SATELLITE 2012 is the center of the satellite communications universe according to the show, and it definitely is the biggest event in this industry. As they say on their web site, it is  where attendees can immerse themselves in sessions and drill deep into topics of importance with panels, roundtables and user discussions led by thought-leaders, pioneers and innovators in the global satellite marketplace.  The application areas include military/government, commercial, broadcast, mobility, telecommunications and others.

I look forward to meeting with the Satellite Interference Mitigation Group which addresses the problem of RF Interference that affects all satellite operators.  Technology such as auto deploy and the decreasing size of antennas are contributing to the problem along with streamlined operations, installation and the lack of training are just some of the areas where interference is caused. It will be interesting to see what kind of programs they are implementing in order to fix these issues.

Some pre-show news included:

Rogers will be featuring two of their leading laminates; RT/duroid 6035HTC which is a ceramic-filled, PTFE composite material designed especially for high-frequency, high-power applications, such as antenna beam-forming networks and power amplifiers for wireless cellular communications networks plus RT/duroid 5880LZ laminate materials which feature the industry’s lowest available dielectric constant of 1.96 in the z-axis at 10 GHz with a TCDk of +22ppm/ºC.

Crane Aerospace & Electronics will be announcing and promoting its Interpoint® MFP^TM Point of Load. They are the first point of loads to be certified on an SMD to an RHA of 100 kRads. They will also be promoting their Microwave Switch Matrix.

Newtec is introducing new satcom technologies improving efficiency (Clean Channel Technology™, Cross-Layer-Optimization™, New High Speed Ku/Ka band modem, and more) and contributing to the industry's progress with Extensions to DVB-S2 and Carrier ID.

L-3 Telemetry-West announced that it has signed a contract with Iridium Communications Inc. to upgrade the Satellite Control Segment (SCS) for the Iridium NEXT program using its InControl^™ software suite. Iridium NEXT, a comprehensive commercial space program currently under way, is a next-generation satellite network scheduled to launch in 2015.

This year WORK Microwave will introduce the new-generation DVB-S/S2 modulator with multistream technology and showcase the enhanced IP modem, now featuring a new powerful user interface and additional power supply for BUCs. Also on display will be the company's array of fourth-generation frequency converters.

AtlanTecRF says that its new ALR series of Satellite Loop Test Translators (LTT) introduces, for the first time, the concept of synthesised Local Oscillator (LO) frequency control to provide the user with a compact, versatile and comprehensive approach to satellite communications equipment alignment and quality monitoring in both the Ka-band and Ku-bands. The ability to select the LO frequency over a very wide range allows direct conversion from any spread of uplink frequencies to either any chosen downlink band or to L-Band, according to the model chosen.

I will be covering the show on Tues and Wed this week - hope to see you there!