[comp.edu] PC to Satellite Communication

pc-sat@cup.portal.com (08/16/88)

PRESS RELEASE                        August 15, 1988
 
PC-Satellite Communications!
 
1981 was the birth of the Personal Computer. 1988 is the
 birth date for the Personal Satellite Network. The
 independence which the Personal Computer promised is now
 possible through satellite communications. Video, audio and
 data reception technologies have been reduced to a single
 printed circuit board which can be mounted inside an IBM PC
 or compatible. Personal Teleconferencing is a reality!
 
ISS Engineering, Inc. is announcing the development and
 release of a series of satellite receivers, transmitters
 and control cards. The cards and technology are trademarked
 and patented by ISS under the name PC-SAT. One or more
 satellite receiver and transmitter cards can be plugged
 into and controlled directly from an IBM PC or compatible
 computer's bus which allows for a cost effective and
 powerful evolutionary technology. Antennas as small as 1
 meter may be used for point-to-point or broadcast
 applications. The units are C or KU Band compatible.
 
The plug in PC-SAT cards are the same size as standard IBM
 PC expansion cards requiring one long slot. There are
 currently three models available:
 
The RX-2 is an audio receive only (ARO) receiver with a
 built-in audio Wegener Panda I expander allowing stereo
 sound reception.
 
The RX-3 receives standard NTSC audio and video TV reception
 and data. The FSK data receiver demodulates the data being
 sent and places the data on the computer's bus via a built
 -in RS-232 serial COM port.
 
PC-SAT FAST 1 is a frequency agile subcarrier transmitter
 (FAST) that converts 300 to 19,200 baud serial data to a
 modulated FSK (frequency shift keyed) signal as well as
 transmitting video and audio.
 
Alternately, the units can be run stand alone or in another
 OEM piece of equipment without an IBM computer, using the
 ISS SC-1 Controller Card. This allows tuning with rotary
 dip switches or an RS-232 serial port. Data is placed on a
 satellite transponder subcarrier located between 150 KHz to
 8 MHz.
 
Economically the most powerful use of this technology is in
 a broadcast mode. For example to send a message to 1,000
 locations would require 1,000 phone calls using the phone
 system. With this technology it would require 1 phone call
 to an up-link transmitter. The 1,000 receivers would all
 receive the signal at once throughout North America. Unlike
 the Stargate system the data would not be restricted.
 
The PC-SAT and computer allow for some interesting
 possibilities:
 
1. Teleconferencing to widely distributed offices,
 franchises or class rooms for management meetings, training
 seminars and college courses with full data support.
 
2. Facsimile and hard copy pictures to field offices:
 fingerprints to police departments, news pictures, medical
 information to doctors and hospitals, data to field
 offices, auto dealers, etc.
 
3. National Computer Bulliten Boards (BBS) for special
 interest groups, e.g. computer, hobbies, music or industry,
 etc. broadcast at specific times and stored on disk or
 printed with pertinent information archived and retrieved
 using key words. It can serve as a "daily magazine" and
 electronic clipping service.
 
4. Desktop Publishing applications for newspaper and
 magazine publication distribution.
 
5. Disaster Communications transmitting weather information
 pictures, medical supply inventories, logistical support,
 damage reports, casualty reports, emergency phone
 communications, etc.
 
6. Advertising and Marketing of products by updating video
 displays at airports, shopping centers, hotels and tourist
 sites.
 
7. Special electronic program guides with graphics to cable
 system headends or directly to the consumer complete with
 ability to control the VCR.
 
8. Interface with television and radio station automation
 equipment to allow for changing channels, dish position and
 video or audio tape recording at specified times without
 the need of an operator.
 
9. Off shore oil drilling platform or remote mining
 operation communications.
 
10. Marine communications to ships around the world.
 
The above applications are just the tip of the iceburg and
 without too much effort the communications/computer
 professional or entrpreneur will be able to think of many
 cost-saving as well as profitable broadcast opportunities.
 
Actual tuning of video channels, audio frequency and data
 frequency can be accomplished via the computer's keyboard
 with supplied software. Once the tuning has been set the
 computer is free for other use while the PC-SAT receivers
 continue to operate in the background. The tuning software
 can be integrated with other software packages as needed.
 
Accessing and setup of the PC-SAT data communications
 receiver/transmitter can be accomplished with standard RS
 -232 compatible software such as Procomm using COM1 or
 COM2.
 Receive only mode can be accomplished without the use of
 asyncronous technology due to the low bit error rate of
 satellite communications - approx. 1 x 10(-7) bits without
 forward error correction techniques.
 
