Television technology changes all the time. Have you ever wondered how satellite TV works?
What is Satellite TV?
Satellites that orbit the Earth transmit television signals to satellite dishes on the Earth. It was 1962 when the first satellite TV signal was sent from Europe to North America. A satellite called Anik 1 was the first satellite to transmit TV signals. Since the first satellite transmission, there has been no looking back. The technology for delivering satellite TV continues to be improved upon every day.
How does Satellite TV work?
Satellites that transmit TV signals are in orbit around the Earth. Satellite TV setups have a transmitting antenna or uplink satellite dishes pointed at certain satellites. These particular dishes are large in diameter to help increase the strength of the signal and help with accurate aiming of the satellite.
Inside the satellite are transponders that get the signals directly from the antenna. Once the signal is uplinked, it is translated to a frequency range that is the same as the transponders inside the satellite. The transponders send the transmission to the Earth, but before they get retransmitted, the signal gets translated to a different frequency that avoids the uplink signal.
Because the signal received by the dish is weak, it is directed to the feedhorn. The feedhorn is mounted on the focal point of the dish and collects the received information and then sends it to the low-noise downconverter or LNB. Then the LNB converts the signal so it is suitable to send through a cable. Then the LNB sends the signal to the satellite receiver through a coaxial cable that runs from indoors to the outdoor satellite dish. Finally, the satellite receiver sends the data to the TV and turns it to picture and sound.
While you sit home and flip channels on your TV, the satellite system is very busy sending information to your television. Take a min the next time you turn on your television think about all that goes on behind the scenes so you can watch TV.