost and Sullivan Launches Space and Communications Group<br />Institutional Investors Agree to Buy 9,676,800 Shares of Radyne ComStream from Singapore Entity<br />Isle of Man Launches Zero Tax for Space Industry<br />Spectrum Astro's "Factory Of The Future" Goes Operational<br /><br />Products and Services:<br />New Products and Performance Improvements for SkyDSL Network<br />Rugged PDA Line-up Tool for Mission Critical VSAT Communications<br /><br />People:<br />Eric Shanks Joins DirecTV Executive Staff<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Bolton Associates - Corporate Strategies applies 21st. Century thinking for the Earth Observation, SatCom and Environment Industries that penetrate new markets using creative commercial Risk models and innovation.<br /><br />Visit us at
http://www.BoltonAssociates.com and/or download our Power Point presentation
http://www.microcomsystems.co.uk/ads/EOConsult.ppt [131Kb]<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Space Bookshop - books for space professionals.<br />
http://www.satelliteonthenet.co.uk/bookshop.html<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Satcoms<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />AsiaSat to Offer Back up Services to Star<br /><br />(16 February 2004) Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat) is providing back up facilities and services to Star at AsiaSat’s new Tai Po Earth Station in Hong Kong.<br /><br />Under the terms of agreement, AsiaSat will provide facilities to house Star’s back up broadcast and RF equipment for downlinking and emergency uplinking to AsiaSat 3S and other related services.<br /><br />AsiaSat’s Tai Po Earth Station is a new facility located at the Tai Po Industrial Estate in the New Territories of Hong Kong. This new earth station is built on a 139,932 sq.ft. site comprising a 52,743 sq.ft. two-level building and five antennas, four 7.3 metre and one 11.3 metre. The station is designed for tracking and monitoring AsiaSat’s satellites as well as for providing additional value-added services to AsiaSat’s customers such as C band and Ku band traffic uplinking and back up services.<br /><br />Star, a wholly-owned subsidiary of News Corporation, is Asia's leading multi-platform content and service provider. Star's over 40 distributed services in seven languages reach more than 300 million viewers across 53 Asian countries. Star television channels include Star Chinese Channel, Star Plus, Star World, Xing Kong, Vijay, Phoenix Chinese Channel, Channel [V], ESPN, Star Sports, Star Chinese Movies, Star Gold, Star Mandarin Movies, Star Movies, Phoenix Movies Channel, Star News, Phoenix InfoNews Channel, in addition to distributed channels National Geographic Channel, A1, The History Channel, Fox News and Sky News. Star has interests in cable systems in India and Taiwan. It also powers the launch of Total TV in Taiwan, Asia's first interactive digital cable TV services.<br /><br />(source: AsiaSat)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Intelsat and Telespazio Bring GSM Service to Cruise Ship Passengers<br /><br />(18 February 2004) Intelsat has announced a five-year contract with Telespazio to provide satellite capacity for cellular telephone services that Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) will make available to passengers travelling on Costa Crociere cruise ships in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Caribbean and South American regions.<br /><br />Telespazio, the Finmeccanica company-leader in satellite services, is working with TIM to offer GSM cellular services, and chose Intelsat to provide the multi-regional, at-sea connectivity. Through the satellite gateway at the Fucino Space Center in Italy, Telespazio routes the GSM traffic from the satellite maritime network to TIM’s public GSM network, ensuring availability during oceanic navigation. The capacity for this solution will be provided over the Intelsat 907 satellite at the 27.5º W orbital location; this is Intelsat’s most recently launched spacecraft and one of the most powerful in its global fleet.<br /><br />Costa Crociere, the leading European cruise group and the market leader in Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland and South America, operates 10 modern ships that accommodate approximately 16,000 guests.<br /><br />(source: Intelsat)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />NeoMagic's MiMagic 6 Selected for Demonstrations of Satellite Broadcast Services<br /><br />(19 February 2004) NeoMagic Corporation, a pioneer in Applications Processors for multimedia-rich mobile phones, wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other mobile handheld systems, has announced that the Mobile Broadcast Company (MBCO), the world's first dedicated satellite broadcasting service provider for mobile devices, will be using the MiMagic 6 Applications Processor to process the multimedia stream broadcast from the MBCO satellite.<br /><br />MBCO, which has received investments from 72 major Japanese and Korean corporate shareholders, will show this demonstration to original equipment manufacturers (OEMS) that are interested in producing devices, known as "user terminals" for use with the MBCO broadcast service. The service will deliver video using the MPEG-4 and H.264 video standards.