All PC-SATs feature high resolution tuning. The synthesizer
 steps in 200 KHz increments for video, 1 KHz for audio and
 data subcarriers. Subcarrier tuning from less than 100 KHz
 to more than 8 MHz can be achieved while utilizing the
 popular 950-1450 MHz IF (Intermediate Frequency). With the
 RX-3 version data rates from 1200 to 9600 BPS are standard.
 
Reliable satellite receiving terminals utilizing dishes as
 small as 1 meter offer great cost advantages - typically
 less than $1,000 per terminal. Dedicated 24-hour data
 uplink services which illuminate the U.S., Canada, and
 Mexico on KU Band run about $3700/month for 2400 baud to
 $4750/month for 9600 Baud. Prices are slightly cheaper on C
 Band transponders. It should be noted that these are
 broadcast rates not merely point-to-point. These prices are
 subject to change.
 
A provider service will be set up to assist users in the
 purchase and installation of their networks. The provider
 service will assist, facilitate and educate users in
 network requirements analysis, common carrier agreements,
 hardware compatibility, software requirements,
 teleconferencing production and up-link agreements, dish
 installation and network management. A test and
 demonstration network will be established for network data
 testing. 
 
We will be starting a PC-SAT conference on Portal
 Communications in the near future.

bobmon@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (RAMontante) (08/17/88)

Does the price include launch services for your personal satellite?
What orbital parameters are available?  What about insurance in case an
overzealous starwarrior shoots your satellite down again?

Bet the thing says "Made in Japan..."
-- 
--    bob,mon			(bobmon@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu)
--    "Aristotle was not Belgian..."	- Wanda

dhesi@bsu-cs.UUCP (Rahul Dhesi) (08/17/88)

In article <11708@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> bobmon@iuvax.UUCP (RAMontante) writes:
>Does the price include launch services for your personal satellite?

Actually, many people don't realize that ham radio operators have
been doing communications via satellite for years.  There used
to be a ham satellite in orbit (may still be, I'm not current)
and it contained a transponder that basically relayed everything
it received back down.  I see no reason why one couldn't transmit
data this way.
-- 
Rahul Dhesi         UUCP:  <backbones>!{iuvax,pur-ee,uunet}!bsu-cs!dhesi

brb@akgua.ATT.COM (Brian R. Bainter) (08/17/88)

From article <3669@bsu-cs.UUCP>, by dhesi@bsu-cs.UUCP (Rahul Dhesi):
> In article <11708@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> bobmon@iuvax.UUCP (RAMontante) writes:
>>Does the price include launch services for your personal satellite?
> 
> Actually, many people don't realize that ham radio operators have
> been doing communications via satellite for years.  There used
> to be a ham satellite in orbit (may still be, I'm not current)
> and it contained a transponder that basically relayed everything
> it received back down.  I see no reason why one couldn't transmit
> data this way.
> -- 
> Rahul Dhesi         UUCP:  <backbones>!{iuvax,pur-ee,uunet}!bsu-cs!dhesi

There are many ham satellites flying right now, and there are I think four
or maybe five more to be launched at the end of this year or beginning of
next year. The newer ones even act as digipeaters and work with packet
communications. There are some even more interresting things going on
in the amatuer radio community with satellites and digital communications.
I am not aware of all of them and not even up completely on this one, but
by virtue of being a ham, I like to "listen" to all of the talk going on
in such groups as rec.ham-radio and rec.ham-radio.packet. A lot of those
people are pretty sharp in those areas.

-- 
	Brian R. Bainter   KA7TXA

 AT&T Technologies Atlanta Works
 {cbosgd, gatech, ihnp4, moss, mtune, ulysses}akgua!brb

henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (08/18/88)

In article <3669@bsu-cs.UUCP> dhesi@bsu-cs.UUCP (Rahul Dhesi) writes:
>Actually, many people don't realize that ham radio operators have
>been doing communications via satellite for years.  There used
>to be a ham satellite in orbit (may still be, I'm not current)
>and it contained a transponder that basically relayed everything
>it received back down.  I see no reason why one couldn't transmit
>data this way.

Could be done.  Of course, you can't use the ham satellites (there are
several, actually) unless you're a ham, since only hams are allowed to
transmit in those bands.  And you can't use the ham bands for anything
even vaguely commercial; that is an utter and total no-no.

Transponders that simply echo back everything they hear are the normal
equipment for communications satellites.  There are now the bare beginnings
of proposals for smarter satellites (well, the hams are already doing things
like that, but the commercial satellites aren't, yet).
-- 
Intel CPUs are not defective,  |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
they just act that way.        | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu