Arthur C. Clarke's Vision
Sir Arthur C. Clarke is usually credited with coming back up with the concept of
using satellites in geosynchronous orbits to relay communications signals around
the world. In his honor, these are typically known as Clarke orbits. A
geosynchronous orbit merely means that the satellite is placed at an altitude of
22,300 miles higher than the world's equator and travels at the same speed as the planet's rotational
speed. This keeps the satellite in the same spot on top of the earth in the least times.
Clarke wrote a piece titled "Extraterrestrial Relays", that was published
in Wireless World Magazine back in 1945. In his article Clarke, envisioned
three 'space platforms' placed at 22,300 miles higher than the earth and that worldwide
communications could so be achieved.
Father of Satellite TV
However it's H. Taylor Howard a Stanford University Professor and former NASA scientist
Emeritus, who is generally acknowledged as the 'Father
of Satellite TV'. Howard designed and engineered the first satellite antenna and receiver
in his San Andreas, California garage in 1976. Howard died in a very plane crash in 2002
at the age of 70. Currently thirty two years after Howards invention, it's doubtful that he
may have envisioned the quantum leap that satellite TV technology has made.
Initial Satellite - Sputnik
The terribly first satellite ever placed into earth orbit was Sputnik, that was launched
by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. The launch of Sputnik began what is commonly
referred to as the "area race". The United States answered with the successful
launch of Explorer I on January 1, 1958. Later that very same year, NASA was created on Oct. one, 1958, to perform civilian analysis related to space flight and aeronautics.
Initial Communications Satellite - Syncom II
The first communication satellite named Syncom II was developed by a group of businesses and government entities in 1963. Syncom II orbited at twenty two,300 miles over the Atlantic; the first
actual satellite communication was on July twenty six, 1963, between a U.S. Navy ship in Lagos,
Nigeria and also the U.S. Army naval station in Lakehurst, New Jersey. However it wasn't
until 1978 that the tv business began using satellite communication for the
tv industry. In 1975 a BBC engineer by the name of Stephen Birkill
designed an experimental system for receiving Satellite Tutorial Television.
Over the subsequent three years Birkill continued to figure on his system and in 1978 he
met Bob Cooper, a cable TV technical journalist and amateur radio enthusiast in the U.S
and Cooper invited Birkill to a cable TV operator's conference and fair CC)S-78.
It had been at the trade show that many satellite TV enthusiasts decided to help Birkill
along with his experiments. Additionally, on March 1, 1978 the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
introduced the Public Television Satellite Serivce and as satellite technology
improved it absolutely was used more and additional by broadcasters.
Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS)
In 1980, the FCC established the Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS), a new service
that consisted of a broadcast satellite in geostationary orbit, facilities for
transmitting signals to the satellite, and receiving equipment (black box) needed for people to access the signals. In turn, broadcasters developed strategies of scrambling their signals,
forcing customers to purchase a decoder, or an instantaneous to home (DTH) satellite receiver,
from a satellite program provider. Before this signals might be receive by anyone
with a dish at no charge. Each DISH Network and DIRECTV are Direct Broadcast Satellite
providers. Soon after from 1981 to the first 1990's the 'big dish' market soared.
You'll see these massive ugly dishes a mile away. However they were cumbersome and very
hard to install.
As this stage of satellite TV development; it had been much easier to
just have cable TV. Also the average cost of pruchasing a satellite dish and system
back in 1980 was a staggering $ten,000. By 1985 that cost had dropped to around
$three,000., but still a hefty value to pay. In 1984 the U.S. Congress passed the 1984
Cable Act. This Act allowed for cable providers to scramble their transmission signals
therefore bringing an end to the times of free satellite TV. In short, the 1984 Cable Act created
it illegal to steal satellite signals while not paying for the programming.
Satellite TV - Enter DIRECTV and DISH Network
In the early 1990's four giant cable corporations joined together to launch a Direct
Broadcast Satellite company named Primestar. In June of 1994 the Hughes DIRECTV
Satellite System was launched. DIRECTV later purchased Primestar.
DIRECTV pioneered the development of the mini-dish, a little eighteen" diameter dish.
Nowadays, DIRECTV boasts over 16 million households that have DIRECTV service. In 1996 the DISH Network Company a division of EchoStar Communications Corporation was fashioned and DISH currently boasts over thirteen million U.S. households with DISH Network Satellite Service. Both corporations now
offer hundreds of programming channels to watch and every offers over seventy national channels
in High-Definition (HD). Each DIRECTV and DISH Network also provide dozens of satellite
radio channels and each have currently gotten into providing High Speed Internet service.
Where satellite dishes alone once prices $10,.000., nowadays each the satellite giants
provide complete satellite systems, together with the satellite dish for free.
Author Resource:-
Todd Sanders has been writing articles online for nearly 2 years now. Not only does this author specialize in satellite tv,you can also check out his latest website about:
Heavy Duty Hand Truck Which reviews and lists the best
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