« Motorola Satellite Communications | Home | Satellite Communications Earth Stations »
Satellite Dish Communications
By Editor | February 18, 2008
Satellite dish communications or satellite communications (also referred to as satcom) is a form of communication using artificial satellites put up in space. One of the most popular uses of satellite communication is satellite phones (also referred to as sat phones) but satellite phones do not require a satellite dish to function. The most wide spread use of satellite dish communications is in satellite television. A satellite dish is a kind of parabolic antenna designed for transmitting signals to or/and receiving from satellites. Satellite dishes are microwave antennae and they come in varying sizes and designs. A satellite dish is a reflector antenna and most things that reflect radio frequencies can be used as reflector antennae. Therefore, dustbin lids, woks and other such items are sometimes used as dishes in radical cases. If there are low noise LNBs and high transmission power of Direct to Home (DTH) satellites, one can get a usable signal on satellite dishes made from such things.
A Very Small Apertre Terminal (VSAT) is a two way satellite ground station with a dish antenna smaller than 3 metres (they are generally in the range 75 cm to 1.2 m) and it provides two way satellite internet communications for both private networks for organisations and consumers.
Satellite television as opposed to terrestrial television and cable television uses satellite dish communications. Satellite television satellites are either in highly elliptic orbits (HEO) or geostationary orbits (geostationary satellites appear to be in a fixed position to an observer on earth as they revolve around the earth at a constant speed).
There are two types of satellite dishes used in satellite dish communications for television: single dishes serving one dwelling (Direct to Home or DTH) and collective dishes serving several dwellings (communal antenna broadcast distribution or CABD or satellite master antenna television or SMATV).
There are three principal kinds of satellite television usage: reception direct by the viewer (DTH), reception by headends for distribution across terrestrial cable systems or reception by local television affiliates. Direct to the viewer reception includes direct broadcast satellite or DBS (also known as direct to home or DTH) and television receive-only (TVRO) both of which are used for homes and businesses.
Other than satellite television, satellite dish communications is used for internet services and also for telecommunications where fibre optic submarine cables have not been laid down like remote islands like St. Helena, Pacific islands and Ascension Island. This also comes in useful in Polar Regions and other remote places like mountains and forests. With satellite dish communications, it is important to remember that all terminals need a relatively clear line of sight to the sky for connectivity. There may be problems in deeply forested areas or in mines.
Satellite communications are quite expensive when it comes to satellite phones but with satellite television such as DTH, the costs are not extremely prohibitive when one compares it to other forms of television broadcasting. These are a few basics that one needs to know about satellite dish communications.
Topics: Satellite Communications | 3 Comments »
March 8th, 2008 at 7:21 am
To: Editor,
It helps me a lot to understand what satellite communication really is.I wish you could discuss more about coded and free to air satellite. Thanks a lot! Aristeo
March 9th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Aristeo,
We will have some articles coming up on those subjects.
Just keep and eye out.
March 11th, 2008 at 8:12 am
[...] In the near future businesses would be facing a lack and a redundancy of information called information glut. To solve the information-glut companies will need to introduce methods for selective thinning out of information. Improvements in telecommunications will make it easier to control business units dispersed over different parts of the world. Advances in telecommunications, would result in increased distance-communication. Indirect communication would be preferred for well-structured information for routine, preprogrammed and decision processes. [...]