TRANSPONDER MONITOR

Interspace’s in Depth Study of European Satellite Activity, Compiled by Mike Fallon

D – Digital
A – Analogue

68.5 degrees E
PAS-4 & 7
D: The Asian version of Zee TV is using 11524 MHz vertical, VPID 2049, APID 2050 in free-to-air MPEG-2 via a European beam

62 degrees E
Intelstat 602
A: A news bulletin from MBC Mauritius was fed over 4166MHz in clear Secam on March 17

60 degreesE:
Intelsat 604
A: A feed from RTM Malaysia was carried on 4166MHz RHCP on March 18 at 14:20 in clear Pal. Before the feed colour bars were in evidence overlaid with “RTM WARNA 2”. On March 20 at 12:45 a feed from the ZDF news bureau in Singapore was carried on 4166MHz RHCP in clear Pal. The subject was the outcry caused by the Taleban in destroying the huge statues of Buddha in Afghanistan. Also on the 20th, live coverage of a soccer match between Hong Kong and Pakistan was fed over 4188MHz in Pal.

57 degreesE:
NSS-703
D: Star Plus and Fox Sports Middle East have been replaced by Star Sports and Star World on 3825MHz LHCP. These feeder channels for Europe use MPEG-2/PowerVu.

48 degreesE:
Eutelsat II-F1
D: Napoli Channel has opened via an SCPC carrier on 11610MHz horizontal, SR 2000, FEC 5/6, VPID 33, APID 34 in free-to-air MPEG-2.

42 degreesE:
Turksat-1C & Eurasiasat-1
D: A feed for the Turkish channel ATV was fed on 10979MHz vertical, VPID 312, APID 256 on March 21 at 16:10 in clear MPEG-2. On the same evening CNN Turk used 11580MHz vertical, SR 2999, FEC 3/4, VPID 308, APID 256, ID: “DP/4” at 17:00 for the relay of some video footage. On March 23 at 09:05 12660MHz vertical, SR 7028, FEC 3/4, VPID 308, APID 256 was used for a MPEG 4:2:2 feed under the ID “TURK Umb”. The same stream carried another feed at 11:25 on the same day, again in 4:2:2, ID “DOOR – DSNG 1”.

36 degreesE:
Eutelsat-W4 & Sesat
D: The parameters for the Italian financial channel CFN on 12701MHz horizontal have changed to SR 3410, FEC 2/3, VPID 940, APID 941.

32 degreesE:
Eurobird
EuroBird is currently parked here for transponder tests prior to moving to its parking slot at 28.5 degrees East.

28.5 degreesE:
Eutelsat II-F4
D: Serbia’s RTS Sat and Radio Beograd have left 11188MHz horizontal. As this feed was thought to provide the signal to Hotbird at 13 degrees East the channel must now be uplinked directly to the 13 degrees slot.

28.2 degreesE:
Astra 2A, 2B & 2D
D: The BBC’s new digital text launched last week. It can be accessed from BBC Knowledge, BBC Choice, News 24 and the relays of BBC1 and BBC2. One noticeable difference between the BBC’s version and Sky Digital’s text is that the BBC offering is very much faster to access pages. Music channel VH1 Classic has undergone a name change to VH1 Classic Smooth. ITV and SES have finally reached a carriage agreement. ITV’s sixteen regional services will be carried on three transponders by the end of 2001. HTV Wales, HTV West, Border England and Border Scotland will be available via separate services. Wellbeing, the new channel from Granada and Boots has officially launched on Sky Digital Channel 211, 12324MHz vertical, VPID 2315, APID 2316. It airs from 09:00-21:00 daily. The Digital Broadcasting Company (DBC) has acquired a further transponder, their third, to provide more u>direct PPV channels offering movies and major sporting events. The new transponder is at 12343MHz horizontal and will be active from next month. The three new channels from FilmFour are set to launch on April 7. They are FilmFour World (Sky Channel 325) – broadcasting mainly foreign language films from 16:00-22:00 daily; FilmFour Extreme (Sky Channel 326) – airs from 22:00-04:00; and FilmFour +1 (Sky Channel 324) – on air from 19:00-06:00, a time shifted version of the main movie channel. The complete package of four channels will cost GBP6.00 per month. To entice potential subscribers all of these channel will be free-to-air on April 7 & 8. As expected, Music Choice has moved it’s package to Channels 480 and 481 in the Sky EPG on 12188MHz horizontal. With the move comes a new user interface which lists all of the audio channels available along with programme information (and details of the track being played) and information on browsing channels. UKTV’s Play UK has moved in the Sky EPG from Channel 452 to 217 in an effort to include the channel in the more mainstream section of the EPG. The new children’s channel, Kerrang!, is testing on 12090MHz vertical, SR 27500, FEC 2/3, VPID 2314, APID 2315, ID: “krg”. The Channel 5 widescreen test transmissions which has been present on 11758MHz horizontal, VPID 2314, APID 2315 have ceased. New on this frequency is Sky Sports 1 via PIDs V2317, A2318. Film Four+1 and Film Four Extreme are testing on 12188MHz horizontal, VPIDs 2346/2350, APIDs 2347/2351, Channels 325 & 326 in readiness for their April 7 launch. Sky Box Office 36- 40 and Sky Travel are intermittently free-to-air on 10921MHz horizontal, SR 22000, FEC 5/6. The Chinese channel, PCNE, has new PIDs on 11758MHz horizontal. They are V2312, A2313. In a slight identity change, Granada Men & Motors on 12226MHz horizontal is now called just Men & Motors. The home shopping channel Ideal World has returned at last to 12032MHz horizontal after the devastating fire at their Peterborough HQ. Whilst they were unable to operate normally air time has been taken up with running a video loop promoting the channel and showing out takes. It now seems likely that Radio Caroline will join the Sky Digital line-up some time this year.

