There are a number of ways to view "public domain", free satellite teleconferences offered by various programming sponsors. All of them are shown via satellite so if you can locate a steerable, analog C or Ku Band satellite downlink within your community, you can participate.

The key word here is "teleconferencing", a one-way video, two-way audio (1V-2A) viewing experience where you see and hear the presenter(s), but they cannot see you and can only respond to your telephone or fax questions. This is not to be confused with "videoconferencing" a 2V-2A technology where all parties see and hear each other.

C and Ku-Band dishes are the same as those old 5 to 7 foot diameter dishes some of our neighbors used to have in their backyards before the newer, smaller 18 inch digital DSS dishes came on the scene (which, by the way, usually are not used to receive these programs). These dishes rotate and can be pointed to designated target satellites in geostationary (meaning they follow the same point on the earth as it rotates) orbits about 23,500 miles up in the sky. There are still over 12,000 of these older C/Ku dishes operating around the country.

The National Guard, other military services and some Federal agencies also operate digital satellite networks using fixed dishes with digital compressed digital technology targeted to one satellite all the time. These networks include the Air National Guard’s "Warrior Network", (found at all ANG Air Bases and most State Capitals), the Air Technology Network (found at all USAF Bases) or the Satellite Education Network (found at most U.S. Army Bases). These networks are part of the government and military Government Education and Training Network (GETN) and they may be available for public use when military training schedules permit.

The Law Enforcement Television Network (LETN), a private, closed satellite network serving many police and law enforcement agencies across the country also carries many of our programs, schedules permitting, as does the Fire & Emergency Television Network (depending on the topic and scheduling). The California Police Officer's Standards Training Network (POST) found at most police agencies in California also can access this programming. The South Carolina Educational Television Network (SC-ETV) also relays most of these programs. These are some examples of where you can locate a downlink site. We also are working with several other corporate satellite network providers to open additional sites.

Finally, many communities, like Syracuse, NY have arranged with their local cable TV companies to carry these commercially-content free programs as a public service for the whole community.

We also identify 10-15 about new sites each week to add to our own listings. We have over 5,000 civilian locations and nearly 1,000 government and military locations identified around the county.

Let’s look at some of the various satellite downlink dishes you might use.

Here’s a ground mounted downlink "dish farm" at the Army National Guard Professional Education Center at Camp Robinson, in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The solid dish on the left and the mesh dish on the right are steerable C/Ku analog dishes that use the older, but still very viable analog satellite signals. The operators are able to rotate these dishes across the "Van Allen" arc to capture unscrambled programming from satellites like Galaxy 6, Spacenet 4, SBS6, or the Telstar Series. These satellites are operated by companies like Hughes, PanAmSat or Loral. In this case notice that while these dishes are ground mounted, they are located not only in an open field for a clear view of the Southern sky, but also away from vehicular and personnel traffic that might accidentally damage them.

The center dish is a fixed ground mounted Compressed Digital Video (CDV) dish that does not move. It is focused on only one satellite (Telstar 4) that services the military and Government and Education Training Networks. It’s programming signal is digital and is encrypted or closed to public use.

Unlike the C/Ku Satellite where any operator (even your neighbor if he still has one of these older analog dishes out behind the barn) can find a program if he has the right coordinates (or simply stumbles across it) and "pull" down a program, the CDV GETN digital dishes must be "forced tuned" or "illuminated" with an electronic key signal as a program is "pushed" down to each specific dish authorized to receive any given program. So unless the FAA or the USAF authorize each other network’s dishes, they cannot view the encrypted programming each one does.

OK, but how can I locate a satellite downlink site in my own community?

The first thing to do if your organization does not have its own dish or ready access to a satellite downlink dish, is to call us toll free at 877-820-0305. There may already be someone in your community registered for the same teleconference that may have space to accommodate your group too. We have over 6,000 current and past customers around the country. We will not refer you to locations that are known to charge for the use of their facilities like hotels, convention centers, and others.

If we cannot readily help you with a site, you may have to take the initiative and do some local detective work and coordination on your own. Here are ideas to explore.

A. Cable TV Public Access Channels: More and more communities are asking their cable TV stations to carry these programs. Many cable TV companies are required to furnish one or two channels for public access programming. Some cities and states also operate similar networks. Public access TV managers often welcome the opportunity to host these programs because:

1. They are FREE.

2. They are in the "Public Domain" not copyrighted, and can be videotaped for future replay.

3. They are commercially content free.

4. They have good production values (we use professional producers).

5. They perform a public service in helping to educate the public about worthwhile topics.

6. They help to fill up or round out a station's programming schedule.

B. National Guard State Headquarters, Air National Guard Bases, other military facilities. As previously mentioned, the National Guard and the other military services operate several satellite networks capable of receiving these programs. They also carry them regularly when their schedules permit.

C. School Districts and High Schools: Depending upon the state, like Georgia or Florida for example, many high schools and school districts have their own satellite downlinks. Others, such as the many schools in South Carolina’s SC-ETV network, are linked into a "head-end" site that can relay the program across the state.

