Conference 7.286::space

    Your chances are not too great unless the cable co has a steerable
    dish (e.g. something they use as a backup when one of the fixed
    dishes fails).
    
    Why? NASA Select is on Satcom F2R (transponder 13) and there are
    no cable oriented services on that bird. For the record, it carries
    three network affiliates, uplinked in VCII format for dish owners,
    the Armed Forces network and a couple of channels that are regularly
    used to send material to Japan (JISO and NHK?). There are also
    occasional news and sports feeds. Nothing for a cable co to get
    excited about.
    
    It is also not a full time service, and has no regular schedule
    other than 15 minutes or so every Thursday am (NASA Update).
    
    On a positive note, it is a very powerful signal so it would not
    require a very expensive setup to receive. 
    
    The neighbouring satellites are Spacenet 2 and Galaxy 3. With a
    multifocus antenna it may be possible to get F2R in addition to
    one of these (FYI, Spacenet 2 carries "ZAP Movies" a PPV service
    for cable, Galaxy 3 carries Tuxedo Network, a competitor to Playboy
    also offered to cable). Maybe if there is interest in these, you
    could piggyback NASA Select?
    
    If enough people request it, it may happen. 
    
    Good luck,
    
    gary
                                                

    Bill Brad of AMSAT reports the following
    
    I notice this morning at around 6:30 AM EST on 
    SATCOM F2 Transponder 20 (the NASA Select Satellite)
    video from the Russian MIr Space Station
    
    He said all he had to do was adjust the vertical sync rate  and
    he got a good picture.  He had no idea if it was real time
    ro taped, and went on  to say it probadly had to do with the French
    astronaut on board.
    
    jb
    

    re .1
    
    Correction, the adjacent satellites are Spacenet 2 and Galaxy 2
    (not 3, the programming comments are correct).
    
    re .2
    
    Tr 13 is NASA Select, not Tr 20. However, I have seen SECAM video
    from time to time on Tr 20, which supports the idea of a 'French
    Connection" :-). I'll have keep a lookout for it.
    
    gary

    One of our local cable companies carries NASA Select, but only during
    missions (it preempts SPAN, the congressional network).  Coverage is
    excellent, but oftentimes the signal quality is below par (the other
    stations will often have far superior video and audio).  Don't know if
    this is a function of Select or the local cable distributor, but would
    tend to think it's the local yokels.
    
    It's definitely worth having around, though!  Good luck in getting it!
    
    Aaron (@HVO - Huntsville)
    

    I find the quality of NASA Select to generally be very good, IF
    I am around to fine tune my receiver at the time of broadcast. I
    have noticed a significant change in the signal, sometimes requiring
    retuning, when they switch uplinks (e.g. from KSC to Goddard). This
    shouldn't affect commercial grade equipment as much, however.
    
    gary

re .4

Could you tell us the name of your cable company, please?  It might be helpful
to cite another company.

Thanks,

Burns

    I probably don't watch NASA Select as much as Gary does, but when I
    have watched I have always seen excellent quality, comparable to AFRTS.
        John Sauter

Many of the notes (and replies) in this conference indicate NASA Select TV
coverage of space events.  Based on replies in this note, I would guess that
the majority of us noters do not have access to NASA Select TV, either via cable
TV or backyard satellite receiver.  So, my question is, do any of you folks who
do receive NASA Select TV do any VCR recording of the programs?  If you do, I'd
be most interested in discussing the possibility of borrowing the tapes (VHS
preferrably).  I'm particularly interested in the upcoming LDEF retrieval
operations.

...Roger...

    I tape some events from NASA Select and could be talked into some
    limited lending of tapes.
    
    It is unclear whether there will be any live video of the LDEF
    retrieval as a result of NASA budget cuts. They are using the Select
    transponder to relay video from the TDRSS ground station to JSC for
    processing. The video as it comes down from via TDRSS is in a time
    multiplexed color format, i.e. red frame (or field maybe), green frame,
    blue frame, red frame, etc, etc. The result is a flickering B&W picture
    that is unpleasant to watch and does not tape well. They are trying to
    come up with alternaitves so the news media can get live video but are
    making no promises.
    
    The schedule appears to be changing by the hour, making any attempt at
    unattended taping futile. I'll let you know if I manage to get anything
    of the LDEF retrieval.
    
    gary

Good stuff, Gary.  I hope you can get some decent footage.  It's really too bad
there isn't better video capabilities for these missions.  Maybe Marsha took
some good shots with the IMAX camera while they brought the LDEF on board?

