ARCS Television

By My Calculations

2012-01-19T12:16:00.000-08:00

Consumers of television and television-like programming have more options today for delivery of content than ever before. Amid all the chaos and confusion that accompany emerging marketplaces and overlapping technologies I have seen it frequently stated that over the air television (OTA) is a dead or dying medium. I am not an expert on the subject and I won't try to completely voice my disagreement with these statements, but I will point out two items that inform my opinion.

First, the sheer bandwidth capacity of OTA television is impressive, more so when compared to typical consumer bandwidth plans both mobile and landline. For comparison, a mobile user on AT&T's network can get 2 GB of throughput per month for $30. A cable television modem might bring 100 GB of throughput for $100 per month. At first these seem like insurmountable usage limits, but consider the proliferation of services and providers who increasingly invite their consumers to stream video and audio on these networks. A single user at home might not exceed their limits, but multiple users such as a family surely will test them. I know this from personal experience and the overage charges can be quite shocking, if not downright painful.

A single channel of OTA digital television delivers 6 terabytes per month. From my house I can receive six such stations. That's about 36,800 GB of throughput. And I live in a relatively small market for television. And I don't directly pay for that data.

I know, it's not an apples-to-apples comparison. Still, it is impressive.

The second item I want to point out is the recent agreements reached between the NFL and broadcast television networks. The headline reads, "CBS, FOX & NBC Sunday packages extended through 2022 season – longest-ever NFL agreements with over-air broadcast partners" Here's the link.

The point is this: People who are much smarter than I are investing an incredible amount of resources in the future of broadcast television.

Almost everything about television, from the way it is created and produced, marketed and distributed, to its eventual delivery to consumers, and certainly the many ways in which it is consumed, have changed and will continue to change. But whatever happens in the commons, my money is on the broadcast networks remaining firmly ensconced at the top. And for viewers of the ARCS Television Network, that's a good thing.

ARCS Satellite To Make Its Biannual Solar Transit

2011-02-18T16:49:00.000-08:00

As we approach the vernal equinox, consumers of satellite communications services are mindful of the brief outages we experience when the satellite at which we peer briefly crosses paths with the sun.

For AMC8, (aka Aurora III) the satellite serving Alaska at 139°W, expect outages to begin as early as February 23^rd, and last until as late as March 5^th. Outages will occur between noon and 1:00 PM and will last from 5 to 15 minutes. The ARCS multiplex on transponder 18 and all associated services will be affected by these outages, including:

ARCS TV

Alaska One TV

University of Alaska TV

APRN

KSKA

KUAC

KCAW

KUCB

Any other audio services

Also affected will be the SCPC satellite radio services on transponder 24, including:

APRN

KNBA

KMXT

You can calculate more exact times and dates at this web page.

Public Radio stations with NPR satellite dishes can find out more about their solar transit outage schedule at this link.

February 2011 RMT

2011-02-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

ARCS Television successfully received and relayed the RMT at 0752.

Audio, though intelligible, was distorted and partially obscured by static. It was not the correct audio for this test, a problem that has been traced to the equipment at the site responsible for generating this month's test. Information in the video crawl generated by the ARCS equipment was correct as to time and type of test. EOM tones from the originator were delayed, causing some decoders to timeout, as shown on the tape from APBI's confidence decoder. The ARCS decoder at the uplink did not abort and stayed connected until EOM tones were relayed (they are heard at the end of video).

ARCS Successfully Partipated in the 2011 Alaska EAN Live Code Test

2011-01-27T11:12:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, January 26, 2011, at 10:00AM Alaska time, the ARCS Television Network successfully received and relayed the EAS test consisting of the live EAN code and extended test message. Following is a recording of the test as seen from an ARCS satellite receiver at our downlink monitoring rack, along with an image showing the printout from a Sage ENDEC connected to the same ARCS satellite receiver for demonstration and confidence purposes.

As the video begins you see the top of hour ID from Alaska One, then the scheduled switch at 10:00 to KTVA where they are in a furniture commercial. A few seconds later the test begins. The header tone audio is muted for this recording. You can see the ARCS crawl, then the KTVA test slide, then the ARCS slide for the duration. Inside the crawl, you can see the time is off by one hour due to an error in the GMT offset inside the ARCS ENDEC. This did not affect any downstream system; it only affected the time displayed in the ARCS crawl. Audio from the test message begins 50 seconds later, it is clear and easy to understand. At the end of the test the EOM is heard and the system returns to normal programming.