D. Community Colleges, Universities, Colleges and some Technical Colleges: Most of these locations have a satellite downlink. The downside at some of them is that they often want to charge a fee for outside group to use their facility even if it is for a public service program. One approach is enlist a partner on that campus such as the substance abuse counselor if they have one, or the university police. Let them make the official request which should overcome the fee cost and then ask for you and your group to be included as their guests. Use your schedule of upcoming programs as an incentive. It that fails, try to appeal directly to a senior campus official pointing out that these programs are public service oriented and would of great value to the community at large as well as the local campus.

E. VA Hospitals and other Hospitals: If you are fortunate enough to have a VA Hospital in your community, they often have a downlink. Many other local community hospitals also have a satellite downlink for the continuing education benefit of their staffs. Contact their education department. Unfortunately, none of these programs offer CME or CEU credits at this time, but many of these programs should be of interest to hospital substance abuse counselors. The California Distance Learning Health Network has several hundred downlinks within its state network for example.

F. Law Enforcement Agencies: Some local police departments, county sheriff’s offices, and federal law enforcement agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Agency, the US Customs Service and the FBI may have an analog satellite dish or they may subscribe to the Law Enforcement Television Network (LETN). Viewers in California and Arizona can take advantage of the Police Officer’s Standards Training Network (POST) which operates over 500 downlink sites in California and Arizona at local police departments and county sheriff locations.

G. City Governments and State Agencies: Call your city manager’s office and ask if they have a downlink or know of an agency within the city that operates one. Many cities do. Some state Departments of Health or Alcohol and Tobacco or Health and Human Services also operate these dishes. (Florida again, for example.)

H. County, State and Federal Court Systems: They sometimes operate these dishes.

I. Chamber of Commerce: Call the local Chamber of Commerce. Chambers in larger communities often have their own dish. If not, they usually know where most of the dishes are located in the community. One caution here, they may try to refer you to hotels or convention centers who usually will want to charge you. You may be able to appeal to the local manager for free use because these are public service, non-commercial programs. Have your group offer to buy lunch there.

J. Other Agencies: Other agencies you might try depending upon your part of the country include: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM, very good in West); Your county agricultural extension office (best in the Midwest heartland); The Army Corps of Engineers; The Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Customs, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA); local 4H clubs, and the FBI.

K. And as a last resort: This actually works in some of the more rural parts of this country… try your local sports bar. They surely are not watching any football games on most Wednesdays when these programs usually air. It is the owner’s opportunity to "give back" to the community by hosting these programs. You can offer an incentive of having your group buy finger food and ice tea or even a meal. Finally, many farmers and other private individuals still have their older C/Ku mesh or solid dish antennas out in the front yard. These WILL work, given the correct coordinates.

Here’s an example of a pole mounted, steerable, C/Ku dish on the side of a building.

Cruise around your city or town and stop when you see one. Chances are, if it is located in a school, city building, or public agency, it might be available for shared use.

Here’s an example of a satellite rich environment. I wish it were on my roof. Let’s examine each dish. The mesh dish in the center is a steerable C/Ku dish and we’ve discussed those above.

The elliptical DBS dish on the left could be a "DirectPC" or "Starband" dish with two Low Noise Blockers or LNBs which not only allow reception of satellite based television programming, but also local programming as well. It might also be used for high speed, wide bandwidth, two-way Internet connectivity. The dish on the right, is a straight Direct Broadcast Satellite television reception dish similar to DirectTV or Echostar network dishes. This one is only for television reception. Both small dishes are fixed and do not move and stay targeted upon the respective satellite supporting their respective television providers.

NEITHER of these smaller dishes will receive ANY of the programming we have been discussing. The only exception are a very few Department of Education Satellite satellite programs which use Echostar DBS dishes located at a few schools.

I don’t think that anyone would disagree that webstreaming or webcasting are the technologies of the future. For most of us currently, however, this technology provides a less than enjoyable viewing experience. Using software like Real Video we can connect to a live or archieved program via the Internet, but the majority of users lack the wide bandwidth connectivity to make it a very pleasant experience. Usually we see a small portion of our screen filled with some fuzzy, herky jerky images along with some audio. Depending upon how busy the Internet is at the time you are receiving the programming, the program can stream reasonably well or suffer a series of starts and stops as the video and audio data is buffered repeatedly.

…bottom line? For most of us, this technology not ready for "prime time".

Still, we and others, like the Centers For Disease Control

(see: http://www.cdc.gov/phtn/calendar.htm),

will continue to experiment with this technology and use it occasionally when the sponsors are willing to pay for it.

So, in conclusion, we hope that this has given you an understanding of the different types of satellite platforms and their capabilities as well as some ideas where you might find one that fits your need. Remember, if you are still confused, just call us.

May IGOR, the satellite god, always keep your electrons flowing…

Ed Kronholm
Satellite Programs Coordinator
TF: 877-820-0305
Email: ed@dlnets.com