I look forward to hearing how your taping sessions worked out.

...Roger...

    I recorded the LDEF recovery from about 7:30 am on friday till the
    LDEF was fully captured and locked down in the cargo bay and it
    took 10 hours of video taping to get the whole thing. When I started
    the shuttle was about 11 miles from the LDEF. The pictures from
    the different cameras on the shuttle were under the control of the
    shuttle crew for the recovery operation and not generally controllable
    from the ground for their exclusive use. Basicly all the ground
    operations did was sequence through the different videos available
    to them but did not take control of the cameras from the shuttle
    crew. Although it turned out to be a long day the shots were very
    good overall and the shuttle crew did an excellent job of flying
    the shuttle during the recovery operation.
    
    regards
    AL ROOT
    

    What a pity that we never get to see this level of coverage here in
    Australia, and because of other commitments, I didn't even get to see
    the probably brief news coverage as well.
    
    Any chance that copies of celect parts could be made (if it does not
    breach copyright) and that they could make their way over here? Any
    other Aussies who might also be interested?
    
    Regards
    Richard Sharpe

    Don't feel bad if you don't get Nasa Select.  I live in Worcester MA,
    and I can't get it ethier.  I suscribe to Greater Media Cable in
    Worcester and they don't carry it.  I called them to express my
    interest in Nasa Select, but they say they don't have enough support
    to put it on their network.  If your cable company doesn't carry it,
    you need a sattelite reciever to get it.  The best source of
    information on the space program that I have is this notes file.
    The news just had a few short blurbs about LDEF.  I missed most of
    them.  Unless something tragic happens, the news media doesn't cover
    it.  PBS is just as bad.  They don't cover the US space program at
    all.  When they do have a program on about space, it isn't highly
    advertised, and they only show it once.  If you miss it, you're out
    of luck.  There's no wonder why the general public in this counry
    doesn't know much about science.  I do get several stations that
    carry nothing but nature shows and sports though.  Too bad I'm not
    interested in learning how to speak Ape!
    
    					Ron Bauer
    

    	You can do more to learn about space exploration and astronomy
    than just follow this (or any related) VAX Notes Conference - there
    are plenty of good books and magazines on the subject, which while
    they may not be up to the minute news, do go into far more detail
    than just about any other form of media on space.
    
    	Larry
    

    re .12
    
    Don't feel too bad. The general coverage here is not much better than
    in Oz, unless you have a satellite dish. Of the US networks, CNN in
    general has the best space coverage. Doesn't Ch 7 or Ch 9 carry CNN
    overnight your time? For audio coverage, I used to listen to Voice of
    America while in Oz. 
    
    re later
    
    I taped the last 20 minutes or so of the approach and a couple of hours
    of the berthing sequence, minus the actual moment of latching the LDEF
    as they lost signal around that stage. Any tape would have to be
    converted to Oz scan rates to be watchable on a PAL-B/G VCR.
    
    gary
    
    gary

RE: .14

I, too, live in Worcester, and about the only channel that has anything about
space is The Discovery Channel (fortunately, its part of the basic cable channel
lineup).  They pretty much have lots of nature things, a fair amount about
geology, and occasionally some space programs.

RE: .11

You say you got 10 hours?  What tape format do you use?  VHS, Beta, 8mm, other?
If you're willing, I'd be most interested in arranging a loan.  I can do VHS or
8mm.

...Roger...

    I recorded the LDEF sequence for 10 hours using 2 T120 VHS video
    tapes in extended play mode (6 hrs/tape) off my satellite system
    in Cincinnati Ohio. First tape has 4hr (wife changed tape to early)
    and the other has 6 Hrs. Had just enough time to get the complete
    sequence. I have 2 VHS and 1 BETA unit at home. Drop me a line.
    Maybe we can work something out.
    
    Regards
    AL ROOT
    

    re .16
    
    CNN isn't carried in Oz by broadcast TV. Only on the private Hotel
    cable systems. We don't have public cable yet but that's a long and
    sorry tale.
    Channel 7 carries the NBC Today show at midnight, that's probably what
    you were thinking about.
    
    Another source of information I use sparingly, is the NASA Spacelink
    phone service. I dial in on 1-205-895-0028. At A$1.90/min (I think) it
    doesn't pay to get carried away, but it's a great way to get the last
    15 min or so of the audio from a launch. Not quite the same as being
    there, but if you're 11,00 mile away and don't have live TV, it can
    still be an exciting experience.
    
