Sign up for NAB’s Fall Satellite Uplink Operators Training Seminar and Prevent Interference
October 5 - 8, 2009 • Washington, D.C.

Satellite interference costs your station time and money. If you or your operations staff has not received formal training for operating your uplink facilities, sign up for NAB's Satellite Uplink Operators Training Seminar. The course will be offered Oct. 5 to 8, 2009, at NAB's headquarters in Washington D.C.

Sidney Skjei of Skjei Telecom conducts the seminar for NAB. Mr. Skjei has over 20 years experience in engineering and developing a wide range of hardware and software telecommunications products, systems and services and is highly knowledgeable in all major satellite communications market areas: global, U.S. domestic and military.

Seminar Instructor Sidney Skjei

This seminar provides in-depth information on the theory of satellite communications and all operational aspects of the ground equipment for uplink and downlink facilities and is applicable to distributing signals for both analog and digital television. Mr. Skjei also feels it is useful for satellite operators to have a basic understanding of other parts of the broadcast system. As the era of analog broadcasting has closed, digital television (DTV) and, in particular, high definition (HDTV), have increasing importance through all parts of the broadcast television chain, from production to distribution to the home, so the seminar provides significant background information on these topics. The Compressed Digital Television and Transmission section of the seminar covers the theory of digital video with an introduction to compression techniques and systems, concentrating on MPEG-2 but also including new technologies such as MPEG 4 Part 10 (AVC) and JPEG 2000, both of which may be increasingly used for broadcast digital video backhaul and distribution before advanced codecs are introduced for transmission. The various standard definition (SDTV) and HDTV formats in use are also discussed, with detailed analysis of how these are carried in satellite transmission systems.

In addition to classroom instruction, students will receive hands-on training in a satellite newsgathering (SNG) truck. On the following day there is an all-day field trip to the PBS Satellite Operations Center, Springfield, Va.

Comments from Prior Seminar Attendees

Over the past 18 years, NAB has trained over 550 engineers, technicians from radio and television stations, universities and satellite services from across the U.S and abroad. Here are just a few of their comments:

“I believe the seminar offers something for all levels of experience in the field and allows for a sharing of information and experiences with members of all sections of the broadcast industry.”
Timothy Mazzacua, Discovery Communications, Sterling, VA

“I thought this was a wonderful seminar. It gave me just what I was looking for and then some. Taking this course helped me straighten out misconceptions and misinformation I had been given during my original training.”
Kristin Paciorkowski, Videolink, Boston, MA

“I enjoyed the seminar and learned a lot! The class is great and Sidney Skjei is a great instructor. I am not a technical person and only have basic satellite knowledge. I found the class to be interesting and informative and I was able to follow the discussion most of the time. The textbook is full of great information and I'm sure I will be using it as a reference in the future. I highly recommend this seminar!”
Cynthia Caezza, PBS, Alexandria, VA

“I would highly recommend this course to anyone in the industry. It would be hard to believe that anyone would not benefit immensely from it!”
James Charles, EWTN, Irondale, AL

The training is designed to instruct students in the proper technical and operational practices that will ensure safe, successful and interference-free satellite transmissions. The seminar fee is $1,250 (NAB members) and $1,550 (all others). The seminar fee includes a Satellite Uplink Handbook, continental breakfast and lunch. Space is limited so if you don't want to miss an opportunity, go to http://www.nab.org/satelliteSeminar/ for more information or call Cheryl Coleridge at (202) 429-5346. If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities for this event contact NAB Advertising at (800) 521-8624 or advertising@nab.org.

Students Tour PBS Satellite Operations Center

DIRS Webcast Archive Now Available

On Tuesday July 14, 2009, NAB hosted a 30-minute live webcast on the FCC's Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS). DIRS is a voluntary, Web-based system that broadcasters can use to report their operational status and potentially locate critical resources they may lack during emergencies. The FCC, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and local public safety officials rely on the information in DIRS to identify and potentially help broadcast stations in need of fuel, generators and other needed equipment during emergencies. NAB encourages all broadcasters to sign up for DIRS. The webcast is archived for future use and available for a full year here. For more information and to sign up for DIRS, click here.