<br /><br />The MBCO satellite will be launched from Cape Canaveral in the United States early next month. MBCO has installed a network of satellite repeaters across Japan to ensure the highest quality broadcast to mobile phones, automotive entertainment systems and a wide variety of mobile terminals.<br /><br />The MBCO service will consist of video channels including sports, news, and children's programming, and audio channels - streamed directly to a variety of mobile terminals that can be used anywhere, including a car or train. The service will give users a vast variety of music at their fingertips, as well as video streams of real-time news and high-quality entertainment. The service uses 25 MHz of bandwidth and operates at 2.6 GHz (S band.)<br /><br />(source: NeoMagic)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Optus Buys Additional 2,500 Skystar 360E VSATs<br /><br />(16 February 2004) Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd is to supply Australia’s second largest telecommunications company, SingTel Optus, with an additional 2,500 Skystar 360E Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs) and hub expansion equipment. The addition of VSATs to Optus’ network reflects its plans to grow broadband services in Australia and New Zealand, particularly in rural and regional areas.<br /><br />Optus operates two-way satellite services throughout Australia and New Zealand based predominantly on Gilat’s 360 and 360E systems. The Skystar 360E, for example, is already being used by Optus to deliver distance learning services to small rural towns and isolated homesteads in New South Wales (NSW) and across the Northern Territory (NT).<br /><br />SingTel Optus has more than 20 years experience as a satellite owner and operator combined with Australia’s largest fleet of domestic satellites. The SingTel Group’s fleet includes five satellites in orbit covering Australia, Tasmania, Norfolk Island, New Zealand, China and India, as well as limited coverage to Papua New Guinea, Cocos Island, Christmas Island, Lord Howe Island, Solomon Islands and East Timor. Following the successful launch of the C1 satellite in June 2003, Optus plans to launch two new satellites for Australia/New Zealand over the next few years. This expansion of the Optus fleet underpins Optus’ satellite business and secures its leadership position in the television broadcasting markets of Australia and New Zealand.<br /><br />(source: Gilat Satellite Networks)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Military Space<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Lockheed Martin-Led Team Submits Proposal for Next Generation Narrowband Tactical Satcoms System<br /><br />(17 February 2004) A team led by Lockheed Martin has submitted its proposal to design and build the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), a next-generation narrowband tactical satellite communications system for the US Navy that will provide significantly improved and assured communications for the mobile warfighter.<br /><br />The Lockheed Martin team includes General Dynamics and Boeing Satellite Systems. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor and systems integrator for the MUOS program.<br /><br />The proposal is for the multi-billion dollar Risk Reduction, Design Development, Acquisition and Operations Support contract scheduled to be awarded by the US Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), San Diego, California in June 2004. The proposal leverages the team's combined experience developing advanced military and commercial communications systems and is based on architecture and risk reduction activities conducted as part of a 14-month Component Advanced Development contract awarded in September 2002.<br /><br />MUOS is a key element of the DoD’s Advanced Narrowband Communications system. Over the next two decades, MUOS will replace the current Ultra High Frequency Follow-On (UFO) system. The Navy’s UFO satellites - the last of which was launched in December 2003 - currently provide narrowband tactical satellite communications to Joint Forces and Coalition partners. Spacecraft in the UFO system were launched aboard Lockheed Martin-built Atlas rockets between 1993 and 2003.<br /><br />(source: Lockheed Martin)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Manned Space<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Space Dynamics Laboratory to Research Plants for Space Travel<br /><br />(20 February 2004) In preparation for current and future space endeavours, NASA has awarded the Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) a US$ 750,000 contract to research the best types of vegetables to grow in space, how to clean them and the psychological effects they have on astronauts and cosmonauts.<br /><br />SDL, a unit of Utah State University Research Foundation, teamed with the Russian Institute of Bio-Medical Problems (IBMP), built and operated the Svet growth chamber used on the Mir station. More recently the team developed Lada, a small growth chamber hosted in the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS).<br /><br />This NASA contract will use Lada hardware to perform research to aid in developing procedures for a future large-scale growth chamber called the Vegetable Production Unit.