    Mike.

I've got an idea, but it would take more than me to pull it off.

I'm considering proposing that the local public television station in the
Boston area use non-scheduled air time for NASA Select.

WGBX (channel 44) goes off the air rather early (compared to the flagship
WGBH Channel 2) -- and they have run some experimental stuff over GBX before
(digitized audio of their FM broadcasts).


Level 1: Rebroadcast any NASA Select transmissions that occur during off
         hours.

Level 2: Level 1 + Videotape replays of big events that occur during prime
         time.


I'm looking for a reasonably cheap setup for this -- I'm not familiar enough
with WGBH engineering to know if they have engineers on duty 24 hrs/day anyway.

Videotape replays unfortunately assume that they have someone doing the work
to record them, plus satellite dish availability.


I'd like to know if anybody has any ideas about the feasibility of this, and
the expected support.   If public television isn't the best forum (I felt
it had the best chance from a "no commercials"/educational standpoint), then
perhaps we could petition a local commercial station with some air time to
burn.


- dave

p.s. I'd like to purchase my own dish -- but have you seen DEC stock lately?

If it isn't already obvious - I'm not looking to draw late night viewers
away from David Letterman.   I'm positioning this as a "VCR Theatre" for both
us hard-core space folk and the local schools.


- dave

RE               <<< Note 490.21 by 4347::GRIFFIN "Dave Griffin" >>>

>If it isn't already obvious - I'm not looking to draw late night viewers
>away from David Letterman.   I'm positioning this as a "VCR Theatre" for both
>us hard-core space folk and the local schools.

  No, take the fans away from Leterman. You might start with the 10 best
reasons to watch NASA select instead of late night:

10. Seeing the blue tones only from space probes and guessing the other
    colors is more fun than seeing all the colors of Paul Shaffers shirt
    at once.

 9. What's more fun than counting the number of birds that fly past the SRBs
    early in the count down.

 8. It's great to keep track of those crazy controlers and see how much coffee
    they drink at 2:00 AM.

    				.
    				.
    				.

  ... and the number one reason to watch NASA select instead of Late Night
Drdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrd:

1. Who wants to see movie stars when you can watch 30 uninterrupted minutes
    of boiling liquid hydrogen vent out of a pipe.

  George

I think what we really want to hit up is cable systems.  I suspect that
stations have fewer dishes and receivers to burn than cables, although that
is only a guess.

Burns

    Except that you have to win each cable company - one by one.  Cable
    companies seem to only care to put such stuff on the wire if there
    is enough of an audience - but that is limited by geography.
    
    By appealing to a broadcast station, and using education as a foot
    in the door (and a legitimate one at that), I was hoping to use the
    broader base of a Channel 44 (or NH Channel 11) to leverage the
    argument.   When I saw that NASA Select often runs a variety of 
    programs other than Shuttle launches, I felt that it would be an
    excellent way of justifying it to the public stations.
    
    Just an idea,
    
    - dave

  I live in Boston and we get NASA's feed when something important is about
to happen. We get to see Shuttle launches and they were on all night for
the Voyager Neptune flyby.

  Problem is, except for the more dramatic moments, they don't have a lot
to look at. As my joke implied, you get a lot of shots of boiling hydrogen
venting out of a pipe which will go on for 30 mins or so and other things
that controlers in houston want to look at.

  The best they did was during the Neptune flyby when they would come on every
half hour and have a scientest describe one of the instriments on Voyager.
Perhaps if they would fill in with perpared scientific information from
either the aero or space part of NASA they would pick up more interest.

  There's no way that you will ever see a comercial station use up a channel
full time to show hours and hours of silent launch pad sceens.

  George

    I live in Cambridge, Mass. and have cable service there.  When my
    stubby fingers erred last night and keyed in Channel 61, lo and behold,
    I found a static graphic saying "NASA Select" on a solid blue
    background, and little else.  This channel is listed on the cable company's
     chart as "Special Events."
    
    Never having seen it before, can someone tell me if that sounds to you
    like the NASA Select channel?  I suppose I could wait for a launch and
    see if the channel does anything, but ...
    
    Is there a standard day and time for the weekly updates, like someone
    said Thursday in an earlier reply?
    
    -Michael

    In the last few months, NASA Select has expanded its operations.
    
