Glossary of Satellite Lingo & Abreviations

[K2skier]

Here is a c&p of a post made by Bigdish a retired moderator. He is still around and still helping people. Hopefully we will see him here also.
This one really helped me out a lot and thought it might be useful.
 
Antenna terms:
Antenna - Satellite Dish
BUD - Big Ugly Dish. Dishes that are 8 foot or larger.
MINI-BUD - Dishes that are 1.2 to 2.4 meter (4-8 ft).
FTA DISH - 80cm to 1.2 meter (30" to 48") dishes that are most commonly used for Ku-band free-to-air satellite TV.
TOROIDAL - Somewhat cone-shaped dish that is designed for several different LNBFs. Though not often used for Dish/BEV, it is a solution for receiving Dish/BEV satellites and True FTA satellites simultaneously without using a motor.
PIZZA PAN - The often pejorative term for the simple 18" dish used for direct-to-home satellite TV. The Dish Network proprietary version is called the Dish 300.
DISH 500 - Dish Net proprietary dish used for reception of Dish's 110 and 119 satellite locations.
SUPERDISH - Dish Net proprietary dish used for reception of Dish's 110 and 119 locations, as well as 121 or 105.
DISH 1000 - Dish Net proprietary dish used for reception of Dish's 110, 119, and 129 satellite locations.
DISH 1000 PLUS - Dish Net proprietary dish used for reception of Dish's 110, 118, 119, and 129 locations.
FOCAL POINT - The point on the dish's surface that receives the most direct signal from the satellite.
PRIME FOCUS - A parabolic dish that has the focal point in the center. Because the LNB and/or feedhorn are in the center of the dish, the apparent elevation and actual elevation are the same. Most commonly used with C-band.
OFFSET - A parabolic dish that has the focal point away from the center of the dish. The LNB and/or feedhorn are closer to the edge of the dish. The apparent elevation and actual elevation are different. Most commonly used with small-dish satellite TV.
Rain Fade - When rain or snow hide the satellite signal. Also called attenuation.
Elevation - The Up/Down positioning of the satellite dish
Azimuth - The Left/Right positioning of the satellite dish
SKEW - Rotation (Clockwise/Anti-Clockwise) of the LNB or LNBF
 
LNB terms:
LNB - Low Noise Block converter
LNBF - LNB Feedhorn - Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) & Ku (FSS) dishes use an LNBF, which integrates the antenna's feedhorn with the LNB. Small diplexers are often used to distribute the resulting IF signal (usually 950 to 1450MHz) "piggybacked" in the same cable TV wire that carries lower-frequency terrestrial television from an outdoor antenna. Another diplexer separates the signals to the receiver of the TV set, & the IRD of the DBS set-top box.
L.O. Frequency - Commonly (but incorrectly) called "LNB Frequency". Local Oscillator Frequency (C-band = 5150, Ku Linear = 10750, Ku Circular = 11250)
STANDARD (circular) - LNBF commonly used with Dish Net, BEV, and DirecTV. (LNB Freq = 11250, LNB Type = Standard)
STANDARD (linear) - LNBF commonly used with Ku-band true FTA, as well as Star Choice and Dish Net's 121 and 105 satellites. (LNB Freq = 10750, LNB Type = Standard)
SINGLE - One cable output.
DUAL - Two cable outputs.
UNIVERSAL - LNBF that can be used with North American Ku-band True FTA, although it is made for Asian and European satellites. Despite the "universal" name it cannot easily be used for Dish Net or BEV. (LNB Freq = 9750/10600, LNB Type = Universal)
INVACOM QPH-031 - A special type of LNBF made by Invacom that combines standard linear and circular LNBFs into one physical unit, though the linear side and circular side must be treated as two separate LNBFs. This LNBF can be used for both Dish/BEV and True FTA but is best used with a motorized dish. (Circular LNB Freq = 11250, Circular LNB Type = Standard, Linear LNB Freq = 10750, Linear LNB Type = Standard)
REVERSE CIRCULAR - LNBF meant to be used only for receiving Dish/BEV when using a toroidal dish. (LNB Freq = 11250, LNB Type = Standard)
LEGACY - The term for the Dish Net proprietary version of the Standard circular LNBF. The only difference is that the Legacy LNBF has the "Dish" logo on it. It is otherwise exactly the same. (LNB Freq = 11250, LNB Type = Standard)
DISHPRO - Dish Net proprietary LNBF type that uses DishPro bandstacking technology. (LNB Freq = 11250, LNB Type = OCS-DP)
DISHPRO TWIN - Two DishPro LNBFs assembled as one unit that has a built-in switch and can feed two receivers.
DISHPRO QUAD - Two DishPro LNBFs assembled as one unit that has a built-in switch and can feed four receivers.
 