<br /><br />The contract involves three areas. The first is to research different types of plants and to check the plants’ yields on the ground using Lada. SDL will then verify the plant yields performing the same experiments using Lada on the ISS.<br /><br />Food safety and diet needs are the second aspect of the NASA contract. SDL will perform research on the different types of plants to satisfy nutritional needs and different cultural backgrounds. To ensure astronaut health, SDL will work with the USDA to develop procedures for cleaning the vegetables for consumption.<br /><br />The third aspect of the contract is the study of the psychological benefits the plants have on crew members. Jack Stuster, PhD, principle scientist of Anacapa Sciences will be working closely with SDL to evaluate the astronauts’ journals to determine the psychological effects of vegetable production in space.<br /><br />The contract is a three-year study. Other team members include Bruce Bugbee, PhD, of Utah State University’s plants, soils and biometeorology department and Jay Garland, PhD, of Dynamac Corporation at Kennedy Space Center. SDL will also be working co-operatively with the NASA Food Technology Commercial Space Center at Ames, Iowa.<br /><br />(source: Space Dynamics Laboratory)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Technology<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />X-43A Flight Delayed<br /><br />(17 February 2004) The flight of NASA's X-43A has been postponed, due to an incident with the rudder actuator on the booster. On February 11, during set-up at Orbital Sciences Corporation for testing of the rudder and its actuator, an anomaly caused the actuator to go hard over and hit its mechanical stop, exceeding the torque to which the units were qualified.<br /><br />Although the actuator may still function nominally, it will have to be replaced. A joint government/contractor incident investigation is under way to determine the cause and corrective actions.<br /><br />Prior to this incident, the program was considering a delay of the flight to late March to retune the booster autopilot, to optimise its performance based on the latest test data. With the requirement for a replacement actuator, the two activities will now be done in parallel. Planning is now focused on a late-March to early-April flight.<br /><br />The X-43A is a high-risk, high-payoff flight research program. Designed to fly at seven and ten times the speed of sound, and use scramjet engines instead of traditional rocket power, the small, 12-foot-long X-43A could represent a major leap forward toward the goal of providing faster, more reliable and less expensive access to space.<br /><br />The stack, consisting of the X-43A and its modified Pegasus booster, will be air-launched by NASA's B-52 carrier aircraft at 40,000 feet altitude. The booster will accelerate the experimental vehicle to Mach 7 at approximately 95,000 feet altitude. At booster burnout, the X-43 will separate and fly under its own power on a pre-programmed path. The flight will take place over a restricted Navy Pacific Ocean range.<br /><br />(source: NASA)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Launch Services<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />ATK to Supply Orion Rocket Motors to OSC<br /><br />(18 February 2004) ATK has received contracts worth over US$ 97 million to produce first, second, and third stage Orion motors for Orbital Sciences Corporation. Work under the two-year contracts will be performed at the ATK Thiokol Propulsion Bacchus Plant in Magna, Utah.<br /><br />The contracts call for the delivery of 23 Orion flight sets in 2004 and 2005, along with additional tooling to support the higher production rates planned during the two-year period. Three partial flight sets are designated for use on Minotaur space launch vehicles that Orbital produces under the US Air Force's Orbital/Suborbital Program. Another flight set is slated to launch a Pegasus XL vehicle. The remaining 21 motor sets are designated for use on the missile defence interceptor boost vehicle configuration that Orbital is developing and manufacturing for The Boeing Company, which is the prime contractor for the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Orbital's Ground- based Midcourse Defense Orbital Boost Vehicle (GMD OBV) is a three-stage system based on flight-proven hardware that has flown 45 times on missions for Pegasus, Taurus and Minotaur space launch vehicles.<br /><br />ATK is already on contract for several Integrated Flight Tests (IFTs) for GMD. These new orders add four more IFTs and three Test Beds to the total orders, as well as fourteen Capability Enhancement motor sets for deployments at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.<br /><br />Silo-launch capability of Orbital's GMD OBV was demonstrated earlier this year. ATK also supports another GMD booster design, the GMD Boost Vehicle Plus (BV+), for Lockheed Martin, which uses ATK's GEM 40 VN (vectorable nozzle) motors.