Up-to-Date Accurate Ku Listing of FTA Satellites

[cyberham]

If you don't trust the accuracy of Lyngsat for listings of what's on satellites, then here's an idea.

Spectrum Monitor magazine, November 2024 issue, has a complete listing of what's on Ku satellites from 133W to 15W. It is an article written by Mike Kohl. The chart in the article is up-to-date and accurate. You can download the whole magazine for just $3. You might discover you want to subscribe to receive the magazine monthly.

Furthermore, the listing of C-band satellites from 139W to 55.5W is in the October issue of the same magazine.

 

[a33]

If you don't trust the accuracy of Lyngsat for listings of what's on satellites, then here's an idea.

Spectrum Monitor magazine, November 2024 issue, has a complete listing of what's on Ku satellites from 133W to 15W. It is an article written by Mike Kohl. The chart in the article is up-to-date and accurate.

The question that jumps to my mind:
What is his source for these listings?

Here in Europe I check the lyngsat, kingofsat, and/or flysat website. Maybe there are more?
Having multiple sources adds to the 'completeness', I think.

Greetz,
A33

 

[cyberham]

I'd guess Mike's sources are his own knowledge and his first-hand checking using his own systems since he is a Chief Bottle Washer in Global Communications by trade.

This is the same way I know his Ku listings are accurate though I can't see to the east beyond 77W any longer. He's been in this game a long time. I bet he will add his comments here shortly.

 

[TRG]

If you don't trust the accuracy of Lyngsat for listings of what's on satellites, then here's an idea.

Spectrum Monitor magazine, November 2024 issue, has a complete listing of what's on Ku satellites from 133W to 15W. It is an article written by Mike Kohl. The chart in the article is up-to-date and accurate. You can download the whole magazine for just $3. You might discover you want to subscribe to receive the magazine monthly.

Furthermore, the listing of C-band satellites from 139W to 55.5W is in the October issue of the same magazine.

I've been a subscriber since 2015. I love The Spectrum Monitor.

 

[KE4EST]

I've been a subscriber since 2015. I love The Spectrum Monitor.

Same here. It is a great magazine!!

 

[mikekohl]

I'd guess Mike's sources are his own knowledge and his first-hand checking using his own systems since he is a Chief Bottle Washer in Global Communications by trade.

This is the same way I know his Ku listings are accurate though I can't see to the east beyond 77W any longer. He's been in this game a long time. I bet he will add his comments here shortly.

I kept a live list of C and Ku-band for all of North America, as well as some West Coast observations of a few Asian satellites that I encountered while building a cable system at a Canadian-owned gold mine in Far East Russia, back in 2008. That refined my knowledge base acquired while pioneering some of the first home satellite systems in Alaska, during my life there in the late 1970s and into the 80s. Global Communications actually had a list maintained on a regular basis from about 1998 to 2015, which was part of my website. I am now semi-retired in a small village in SW Wisconsin, which greatly limits what antennas I can put in my yard (only C band antenna in the village). A 10-foot Winegard covers 55.5 to 139 West on C-band, and a collection of fixed multifeed Ku-band antennas as well as some standalone Ku-band antennas fixed on selected satellites. This fall I did some research with 90 cm and 1.2 meter offset dishes on low-elevation angle satellites on my eastern horizon. Dragged them around the edges of my yard, at one time almost onto the street in attempts to find 30 and 34.5 West Ku-band satellites, with the help of a spectrum analyzer. This allowed some temporary measurements and scanning to see what is currently on both birds. To my utter surprise, I am one of the lucky northerners with good signal levels of 34.5 West, which allows a huge number of French radio signals normally intended for French territories in the Caribbean. Very little verified information could be found anywhere on the internet on 34.5 W, so I did it myself, and compared notes with Ken Reitz, the publisher of The Spectrum Monitor. He saw fit to encourage a deep search on those satellites for the benefit of all readers, as many of the audio and video channels are not available anywhere else from North America. Think Vatican Media, dozens of audio channels, and a number of Middle Eastern TV and radio channels that mirror and expand upon our experience getting signals from the easy to find 97 West - Galaxy 19 satellite. Then look at the sizeable number of signals from Spain on 30 West. A properly set up 1.2 meter offset dish could receive both 30 West and 34.5 West at the same time on Ku-band, in stronger locations east of the Mississippi River, and to points southward. Here in Wisconsin it's starting to get on the edge, but you can always put up two separate satellite antennas. These are in locations well to the east of the rest of satellite signals receivable in the Midwest, so you could just drop them in place, either on an elevated location such as a rooftop, or on the ground if you can get clear line-of-sight after researching live signals. You just need some patience and spare time to locate these prizes. The sky is not going dark quite yet, especially if you seek out unusual things like those mentioned above. And I fully agree that multiple sources should be checked, while comparing your own reception results, to locate the feasibility of what you might find in your location. No satellite channel list is going to be perfect, so cross reference as many sources as you can find, along with your own results.

 

[mikekohl]

If you don't trust the accuracy of Lyngsat for listings of what's on satellites, then here's an idea.

Spectrum Monitor magazine, November 2024 issue, has a complete listing of what's on Ku satellites from 133W to 15W. It is an article written by Mike Kohl. The chart in the article is up-to-date and accurate. You can download the whole magazine for just $3. You might discover you want to subscribe to receive the magazine monthly.

Furthermore, the listing of C-band satellites from 139W to 55.5W is in the October issue of the same magazine.

Christmas idea: Spectrum Monitor has lowered the price of yearly volumes, delivered via PDF link.
2015 to 2023 has all 12 issues of each year for the price of $12 per year. 2024 is $24 for the entire year.
That's a dollar per issue when purchased a year at a time for the 2023 and earlier, and two dollars an issue for 2024 when that year is purchased. You can also enter a subscription for 2025 now, and have monthly links for January-December emailed to you every month..see their website for further information on the 2025 set.

If you are not sure about getting the entire collection, click on the link to November 2024, and then click on boxes for each individual year. There is an alphabetical article directory and reference to which month's issue it was found in.
This is not only satellite information, but a huge amount of info that would be beneficial not only to Hams, but all sorts of electric and electronic specialties. Restoring old radios, grounding and homemade antenna techniques for RF reception.
Historical articles on the development of early radio stations from the beginnings of the industry.
The list goes on and on, and is like a miniature encyclopedia of How-To Information on an amazing number of subjects.

The Spectrum Monitor is a monthly Internet distributed magazine that follows on the historic trail blazed by the Monitoring Times magazine, and goes much further. The publisher is one of us, and has been a satellite hobbyist for many decades, as well as a seasoned Ham radio type. Take a look and see if any of these resources belongs in your library.