Satellite Update – Jan. 28, 2010

By Doug Lung
published


From FCC Report SAT-00661 [PDF]:

  • • The Satellite Division of the FCC granted Sirius XM Radio special temporary authority (STA) to provide emergency radio broadcast programming to Haiti via the Sirius satellite network until Feb. 17, 2010 in support of relief efforts there.
  • • The FCC granted a request from DirecTV Enterprises for an STA for 30 days to conduct in-orbit testing of the RB-2A space station at 76 degrees west longitude using the 17.3-17.8 GHz (space-to-Earth) and 24.75-25.15 GHz (Earth-to-space) frequency bands.
  • • Sirius XM Radio was granted an STA to continue to continue to operate, for a period of 180 days, 23 terrestrial repeaters having an average EIRP of up to 2,000 Watts for use on the Sirius network (2320-2332.5 MHz) and two terrestrial repeaters with an average EIRP up to 2,000 Watts on the XM network (2332.5-2345 MHz), a various locations throughout the United States.


(The above FCC report also has information on grants of "permit-but-disclose" status under ex parte rules for proceedings involving SES Americom and Skynet Satellite Corp.)

Doug Lung
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.