26 degreesE:
Arabsat 2A & 3A
D: Al-Awael is the name of a major new digital package due to launch on April 1. The platform is expected to use 12563MHz horizontal, where there are already two channels testing – WOW and The Film Channel. These channels will be included in the Al Awael package along with Nile Drama, Nile Variety, Nile Sports, ART Tareb, ART Hekayat, ART Teenz, Reality, Discovery Sci Trek, Real Madrid TV, MUTV, Fashion TV, B4U Movies, B4U Music, Animal Planet, EuroSport News and a brand new channel ART Sports 2. The subscription cost for the basic package will be US$17. Radio Omdurman from Sudan has launched on 12034 MHz horizontal, SR 27500, FEC 3/4, APID 4522 in clear MPEG-2. Test transmissions from the Jordan Satellite Channel are being aired on 12015MHz vertical, VPID 2360, APID 2321 in clear MPEG-2. Oman TV has returned to 12034MHz horizontal, SR 27500, FEC 3/4 after a short absence.

21.5 degreesE:
Eutelsat II-F3
D: Simaye Azadi, the Iranian opposition channel, has returned to 11570MHz vertical, SR 6110, FEC 3/4, VPID 308, APID 256 after a short break. However the channel’s presence here seems to be rather erratic and on some days it is absent altogether.

19.2 degreesE:
Astra 1A-C & E-H
D: The Polish channel TV Puls has commenced regular programming on 11876MHz horizontal, VPID 161, APID 82 where it is available in free-to-air MPEG-2. A new channel, Zalea TV, has joined the French Canal Satellite Digital package on 12012MHz vertical, SR 27500, FEC 3/4, VPID 162, APID 88 in Mediaguard encoded MPEG-2. Cuisine TV has officially launched in the Canal Satellite Digital bouquet on 11778MHz vertical, SR 27500, FEC 3/4, V169, A116. From Holland, Radios 1-5 have launched on 12574MHz horizontal, APIDs 231-235. Unfortunately all five are encoded in Irdeto and Mediaguard. According to unconfirmed reports, ex-pirate radio station Radio Caroline is to join the Polish Wizja/UPC line-up on May 1. Caroline’s analogue relay elsewhere at this geostationary slot is to close on March 31.

A: By June 30 the bulk of analogue channels offered by Sky will have ceased to exist here. Only Sky One, Sky Sports 1 and Sky Premier will remain and they will be switched off by the end of the year. On 10729MHz vertical BBC World European Service, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4 have all launched in clear Pal via the 7.38. 7.56 and 7.74MHz sub-carriers. Deutsche Welle’s radio service for the Balkans has been replaced by the Voice of America Balkan service with programmes in English and Serbo-Croat on 11656MHz vertical via the 7.38MHz sub-carrier. Virgin Radio has opened a new outlet on 11318MHz vertical via the 7.56MHz audio sub-carrier.

16 degreesE:
Eutelsat W2
D: OBN from Bosnia Herzegovina has left 11019MHz horizontal. The channel, which aired programmes from a number of independent sources in Bosnia, had been present here for a considerable time. Apparently the channel had major financial problems which led to the closure but in the last few days a mystery benefactor has bailed them out and they are set to make a return to satellite in the very near future. Panorama TV, the channel which airs live output from remote cameras at a selection of mountain locations in Switzerland and Austria to relay weather and skiing conditions has changed parameters on 12520MHz vertical. They are now SR 2169, FEC 3/4. Rete Sette from Italy has launched on 10957MHz horizontal, SR 2820, FEC 3/4, VPID 4194, APID 4195. Rete Mia has been replaced by the home shopping channel HOT Italia on 12703MHz vertical, VPID 33, APID 34. On March 17 at 14:20 12532MHz horizontal, SR 5630, FEC 3/4, VPID 3601, APID 3604, ID “522129” was relaying colour bars overlaid with “CBS NEWS TRUCK. PATH 2”.