Switch Terms:
DiSEqC - Digital Satellite Equipment Control (correct pronunciation is "die-seck"). This is the protocol used for most satellite TV switching aroung the world. The DiSEqC switch is best used with LNBFs that are not made by Echostar and comes in two varieties.
DiSEqC 2X1 - Two LNBFs to one receiver
DiSEqC 4X1 - Four LNBFs to one receiver
LEGACY - Dish Net proprietary switch for pre-2002 Echostar equipment. Legacy switches do not use DiSEqC protcol. Model numbers begin with "SW".
DISHPRO - Dish Net proprietary switch made specifically for DishPro LNBF types. Uses DiSEqC protocol. Model numbers begin with "DP".
 
Receiver Terms:
RS232 (Straight-Through) - A 9-pin serial cable that is used to interface between the computer and the FTA receiver. Incompatible with RS232 null modem.
RS232 (Null Modem) - A 9-pin serial cable that is used to interface between the computer and the FTA receiver. Incompatible with RS232 straight-through. For straight-through vs. null modem, it is important to read your receiver's manual.
FIRMWARE - Most commonly called "bin" or "bin file", it is the main software program that allows your receiver to function. Each receiver has its own suffix: .pgm, .rom, and .stb are examples of bin file suffixes used by various brands.
FACTORY BIN - The official firmware made by the manufacturer for the receiver. It doesn not allow reception of Dish Net or BEV and in many cases does not have any advanced features.
THIRD-PARTY BIN - The unofficial firmware made by various coders loyal to a particular receiver that allows you to watch Dish Net and BEV for free.
SAT FILE - Used only for Viewsat and DVB-S PCI cards, this is a file that provides satellite and transponder parameters. The DVB-PCI version is called an "ini file".
CHANNEL FILE - Widely called "Channel List". This is a file that provides all of the technical settings for each channel so that the receiver can tune to them. A channel file can either be created using special software, downloaded from the forums, or scanned directly using the receiver.
KEY FILE - A file that contains the hexadecimal keys necessary for decryption. Also called "opkey" or "softcam key"
ANTENNA SETUP - Other variants are "Dish setup", "Dish setting", and "Installation". This is the main panel in the receiver menu used to configure LNBFs and switches so that your receiver can interface with them. The most commonly modified values in the antenna setup are LNB Type, LNB Frequency, DiSEqC, Motor, and Legacy Switch.
SAT SCAN - A scan of all channels on a particular satellite based on pre-set transponder values. This is the fastest type of scan.
BLIND SCAN - A scan of all channels and transponders on a particular satellite without any pre-set values. This is the most thorough type of scan.
TRANSPONDER SCAN - A scan of one particular transponder rather than the entire satellite.

 
 
Motor Terms:
ARC - The imaginary line in the sky where the satellites visible from your location reside. It roughly follows the Sun's March/September path across the sky. The arc is location-specific. Satellites are in different positions on the arc in the east than they are in the west. The arc is steeper in the south and shallower in the north.
APEX - The point on the arc that corresponds to your longitude. In simple terms, the highest point on the arc.
TRUE SOUTH - South as determined by a straight line from where you are to the South Pole.
MAGNETIC SOUTH - South as shown on a magnetic compass.
APEX SATELLITE - The satellite closest to the apex, though not necessarily on the apex itself. It is the highest satellite in the sky and closest to True South.

[Dipper]

Motor Terms (continued):
DiSEqC MOTOR - A motor used with a dish that is 4 feet or less in diameter. It is controlled by the receiver using DiSEqC 1.2 or USALS protocol. Uses up to 18 volts DC power conducted through the same coaxial cable that delivers the satellite signal.
ACTUATOR - Arm-type of motor that extends and retracts to move the dish. Used for dishes over 4 feet in diameter and requires more power than a typical FTA receiver can provide. Often used with a C-band receiver or special type of device.
POLAR MOUNT - Used to attach a large dish to a mast and actuator.
USALS - Universal Satellite Automatic Location Sensor. Protocol that subtracts the satellite longitude from your longitude to automatically position the motor.
DiSEqC 1.2 - Protocol that allows the user to manually set and store satellite positions into the motor's internal memory.
 
