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TELE SATELLIT EUROPE'S SATELLITE MAGAZINE International Satellite News Number 36, Week ending 29 January 1995 By Martyn Williams News Desk : Internet martyn@euro.demon.co.uk or CompuServe 100025,1637 (c) TELE-satellit Magazine Chinese Fireworks at deadly Apstar 2 launch A spectacular explosion shortly after launch of a Chinese Long March 2E rocket on Thursday caused major embarrassment for the Chinese space industry in front of international eyes and sent the satellite crashing into the side of a nearby mountain killing 6 people. The launch was being broadcast live on national TV and the launch site audience included several powerful members of the regions satellite and cable industry from Turner Broadcasting System, ESPN, Home Box Office, Discovery Channel and Hong Kong's Television Broadcasts Ltd. On board was Apstar 2, a high capacity HS601 satellite manufactured by Hughes and owned by Hong Kong based APT. According to prelaunch reports the satellite had been insured for $160 million. The immediate reason for the loss is unknown but it means broadcasters are now scrambling for precious transponders on the satellites above Asia's skies. An ESPN spokeswoman was quoted as saying the sports broadcaster was "shocked" at the failure and was reasessing their broadcasting plans for the area, but the channel would be launched. Turner Broadcasting was also reported to e looking for space on other birds. In the wake of the failure, shares in Thai based Shinawatra Satellite rose in heavy trading. Just before the launch Shinawatra was complaining to the Chinese government about possible interference that the new Apstar 2 satellite would cause to its ThaiCom bird. Shinawatra was the third most traded stock on the Bangkok market on Friday. Reports from the Chinese wire service late Saturday revealed that six people had been killed by falling debris from the explosion which also injured 27. According to the report, the announcement of the deaths had been delayed purposely and was first broadcast on Saturday evening's state TV news. Wildfire to launch Usenet satellite feed via Astra UK based Wildfire are to announce a new satellite feed across the Astra satellite. The company plans to broadcast a daily feed of the Usenet feed. Usenet, also known as network news, is the Internet newsgroups system. Speaking to TS News, Stephen Howard said that they planned to take the day's news, compress it and broadcast it across Astra in the early hours of the morning. Exact details of which channel is to be used have yet to be decided but the data would be sent in spare lines within the vertical blanking interval which is already used for teletext and scrambling information. A cheap adaptor costing around GBP 50 would convert the compressed feed into standard format suitable for use with most newsreaders. Users would gain the ability to download as many newsgroups as they wished without paying telephone charges. They would still need a conventional dial up account to collect and send email and send messages to the Usenet system. For more information email wildfire@tecc.co.uk BBC launch new euro channels BBC Worldwide Television launched two new channels on Thursday evening bringing Europe the first unscrambled satellite channel from the BBC since they scrambled the then BBC 1/2 Mix service several years ago. BBC World, the news and information service, is broadcast in the clear on Eutelsat 2F1 whilst BBC Prime replaces BBC WSTV on Intelsat 601. The launch of BBC World in Europe also saw the start of the re-branding of the World Service TV channel as BBC World around the globe. CNNI to scramble ? Reports in a Kuwaiti newspaper this week said that a host of foreign TV channels would scramble in the near future. CNN International was mentioned specifically in the article which quoted CNN execs as saying that they needed a source of revenue. The newspaper article also reminded viewers that their satellite dishes would become almost useless after the foreign services became pay TV. The report however may be not what it seems, the Kuwaiti government has just completed a massive national cable TV network and the newspaper did explain how easy it would be to watch foreign TV through the cable. NBC expands coverage of Asia Hot on the heels of the new European programming on NBC Super Channel, NBC announced an expansion of the Asian News and Business Channel, ANBC, service that was running as an 8 hour a day channel on Palapa B2P. The channel has recently begun 24 hour operations on PanAmSat2. The new ANBC service also launched nationwide in Australia on 26 January on the Australis pay TV network. Sky says QVC stays in multi channels BSkyB this week denied a report in Broadcast that said the QVC channel was set to leave Sky multichannels, a rumour that has been around since well before Christmas. Sky did confirm that they were reducing their holding in QVC to around 20%. At launch BSkyB held 50% of the ailing broadcaster. Last year QVC chief Barry Diller said at a press conference that the European QVC was "loosing money like a sieve". In brief ... � Cable TV system operators in Bangalore said they would shut down their operations on January 29th in protest of new 40 channel cable TV network called City Cable and owned by broadcaster Zee TV. � MCM is introducing English subtitling via the D2 Mac teletext. The channel will begin offering MCM News in English and selected other programmes. The French music channel is pay TV although viewers across Europe can subscribe. They will launch on the upcoming Eutelsat Hot Bird in April or May this year. � After being made homeless by the move of HBB from Eutelsat 2F3 to Turksat, Catholic radio station Radio Maria is back. The station is now on the 7.74 MHz subcarrier of interStar. � The BBC Arabic News service that was using Eutelsat 2F1 until the launch of BBC World is now back on