13 degreesE:
Hotbirds 1/2/3/4/5
D: TeleGenova Sat, the independent Italian channel, has been replaced by TeleCampione on 11623MHz vertical, VPID 225, APID 245 in clear MPEG-2. FAZ Business Radio from Berlin has launched on 11055MHz horizontal, SR 27500, FEC 3/4, APID 530 in clear MPEG-2. Italy’s Radio Dimensione Suono has opened on 12380MHz vertical, APID 3581 in free-to-air MPEG-2. Retelsat has left 12092MHz horizontal, SR 27500, FEC 3/4. In the Italian Stream platform on 12713MHz vertical four new channel have launched. They are Sport Stream Finestra (Window) B, C, D, and E. The PIDs are; V2435-2438, A2440. ERA Trito has joined the Greek package on 12169MHz horizontal, APID 741 in Irdeto encoded MPEG-2. Two Wroclaw testcards have appeared within the Polish multiplex on 11331MHz horizontal, SR 6110, FED 3/4, VPIDs 33/37, APIDs 34/38. The very colourful TV Globo Internacional has launched on 12092MHz horizontal, VPID 4620, APID 4621 in clear MPEG-2. OTE Cinema has left 12188MHz vertical, VPID 3584, APID 3585 and has been replaced by Magic Peiraia.NPR Worldwide (National Public Radio) from the US has launched on 12597MHz vertical, SR 27500, FEC 3/4, APID 2126. New to the Belgacom multiplex on 12475MHz horizontal, SR 27500, FEC 3/4 is Al-Mahabba Radio via APID 998 in free-to-air MPEG-2. In the Arab package on 12015MHz horizontal ART Children has been replaced by ART Teenz, which airs from 05:00-19:00 in Viaccess encoded MPEG-2.

A: New on 11390MHz horizontal for a fleeting visit last week was a EuroSport News promo channel with audio via the 6.60, 7.02 and 7.20MHz sub-carriers. However, this was quickly followed by the launch here of RAI News 24 in clear Pal. On March 22 these two channels entered a transponder share on this frequency with RAI News 24 on air from 23:00- 18:00 and EuroSport News using the remaining time.

10 degreesE:
Eutelsat W1
D: There is a new Turkish multiplex on 11131MHz vertical, SR 7797, FEC 5/6, containing two active streams. These are Star 1 – V4608, A4609 and Star 3 – V4624, A4625. Both channels are currently free-to-air. Some occasional Turkish feed traffic uses the CHA stream at 11598MHz vertical, SR 4199, FEC 3/4, VPID 308, APID 256, ID: “CHA TEKNIK”. On 11132MHz horizontal, SR 5632, FEC 3/4, VPID 308, APID 256, ID “Satlink Millennium” there is a regular second hop feed between 12:00 and 13:00 of the Chinese channel Phoenix TV. The feed carries the main 21:00 evening news in real time. 11152MHz horizontal, SR 5632, FEC 3/4, V308, A256, ID “El Bus” carried a live feed from a rainy hillside in Spain on March 20 at 13:15 in clear MPEG-2.

7 degreesE:
Eutelsat W3
D: There is a EuroSport News promo channel on 11262MHz horizontal, SR 20000, FEC 2/3, VPID 176, APID 177 in clear MPEG-2. On March 21 at 20:25 a live feed with Spanish voiceover from Skopje in Macedonia was carried on 11061MHz vertical, SR 6665, FEC 7/8, VPID 308, APID 256 in clear MPEG-2. Prior to the feed colour bars overlaid with “SNG Broadcast Service SVCS1, UKI-186 EBU Skopje Path 1, IFB +41 22 717 2959” were present on the stream. Following the Spanish language feed further traffic from the same uplink was fed in French and German.

5 degreesE:
Sirius 2/3
D: TV Puls has officially launched on 12640MHz vertical, SR 3600, FEC 3/4, VPID 308, APID 256 in parallel to the channel’s other outlets on Astra-1G and Telstar-12. Britain’s Virgin Radio has joined the Kingston TLI multiplex at 12453MHz horizontal, SR 18052, FEC 3/4. The popular channel could be heard in clear MPEG-2 via APID 1215 at first but the channel is now encoded. Movie PPV channels Front Row 50-54 have opened on 12418 MHz horizontal, VPIDs 1460/1560/1660/1760/1860, APIDs 1420/1520/1620/1720/1820. As these are in PowerVu it can be assumed that they are destined for cable headends. ICTV appears to have left 12634MHz vertical.