Provider Terms:
DISH NETWORK - US provider that is commonly watched with software-modified FTA receivers. Satellite locations 61.5, 77, 105, 110, 118, 119, 121, 129, and 148.
BELL EXPRESSVU - Canadian provider that is commonly watched with software-modified FTA receivers. Satellite locations 82 and 91.
GLOBECAST - International provider commonly watched with FTA receivers. Unlike Dish Network and ExpressVu, the channels are evenly divided between encrypted and unencrypted. Satellite location 97.
TRUE FTA - The all-encompassing, generic term that describes legal unencrypted satellite television. Includes wild feeds, foreign programming, and network affiliate feeds. Most popular satellite locations 97, 101, and 123. Other satellite locations 72, 74, 79, 81, 83, 85, 87, 89, 91, 93, 95, 99, 103, 107, 113, 117, 121, 125, 127, 129, 131, 133, 135, 137, and 139.
DIRECTV - US provider that is secure and not watchable with anything other than subscribed provider equipment.
STARCHOICE - Canadian provider that is secure and not watchable with anything other than subscribed provider equipment.
CHARLIE - Slang term for Dish Network. Comes from Charlie Ergen, CEO of Echostar.
BEV - Slang term and abbreviation for Bell ExpressVu.
D1$H, DI$H, D!SH - Examples of leetspeak forms of "Dish".
BEVERLY - Slang term for BEV.
B3V, BE\/ - Examples of leetspeak forms of "BEV".
DAVE - Slang term for Direct TV. Stands for Digital Audio-Video Entertainment.
DTV - Often used to refer to DirecTV. However, because it is the proper abbreviation for Digital TV, the term can be confusing.
 
Technical Terms:
ATTENUATION - Also called "Rain fade". The degradation of the signal from rain or snow.
SIGNAL STRENGTH - The intensity of the satellite signal.
SIGNAL QUALITY - The ability of the receiver to receive a steady stream of data from the satellite that is uninterrupted by electronic noise. Must be at least 50% to produce a pixelation-free picture.
MUX - A group of channels on same frequency
PID - Packet Identifier
PCR - Packet Clock Rate
Polarization - The physical orientation of the waveform from the satellite. R/L are right & left 'circular' rotation similar to a corkscrew. H/V are horizontal/vertical similar to a fishing line cast either overhand or sidearm.
Symbol Rate (SR) - Size of the digital package transmission
DVB - Digital Video Broadcast. Video standard used by Dish, BEV, PowerVu, and MPEG2 free-to-air.
DSS - Digital Satellite System. Video standard used by DirecTV.
Digicipher 2 - Encryption system and video standard created by Motorola. Used by Star Choice, 4DTV, and Digicipher 2 free-to-air (not the same as MPEG2 FTA).
DL Freq. - Delivery Frequency / Downlink Frequency
DBS - Digital Broadcast Satellite
MPEG- Moving Picture Experts Group, A system for compression of digital data
TP - Transponder
NTSC - National Television Standards Committee. TV standard used in North America, Japan, and most of Latin America.
PAL - Phase Alternating Line. TV standard used in most parts of the world, including Asia, Europe, & Australia.

[Dipper]

Encryption Terms:
Scrambled - Analog video has been manipulated so that it is not intelligible.
Encrypted - Digital Video and/or Audio have been encoded and require special keys or processes to make it visible.
Open - In The Clear or Free To Air
Closed - Encrypted or Scrambled channel
NAGRAVISION - Encryption system used by Dish, BEV, and Globe Cast. Fully compromised.
IRDETO - Encryption system used by Globe Cast. Irdeto 2 has not been compromised.
POWERVU - Encryption system used by Armed Forces Network and other providers whose programming is not available to subscribers. It is secure and has not been compromised.
VIDEOGUARD - Secure, uncompromised encryption.
FTA - Free To Air, Non-encrypted channel (digital)
ITC - In The Clear, Non-scrambled channel (analog)
Conditional Access - System in which access to a particular channel requires unit (box) information and channel tier information before decryption can take place. Used for testing of proprietary Dish/BEV receivers.
Open Access - System in which access to a provider's entire network is accomplished by entering the public and parity keys. Used by all forms of FTA receiver testing.
CAM - Conditional Access Module. With Dish/BEV receivers, it is built-in. With FTA receivers such as Dreambox, it is a removable unit. CAMs process the information from the smart card and allow the receiver to decrypt channel information.
Smart Card - A credit-card sized card with a microchip containing decryption information. A smart card is read by a CAM.
CI Slot - Commmon Interface Slot, CAM is inserted in this
ECM - Electronic Counter Measure. A signal sent by the provider that instructs a provider-issue receiver to corrupt its software if certain values are detected in the smart card programming. An ECM renders the receiver inoperable. Strictly speaking, ECMs do not affect FTA receivers because they are not designed to process such commands from the provider.
KEY CHANGE - The provider sends new keys to replace the keys currently being used to decrypt programming.
AUTOROLL - A function in the third-party firmware that allows the new keys to automatically be implemented when they are sent.
DOWNTIME - Condition caused when the encryption providers implement a new security measure that temporarily prevents FTA receivers from receiving encrypted programming. Can last anywhere from hours to months.
CARD SWAP - Providers send their customers new secure access cards to replace the older, compromised access cards. Once the older cards have been swapped, the data stream supporting the older encryption is shut down and a hack for the new encryption must be found in order to continue to receive encrypted programming.
 