<br /><br />(source: Alliant Techsystem)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Launches<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Cosmos 2405<br /><br />Launched: 18 February 2004<br />Site: Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia<br />Launcher: Molniya M<br />Orbit: MEO<br />International Number: 2004-005A<br />Name: Cosmos 2405<br /><br />Cosmos 2405 is a Russian military communications satellite.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Business<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Frost and Sullivan Launches Space and Communications Group<br /><br />(19 February 2004) Frost & Sullivan has announced the launching of its Space & Communications Group, building on its current practices in Satellite Communications, Aerospace & Defense, and Information & Communications Technologies.<br /><br />In addition to market analysis, the Space & Communications group offers return on investment analysis, acquisition advisory and other strategic analysis for the satellite and space industries.<br /><br />Frost & Sullivan has provided in-depth growth consulting across many industries for more the 40 years. With space and satellite industry experts in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia, the group's mission is to help clients understand market dynamics and potential, penetrate markets and create markets where none exist.<br /><br />Upcoming published analyses from the Space and Communications Group include: assessments of Global Broadband Satellite Service Markets, Government and Military Markets, Regional Transponder Supply and Demand by Application and Frequency Band, Satellite Manufacturing and Launch Service Markets, and Satellite Operator Competitive Assessments.<br /><br />(source: Frost and Sullivan)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Institutional Investors Agree to Buy 9,676,800 Shares of Radyne ComStream from Singapore Entity<br /><br />(17 February 2004) Radyne ComStream Inc has announced that its majority shareholders, Stetsys Pte Ltd and Stetsys US Inc, have entered into definitive purchase agreements to sell their shares of common stock in the Company, an aggregate of 9,676,800 shares, to institutional investors in a private transaction.<br /><br />The purchase price for the common stock is US$ 9.25 per share. It is anticipated that, subject to customary closing conditions, the transaction will close Thursday, February 19, 2004.<br /><br />The shares sold in the transaction will be subject to securities law restrictions on their subsequent resale. However, the Company has agreed to register these shares for resale with applicable regulatory authorities.<br /><br />(source: Radyne ComStream)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Isle of Man Launches Zero Tax for Space Industry<br /><br />(17 February 2004) The Isle of Man is positioning itself as a centre serving 21st century technology by extending its, zero rate of corporate income tax to businesses involved in the space and satellite industry.<br /><br />The move was announced by Island's Treasury Minister Allan Bell when he presented the Manx Government's annual budget on Tuesday, February 17, 2004.<br /><br />The Isle of Man already has a zero tax regime for a number of industries - including shipping, insurance and fund management - and is moving to a standard zero rate for business in 2006.<br /><br />Said Mr Bell: "I intend to extend the existing zero-rate to new opportunities as and when they arise. A small but exceedingly promising area is Space and Satellite Technology. This will encompass the manufacture, operation, sale or other activities provided in respect of launch vehicles, satellites or similar assets, including those educational and other training activities that are directly associated with the industry.<br /><br />"A two-day course for representatives from the Island's business community and other interested parties will be given by the International Space University from Strasbourg at the International Business School in May 2004 and will provide an opportunity to impart detailed knowledge of the space industry and the business opportunities it affords the Island's economy.<br /><br />"Companies involved in this high value added category, will from 6 April 2004 be included in the growing number of activities that already benefit from the zero rate band of tax. I am extremely hopeful that high technology businesses will look to the Isle of Man as their preferred location, and know that the Treasury and the Department of Trade and Industry are working to further develop relations with several multi-national companies. One such company that provides a range of global communications services via its network of satellites has already established a base on the Island. Such developments fit perfectly within our economic plans and are made possible by the new taxation strategy."<br /><br />The Isle of Man is a Crown Dependency in the British Isles, The Island is one of the world's largest offshore banking, financial services, and insurance industry centres. It is also home to a growing commercial shipping register and a small but focused space and aerospace manufacturing industry. The Isle of Man is a member of the WTO, OECD, IMF, and holds special membership of the EU.