7 degreesW:
Nilesat 101 & 102
D: The Film Channel has started tests on 11900MHz vertical in readiness for their April 1 launch. MisrSat is the name of the first privately owned satellite channel to be relayed via Nilesat capacity. The new channel, which is based in Egypt, is aimed at tourists and potential tourists to the country. A carriage agreement has been signed and the channel is likely to appear later in the year.

8 degreesW:
Telecom 2A/D
D: Homebase FM and Tiles FM have left 12527MHz vertical. The Italian home shopping channel, Elefante Telemarket, has launched on 12697MHz vertical, SR 2500, FEC 2/3, VPID 210, APID 211 in clear MPEG-2. TV Montenegro has returned to 11652MHz horizontal, SR 4556, FEC 3/4, VPID 3026, APID 3036 after a short break. The channel broadcasts here in free-to-air MPEG-2. VTV 4 from Vietnam vacated 11556MHz horizontal last week for a short period but has now returned. The channel airs from 17:00-21:00 daily but unfortunately it is encoded in Conax. Coverage of a ladies volleyball match from Switzerland was carried on 11600MHz horizontal, SR 6111, FEC 3/4, V4194, A4195, ID “SRG FLAVIA 2A” in clear MPEG-2 on March 17 at 14:00.

11 degreesW:
Express 3A & Telecom 2B
D: With the second round of the French local elections on March 18, Telecom-2B was once again lit up with numerous feeds. Frequencies used were 12529, 12538, 12571, 12589, 12622, 12640, 12647, 12696, 12706, 12715MHz horizontal and 12508, 12517, 12550 and 12559MHz vertical. The parameters for all of these were SR 6111, FEC 3/4.

15 degreesW:
Telstar 12
D: TV Puls has officially launched on 11600MHz vertical, SR 6150, FEC 3/4, VPID 4130, APID 4131 in parallel with their other outlets on Astra-1G and Sirius-2. The parameters for the Church of the Latter Day Saints feeds on 1156MHz horizontal have changed to SR 3424, FEC 3/4, VPID 33, APID 4401.

21.3 degrees/21.5 degreesW:
NSS-803 & NSS-K
D: The US sports network ESPN was played out in clear MPEG-2, complete with commercials, on 11462MHz vertical, SR 5630, FEC 3/4, VPID 512, APID 640 on March 17 at 13:50.

27.5 degreesW:
Intelsat 605
D: A second hop feed from the cricket Test in Sri Lanka for Sky Sports was fed over 11665MHz horizontal, SR 30494, FEC 3/4, VPID 1560, APID 1520 in free-to-air MPEG-2 on March 17 at around 13:40.

30 degreesW:
Hispasat 1A/B/CD: The PIDs for Antena 3 on 12591MHz horizontal have changed to V4224, A4225. Tele Cinco has opened on 11517MHz horizontal. The channel was free-to-air for a couple of days following the move here but is now encoded. It is expected to officially launch on April 1.
A: Canal+ Espana is simulcrypted once again in Nagravision and Videocrypt on 12711MHz after a short period in the clear.

31.5 degreesW:
Intelsat 801
D: Occasional feed traffic for the German network ARD is being carried on 11586MHz vertical, SR 5632, FEC 3/4, VPID 4194, APID 4197 in clear MPEG-2. The content of the feeds seems to consist solely of weather reports for the channel. On March 17 at 13:35 interviews with Spurs fans regarding possible contenders for the team’s new manager were fed over 10972MHz vertical, SR 5630, FEC 3/4, VPID 308, APID 256, ID: “BT TES 9”, in clear MPEG-2 for Sky Sports.

40.5 degreesW:
NSS-806
D: All of the channels in the Pramer package on 3757MHz RHCP, SR 26661, FEC 3/4 were free-to-air on March 22. On the following day just Fashion TV, El Gourmet as well as FM 91.5 La Metro and Aspen 102 FM were still in the clear with the rest of the package once again encoded.

43 degreesW:
PAS-3R & PAS-6
D: Live coverage of the Malaysian F1 Grand Prix for the German network RTL was fed over two streams at 12699MHz vertical, SR 19994, FEC 3/4, VPIDs 33/36, APIDs 34/37 in clear MPEG-2 early on the morning of March 18. The first stream carried the main camera shots of the action on the circuit whilst the second stream was used to feed the output from a “Pit Cam”.

A: There is still some analogue feed activity here from time to time. On March 22 at 16:00 live coverage of the Players Championship Golf from Florida for Sky Sports was fed over 12701MHz vertical in clear NTSC with commentary available via the 6.80MHz audio sub-carrier.

All times in UTC unless otherwise stated.
SR – Symbol Rate
FEC – Forward Error Correction
VPID – Video Programme Identifier
APID – Audio Programme Identifier