Difference between revisions of "Satellite Abbreviations Dictionary"

Revision as of 19:42, 25 January 2008

Antenna - Satellite Dish

Autoroll/Key Autoroll - The reciever automatically updates the IDEA KEYS when the provider changes them so you don't have to enter them with your remote control.

Azimuth - The Left/Right positioning of the satellite dish

Back Haul - Live Feed / Up link feed (E.G. Sporting events, News , Etc.) (Meant for station affiliates only.) Note: Never call trouble number on the screen it's for TV stations only! (If they know you can see it, they may move it!.)

BB - Blackbird

BIN - A file in a BINary format suitable for flashing a ROM

Bird - A satellite

Bouquet - A group of channels

BOX KEYS - Secret keys that are in each receiver's firmware that identify the particular reciever.

BOOTSTRAP - Code that allows the receiver to power up and access the programming on the TSOP.

BSS - Broadcast Satellite Service. Also called DBS (Direct Broadcast Service). This is a satellite service that is uplinked for the specific purpose of reception directly by consumers. This includes XM/Sirius Radio, Direct TV, OffLimit, Off Limit, and Dish Network. Off limit, though a BSS service, actually operates in the FSS portion of Ku-Band.

BUD - Big Ugly Dish

Cable on a stick - Another name for the small dish

CAM - Conditional Access Module. With Dish/Off limit receivers, it is built-in. With FTA receivers such as Dreambox, it is a removable unit. CAMs process the information from the smart card and allow the receiver to decrypt channel information.

C-Band - 3700-4100 MHz (downlink) and 5925-6945 MHz (uplink) Frequency. Also the general name used for the big dish. Used mainly for commercial purposes: linking feeds to network affiliates and cable systems. Most of these are not intended for general use but you can subscribe to them and many of them are not encrypted.

Charlie - Charlie Ergen, DISH Network CEO. Also known as Dish Network

CI Slot - Commmon Interface Slot, CAM is inserted in this

Clarke Belt - Another name for the satellite belt. Named after it's discoverer, Arthur C. Clarke

Clean Feed - No commercials (Back hauls usually) E.G. Watch the Zambonie clean the ice.

CLONING - Changing the IRD number, box keys, bootstrap etc. in a receiver's TSOP to match another.

Closed - Encrypted or Scrambled channel

Composite Video - Phono (RCA) Video

Conditional Access - System in which access to a particular channel requires unit (box) information and channel tier information before decryption can take place. Used by Dish Net/Off limit receivers and CAM-equipped FTA receivers.

DAVE - Digital Audio Video Entertainment. Also known as DirecTV.

DISH Network - Digital Information Sky Highway Network

DBS - Digital Broadcast Satellite

Digicipher 2 - Encryption system and video standard created by Motorola. Used by StarChoice, 4DTV, and Digicipher 2 free-to-air (not the same as MPEG2 FTA).

Direction - Also called Azimuth

DiSEqC - Digital Satellite Equipment Control

DL Freq. - Delivery Frequency / Downlink Frequency

DSS - Digital Satellite System. Video standard used by Direct TV.

DVB - Digital Video Broadcast. Video standard used by Dish Network, Off Limit, PowerVu, and MPEG2 free-to-air.

ECM - Electronic Counter Measure

Elevation - The Up/Down positioning of the satellite dish

Encrypted - Digital Video and/or Audio have been encoded and require special keys or processes to make it visible.

EPG - Electronic Program Guide

FIRMWARE - Software in the TSOP that allows the receiver to run.

FLASHED - Software program that reads the TSOP bin and makes changes in specific locations such as; the IRD number, Box Keys, Bootstrap etc.

FSS - Fixed Satellite Service. Satellite service intended for commercial applications, such as transmitting feeds from an uplink facility to a downlink facility where it can then be processed for other uses. With few exceptions, FSS transmissions are usually not intended for consumers directly.

FTA - Free To Air, Non-encrypted channel (digital)

GHz - Abbreviation for GigaHertz

IKS - Stands for Internet Key Sharing and is used by NFusion Nova FTA Receivers. The Caveat is that you could potentially be traced by your IP address. The server is located outside of US and decreases the likelyhood of someone being able to raid the server and obtain IP addresses. If you are going to use an IKS receiver, go through a proxy if you are worried about being traced.