<br /><br />(source: The Treasury, Isle of Man)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Spectrum Astro's "Factory Of The Future" Goes Operational<br /><br />(19 February 2004) Spectrum Astro's all-new satellite manufacturing and test facility is operational and ready for business. Called the "Factory of the Future," this state-of-the-art facility is designed to manufacture America's most important space missions cost-effectively, while minimising risk during the production process.<br /><br />Located on an 80-acre site in Gilbert, Arizona less than two miles south of its corporate headquarters, Spectrum Astro's factory incorporates the latest technologies for the production of satellites. The factory encompasses more than 135,000 square feet of assembly, integration, and test space that can accommodate the production of more than twenty satellites simultaneously. The building consists of multiple clean room integration and test areas, including a 14,400 square foot assembly bay. In addition the factory contains world-class, leading edge testing facilities that simulate a variety of environmental conditions encountered in space. These include an Acoustic and Vibration chamber that can test up to space shuttle-class satellites. Other test facilities include state-of-the-art, systems level thermal vacuum, EMI/EMC, static load, and modal test systems.<br /><br />Spectrum Astro's new factory is designed to reduce the risks associated with the manufacturing of space vehicles. Assembly, integration, and test areas are located in the same building and on the same floor level. Satellites can easily move from assembly bays to environmental test chambers using air-bearings or carts, reducing the handling and eliminating the need to ship satellites to alternate facilities to test. The arrangement of the test facilities with the integration bays also enhances productivity and reduces cycle time for satellite integration and test.<br /><br />The "Factory of the Future" is loaded with efficiencies designed to lower the cost of satellite production. It utilises an integrated building control and management system that manages lighting and HVAC functions throughout. This system monitors and trends critical systems allowing maintenance to be predictive instead of preventative, reducing maintenance and repair cost. All motor drive systems from compressors to air handlers are on Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) which allows these systems to use only the utility required to meet the load being used, eliminating wasted energy cost. The building uses a large chiller system with a VFD drive and a plate-in-frame heat exchanger that takes advantage of low cost evaporative cooling. All lighting is high efficiency lighting with various lighting level options reducing lighting operational cost. All areas of the factory have efficiency designed into them from the roofing material to the layout of the bays. The general contractor for the project is Joe E. Woods, Inc. and the architect is Deutsch Associates.<br /><br />Spectrum Astro is currently involved with several government projects intended to enhance US national security, civil and space programs. The company is the prime contractor for NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) and Swift satellite programs and the Department of Defense Space Test Program's Coriolis and Communication/ Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellites. In addition, Spectrum Astro is a major subcontractor on the Northrop Grumman industry team for the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) for the Missile Defense Agency and is also on Lockheed Martin's industry team competing to design and build the next generation of Global Positioning System satellites called GPS III.<br /><br />(source: Spectrum Astro)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Products and Services<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />New Products and Performance Improvements for SkyDSL Network<br /><br />(18 February 2004) Aloha Networks Inc is to introduce several new SkyDSL Network products and performance features at the Satellite 2004 conference.<br /><br />The SkyDSL Network fully supports today’s most popular IP applications, including VoIP, VPN, FTP, Internet browsing, encryption, unicast, and multicast.<br /><br />Aloha Network’s SkyDSL Router with integrated SkyTCP Software, and the SkyDSL Outdoor Unit combine to enable the SkyDSL VSAT Terminal to consistently provide low-latency, high-speed satellite broadband service. The SkyDSL Router is designed for either a Ku or C band configuration.<br /><br />The SkyDSL Router is a custom single-board design using an IBM® PowerPC® processor running embedded Linux, which resides in solid-state flash memory. The satellite modem includes an integrated 10/100 BaseT Ethernet router that supports from one to many users across both wired and wireless LANs. The auto-ranging internal power supply supports a wide range of power amplifiers and dish sizes for either a Ku or C band configuration. The SkyDSL Router’s 1U-sized enclosure and omni-mounting system makes it ideal for desktop, rack mount, or wall mount installations.<br /><br />The SkyDSL SAMA Receiver features a 256 kb/s return channel where each subscriber can instantly access the full bandwidth of the return channel that easily scales from tens of sites and users to many thousands without requiring additional hardware. Operating on C band or Ku band, the SkyDSL SAMA Receiver fully supports today’s most popular IP applications, including VoIP, VPN, FTP, Internet browsing, and encryption.