    In addition to mission coverage, they have been transmitting 4-8 hours
    of documentary footage each week. The normal pattern is two hours at
    noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays with another two hours at 6pm. The
    latter group is often a repeat of the noon package, but not always.
    They mix new and old documentaries, various NASA news items, press
    conference highlights etc. This sort of material could be shown late at
    night on something like Ch 44, but it would require someinvestment on
    their part to tape the feed and replay it. There is also 'NASA Update'
    each Thursday, a 15 or so minute news magazine intended for NASA
    employees.
    
    Another factor that might work against it is that NASA is no better at
    following their TV schedule than they are at following launch schedules
    so taping and replay would require some manual intervention.
              
    All of this gets preempted during shuttle missions and other
    significant events.
    
    In addition to live coverage, they will usually transmits the day's
    highlights for each shuttle mission. Note that some of the live
    coverage is nearly as boring as watching cricket (the boiling hydrogen
    in .-1, the entire rollout from VAB to the pad, etc).
    
    There is enough material that something like Ch 44 could fill up some
    of their 'off' hours even when there are no missions. You probably need
    to get someone down their enthused to investigate the possibility.
    
    gary

    I have a question:
    
    I've been watching the ASTRO-1 mission on NASA Select.  When they show
    the computer-generated image of the shuttle position on the earth,
    there are some disks plotted on the surface of the earth, with each
    disk covering maybe 2000 miles, and each having some "notches" cut out
    of it.  There's a spot plotted at the center of the disk.
    
    I assume that these spots at the center are some kind of tracking
    station, with the disks representing the range of the station.  But
    what are the notches cut out of the disks?  And since the satellite
    tracking system is being used to track, are these earth stations being
    used on this mission?
    
    -Michael

  I don't know about the disks on TV, but the TDRS (Tracking and Data Relay
Satellites) have replaced the ground stations. They are a series of very
advanced tracking satellites in geosync orbit that track things in orbit and
support the Shuttles, Hubble Space Telescope, and various SDI equipment. A TDRS
was what the Challanger was carying when it blew up. 

  George

    re: .28, .29
    
    The lines on the Earth were present before the TDRS satellites were up,
    and as I recall they do describe the limits of the ground stations.
    I don't know why they're still there---maybe the ground stations are
    available as backups in case one of the satellites fails.
    
    I believe the edges represent the effective horizon for shuttle
    communications.  The jagged edges are presumably due to a non-uniform
    horizon, perhaps caused by mountains or a gap in a ridge.  At my house
    my dish can "see" a long distance to the west, due to a gap in the
    hills in that direction and lack of trees; I can actually depress
    the dish a little below the horizontal without pointing it at the ground.
        John Sauter

We finally got NASA select on our cable here in Colorado Springs,
it sure is fun watching the silent control room, with the best
action being CAPCOM scratching herself every once in a while.

However, my question has been asked earlier: what is the meaning
of all those symbols on the map?  Yesterday there was the jagged
circles that were mentioned earlier, plus a red round circle
around the shuttle image for a little while.  I assume the orbit
paths for the shuttle are the last/next two or three orbits.

One thing that did surprise me was that the communication with
the shuttle was far more infrequent than I had imagined.  Last
nite they were going through checklists and most talk was about
changes to the sequence of list steps, etc.  

    John,
    
    	Is it channel 36?  I did notice NASA select on that channel some
    times, and I even got up for the launch that got scrubbed.  But when I
    got up to last Sunday to watch the launch, all I got was music.  So
    Monday I called them to ask why they did not carry NASA select during a
    launch, and the reply I got what that they don't carry it.  Channel
    34/35/36 are educational channels from the local school districts and
    colleges, and they pick what is shown on them when they don't have a
    program scheduled.  Not only that, but they were pretty unfriendly
    about my suggestion that they carry NASA select on dead channels since
    it is free to them...
    
    					Frank
    
    P.S.	I assume you have CableVision since it is the only company
    		in town?

Yeah, there used to be another company, Citizens, but they got an
offer they couldn't refuse...

Gosh, I hope they keep it going, I watched it constantly all
weekend and into the evenings while there were commercials on.
Not as intense as the Gulf War, but just as exciting in its own
way.

Those shots of Earth out of the orbiter, when the picture was
clear, were beyond description.

In my area (north of Atlanta) an amateur radio group rebroadcasts
NASA select during shuttle missions.  They might in your area too.

