RF Shorts for July 26, 2012

Interference Knocks Out Eutelsat 25A Transponders

SpaceNews.com writer Peter B. de Selding reports "High-power Interference Knocks Out Transponders on Eutelsat 25A Satellite." The interference may be part of a battle over Ku-band frequency rights at the 25.5 to 26 degree east longitude (EL) orbital location. Eutelsat 25A is positioned at 25.5 degrees EL and Arabsat's Badr 4/5/6 is located at 26.0 degrees. The article says "One industry official familiar with the issue said the interference, in the form of digital video broadcast transmissions, is either intentional or an extraordinary antenna-pointing error by Riyadh-based Arabsat in aiming programming at the Eutelsat satellite." de Selding writes, "Eutelsat has been battling Arabsat and Iran for more than two years over Ku-band frequency rights at that orbital position. Multiple attempts at mediation by orbital slot and broadcast frequency regulators at the ITU have been unable to resolve the dispute, despite the fact that Eutelsat, with the government of Qatar as a partner, plans to launch an even larger satellite into the 25.5-degree slot in less than a year."

RFI Disables Wireless Car Keys

A few years ago, and prior to the analog TV shutdown, there were complaints about wireless car keys not working around the Empire State building in New York. This week, Foxnews.com reported "The Bermuda Triangle of car keys? Mystery surrounds city in New York." The suspect this time is not the Empire State building, but rather a building in Yonkers, N.Y. "Cars parked in a busy section of a large New York city have been the subject of a perplexing issue in recent weeks, and it's a real non-starter. According to the Journal News, complaints began to surface about six months ago when drivers in Yonkers, discovered that they were unable to unlock or start their vehicles equipped with wireless key fobs while parked in a part of town near the intersection of Yonkers and Page Avenues. However, when they were pushed or towed out of the area, the systems were restored." The problem is reported to be affecting businesses in the area.

Comments and RF related news items are welcome. Email me at dlung@transmitter.com.

Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.