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20. SAT lexicon – Explanations of technical terms
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SCART:
21-pin plug standard for bidirectional image and sound transmission. Switching voltages and data can also be
transmitted. 10-pin scart cables are sufficient for a satellite receiver or VHS video recorder. If a decoder or
Super-VHS video recorder is used, 21-pin scart cables must be used! There are 3 common standards, which
must be set on the video recorder or television so that the picture signal of the SAT receiver can be transmitted
faultlessly: FBAS (setting on TV/video e.g. “C-Video”) for SAT receiver, standard video recorder (e.g. VHS or Video8)
S-VHS (“Y/C” or “S-Video”) for Super VHS or Hi8 video equipment, sometimes also for digital SAT receivers.
RGB (“RGB” is used e.g. for laser disk players, decoders or large-screen projectors).
Switching voltage:
Switching voltages switch a connected device to a particular status (e.g. AV mode) via the scart cable. Switched on
satellite receivers and video recorders in playback mode usually “force” the television to switch to AV mode. Not all
TV and video devices recognise this switching voltage, and must be switched over manually if necessary.
Symbol rate:
Data speed of the signal.
Terrestrial:
Terrestrial programmes are transmitted from and received on earth (lat. “Terra”). This includes, for example,
TV programmes in the UHF and VHF range (including cable TV!) and VHF radio transmitters. Terrestrial antennae can
be connected to the SAT system via a so-called transfer switch or multi-switch with terrestrial input. Terrestrial
transmitters and SAT signals can thus be transmitted via a shared antenna cable and then be divided up again
using a SAT connection box (SAT/TV/Radio). The introduction of terrestrial programmes is recommended, because:
1. Not all TV and radio programmes (e.g. regional transmitters) are transmitted via satellite;
2. Terrestrial programmes can be recorded independently of SAT-TV;
3. They can still be used in the event of failure of the SAT system (e.g. antenna displaced by storm).
Transfer switch:
Transfer switches (sometimes integrated into multi-switches) are required to fan-in SAT and terrestrial signals.
These must be separated again by “reversed” transfer switches or SAT connection boxes.
Transponder:
Transmission unit on the satellite: In the digital range, the parameters are described by specifying frequencies and
symbol rates.
USALS:
„Universal Satellites Automatic Location System“. Allows automatic calculation of satellite position for rotary
satellite dish adjustment.