Equipment necessary to receive it ranges from a home made antenna
and a cable ready television to a $120 store bought ATV (amateur
television) ant. and a downconverter to convert ~430 mHz to TV
channel 3 ($80 assembled, $50 board).  Not much power is used so
you must be within 10 or so miles.

Regards,
David

European TV coverage of space events seems virtually non-existent. The BBC
doesn't cover shuttle missions at all. (They gave only bare minimum coverage of
the first Brit going into space! Strangely enough the other night they had
quite a bit about the Freedom budget wrangles - mixed in with a snippet of the
computer animated pix from Magellan data. Every little bit helps.) Dutch TV
might show a shuttle landing or launch but no coverage during the mission.

Any comments from other parts of Europe?

CNN seems to be the best available - shuttle launches live (probably landings
too) and a few minutes each day during shuttle missions.

I was having a fantasy that NASA Select TV might be available over here.

Does anyone know whether it is?
Is it technically possible?
Would there be 'political' objections?
Has anyone ever looked into it?

re .20

Were you successful getting NASA Select on your PBS?

Presumably over here we have two hurdles. NASA *and* the local TV stations/
cable companies.

    NASA Select is unencrypted on Satcom F2, transponder 13.  It's NTSC
    format, but you should be able to get a decoder which handles that.
    The only problem I see with receiving it is that it may be below
    the horizon for you.  I'm not very good at spherical geometry, but
    when I stand in New Hampshire facing South, Satcom F2 is to my left
    and high in the sky.
        John Sauter 

    According to a response to a letter in Spaceflight News (a U.K.
    publication) Satcom F2 is just below the horizon when viewed from
    Europe.   Sorry.
    
    - dave
    
    p.s.  No - I didn't pursue it.  I didn't think there was enough support
    to warrant bothering them.

	re .35 and British coverage.

	Coverage of the first Briton in space was mostly interviews
	 AFTER she had come back from space.

	Shuttle launches are maybe a 10 second showing, if nothing else
	 is around.

	re. CNN what's that like for coverage ??

	It will be availabe on Swindon, (England) cable network from
	 1st July.

	Like most Europeans, if it was not for this notes conference,
	 we would be in the stone age, regards information.

	Keep the info pouring in.

re .38
    
>	Like most Europeans, if it was not for this notes conference,
>	 we would be in the stone age, regards information.
    
    NASA seems still to be in the stone age as far as units of measurement
    are concerned.
    
    I wonder whether the software works internally in SI units and they just
    produce the press releases in obscure and obsolete units for general
    consumption. The first time I read that the shuttle would have an altitude
    of (say) 150 nm I took that to be nanometres.
    
>	It will be available on Swindon, (England) cable network from
>	 1st July.
    
    And is it?

    If I see another ad for Turkey, I'm going to scream.

    Re: .39
    
    SI units are fine. Statute miles and inches are bad. I agree.
    
    But please note that nautical miles have certain advantages when
    doing navigation.
    
    Detlef (Sometimes sailing).

    Note also that the taxpayers who fund this program think in inches and
    nautical miles, rather than SI.

    
>	It will be available on Swindon, (England) cable network from
>	 1st July.
    
>    And is it?

	Yep !

	Although it bills itself as CNN INTERNATIONAL. Is there different
	 flavours, ie an American,Rest of the world versions ??

	Got the shuttle landing time (UK) on Sunday, so I can work out
	 the time difference, (about 5 and a half hours), first time I've
	 seen any live pictures for years, although it didn't have much time
	 due to the hostage release unfolding - and no way am I complaining
	 about that, they can disrupt ANYTHING for that.

	Cheers,

	Tom.

    Yup CNN Int'l is a little different from the US flavour. When I was
    receiving it, for the most part CNN Int'l was CNN Headline News with
    various foreign (to the US) new stories substituted for the US sports
    news. They also ran a few programs (interviews etc) from regular CNN.
    
    gary

    re .41
    
>    Note also that the taxpayers who fund this program think in inches and
>    nautical miles, rather than SI.
    
    Agreed which is why I speculated that imperial units were some sort of
    output conversion.
    
    What is a nautical mile anyway? I thought most people in the US would
    think in statute miles. They aren't the same, are they?
    
    P.S. It is possible to change over to metric. :-) I'm sure it would
    cost less than the S&L bailout.
    
    re .-1
    
    CNN International. Nope, we do get (some of) the US sports news. It may be
    the so called "world business today" segments that are particular to
    the non-US audience since the segments deal mostly with what's been
    happening on the European business front.

