Satellite Dishes - is there life after IPStar?

[pmrid]

I recently switched my internet to the NBN satellite service. My previous satellite service (we're in a rural location) was via the IPStar satellite - a Thai-owned satellite I believe. The new service is through the same satellite but a different tansponder or whatever and gives me a boost in bandwidth and the promise of more to come.

The switchover involved a whole new installation - dish and modem - and I now have another exhibit in my collection of ex-satellite dishes. It joins the subscriber TV dish that I removed when it became dull and repetitive.

But it's the IPStar gear that is getting under my skin a little. I have 2 of their sexy-looking modems as well. But to all intents and purposes, they have no use and no value. That seems something of a waste. So I'm wondering whether there is any use to which these things can be put?

I can see the big IPStar dish being propped up on some poles in the garden with a herb garden in it - and some bird mesh draped over the transponder. But somehow, that doesn't seem right.

Does anyone have any other ideas what use can be made out of these things?

Peter

[Tandum]

Get the shotty out ..... Skeet targets .... :cool2:

Is the new link much faster?

[tlgerdes]

How big is the dish?

Maybe you could try radio astronomy?:question:

[pmrid]

On paper, it's about 2.5 times faster but in reality it is not always terribly apparent.
In 2 years we are launching our own pair of satellites (they say) at which time the speed will double again. Believe it when you see it.
Peter

[pmrid]

It's about 80cm. The idea of radio astronomy has always intrigued me but I suspect the gee-whiz factor in listening the Jupiter hiss and the sun bubble would wear off fairly rapidly. If that was as much as you could reasonably expect without a major investment, I think I would rather buy a new CCD.

Peter

[Rat]

It's over two years now has this service got any faster ?

[pmrid]

Good joke!! If anything it has slowed. In fact, according to the IP provider's site, the satellite is at capacity and no further subscriptions are being sold. That probably means it has been oversold of course.

There has not been any mention in any media I have seen of the promised replacement satellite either.

Peter

[gary]

Hi Peter,

The satellite service you are using via IPStar is what is known as
the "Interim Service".

This was a temporary measure until NBN Co launches its own satellites
(currently scheduled for 2015).

Whereas the Interim Service uses bandwidth purchased from older satellites
that were optimized for television delivery rather than broadband
delivery, the two new satellites on order are purpose-built for high
speed broadband delivery.

They have been under construction for some time in California by
Space Systems/Loral and in March 2013 a $300m contract was signed
with Arianespace to launch them with two 777 tonne Ariane 5 heavy-lift
rockets which will deliver the payloads into geostationary orbit.

Press release here -
http://www.nbnco.com.au/about-us/media/news/nbn-co-arianespace-seal-launch-contract.html

In the long term, depending on where you live, you might get a fixed
wireless service rather than a satellite service.

Best regards

Gary

[astroron]

Peter,you are right about the speed,when I first got the NBN dish one click and you had the site you wanted,now it takes ages,especially FB and BBC web sites.:mad2:
Cheers
PS I couldn't use my old dish even if I wanted to,the Antenna bloke just threw it of the roof:shrug:

[pmrid]

Thanks Gary. That makes interesting reading indeed.
Peter

[stanlite]

From my time working in a MP's office the issue of the satellite service came up increasingly last year. Apparently the Labor government only purchased about enough "space" for 20000 or so subscribers at NBN speeds on various satellites that reach Australia.

They (or at least the NBN) then preceded to offer/advertise the service and naturally many people took it up (about 44000 to date). However, no additional bandwidth was purchased after the 9000ith subscriber. This resulted in a gradual slowdown in speeds as bandwidth was rationed to all subscribers.

I believe the coalition government is buying more bandwidth to help alleviate the problem but there simply isn't enough available infrastructure that is trained on Australia to lift level up to the advertised nbn bandwidth rates (at least til the satellites launch in 2015).

In the interest of fairness I will say I worked for a coalition member of parliament.

and here is the news article about the purchase of new bandwidth i tried to find earlier information about the over subscription but can't find the news story.

https://www.businessspectator.com.au/news/2014/3/26/technology/turnbulls-nbn-satellite-fix-promises-better-rural-services

http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/government-it/nbn-adds-capacity-for-9000-more-satellite-users-20140403-zqq1b.html

[The_bluester]

I would have to say that it has certainly put paid to the coalitions line of attack before they came into office was that launching our own sats was hugely wasteful and that the service should be supplied by buying capacity on existing sats.

IIRC, they mopped up most of the available capacity for the original interim service, presumably if the ALP was still in office they would be buying up whatever else they could get too.

Also interesting is the "Revelation" that the fixed wireless service might come to a crunch for lack of available spectrum, this is when it is apparently expected to deliver services to about 40% of the 4% of Australians it is to cover. It certainly puts the sword to the arguments that wireless delivery is the cure for all our ills and should have been adopted for the majority of the population.

I work in the sector and have been watchign the NBN circus since it's inception, I have more or less given up hope of anything sensible coming out of it in the next decade. I consider myself lucky to have gotten on to fixed wireless before the wheels fell off, now I just have to hope it continues to be affordable if other players are allowed to cherry pick the profitable areas and leave the low value ones to NBN Co, or whatever they change it's name to (They have changed just about everythign else)

[cometcatcher]

An 80cm dish could be used for Ku band free to air sat TV. Some channels are available locally and some from overseas. This is different FTA than what we have on terrestrial TV. It's a whole hobby on it's own. There's a forum dedicated to it. http://www.vetrun.net/forums/index.php

[hotspur]

We too had ipstar-towards the end,it got worse and worse,some days just would not work,and slow-the new NBN set up seems much better for us (touch wood),certainly faster and never drop outs like previous ipstar.

As the installation guy was finishing up,and got the modums/plastic boxes etc,and chucked them in the bin,the dish is still on roof,and going to be taken down,will chuck the dish,but the three legged bit with pole in middle could be useful. Maybe make a target stand out of it,a pole a bit smaller could slide in to hold a target,the legs could be bolted on to old hardwood,not sure yet,but it could be useful.

Maybe we could see what people make out of them.

[ZeroID]

Oversized salad platter ?