Welcome New, First Time GETN Convergent Users!!
November 2000

…thanks for stopping by.

As most of you know, the entire Government Education and Training Network (GETN) community of satellite networks to include the US Army, USAF, US Navy, Air National Guard, Army National Guard, Defense Logistics Agency, DISA, DEOMI, and the US Coast Guard on the military side and the FAA, Department of Energy, Fish & Wildlife, Department of Justice and the National Park Service on the federal side are making a upgrade in digital satellite technology and moving from the old satellite support vendor, GE Spacenet, to the new vendor, Convergent. This upgrade in digital satellite technology for existing sites is scheduled to be completed across all services and agencies by 6 December 2000. Other services and agencies are expected to add additional new digital downlink satellite locations by the end of FY 2001. (DOJ – 200+ sites; National Park Service- 10-15 Sites; ARNG- 100 Sites (+/-).

Joined in partnership by the non-profit Housing Television Network (HTVN) that supports HUD and operates on the same satellite platform, we all hope to offer a wider range of (mostly) free, shared use programming to all GETN sites, both from within our services and agencies and from other, outside public domain sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, among others. Some of this programming will appeal to your specific audiences, some will not.

As the Army National Guard Satellite Programs Office has often coordinated much of the shared use, outside public domain programming in the past, we have volunteered to try and facilitate site registrations for all GETN sites that wish to view some of these programs. Thus, our office will be coordinating many, but probably not all, of these shared use programs.

While we are still in the early stages of working out coordinating instructions for all the GETN members, here’s how we hope it will work for the programs we are involved in.

First, the USAF (Dr. Westfall at AFIT) has volunteered to run the day-to-day schedule. Please go to this web site to see the current schedule:

http://getn.govdl.org/schedule_page.htm

You’ll see a schedule like this for each day:

Wednesday, 06 December 2000
(C) 0800-1600 DDMC (SEN)
(1) 0900-1700 MGT 423 Project Programming (ATTV) {USAFE}
(3) 1000-1600 J6ADL3S200-024 Objectives and Tests (SITV)
(C) 1300-1500 Minimizing Risks Through Office Ergonomics (HTVN-Open)

Note the coding in parenthesis following each program title. The first part indicates which service/agency is sponsoring the program and, if the program is open to all GETN members, the word "Open" will appear following that. Where possible, the sponsoring service/agency will also provide an expanded program description which can be reached by clicking on the hot-link as in the example above.

Next, if you want the program and it is one the Army National Guard Satellite Programs Office is coordinating, go to the on-line registration site and fill out the requested data.

Please check the schedule of your own network to see that you do not have a conflict that date and time. The first time you visit after you have switched to Convergent equipment, please use the long form above. After that you can use the returning customer form (assuming your designated IRD does not change from one program to another.)

We ask you to please use the long form the first time so that we can confirm your new site ID and an IRD which we will keep on file. The Air National Guard has asked its sites to use their "B" IRDs if they have two or more IRDs at each site for this type of programming. That leaves the "A" IRD for other ANG programming that may occur simultaneously. Your service or agency may have a different policy, but try to designate ONE IRD for use all the time for programming not sponsored by your parent service/agency. We’ll keep it on file and you won’t have to enter it each time.

For programs we coordinate, this is what will happen.

We will try and post program information as far in advance as we can and will display shared use programming 2-3 months ahead. The USAF will update the daily schedule as programs are added and we will update the Interagency Schedule at monthly.

You can register anytime. For some public domain programs, you will receive further coordinating instructions and final program confirmation about 5-7 days prior to the program. Please try and register prior to 72 hours before the scheduled broadcast date and time. This will give Convergent time to build the customized illumination list required for each interagency shared use program.

At Program (–) 72 hours, we will send you the same program illumination site list that goes to Convergent’s Operations Center. Please use it to confirm that you are scheduled and that we are illuminating the correct IRD. Your service/agency network operations office will also get that same list.

You can also "add-in" after the 72 hour window pre-program window closes and almost right up until the program is broadcast, but please understand that this causes disruptions for both us and Convergent and hopefully you can plan ahead to avoid this from happening often.

If you experience any problems, such as failure to illuminate during the test pattern, please call us first toll free, at 877-820-0305 or 888-820-4898 and we will try and fix your problem. You can also call your own network operations center, but they are less likely to be monitoring a program they are not originating. Keep calling until you break through. DO NOT LEAVE VOICE MAIL.

If you have additional questions about C/KU satellite operations or Video Teleconferencing Options you can continue reading below. Otherwise, you can return to the registrations page. Thanks again for taking the time to visit and review these procedures. We also ask for your patience for the first few months while we stabilize these procedures. Don’t hesitate to call if you have questions.

Ed Kronholm/Stephanie Scott
Army National Guard Satellite Programs Office
TF: 877-820-0305

(Hotlink back to GETN registrations page- ( http://www.dlnets.com/telereg.htm )

C/KU Analog Satellite Information: Some GETN locations are fortunate to have both C/KU analog and CDV/Convergent digital capable satellite downlink sites. Most public domain programs from outside the GETN community will be available on both C/KU and CDV/Convergent Networks. You will have the option to use either or both although if CDV is your first choice, please register your IRD prior to the 72 hour window. C/KU coordinates will be furnished 5-7 days prior to the program date to registered users. Most programs originating from within GETN will not be available on C/KU.

VTC Information: Several types of Video Conferencing connections are sometimes possible with these programs. Availability of VTC connectivity should be discussed in the expanded web description under "Availability" options that we hope will accompany each shared use program.

Let’s look at each in turn.

ARMY TNET: This is a closed VTC network that requires coordination with both TNET operations at Ft. Eustis and the Army Satellite Education Network at Ft. Lee.

NAVY CNET: This is also a closed VTC network that requires coordination with CNET operations at Bethesda, MD.

ARNG DTTP VTC: This is also a closed VTC system requires advance coordination with the ARNG NSACC, but it does have some limited capability to link with open VTC networks.

Dial-Up VTC: This open type of VTC is most common to civilian operators, but some military sites also have this capability. Some military VTC control centers can interface with these systems, some cannot. Check with your supporting VTC operations office.

My experience is that the use of VTCs in conjunction with satellite teleconferences is that they require far more advance coordination. Do not wait to coordinate if your plan or can use a VTC system in conjunction with one of these programs.