Here is an image of the tape printed by the Sage ENDEC at the APBI offices. This represents how any decoder listening to ARCS would have performed. You can see from the time on the tape that this unit was not affected by the ARCS ENDEC offset error mentioned above.

ARCS plays a central role in the State of Alaska Emergency Relay Network as a conduit to commercial and noncommercial radio and television broadcasters. As provided for in the State’s Emergency Alert System Plan the ARCS satellite signal is a designated monitoring choice and is available to all Alaska broadcasters for their use in EAS participation.

ARCS to Relay EAN Test

2011-01-23T19:24:00.000-08:00

ARCS will participate in the upcoming live test of the EAN. The test will count as this month's RMT and will be held on Wednesday, january 26, 2011, at 10:00 AM Alaska Time. You can see the official post at www.ready.alaska.gov/test.

The ARCS satellite signal will relay the EAS test on the main ARCS channel inside our multiplex. Here are the details in case you need them:

Satellite: AMC8 at 139 degrees West, transponder 18, horizontal polarity.
Carrier: 1093.5 MHz (4056.5 Cband), 13.250 mega-symbols, FEC rate 3/4
Channel: 1, audio 1-L.

During the test ARCS will relay the audio from KFQD Radio in Anchorage, and a slide will be superimposed over the video. The test is expected to last approximately 3 minutes.

Following the test, video and audio results will be posted here.

ARCS TV goes down due to power outage

2010-04-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

At approximately 10:20 AM this morning the ARCS satellite multiplex went down due to an area wide power outage at the uplink suite in Fairbanks.

Update: at 11:40 AM the carrier resumed operation, however the content has not yet resumed.

Update: as of 12:00 Noon the power at the uplink suite was back up and appears to be stable. Most services on the multiplex have resumed.

April 2010 RMT

2010-04-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

ARCSTV successfully received and retransmitted the April RMT at 2325 local time, April 15, 2010. The test in the recording presented here was viewed at the APBI offices in Anchorage using a 3.0 meter C-band dish and a Scientific Atlanta D9223 receiver. The recording was made using a VHS tape recorder with audio source taken from the left channel of audio output #1.

This recording positively demonstrates the successful execution of the drill and delivery of the test material. Below the recording is the printout from the Sage ENDEC confidence decoder at the APBI offices, showing that the test signal as delivered by ARCSTV was properly distributed and relay-capable. In this case, the tape includes a reference at the end to a second viewing of the test across ARCS. This second iteration was not generated by ARCSTV; it was simply part of the source material, in this case KTVA Television, the Anchorage CBS affiliate, runing the RMT on a delayed basis. While viewers would have seen the test play a second time, station based equipment would have ignored it, as did the confidence decoder at APBI.

The ARCSTV signal is available to any person or organization in possession of a properly installed and functioning C-band satellite antenna and an MPEG-II DVB satellite receiver. ARCSTV's primary mission is to serve the residents of bush Alaska through a network of over 200 low-power analog television transmitters, but ARCSTV is also used by commercial and non-commercial broadcasters around the state as a monitored source for their EAS facilities.

March 2010 RMT & Tsunami Warning Test

2010-03-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

ARCSTV successfully received and retransmitted the March RMT at 0949 local time, March 24, 2010. This exercise also served as the annual statewide tsunami warning communications test. The test in the recording presented here was viewed at the APBI offices in Anchorage using a 3.0 meter C-band dish and a Scientific Atlanta D9223 receiver. The recording was made using a VHS tape recorder with audio source taken from the left channel of audio output #1.

This recording positively demonstrates the successful execution of the drill and delivery of the test material. Below the recording is the printout from the Sage ENDEC confidence decoder at the APBI offices, showing that the test signal as delivered by ARCSTV was properly distributed and relay-capable. The ARCSTV signal is available to any person or organization in possession of a properly installed and functioning C-band satellite antenna and an MPEG-II DVB satellite receiver.

ARCSTV's primary mission is to serve the residents of bush Alaska through a network of over 200 low-power analog television transmitters, but ARCSTV is also used by commercial and non-commercial broadcasters around the state as a monitored source for their EAS facilities.

Sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air.

ARCSTV will participate in the upcoming test of the Tsunami Warning Communications System set for middle of Tsunami Awareness Week

2010-03-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here's the info from NOAA's Alaska Region web page:

OFFICIALS TO CONDUCT TEST OF THE ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM
NOAA's National Weather Service and Alaska's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, in cooperation with local emergency management offices and the Alaska Broadcasters Association, will conduct a statewide test of the tsunami warning communications system on Wednesday, March 24 at 9:45 a.m.

The test is part of Tsunami Awareness Week, proclaimed by Gov. Sean Parnell as March 21 to 27. The week coincides with the anniversary of the Good Friday Earthquake - a devastating 9.2 magnitude earthquake that triggered deadly tsunamis in Alaska on Good Friday, March 27, 1964.

The communications test will involve NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards, the emergency alert system and other state and local communication links. Radio listeners should hear the familiar alerting tone followed by an audio message describing the test, similar to the routine monthly tests of the emergency alert system. Residents of some communities may hear sirens.

It is important to note that some television systems are programmed to scroll a standard message based upon the emergency code received. In some cases, the message may not contain the word 'TEST'. An audio message will say that it is a test, but if the volume is turned down or otherwise unheard, viewers may not realize the warning is a test.

The general public can participate in the test by monitoring NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards, commercial radio, cable TV or local television for the emergency alert system message. Local emergency management may use the test to help raise awareness of the tsunami hazard. If there is excessive seismic activity on March 24, the test will be canceled.

The public can provide feedback online at http://www.tsunami.gov/test. People monitoring the test in coastal areas who do not receive the test through commercial or weather radio should inform their local National Weather Service office.

Click here for answers to frequently asked tsunami-related questions

Sun Outages this week and next affecting ARCS.

2010-02-25T12:50:00.000-08:00

Our satellite footprint in Alaska is in the middle of Spring Sun Outages through March 4. ARCS satellite dish antennas around Alaska aimed at SES Americom's AMC-8 spacecraft (aka: Aurora III) are experiencing brief outages between 12:15 and 12:40 P.M. daily.

All services inside our multiplex on transponder 18 are affected, including ARCS, Alaska One, UATV, and the associated audio channels. Also affected are the SCPC radio channels on transponder 24.

These twice-yearly outages occur when the sun and the satellite we look at are aligned for a few minutes each day over the course of two weeks. They are not caused by sun spots.

February 2010 Required Monthly Test

2010-02-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

ARCS TV successfully received and retransmitted the test of Alaska's EAS on Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 0758 AST. The test in this recording was viewed at the APBI offices in Anchorage using a 3.0 meter Cband dish and a Scientific Atlanta D9223 receiver. The ARCS program service is part of a multiplex which includes several other video and audio sources. In the video you can see ARCS is in the upper left corner of the multi-monitor, and a second feed of ARCS from a separate receiver in the lower center position.

In the upper right is the statewide Alaska One PBS feed. In the lower left position is the closed circuit UATV channel from the University of Alaska. On the lower right, and on the separate monitor, is the local GCI cable service.

ARCS TV Successfully Participated in the Alaska EAN Exercise

2010-01-06T15:09:00.000-08:00

ARCS Television, in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the State of Alaska, and the Alaska Broadcasters’ Association, participated in the statewide exercise of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) in Alaska on Wednesday, January 6, 2010, at 10:00 A.M. AST. ARCS successfully received the simulated Emergency Action Notification and relayed it via satellite across Alaska to ARCS viewers in over 200 communities, as well as to radio and television broadcast stations and cable television systems across the state.

The ARCS system is monitored, maintained, managed and operated by Alaska Public Broadcasting, Inc., from it's headquarters in Anchorage where a FEMA observer joined the ARCS team as they monitored their part in the exercise. This first video was recorded on a Canon PowerShot A540 camera stationed in front of the main ARCS multi-monitor display. In the video you can see the ARCS channel at the top left, as well as bottom center, using two separate and different models of satellite receivers for confidence. In the video you can hear the exercise being carried out via the conference call on speaker phone in the background, as well as the audio over ARCS in the foreground.