Telecom 1C at 3 degrees East, 12.648 GHz. � Munich regional station Antenne Bayern should soon be broadcasting across satellite. The station, Germany's number one commercial service according to the station, will broadcast via RTL 2 on Astra. Orion accepts satellite Orion Atlantic this week officially accepted ownership of the Orion 1 satellite from Matra Space Systems. In-orbit delivery of the satellite occurred Friday, January 20, following payload and commissioning testing. Orion was successfully launched, November 29, 1994 from Cape Canaveral, Florida by a Martin Marietta Atlas IIA rocket, and arrived on station at 37.5 degrees West Longitude on December 24. Constructed by Marta Space Systems, the Orion 1 satellite caries 34 Ku-band transponders which provide multiple spot beam and broad-beam transatlantic and regional coverage in North America and across Eastern and Western Europe. With a full performance design lifetime of 12 years, the Orion 1 spacecraft is based on the highly successful EUROSTAR platform. Orion Atlantic will provide digital voice, data and video communications to multinational companies via the Orion 1 platform. Specifically, the satellite will support advanced networking services marketed by Orion Atlantic Network Services. In addition, a full range of satellite services -- featuring compressed digital video services for satellite news gathering and broadcasting -- will be offered through Orion Atlantic Satellite Services. A new service to online readers ! TELE-satellit's very own Dr. Dish is now taking calls from readers of the online version of TELE-satellite News. If you have any questions or problems just call him. This is a free service ! Thursday, 1800 - 2000 CET Saturday, 1400 - 1600 CET +31-45-640002 .... normal rates apply. Please don't call at other times ! New products Petra H�ther, TS Buro M�nich Switching Multifeeds This item is interesting if you happen to own one aerial with a multitude of LNBs or even a whole array of them: German manufacturer Sound Check now offers a switching box which uses the receiver`s signals (0 volts, 3 volts and so on) to give instant and convenient access to every channel from any orbital position. The basic model switches up to five satellites, while two of them can handle ten and additional 22 kHz switching makes room for up to 20 LNBs. Sound Check, fax +49-4322-6244 ITS Duo A pair of new receivers has now been launched from Germany's ITS GmbH Wachtberg. The its-767 is the attractive entry level model with 120 channels, 22 kHz switching, two Scarts and an additional phono output. Its big sibling its-952 S offers luxery at a fair expense, too: 240 channels, three Scarts, two IF inputs with 22 kHz switching as well as pulse width control, genuine PANDA 1 and a threshold of less than 6 dB. Both receivers are also suited for C-band reception and incorporate an IF-range from 920...2050 MHz. ITS GmbH, fax +49-228-326570 Upgrade Germany`s satellite specialist firm Kucharek introduces a range of upgrading kits for quick and easy conversion of a single satellite reception system into a multi viewer system. The AH-30 kit allows the mounting of LNBs made by Philips to aerials manufactured by Kathrein. Kucharek also offers other adapters and holders for upgrading other satellite systems from Kathrein`s range. Kucharek, fax +49-8257-8910 TELE-satellit Magazine This news is from the English language news service of TELE-satellit, a monthly satellite magazine edited in Munich, Germany. It consists of 132 pages, full colour with tables, charts and news with many off-screen photos of the satellite channels plus an informative technical section. Subscriptions are available for DM 120, Europe surface mail; DM 144, Europe airmail and DM 192, ROW airmail. Orders for subscriptions and more information should be sent to : TELE-satellit Customer Service, Silheimer Str. 6a, D-89278 Nersingen, Germany, Fax +49-7308-919001 Where to find satellite news : TELE-satellit News, English : CompuServe UK Forum (UKFORUM) - Windows Write / ASCII version, library 19 CompuServe European Forum (EURFORUM) - Windows Write version, library 5 CompuServe Deutschland on line (GERLINE) - Windows Write version, library 15 CompuServe Telecommunications Forum (TELECOM) - Windows Write version fax on demand +49-8282-81003 fax on demand +49-2163-81744 fax on demand +49-7308-919009 NBC Super Channel - NBC Text page 171 alt.satellite.tv.europe newsgroup on Usenet World Wide Web : http://xan.esrin.esa.it:2602/satellite.html Fidonet SAT.028 Fidonet SATELLITE.FR Fidonet RU.SAT Fidonet SATELLIT_R23.PUB Maus Net : tv.grp America On Line - from the "ham radio" area in the General file library. Anonymous FTP to : ftp.funet.fi /pub/dx/text/satellite/telesatellit CIX Skyguide/telesat conference SAT NET BBS network SweDX BBS, Swedish DX Association. +46-8-53034727 / Fidonet 2:201/339 Short Wave Paradise BBS, online 24 hours a day ! USA 616-383-4979 TELE-satellit News, German : CompuServe Deutschland on line (GERLINE) - ASCII version, library 15 CompuServe Der Spiegel Forum (SPIEGEL) - ASCII version, library 11 fax on demand +49-8282-81003 fax on demand +49-2163-81744 fax on demand +49-7308-919009 SAT 1 Text - page 513 SAT NET BBS network Other reliable sources of satellite news : � Radio Sweden Mediascan. 1st and 3rd Tuesday, 20 minutes into the English programme via Astra, Shortwave, Mediumwave 1197 kHz and the World Radio Network. Text and audio files of Mediascan can be found in the SCDX directory on ftp.funet.fi � Radio Netherlands Media Network, Thursday, 23 minutes into the English programme via shorwave and The World Radio Network � World Wide Web users can access TS News and the electronic journals above and more information via the European satellite home page, URL http://xan.esrin.esa.it:2602/satellite.html � The ProShow. Every Sunday night starting at 9:00 pm EST on the Omega Radio Network - Galaxy 3, Transponder 17, 5.80 MHz.