ABSTRACT
Satellite news gathering (SNG) consists of a camera feeding into a small portable dish aerial transmitting a signal up to a satellite in geosynchronous orbit which relays the signal back to a base station and allows live coverage of events from locations inaccessible to normal land line or terrestrial links equipment. An SNG uplink system’s primary component parts consists of baseband signal processing, a modulator, an upconvertor, a high-power amplifier (HPA), an antenna with mounting support that can be steered to align with the satellite and signal monitoring. Any or all of these components may be duplicated to ensure continuity of transmission should a component fail. The SNG package may be housed in a vehicle or broken down into a number of equipment cases that are dismantled for easy transportation and then reassembled on site (flyaway systems). The modulation may be analogue or digital. Although flyaways are sometimes operated out of the back of a vehicle, a safe zone has to be created in front of the antenna with some form of weather protection for equipment and operator. Flyaway units are difficult to operate quickly and safely in busy city streets. A microwave link to a receiver on a prominent building is often the preferred option.