At the time of the test, ARCS was carrying the local CBS affiliate, KTVA. just before the initial header burst is heard, you can see a slide proclaiming "this is a test" put up by KTVA. A few seconds later, the "Chill, It's Just A Drill" slide provided by the Alaska Broadcasters Association and designated by the State of Alaska's Emergency Preparedness Office, was invoked by remote control of the ARCS video switcher. You can see this slide was also used by the statewide Public Television channel, Alaska One, in the upper right hand corner of the display. In the lower right hand corner is a feed from GCI Cable TV, and at lower left the University of Alaska Television channel (UATV). The time displayed at center screen is accurate to within one second.

At the end of the test, you can hear the End Of Message (EOM) bursts indicating the end of the exercise on ARCS. As our system returned to regular programming you can see that the switcher was instructed manually (in error) to go to Alaska One for a couple of seconds before being further switched (correctly) back to KTVA. Even though the exercise had run its course and was completed at this time, you can see and hear some of the video and audio still present on KTVA.

You may be able to see in the crawl at upper right that the time listed for the event is 11:02 to 11:17. This should have read 10:02 to 10:17 and was the result of a an incorrect UTC offset inside the Sage ENDEC at the ARCS uplink suite. That error has now been corrected.

Below are images of the two printouts from the ARCS ENDEC boxes. First is the tape from the unit at the ARCS switcher showing that it did indeed receive the message from KFQD and successfully relayed the message. You can also see that the time error is evident on this tape. Second is the tape from the monitoring station at APBI's office in Anchorage. Notice that the time on this tape is correct, demonstrating that the UTC offset was correctly set on this unit.

This second video was recorded on a separate receiver tuned only to ARCS and fed into a VHS recorder. It was later converted into digital format for presentation here. This is what the ARCS viewers in communities around rural Alaska would have seen.

In summary, the ARCS and APBI staff are happy to have been able to participate successfully in this exercise and would like to thank all those involved.

November Required Monthly Test

2009-11-03T10:02:00.000-08:00

Another successful test of Alaska's EAS on ARCS was carried out on Monday, November 2, 2009 at 1531 AST. The test in this recording was viewed at the APBI offices in Anchorage using a 3.0 meter Cband dish and a Scientific Atlanta D9223 receiver. The ARCS program service is part of a multiplex which includes several other video and audio sources. In the video you can see ARCS is in the upper left corner of the multi-monitor. Watch the colors as they fly through the air.

In the background audio you can hear a second set of tones and data bursts. That is coming from the Sage ENDEC at the other end of the room as it responded to the test.

Sun Outages to Affect ARCSTV Services in October

2009-09-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

Beginning Wednesday, October 7th, at approximately 12:50 P.M., all ARCS satellite dish antennas, as well as any dish aimed at SES Americom's AMC-8 spacecraft (aka: Aurora III) will experience brief interruptions in service known as "sun outages". They will happen between 12:50 and 1:10 P.M. daily through Tuesday, October 20th.

All services inside our multiplex on transponder 18 will be affected, including ARCS, Alaska One, UATV, and the associated audio channels. Also affected will be the SCPC radio channels on transponder 24.

These twice-yearly outages occur when the sun and the satellite we look at are aligned for a few minutes each day over the course of two weeks. They are not caused by sun spots.

If you would like to calculate more precise calculations for your particular location and dish size, visit the SES Americom site and use the Sun Outage Tool.

Questions? Comments? Use the comment link below.

Saint Paul Island Gets New Satellite Antenna

2009-09-22T11:32:00.000-07:00

The long running project to replace both the Radio SIP and ARCS satellite dishes in Saint Paul with a single shared use dish has come to completion. As of September 15th the new dish began serving both roles, providing KUHB Radio with feeds for APRN and other SCPC satellite channels, as well as providing the community with their ARCS television feed.

Planning for the project began two years ago when it became obvious to APBI and KUHB managers that both dishes were experiencing dropout and increasing rates of failure due to extreme corrosion brought about by the severe environment in which the dishes exist. Since both dishes look at the same satellite, and both ARCS and KUHB radio are located in the same building in Saint Paul, a partnership was proposed that would split the cost of replacement and share the use of the dish. Further savings were realized when the decision was made to use the existing ARCS dish gabion mount, which appeared to be in good condition.

ARCS used Denali Commission funding to purchase and transport the dish to Saint Paul Island. KUHB used a combination of Rasmusson Foundation Grant funds and its own sweat equity to finance and oversee the construction of the new dish which included bringing a contractor to the island to perform the installation work.

