Satellite TV Observations

I’m back, at around 7:30 tonight, the channel name for ABN Uplink 1 become ABA Uplink 1.

Does anyone know what the ABA callsign is assigned to?

I also have a cap of ABC News Canberra coming via Optus D2 which I will upload.

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Awesome

What satellite do you use and how do you get the channels

Not my receiver hence the phone photos but I think it was used to receive ERT on D2.

The receiver is I think a Humax but from 2008 according to the firmware.

No VAST as it’s located in Inner Melbourne and the receiver is not VAST approved.

It can receive, RT, Sky News (encrypted) ABN,ABV,ABW,ABA??? Uplinks (Rotates per scan) TRT Turk, SC10 (When I first saw it, I thought it was Southern Cross Ten.)(Now removed) and many others, mainly non English.

No ABC or SBS transmitter feeds / radio feeds.

Based on that list would it be ABC from ACT?

That’s definitely Optus D2. ABC have open feeds on there. I watch them sometimes, especially when there’s an OB truck out. It’s fun to see them prep.

VAST is on Optus C1/D3, not D2.

ABN = New South Wales
ABV = Vic
ABW = Western Australia
ABA = ACT

These are ABC Uplink channels for live crosses I think.

Rest of the Turk/Arabian channels indicate this receiver might be for catching international foreign-language news channels? I’ve read it’s quite common for some multicultural areas of cities to offer “services” to tune into foreign-language programming.

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Is D2 the former satellite for remote broadcasting which VAST replaced?

Correct, it was used to receive a channel that’s no longer on D2.

D1/D2 seem to be the same on the receiver anyway.

No. VAST and its predecessor, Optus Aurora, were always on the Optus C1/D3 platform (156°E). Optus D2 (152°E) replaced Optus B3 back in 2004 (IIRC). It’s always had foreign and religious channels on it as well as ABC feeds.

Interestingly, VAST is still referred to as Aurora internally at Optus.

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Ah okay, I used Aurora to pick up Australian TV from PNG back in the day. Cool that the name lives on at Optus.

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For those who can’t get enough of the background music on VAST Ch. 800, here it is in all its glory. It’s also looped ad infinitum on many SBS radio transmitters around the country, as they are supposed to relay SBS off VAST (the receiver has reset).

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I am in the bar of the Hotel Coronation in Park St Sydney right now and the cricket is on… Imparja!!

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Interestingly the hotel across the road (The Criterion) has the cricket on Nine.

Some interesting ads on Imparja… Dog food for “the working dog” (can’t remember what it’s called and I’ve never heard of it before).

Only “local” ads I saw were for the Townsville 4WD Centre (despite not being in an IMP area), and for a whitegoods and electrical retail outlet in Katherine.

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I’d say advertising on Imparja is super cheap so it would just be some brownie points for the 4WD Centre.

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The Coronation may be in a blackspot area of Sydney (there may be tall buildings around it that blocks reception of Sydney TV via the Gore Hill and/or Kings Cross transmitters). I remember in Melbourne there is a cafe in Swanston Street (which has since closed down) which received VAST on their television instead of the Melbourne channels via Mt Dandenong or Como, most of the time the TV was on Southern Cross Central Seven. Same reason - there are many tall buildings in that area. There are a few suburbs of Melbourne which are still blackspot areas even though there are several infill translators, mainly in hilly areas

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Even if it’s in a blackspot area, I’m somewhat surprised that a bar in Sydney (which presumably, would also have satellite TV to receive Pay TV sports channels) would rely on VAST for free to air services rather than using the retransmissions of Sydney channels on Foxtel satellite.

Interesting observation nonetheless though! :slight_smile:

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The ACMA should make it easier to re transmit in blackspots just like the analog days!

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Yes, that surprised me the most too… As that bar has FOX Sports as well.

The Criterion on the other side of Pitt St has an antenna on it’s roof pointed at the Kings Cross TX though it’s line of sight is similarly obstructed.

I saw a bit of the BBL on Ten Central last night too… Saw an ad for a hardware/online store in Rockhampton and a couple of Alice Springs ads - one being for a new real estate subdivision in that town.

I might have to come back down to Sydney when the Australian Open tennis is on to watch some SC / Seven Central at that bar :smiley:

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IIRC, someone had a live stream of SCTV…

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is it this one?

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