Cable TV doom coming to an area near you!

Below is a pdf document sent to me because of the field of work I'm in. It describes a condition that is about to happen where the sun will affect HITS satellites and your cable tv signal. The message went out to cable tv operators who use HITS satellites. Just food for thought for you guys. Not the end of the world, but at least this will help determine the cause if we start seeing outages in service in the next month or so.



Operations Management Center
To:
Headend Manager
Tech Ops Manager
From:
Operations Management Center
Date:
February 16th, 2012
Re:
Spring Sun Outages
Pages:
4
Twice each year, the sun is positioned directly in line with the ground-based satellite dish antennas used to receive CATV programming. This positioning causes programming interruptions as the sun’s energy overpowers the C and Ku band signals transmitted by the satellites.
When the HITS Quantum digital signal is interrupted by the sun’s energy, the DCT set top converter displays “One Moment Please” on the affected channel(s). This condition will be present for several minutes each day during the sun outage period, which lasts for several days. Because HITS receives some of the programming used in the HITS lineup via satellite, some HITS programming services will be lost twice during this period as HITS experiences receive outages. Additionally, the ISO data stream (OOB data), which delivers addressable commands to set tops from the billing system, may be affected during the sun outage period. Systems that utilize Motorola’s national addressable control may be unable to send commands to set tops during the sun outage period.
HITS recommends that you peak and poll your receive antennas for the various HITS programming service to minimize any impacts and ensure optimal signal during these events.
Please direct questions to the Operations Management Center at:
1-800-426-7790.
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Operations Management Center
The following table lists the approximate dates and times of sun outages for HITS Quantum Classic programming received from Galaxy 17 for various locations. Please locate the city nearest you for the approximate times of the solar interruptions.
You may also calculate the outage period for your downlink on the IntelSat web site. The address is [link to www.intelsat.com] Then select the “Sun Interference Calculator” link from the left side menu. This will open a new window. Select Satellite: “Galaxy 17” and Analysis Type: “Single E/S Input Mode.” Then enter your country, city, and dish size. For locations not included in the pull-down list, select “E/S Latitude, Longitude & Diameter” to enter the coordinates for your head-end. The Frequency Band will be “C.” Click on “Calculate” at the bottom of the page, and a table of solar interference durations for your area should appear.
For additional signals not covered by IntelSat, please visit the specific satellite carrier’s web site for additional information on sun outage calculations.
SUN OUTAGES FOR HITS SERVICES TRANSPORTED ON GALAXY 17 C-BAND FREQUENCIES
LOCATE THE CITY NEAREST YOUR SYSTEM FOR APPROXIMATE OUTAGE TIMES
Anchorage, AK
Feb 26 – Mar 02
08:57 – 09:06 AM AKST
Atlanta, GA
Mar 03 – Mar 08
13:14 – 13:24 AM EST
Boston, MA
Feb 29 – Mar 05
13:20 – 13:30 PM EST
Chicago, IL
Feb 29 – Mar 05
12:12 – 12:22 PM CST
Dallas, TX
Mar 03 – Mar 08
12:07 – 12:16 PM CST
Denver, CO
Mar 01 – Mar 06
11:03 – 11:12 AM MST
Houston, TX
Mar 04 – Mar 09
12:07 – 12:16 PM CST
Kalispell, MT
Feb 26 – Mar 03
11:03 – 11:10 AM MST
Kansas City, MO
Mar 01 – Mar 06
12:09 – 12:18 PM CST
Little Rock, AR
Mar 03 – Mar 08
13:09 – 13:19 PM EST
Los Angeles, CA
Mar 03 – Mar 08
09:55 – 10:04 AM PST
Louisville, KY
Mar 02 – Mar 07
13:14 – 13:23 PM EST
Miami, FL
Mar 06 – Mar 11
13:16 – 13:26 PM EST
Minneapolis, MN
Feb 28 – Mar 04
12:10 – 12:19 PM CST
New Orleans, LA
Mar 04 – Mar 09
12:10 – 12:19 PM CST
Philadelphia, PA
Mar 01 – Mar 06
13:19 – 13:28 PM EST
Phoenix, AZ
Mar 03 – Mar 08
10:58 – 11:07 AM MST
Salt Lake City, UT
Mar 01 – Mar 05
11:01 – 11:09 AM MST
San Francisco, CA
Mar 02 – Mar 07
09:55 – 10:03 AM PST
Seattle, WA
Feb 28 – Mar 04
09:57 – 10:07 AM PST
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Operations Management Center
The following table lists the approximate dates and times of sun outages for HITS Quantum SD programming received from SES 1 for various locations.
Please locate the city nearest you for the approximate times of the solar interruptions. You may also calculate the outage period for your downlink on the SES Americom web site, at [link to skyline.ses-worldskies.com] From there, enter the satellite as “SES 1.” Be sure to include the diameter of your antenna. The Season will be “September Equinox” and the Frequency band will be “C.” Click on “Site Location” to enter latitude and longitude, or click on “Major Cities” to use the pull-down menu to the right. Click on “Calculate” at the bottom of the page, and a table of solar interference durations for your area should appear.