As a result, the community received a valuable communications tool that serves both the local public radio mission as well as the community’s ARCS television service, both of which also include Emergency Alert System notifications which run across both APRN and ARCS networks.
The old dishes can be seen in their final days when they were completely failing as satellite receive antennas.

2009-09-10T13:36:00.001-07:00

The Amber Alert Test ran across Alaska today. Here is a video shot live of the monitor in APBI's offices as the alert was received over the ARCS satellite channel. There are 6 video displays shown on the monitor; ARCS is the upper left hand display, where you can see the crawl across the top, and the audio present on the leftmost audio meters.

The ARCS display is fed with a DVB MPEG2 PowerVu satellite receiver connected to a 3.0 meter Cband satellite dish on our roof. The receiver is tuned to the multiplex on AMC8, transponder 18. The audio is mono, available on both left and right channels. We have a Sage EnDec in the office for monitoring purposes, which we keep it connected to a dedicated receiver locked to the ARCS channel. The L-1 audio is connected to the Sage audio input #1.

Below is an image of the tape generated from the test. You can see that it received and then sent out the complete message (note that this unit does is not connected to a broadcast station, it is only used for testing and observation). As you can see, ARCS carried the complete test from start to finish with no drop outs.

If your station experienced a problem, please check your connections, your EnDec filters and programming, the clock on your EnDec, and if all else fails, contact me and we can try to help resolve the issue.

June Required Monthly Test

2009-06-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

Here is the video taken in our office. ARCS is the upper left monitor.

Results of the test...

2008-09-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

are in. The test of the Amber Alert System/Emergency Alert System (constituting this month’s RMT for Alaska) was successfully received, relayed and rebroadcast by the ARCS Television Network at 10:47 A.M., Thursday, September 11, 2008.

Here's a screenshot showing ARCS right off the satellite receiver in the upper right hand corner. (upper left is KTUU's DTV signal off air in Anchorage)

Standing by for a test...

2008-09-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

of the Emergency Alert System utilizing the Child Abduction Emergency (CAE) event code. That is, the Amber Alert. This test will be carried on ARCS Television. We'd love to hear from you if you see it and care to comment.

ARCS Television: Digital or Analog?

2008-09-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

Everybody wants to know if ARCS will be going Digital in time for the Februrary deadline. There are lots of PSA's on TV telling of the deadline and how your TV will not work after the digital conversion. But, that will NOT BE THE CASE for ARCS viewers!

Nationwide, there are around 1,800 television stations that must turn off their analog transmitters and go digital. However, the ARCS transmitter in your community is one of some 7,000 low power television transmitters nationwide that are not subject to the digital conversion deadline in February.

Confidence is high that ARCS will eventually go digital, probably in three to five years. That is why you may want to participate in the TV Converter Box Coupon Program. That program is set to expire in March 2009.

You can find out more about all these issues and get all the links here.

Meanwhile, relax and enjoy your ARCS television service with your regular TV's, even after the February deadline.

Update your Channel Lineup

2008-07-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

Here are the latest video and audio channel lineups for the SIP Multiplex.

VC-1, ARCS
Video, ARCS Television
Ch1-L & R, audio for the video, dual mono
Ch2-L, KSKA-FM mono
Ch2-R, APRN mono

VC-4, AK-1
Video, Alaska One programming
Ch1-L & R, audio for the video, dual mono
Ch2-L, APRN / Studio Feeds
Ch2-R, KUAC-FM mono

VC-6, MMX1P6
reserved for future use

VC-12, AK-3
Video, UATV, Governor's Window and other educational TV
Ch1-L & R, audio for the video, dual mono
Ch2-L & R, KCAW-FM, mono

VC-21 through 24 reserved for DTV use in the future.

Virtual Channels 31 through 38 are "audio only" channels with programming on output-1, L & R, dual mono, except where noted.

VC-31, reserved for future use

VC-32, KUAC-FM (stereo)

VC-33, reserved for future use

VC-34, KCAW-FM

VC-35, APRN

VC-36, KSKA-FM

VC-37, reserved for future use

VC-38, reserved for future use

Send corrections, errors or comments to arcstv@gmail.com.