    A  statute mile is about 1.6 km if I remember right.
    
    A nautical mile is 1.852 km which is 1 arc minute on earth surface
    (that's the reason why nm are useful for surface navigation
    purposes).
    
          Detlef.
    

In different terms, a statute mile is 5280 feet. A nautical mile is 6076 point
something feet.
						-- Tom

    re .44
    
    Its been a few months since they scrambled the feed from Atlanta to the
    Intelsat teleport (which is what I was watching), so I stand corrected.
    The main reason I watched it at the time was the complete lack of
    sports coverage.
    
    gary

12/20/93:  NASA Select to be Broadcast on New Satellite Starting January 1994


Attention Television Programmers and Producers, CATV System Operators,
Educational TV System Managers, Other Distributors of NASA Television, and all
interested viewers:

NASA is planning to reconfigure its television operations to different domestic
satellite transponders sometime after the first of the year.  Transmissions
over the transponder you are presently viewing will be discontinued at that
time.  These changes may effect your ability to receive and distribute NASA
Television transmissions.

The new satellite is

SpaceNet 2, transponder 5

I hear it is at the extreme edge of the US satellite arc, but I don't know which
edge.  Anyone else?

Burns

    I heard it is at 69� west longitude and satcom F4 (I think) is
    at 72� west. So this would make it closer to the east coast than
    where it was being down linked from. I'm not sure about the 
    line-sight height above the horizon for viewers here in the 
    northeast. The transponder it is now on is horizontally polarized.
    Our cable company in Westford (Nashoba Cable) can't (at least hasn't
    said they would not do so in the future) pick up SpaceNet2, so they
    are no longer offering NASA Select TV. I haven't had a chance to
    call them and ask why. I will presume that they don't have a dish
    that they can dedicate to pointing towards SpaceNet2. Does anyone
    else know what services are offered on this new bird? If it is a
    relatively new bird, cable companies aren't going to install another
    dish until there are enough services on it to make it worth the
    expense of another dish and the associated LNA's etc.
    
    Bob

    More on NASA Select on SPACENET2 ...
    
    Frequency for NASA Select on this bird will be 3880 MHZ, audio 6.8MHZ
    
    Bob

For reasons which are unclear, Greater Media Cable (Worcester, Mass.) is
carrying NASA Select on local access channel 13 in Grafton.  I've never run
across it before on our cable system.  I'm excited, as I was able to catch
replays of the launch (which I missed) and "NASA Today" and "Mission Update"
segments all last weekend and throughout this week.  In fact, I'm so excited
that I wrote a thank you letter to them, hinting that it would be wonderful if
they would continue to provide this service during shuttle flights. I hope it
works!

...Roger...

Something new:

I read in a recent issue of the "Ad Astra" that there is going to be a new
"cable channel" starting up this month called something like "The Aviation
Channel".  That's not quite the right name, but I can't think of it.  Anyway,
they would be covering all the shuttle missions among other things.

Not quite as good as NASA TV, perhaps, but better than CNN.

Here is why I put "Cable Channel" in quotes.  The article said that at first
they would be broadcasting only on DBS sats.  That means no having to convince
cable companies to carry them.  It also means that you probably have to pay to
receive it, though.

I have not seen any mention of this channel anywhere else, though.  Have any of
you?

Burns

Actually, it is called "The Air and Space Channel".

I've not heard anything more anywhere else, though.

Burns

I came across this on the WWW and thought someone who was a real video freak as
well as a NASA freak might enjoy it (Gary?):

By Gary Bourgois, The Birdwatcher

Sometimes it amazes me how you can have a tool or capability and not always
have enough working knowledge to use it properly.  Well this morning I
happened to wake up early, and immediately popped over to NASA select.  Face
it, I am a SPACE NUT.  I think we ALL are, something about how those
satellites get UP there in the first place.  Today is the launch of yet
another shuttle mission, one that has been aborted many times so I am anxious
to watch it take to the skies.  Well this morning I have the feeling that I
am realy at the Space Center, because I am watching the launch on THREE
monitors each with a different display showing me the launch vehicle,
tracking and weather displays, AND the standard feed from NASA SELECT.