For additional signals not covered by SES Americom, please visit the specific satellite carrier’s web site for additional information on sun outage calculations.
SUN OUTAGES FOR CMC SERVICES TRANSPORTED ON SES 1 C-BAND FREQUENCIES
LOCATE THE CITY NEAREST YOUR SYSTEM FOR APPROXIMATE OUTAGE TIMES
Anchorage, AK
Feb 25 – Mar 03
09:37 – 09:50 AM AKST
Atlanta, GA
Mar 02 – Mar 09
13:58 – 14:11 PM EST
Boston, MA
Feb 28 – Mar 07
14:03 – 14:16 PM EST
Chicago, IL
Feb 28 – Mar 07
12:56 – 13:09 PM CST
Dallas, TX
Mar 02 – Mar 10
12:51 – 13:04 PM CST
Denver, CO
Mar 02 – Mar 08
11:47 – 12:00 PM MST
Houston, TX
Mar 05 – Mar 11
12:52 – 13:05 PM CST
Kalispell, MT
Feb 26 – Mar 05
11:46 – 11:56 AM MST
Kansas City, MO
Feb 29 – Mar 07
12:52 – 13:06 PM CST
Little Rock, AR
Mar 02 – Mar 09
13:54 – 14:07 PM EST
Los Angeles, CA
Mar 02 – Mar 09
10:39 – 10:52 AM PST
Louisville, KY
Mar 01 – Mar 08
13:57 – 14:10 PM EST
Miami, FL
Mar 05 – Mar 12
14:01 – 14:14 PM EST
Minneapolis, MN
Feb 27 – Mar 06
12:53 – 13:06 PM CST
New Orleans, LA
Mar 03 – Mar 11
12:55 – 13:08 PM CST
Philadelphia, PA
Feb 29 – Mar 07
14:02 – 14:15 PM EST
Phoenix, AZ
Mar 04 – Mar 09
11:43 – 11:54 AM MST
Salt Lake City, UT
Feb 29 – Mar 07
11:44 – 11:57 PM MST
San Francisco, CA
Mar 01 – Mar 08
10:38 – 10:51 AM PST
Seattle, WA
Feb 27 – Mar 05
10:40 – 10:53 AM PST
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Operations Management Center
The following table lists the approximate dates and times of sun outages for HITS Quantum Classic and Quantum HD programming received from AMC 18 for various locations.
Please locate the city nearest you for the approximate times of the solar interruptions. You may also calculate the outage period for your downlink on the SES Americom web site, at [link to skyline.ses-worldskies.com] From there, enter the satellite as “AMC 18.” Be sure to include the diameter of your antenna. The Season will be “September Equinox” and the Frequency band will be “C.” Click on “Site Location” to enter latitude and longitude, or click on “Major Cities” to use the pull-down menu to the right. Click on “Calculate” at the bottom of the page, and a table of solar interference durations for your area should appear.
For additional signals not covered by SES Americom, please visit the specific satellite carrier’s web site for additional information on sun outage calculations.
SUN OUTAGES FOR CMC SERVICES TRANSPORTED ON AMC 18 C-BAND FREQUENCIES LOCATE THE CITY NEAREST YOUR SYSTEM FOR APPROXIMATE OUTAGE TIMES
Anchorage, AK
Feb 24 – Mar 03
09:55 – 10:08 AM AKST
Atlanta, GA
Mar 02 – Mar 09
14:16 – 14:29 PM EST
Boston, MA
Feb 29 – Mar 07
14:21 – 14:34 PM EST
Chicago, IL
Feb 28 – Mar 07
13:14 – 13:27 PM CST
Dallas, TX
Mar 02 – Mar 10
13:09 – 13:22 PM CST
Denver, CO
Feb 29 – Mar 07
12:05 – 12:18 PM MST
Houston, TX
Mar 03 – Mar 11
13:10 – 13:23 PM CST
Kalispell, MT
Feb 26 – Mar 05
12:03 – 12:14 PM MST
Kansas City, MO
Feb 29 – Mar 08
13:11 – 13:24 PM CST
Little Rock, AR
Mar 02 – Mar 09
14:12 – 14:25 PM EST
Los Angeles, CA
Mar 02 – Mar 09
12:57 – 13:10 PM PST
Louisville, KY
Mar 01 – Mar 08
14:15 – 14:28 PM EST
Miami, FL
Mar 05 – Mar 12
14:19 – 14:32 PM EST
Minneapolis, MN
Feb 27 – Mar 06
13:11 – 13:24 PM CST
New Orleans, LA
Mar 03 – Mar 11
13:13 – 13:26 PM CST
Philadelphia, PA
Feb 29 – Mar 08
14:20 – 14:33 PM EST
Phoenix, AZ
Mar 02 – Mar 09
12:01 – 12:14 AM MST
Salt Lake City, UT
Feb 29 – Mar 07
12:02 – 12:15 PM MST
San Francisco, CA
Mar 01 – Mar 08
10:56 – 11:09 AM PST
Seattle, WA
Feb 27 – Mar 05
10:58 – 10:11 AM PST