Satellite Terms:
Bird – A satellite
Clarke Belt – Another name for the satellite belt. Named after it’s discoverer, Arthur C. Clarke
TRANSPONDER - A device aboard the satellite that receives a signal from Earth on one frequency and sends it back down on another. A typical DBS satellite has 32 such devices, each broadcasting back down to Earth at a different frequency.
FSS - Fixed Satellite Service. Satellite service intended for commercial applications, such as transmitting feeds from an uplink facility to a downlink facility where it can then be processed for other uses. With few exceptions, FSS transmissions are usually not intended for consumers directly.
BSS - Broadcast Satellite Service. Also called DBS (Direct Broadcast Service). This is a satellite service that is uplinked for the specific purpose of reception directly by consumers. This includes XM/Sirius Radio, Direct TV, BEV, Star Choice, and Dish Net. Star Choice, though a BSS service, actually operates in the FSS portion of Ku-Band.
P-Band - 200-1000 MHz satellite band used for amateur DXing and weather satellite use. 200 MHz is the lowest satellite frequency possible because frequencies lower than that bounce off the ionosphere.
L-Band - 1000-1500 MHz satellite band. Most commonly used for Radionavigation (GPS) and weather satellite use.
S-Band - 2310-2690 MHz frequency. The 2310-2360 MHz portion is used for XM and Sirius Radio. The higher portion (2500-2690 MHz) is allocated for DBS television service; but due to the small size of the spectrum, it has not been used.
C-Band - 3700-4100 MHz (downlink) and 5925-6945 MHz (uplink) Frequency. Also the general name used for the big dish. Used mainly for commercial purposes: linking feeds to network affiliates and cable systems. Most of these are not intended for general use but you can subscribe to them and many of them are not encrypted.
X-Band - 7250-7750 MHz (downlink) and 7900-8400 (uplink) frequency. Used for military purposes.
Ku-Band FSS) - stands for "kurz-under". The 10.7-12.2 GHz (downlink) and 12.7-14.5 GHz (uplink) portion of the satellite frequency spectrum. In North America, this portion of the Ku spectrum requires a linear LNB.
Ku-Band (BSS) or (DBS)- 12.2-12.7 (downlink) and 12.7-14.5 GHz (uplink). Used for Direct TV, BEV, and Dish Network. This portion of the Ku spectrum requires a circular LNB.
Reverse DBS- 12.2-12.7 (downlink) and 12.7-14.5 GHz (uplink).  Though it shares exactly the same spectrum as DirecTV, Dish Network, and Bell, the polarity scheme is reversed.  This allows direct-to-home satellites to be placed 4.5 degrees from existing standard DBS satellites.   Other than the reversed polarity of the transponders, there is no difference between "forward" and "reverse" DBS.
Ka-Band - stands for "kurz-above". Frequency 17.7-20.2 GHz (downlink). Will soon be the standard for broadband internet via satellite. May become useful for DBS at some point in the future.
V-Band - Frequency 47.2-275 GHz. V-band is actually a generic term for the several FSS bands that exist in that huge portion of the spectrum.
kHz - KiloHertz
MHz - MegaHertz
GHz - GegaHertz
ELF - Extremely Low Frequency (3-30 Hz)
SLF - Super Low Frequency (30-300 Hz)
VF - Voice Frequency (300-3000 Hz)
VLF - Very Low Frequency (3-30 kHz). Sonar.
LF - Low Frequency (30-300 kHz). Marine radio.
MF - Medium Frequency (300-3000 kHz). AM radio.
HF - High Frequency (3-30 MHz). Shortwave radio.
VHF - Very High Frequency (30-300 MHz). TV, FM radio, police, aviation radio.
UHF - Ultra High Frequency (300-3000 MHz). TV, cell phones, police, aviation radio.
SHF - Super High Frequency (3-30 GHz). Satellite TV.
EHF - Extremely High Frequency (30-300 GHz). Radio astronomy.
IR - Infrared (300 GHz-300 THz)
VL - Visible light (~300 THz)
UV - Ultraviolet (300 THz-30 PHz)
XR - X-Rays (30 PHz-30 EHz)
y - Gamma Rays (Above 30 EHz)