You have probably seen that stuff that NASA puts out on S2/05, the stuff that
will give you a headache flipping in a vibratory way from camera to camera so
fast it will make your head spin.  For those who don't know, this is
MULTIPLEX VIDEO, or what I call ANALOGUE COMPRESSION.  What they do is to
combine the video from two sources into one, and alternating between each
source every 30th of a second.  This makes for an unviewable picture unless
you have the equipment necessary to decode it.  For years I have wanted that
equipment.  I have the article that tells you how to build a DEMUXER from
simple chips, but that unit also just substitutes black for the alternate
frames, meaning it would yield a very flickering image.  A solution that many
of you may have actually built if you are as much of a NASAphile as I am.

In my review of the MX-1 I mentioned how to view one channel of the multiplex
by using the Videonics MX-1 video Special Effects Generator in strobe mode to
capture one side of the multiplex.  I was capturing the other side of the
multiplex using my JVC 8000 digital VCR, and putting it into the mix using a
ROCTEC PIP BOX that I got for $150 from DAMARK (I think these are still
available).  It was a lot of wiring to get this to work, and I admit that I
did not do it much because of the hassle of running patch cables all over the
room.

Well this morning I am in DISH HOG heaven because it occured to me in a flash
that I did not have to do all this, that the one tool, the very versitile
MX-1, along with some of the other video and satellite toys here would allow
me to view THREE CHANNELS OF NASA AT ONCE anywhere in my house.  

Remember, this is the HOUSE O TV's.  There are 32 of them here, with three
WALL'S O TV, as well as multiple sets in critical viewing locations to allow
me to follow big news events, etc.  I have 5 TV's in the kitchen, but could
only get 2 into the bathroom.  This may seem excessive to some folks, but a
Dishead who is also a videophile can certainly understand why this is as it
is.  This spring, I upgraded my in house video distribution system to 7
channels, allowing me to watch 5 satellite receivers (Fed from four dishes)
One computer channel (so I can follow IRC's while making a snack and also
read what the captain types during FNL) And channel 32 at the top of the bank
is used to show what the MX1 is sending out.  (The UHF modulators are True
Spec USM-8 PICO Units I got from Global Communications, write for my article
"Your own In House Cable System" for more info).  So now I am able to watch
all three NASA channels everywhere (Gotta get a third TV for the bathroom).

NASA transmits on Channels 9 and 5.  It is not an accident they are on the
same polarity.  This allows you to receive both using ONE DISH since the
polarity is the same.

Now, here are the tools you need to watch NASA's THREE CHANNELS at once.  I
bet some of you already have it all:


    1.  Satellite dish pointed at S2
    2.  TWO Satellite Receivers, block type
    3.  950-1450 Block Splitter
    4.  Videonics MX-1 Special Effects Mixer (Write for separate review)
    5.  THREE Video Monitors

    OPTIONAL:

    6.  THREE USM-8 UHF TV Modulators for full house signal distribution


Hook it up this way:

    Split signal from LNB to both receivers.  Set receiver #1 to channel 9.
    SET Receiver #2 to Channel 5.

    Run Receiver #1 video to monitor #1 or modulator for standard viewing
    Run Receiver #2 into INPUT #2 of Videonics Unit

    Run MAIN video output from VIDEONICS to Monitor #2 (or Modulator)
    Run PREVIEW video output from VIDEONICS to Monitor #3 (or Modulator)



NOW here is the trick:

    Press SETUP on the Videonics keyboard.  Assign Video channels this way:

    Input 1  Receiver #2    (The one with the MULTIPLEX signal)
    Input 2  Receiver #2

    Press SETUP again to store and exit.

    Assign Input #1 (A) to MAIN Video output by pressing (A) on the top Bank
    Assign Input #2 (B) to PREVIEW Video output by pressing (B) on bottom Bank 


    Now comes the magic:

    Press INPUT FX Button

    Press (A) on the bottom bank to modify input #1

    Select STROBE by using right arrow to cursor over to it.
    Select level 2 of strobe effect.  You should immediately notice the flash
    Image stabilize into a single image on Monitor #1.

    Press (B) on the bottom bank to modifiy input #2

    Again:

    Select STROBE with the Right Arrow.
    Select Level 2 strobe effect.  Again you will see the image stabilize.

    If image is the same as Monitor #1, flip between level 1 and level 2
    until you get the OTHER HALF of the MULTIPLEX, which is a completely
    different set of images.

    Once you have the two separate sets of images, press the INPUT FX
    button again for normal operation.


You should now have:

    Monitor 1:  NASA SELECT MAIN CHANNEL
    Monitor 2:  MULTIPLEX channel 1
    Monitor 3:  MULTIPLEX channel 2

Place Use the audio from receiver #1.  The audio from Receiver #2 is
Telemetry Data.  I do not know how to recover this, perhaps someone from
NASA can tell us.


