Dish Files to Launch AMC-14 to 61.5 W

[rocatman]

Dish recently filed with the FCC to launch the AMC-14 satellite to 61.5 W. Here is the FCC website address:

http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/servlet/ib.page.FetchAttachment?attachment_key=-140501

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Interesting find!

Thanks!

 

[tigerfan33]

Says projected launch date will be in March. Hopefully.

 

[JamesJ]

nice first time I have seen a date, march of 08 they are planning to launch the satellite! the other sat is going to 129 correct?

 

[Voyager6]

nice first time I have seen a date, march of 08 they are planning to launch the satellite! the other sat is going to 129 correct?

No, E11 is going to 110. Ciel-2 is going to 129 but won't launch until late 2008 or early 2009.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

EchoStar must provide a large and growing amount of High Definition programming.

Hey, maybe there's hope after all!!

 

[Paradox-SJ]

So does this mean they will finally be able to turn on ScFi and USA?

 

[kstuart]

So does this mean they will finally be able to turn on ScFi and USA?

I think that has to do with either a technical issue or a contract issue.

However, if it were not happening, they would move the HD-PPV channels back to 110, so it is reasonable to assume that there is only a minor issue to resolve.

It's even possible that someone's guess of " 3 months after D* " might be correct, so that would mean it would be turned on January 3rd, IIRC.

 

[Poke]

Here some info on Ciel-2..

Satellite Today :: SED Systems To Provide Satellite Control Services For Ciel-2

12-12-07 – Satellite Today] SED Systems will expand its satellite control center in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to provide tracking, telemetry and control operations for the Ciel-2 satellite, Ciel Satellite Group announced Dec. 11.

Ciel-2, manufactured by Alcatel Alenia Space, will be the first satellite for Ciel. The Ku-band spacecraft, which will provide communications services throughout Canada and North America, is scheduled to be launched in the 2008 fourth quarter.

“SED offered us the best quality proposal, and their experience operating low-Earth spacecraft gave us complete confidence in their ability to monitor and control Ciel-2,” Dave Lewis, President and CEO of Ciel, said in a statement. “We are keen on SED because of their potential to cost-effectively expand operations to support future Ciel spacecraft.”

The ground for the center will be broken in March and is expected to be completed by the end of summer.


Alcatel Press Room


Alcatel Alenia Space today announced that it will deliver the high-powered Ciel-2 telecommunication satellite to Ciel Satellite of Canada, the newest member of the SES family. The new spacecraft, expected to launch by late 2008, will be the largest Spacebus class satellite ever built by Alcatel Alenia Space.

Based on Alcatel Alenia Space Spacebus 4000 C4, Ciel-2 will be fitted with 32 Ku-band frequencies, configured into regional and spot beams maximizing the frequency reuse up to nine times. At the beginning of its operational life, the spacecraft's payload power will be 10.8 kW and will be positioned at 129°W. Ciel-2 is due to start delivering services into North America in the later part of 2008, with a life time of 16 years.

Kevin Smyth, CEO Ciel Satellite, said: "As a world-class satellite manufacturer, Alcatel Alenia Space, is a great choice for the construction of Ciel's first permanent spacecraft. In collaboration with our technical and investor partner, SES AMERICOM, we have every confidence that Ciel-2, our first purpose-built satellite, will be a high-performing, reliable spacecraft."



Ciel 2

Ciel Satellite announced in March 2006, that Alcatel Alenia Space has been chosen to construct a new spacecraft to be known as Ciel-2. The geosynchronous satellite will be operated by Ciel from 129 degrees West and deliver services throughout North America.

Alcatel will build the Spacebus-4000C4 spacecraft based on proven technology that has been utilized in four successfully deployed satellites. The C4 will the largest Spacebus class satellite ever built. A number of innovations will also complement the design; the all Ku-band satellite will feature high frequency re-use and both regional and spot beams. The Ciel-2 satellite is scheduled to launch in late 2008 and to operate for at least 16 years. Ciel Satellite was awarded the license for 129 degrees West from Industry Canada in October 2004.

 

[tigerfan33]

I wonder how the launch of this sat and the moving aroung on the current sats. to open up more bandwith is tied together. Will we have to wait for this sat. to launch before we see new hd channels or will the moving on the current sats. enable Dish to give us more hd before this launch??

 

[kstuart]

I wonder how the launch of this sat and the moving aroung on the current sats. to open up more bandwith is tied together. Will we have to wait for this sat. to launch before we see new hd channels or will the moving on the current sats. enable Dish to give us more hd before this launch??

