AAP
Small Dish Service
This service was abandon with the introduction of Deregulation and the supply of cheaper and faster datel services in the early 90's.Transmitting Earth Station
Receiving Earth Station
RF Head
External Interface Unit
Personal Earth Station
Regional Sites
Services
Demultiplex And Selector (DAS)
Sytin R Digital to Analog Picture converter
Clients
Dish Hardware
Client Equipment
Earth station similar to this one on top of Queeensland Newspapers were used to uplinked the signal to the Australian owned satellites using the K band frequency.
A range of satellite dishs (1.8 metre and 2.4 metre) were used to received the signal.
SDS 1.8 metre dish.
2.4 metre dish .
The RF Heads came as both two way and recieve. This picture shows a head used for receive only and using a small cone.
To align the head, metal rods with a machined metal dish were used. The rods and dish were set to a predetermined length. The head was then placed on the arm and aligned to the rods.
External Interface Unit - EIU. This device supplied the RF head with power and IF frequencies.
Larry and David Crew working in Maryborough. Larry is checking for the voltage dip, which indicated the present of a satelitte signal
Analog meter used to monitor the voltage dip on the EIU
Personnal Earth Station (PES). This device was connected to the EIU via a multi core cable. By putting special cards the PES this enabled AAP to offer the client a selection of services. Some units were able to transmitt back to Sydney to give a two service. Normally the unit was used as a one way service to which the clients equipment was connected.
AAP installed this equipment in the regional areas of Australia to overcome the problems with distance and the costs for higher priced data lines from Telecom. The Queensland office serviced clients from Darwin (NT) to Grafton (NSW) and regional Queensland. Most of the sites were the local regional Newspaper business.
AAP supplied the Regional News Service (RNS), Press Release wire (PR - part of the early Medinet Services), Corporate wire (HXX) and analog pictures from the AAP picture library, to the newpapers. AAP also offered regional stackbroking firms and private individials Market information with Australian Market Quote (AMQ) and Newstrack. Some sites also took the two way service from Reuters using the Advance Reuter Terminal (ART). We installed this service in the Moree (NSW) district at Colley Cotton Farms.
DAS sitting next to the PES.
Digital picture unit "Sytin receiver". This was used by AAP to transpose digital picture grams into analogue picture grams for recording by the local paper.
Check out some of the Remote location where I have photos of.