IRD - Integrated Receiver Decoder

IR - Infra-Red

ITC - In The Clear, Non-scrambled channel (analog)

JKEYS - Software used to read a receiver's box keys

JTAG - Joint Team Action Group. A device made of five resistors and a DB-25 connector that allows the receiver to communicate with a computer. (JTAG is used to read from or write to the receiver's TSOP)

Ka-Band - stands for "kurz-above". Frequency 17.7-20.2 GHz (downlink). Will soon be the standard for broadband internet via satellite and may even become useful for DBS at some point in the future.

Ku-Band (BSS) - 12.2-12.7 (downlink) and 12.7-14.5 GHz (uplink). Used for Direct TV, Off Limit, and Dish Network. This portion of the Ku spectrum requires a circular LNB.

Ku-Band (FSS) - stands for "kurz-under". The 10.7-12.2 GHz (downlink) and 12.7-14.5 GHz (uplink) portion of the satellite frequency spectrum. In North America, this portion of the Ku spectrum requires a linear LNB.

L-Band - 1000-1500 MHz satellite band. Most commonly used for Radionavigation (GPS) and weather satellite use.

LNB - Low Noise Block converter

LNBF - LNB Feedhorn - Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) and many Ku (FSS) dishes use an LNBF, which integrates the antenna's feedhorn with the LNB. Small diplexers are often used to distribute the resulting IF signal (usually 950 to 1450MHz) "piggybacked" in the same cable TV wire that carries lower-frequency terrestrial television from an outdoor antenna. Another diplexer then separates the signals to the receiver of the TV set, and the IRD of the DBS set-top box.

L.O. Frequency - Local Oscillator Frequency (C-band = 5150, Ku Linear = 10750, Ku Circular = 11250)

LOOPED - A card that has lost its ATR (Answer to Reset)

MCPC - Multi Channel Per Carrier

MHz - Abbreviation for MegaHertz

MPEG II - Moving Picture Experts Group II, A system for compression of digital data

MUX - A group of channels on same frequency

NAG - An on screen error message

NAGRA 1&2 - Nagravision encryption (Dish Network )

NTSC - National Television Standards Committee. TV standard used in North America, Japan, and most of Latin America.

Open - In The Clear or Free To Air

Open Access - System in which access to a provider's entire network is accomplished by entering the public and parity keys. Used by the popular Fortec and Pansat receivers, as well as DVB-S cards.

P4 & P5 - Videoguard encryption (Direct TV, Sky Mexico systems)

PAL - Phase Alternating Line. TV standard used in most parts of the world, including Asia, Europe, and Australia.

P-Band - 200-1000 MHz satellite band used for amateur DXing and weather satellite use. 200 MHz is the lowest satellite frequency possible because frequencies lower than that bounce off the ionosphere.

PCR - Packet Clock Rate

PID - Packet Identifier

Pizza Dish - Generic name for the small dish

Polarization - The physical orientation of the waveform from the satellite. R/L are right and left 'circular' rotation similar to a corkscrew. H/V are horizontal/vertical similar to a fishing line cast either overhand or sidearm.

Rain Fade - When rain or snow affect the satellite signal. Also called attenuation.

RF - Radio Frequency

S-Band - 2310-2690 MHz frequency. The 2310-2360 MHz portion is used for XM and Sirius Radio. The higher portion (2500-2690 MHz) is allocated for DBS television service; but due to the small size of the spectrum, it has not been used.

SCPC - Single Channel Per Carrier

Scrambled - Analog video has been manipulated so that it is not intelligible.

SECAM - Another TV standard used primarily in France and Russia.

SKEW - Rotation (Clockwise / Anti-Clockwise) of the LNB or LNBF

Smart Card - A credit-card sized card with a microchip containing decryption information. A smart card is read by a CAM.

SOFTWARE FIX - A software upgrade that gets around a NAG or ECM

Symbol Rate (SR) - Size of the digital package transmission

TP - Transponder

TP Autoroll - The reciever automatically updates the channels to the correct transponders when the provider moves channel around on the transponders.

TSOP - Thin Small Outline Package (The memory chip within the receiver, which contains the software to run it

UHF - Ultra High Frequency

V-Band - Frequency 47.2-275 GHz. V-band is actually a generic term for the several FSS bands that exist in that huge portion of the spectrum.

VC - Virtual Channel

VC II+ - VideoCipher II + decoder

Wild Feed - Show that is not yet scheduled to air. (Meant for station affiliates only.) Note: Never call trouble number on the screen it's for TV stations only! (If they know you can see it, they may move it!) Also, you will probably see "dead Air." (black screen) This is where the TV stations insert thier local commercials

X-Band - 7250-7750 MHz (downlink) and 7900-8400 (uplink) frequency. Used for military purposes.