<br /><br />SkyTCP Software is a fully transparent, integrated solution that increases throughput of TCP traffic over a geostationary satellite channel. It monitors the characteristics of IP traffic over satellite and refines the behaviour of the TCP protocol. In addition, SkyTCP enables the SkyDSL Network to ensure maximum efficiency and reliability for IP traffic over satellite.<br /><br />Aloha’s SkyNMS Software uses SNMP and a graphic interface to provide visibility to the SkyDSL SAMA Receiver and to every SkyDSL Router deployed while tracking system performance, traffic characteristics, and power levels. In addition, SkyNMS software allows Teleport administrators to remotely configure SkyDSL Routers, multicast software updates, and manage network abuse such as undesirable file sharing and virus attacks.<br /><br />Available for C band or Ku band installations, the SkyDSL Outdoor Unit is delivered as a complete package with antennas that range in size from 75 cm to 2.4 m.<br /><br />(source: Aloha Networks)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Rugged PDA Line-up Tool for Mission Critical VSAT Communications<br /><br />(17 February 2004) IntegraSys has announced a new military version for its Satellite Terminal Line-up Tool based on Itronix rugged PDA model Q100, specifically built to operate under demanding environmental conditions in the battle field.<br /><br />Military VSAT communications deployment and installation will benefit from this new rugged platform addition to the SatMotion Pocket System supported hardware meeting MIL-STD 810 F environmental specifications.<br /><br />The system simplifies and speeds up VSAT installation and commissioning providing a pocket tool to perform the line-up and cross polarisation isolation adjustment on the uplinked carrier transmitted by the VSAT. The rugged PDA acts as a remote graphics terminal to display in real-time polar and cross-polar information obtained from a spectrum analyser located at the Operations Control Center.<br /><br />SatMotion Pocket uses either a wired or Wi-Fi connection to the VSAT to provide high speed remote access to the remote monitoring spectrum analyser preventing the need to use extensive instrumentation equipment. Users are connected to the Operations Control Center via IP and access the monitoring spectrum analyser's trace information on the PDA screen in real time. Several commercial spectrum analyser models from the main instrument manufacturers are supported by the system.<br /><br />To avoid control centre co-ordination, the system includes a carrier monitoring server computer and software to interface remote PDA users to the monitoring instrumentation. This server adds concurrent multi-user support, so one single monitoring analyser can support multiple simultaneous line-ups.Using standard Wi-Fi speed, up to ten different concurrent users per instrument will obtain one analyser trace per second update rate, each using its own analyser set-up.<br /><br />(source: IntegraSys)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />People<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Eric Shanks Joins DirecTV Executive Staff<br /><br />(17 February 2004) DirecTV Inc has announced the appointment of Eric Shanks to the DirecTV executive staff. Shanks, who joins DirecTV as senior vice president of Advanced Services and Content, will oversee DirecTV business activities related to the development of DirecTV receivers and advanced services such as digital video recording (DVR), interactive television and high-definition television (HDTV).<br /><br />Prior to joining DirecTV, Shanks, a three-time Emmy award winner, served as vice president of Enhanced Programming for FOX Television Networks since 1999. His most recent accomplishments include producing live coverage of NFL Europe and "The Best Damn Sports Show" for FOX Sports Net, as well as launching Sky Sport 1 and 2 for the Sky Italia platform in Italy. Shanks also served as graphics producer for FOX Sports since 1997 and was responsible for overseeing the development and creation of interactive television, which complemented FOX's sports, news and entertainment programming.<br /><br />Shanks joined FOX Sports in 1994 for the network's inaugural season of NFL coverage. From 1994 to 1995, he served as a broadcast associate on the NFL production crew, where he was responsible for each broadcast's research, statistics and graphics presentation. He then filled the same role for the NHL on FOX's lead broadcast team, holding that position until 1996. He began his sports television career as a broadcast associate at CBS Sports in 1993.<br /><br />(source: DirecTV)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Press releases should be sent to: newsfeed@microcomsystems.co.uk<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Microcom makes no charge for this service and makes no payments for the use of material. Microcom makes no warranties about the quality of this service and accepts no liability for mistakes and errors. 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