Hasn't this been discussed several hundred times by now ?

Dish has space for about 10 HD channels currently.

Some have speculated that Dish has reserved space for certain HD channels for contractual reasons or reasons of high customer demand, such as new ESPN HD or HBO HD channels. This is because satellite launches can fail or be delayed further, so E* must act as if they may not happen, and thus space must be reserved for future channels that must be made available.

Also, there are several factors which only E* knows about, and which we can only speculate:

- Unannounced exclusivity for X weeks of certain HD channels on D*

- Necessity to renegotiate contracts at higher rates, in order to get access to HD feeds

- Specific power, fuel, and transponder limitations of satellites at 61.5 and 129

- Plans to use certain available space for strategically important HD locals.

- Plans to terminate MPEG2 HD broadcast and transition remaining MPEG2 HD channels to MPEG4.

So, there are too many unknown factors for anyone outside E* to know for sure.

 

[Poke]

Yeah I think we can see some more HD and sounds like Dish plans on getting some new sats next year which is good so either way I think Dish will be fine..

 

[kstuart]

Dish recently filed with the FCC to launch the AMC-14 satellite to 61.5 W.

Note that EchoStar 3 will be replaced entirely and moved to a different satellite slot.

One possibility would be to move it to 129, and that would allow more transponders at 129, and higher power, allowing stable reception and more channels.

 

[Poke]

Note that EchoStar 3 will be replaced entirely and moved to a different satellite slot.

One possibility would be to move it to 129, and that would allow more transponders at 129, and higher power, allowing stable reception and more channels.

Yeah maybe but right now sounds like the Ciel 2 will be going to the 129 orbit in 2008.

 

[pdxsam]

Late 2008 so fully operational sometime 1q of 2009. That's a long time to wait for stability on a bird that's on life support as it is. Let's hope Dish is lucky with the bird at 129 till March 2009

 

[ddgtomahawk]

100% true

 

[digiblur]

I've said a few times that AMC-14 would go to 61.5 to pick up the slack from Echostar3 and allow E12 to go into spotbeam mode.

Don't forget they have Echo6 as a spare up there to cover 129 if it bites the dust. And no they won't move it now and put into service as it is also a spare for 119 and 110.

 

[mike123abc]

E3 was designed to work at 61.5. They will not be able to move it very far away and still have it point to the US. I do not see it moving to 129, it would be too far out of design location.

It is very interesting that they decided to move AMC-14 to 61.5. The talk had been of it going to 77 where E4 is holding the slot. One wonders if they are thinking of moving E3 to 77. 77 seems like a more valuable slot to me than 61.5, the west coast would have a much easier time seeing 77.

Of course it might be possible to have a single dish pick up 61.5, 77 and 86 for the lower 48 MPEG-4 service. If they were to have spots on 61.5, and duplicate 110/119 in MPEG 4 on 77 and 86 they could give the 48 a lot of HD and LiL HD. AK/HI would be left out. Perhaps this is why they recently reorganized into 2 companies. One has 110/119/129/148 the other has 61.5/77/86, this way they can avoid the nasty issue of not providing substatially equal service to AK/HI.

Link to the document describing the splitting up of slots http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/servlet/ib.page.FetchAttachment?attachment_key=-138238

 

[kstuart]

That's a very interesting find.

It confirms something that I have been reporting for awhile - that E* Tech Support reps refer to HD as "129".

Note that 61.5 is not to be owned by Dish Network. The implication is that the Ciel satellite at 129 will provide CONUS coverage and the mirroring at 61.5 will be discontinued in 2009.

Note also that the document refers to E*3 at 61.5 and not AMC-14, so it pre-dates the document in the top post...

PS

E3 was designed to work at 61.5. They will not be able to move it very far away and still have it point to the US.

Yes, but E5 was not designed to work at 129, AMC-14 was not designed to work at 61.5, E1 and E2 were not designed to work at 148, etc. That factor is important with regards to spot beams, but less so with CONUS footprint. It is possible to turn the satellite to adjust the footprint, and in fact, that is done with all E* satellites.

 

[stevenhh]

129 is no good for the northeast. I can't even get 121. I knew I was getting most of my HD from 61.5 but I never realized that most came from E*12 and how little HD came from E*3 until I took at look at it tonight. AMC-14 at 61.5 sounds good to me.