Now sit back and enjoy the MISSION!  

On the main screen you will see tha Astronauts suiting up and all the other
stuff you usually watch during pre launch.

On your other two monitors you will be treated to some really cool stuff.
Motorized cameras automatically inspecting the rocket and shuttle, All sorts
of different views of the operation, fueling, displays of weather data, maps
elapsed time displays and other super cool space stuff.  It is absolutely
glorious.

Nobody would buy the MX1 (At about $900) just for NASA, unless you are a
super space nut, or professionally involved in some way to justify the
expense.  BUT if you are also a videophile who likes to make edited tapes, 
and long for all those spins and wipes that the pro boys have, here is
another justification for dumping the big bucks into a video toy.  When not
using it for tape editing, it is an excellent way to manage a multiple
receiver satellite setup, providing a wealth of viewing options, and routing
to VCR's etc. (MX-1 Review AND where I got the lowest price in the USA
available by writing EMAIL)

Hey it's T minus one hour 16 minutes.

I am going back to WATCH the Mission!!!!


--
    /   Gary Bourgois, WB8EOH, The Birdwatcher: Marquette Michigan  USA   \
   ([-o  Keeper of The r.v.s.t. FAQ, Wildfeeds List, and Radio Guides   o-])
    \ [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] /
        Friday Night Live T2/21 5.8 8PM-Midnight ET   FAX: (906) 228-7477   

    That guy is sick! :-) With all those teevees he's got giving 
    off x-rays, he must glow in the dark! :-)
    
    With regard to the contractors channel (ch 5), when there's a launch
    I will flip to ch 5 right after the launch. Sometimes when they 
    are playing back the replays, they don't bother with the multiplex
    video. The number of camera replays is sometimes a superset of
    what is shown on the regular NASA channel. When they land the shuttle
    of course there is the video audit that is done where they get closeups
    of the tiles, all the jet orfices, the landing gear, and the fuel line
    and telemetry access doors with all its numerous connectors, and the
    camera man usually follows the astronauts around during their walk
    around once they leave the medical van.
    While the video audit is being shown on ch 5, ch 9 is usually showing
    landing replays, and may also be covering the landing press conference.
    There have been a few times when I've turned to ch 5 a week or so
    before a launch, and sometimes there is a dress-rehearsal going on
    from one of the spare flight control rooms in Houston. Sometimes they
    have shown video from one of the training sites of the ground based
    space-lab, or space-hab modules with astronauts walking and stepping
    around each other (instead of floating of course). 
    
    BTW, I've heard rumors that some time later this year, there is to
    be launched a satellite which will be positioned over in the 113 deg w
    longitude or so, and that NASA was going to move to that bird once
    it's positioned and tested out. This would put NASA Select on a bird
    more centralized over the US. If they do move then I've got to start
    thinking about cutting down some trees, as I've got some pines towards
    that direction that would block access.
    
    Bob

    Yeah, Gary B. leaves me in the dark when it comes to the number of
    video toys, although I may still have a lead in screen area. 
    
    If you are really curious about ch 5, you can record it and play it
    back on a VCR that does freeze field (not frame) using a slow motion
    setting.
    
    Come to think of it, I have a digital field store laying around, and an
    unused channel on my home cable system.... hmmm....
    
    gary

NASA TELEVISION SIGNAL GETS A NEW HOME

[Editor's note: This NASA press release (N97-11) was written by 
Deanna Corridon, Headquarters, Washington, DC]

February 25, 1997

On March 15, NASA Television will begin broadcasting via a new 
satellite that will allow reception by a wider audience throughout 
the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii. NASA Television is 
designed to provide real-time coverage of Agency activities and 
missions as well as resource video to the news media, and 
educational programming to teachers, students and the general 
public.

NTV currently is transmitted on the Spacenet 2 satellite, which is 
nearing the end of its life cycle. The GE-2 satellite, which was 
launched in January and is operated by GE Americom, will provide 
NASA TV with a larger "footprint," or coverage area.

Effective March 15, NTV will be available on GE-2, Transponder 9C 
at 85 degrees West longitude, vertical polarization, with a 
frequency of 3880 Mhz, and audio of 6.8 Mhz.

For more information about NASA Television, including program 
scheduling, please visit the NASA Television home page on the 
World Wide Web at URL: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/ntv.html