Carrier Modifications Succesfully Completed

2008-07-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

This morning the planned modifications to our multiplex satellite carrier were successfully completed without incident. The new carrier is up and operating at its new frequency of 4056.5 MHz with a symbol rate of 13.250 Ms. Thanks to all the folks from Scientific Atlanta, KUAC, AT&T and APBI for helping make such a smooth transition.

If your receiver needs to be manually tuned, check out the links on this page or at www.arcstv.org.

Details of Mux-Mod now available

2008-07-03T13:07:00.000-07:00

Modification to the multiplex will take place on Wednesday, July 9, 2008, at 9:00 A.M., Alaska Daylight Time. Mods will result in a smaller, though no less effectual, carrier. The changes are being made to accommodate the departure of “360 North” (formerly Gavel to Gavel) from the bundle.

The changes to the carrier will cause a brief outage that will affect all satellite based audio and video services inside the AMC8, transponder 18, SIP Multiplex including Alaska One, UATV, and ARCS Television, and the audio feeds for KSKA, KUAC, KCAW and APRN. Please note that these actions will not affect and are not pertaining to the SCPC radio channels on transponder 24.

Scientific Atlanta PowerVu receivers that are operational at the time will receive new parameters automatically and should not need to be manually programmed.

Should a receiver need to be manually programmed, there are links to instructions for the SA PowerVu D9223 and the non-SA DMT 1050 on the right side of this page. We are developing end-user instruction set for the D9850 PowerVu receiver and will post a link here as well.

The new parameters for the carrier are as follows:

Center Frequency: 1093.50 MHz L-Band, or 4056.50 MHz C-Band.
Symbol Rate: 13.250 Ms.
The FEC rate will remain at ¾.

All Non-PowerVu receivers will need to be reprogrammed manually; if you are affected by this please refer to the parameters listed above and consult your owner’s manual for further instructions.

The duration of the outage is expected to be brief; on the order of a few minutes, especially for the majority of receivers which are PowerVu. For non-PowerVu receivers, there will be no obvious way of knowing exactly when the procedure has been completed, other than to enter the new parameters manually and wait until they lock on the signal.

If your receiver fails to absorb the changes and you are unable to tune it manually, contact ARCS Television Technical Support, toll free, at 888-840-0013 and leave a detailed message.

Satellite Multiplex set to change in July

2008-06-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

We'll be changing the characteristics of our satellite multiplex in July to accommodate the departure of 360North (formerly Gavel to Gavel) from the bundle. When we have a firm date we'll distribute the details. For most SA D9223 and D9850 receivers, the switch will be uneventful; the rocket scientists will deliver the instruction set directly to the receiver's brains and end users will not notice any difference. (except those users who were watching 360North)

There will almost certainly be a small percentage of the SA receivers, plus all non-SA receivers, that will need to be reprogrammed manually. We'll be posting instructions at http://www.arcstv.org/, and here of course, as soon as we get those details worked out.

Beginning July 1, 2008, 360North will be distributed by GCI; for more information on how to acquire their signal, contact Bill Legere at KTOO FM & TV in Juneau at 907-486-1670.

False Pass satellite dish takes a tumble

2008-03-14T11:47:00.000-07:00

From this...

To this...

During a storm this week the satellite dish in False Pass was lifted up off its mount and thrown to the ground. Local community volunteers got the dish put back up on its mount, but the damage is severe and possibly fatal. Check out more photos here.

The dish is reportedly picking up singal strength from a satellite, but it will probably not be able to acheive the necessary 2-degree beam width with this amount of damage. It's "out of round" for one thing, so it cannot generate a focussed beam. Also, the feed arms are bent and mangled and the feed collar is cracked, so the feed will not hang at the prime focus point.

Some engineer colleagues are taking a look at the photos and we're waiting for them to weigh in before making a final judgement on the dish's fate. Meanwhile, False Pass viewers are without ARCS until repairs or replacement can be made.

ARCS Television

2008-03-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

Greetings, from the ARCS Television office in Anchorage, Alaska.

You can find out more about ARCS by visiting www.arcstv.org. That's where you'll find information from program schedules to troubleshooting help.

This blog will feature more immediate information on community level TV operations including pictures and descriptions of the equipment on the ground where our viewers live.

You can submit posts and pictures of your village's ARCS equipment here, or share stories about ARCS TV in your community.

Thanks for visiting ARCS TV's blog.