The following message contains important information concerning the forthcoming transition of the EUMETCast-Europe (Ku-band) service from HOTBIRD-6 to EUROBIRD-9.  This change will take place on 17 December 2008.

If you are within the EUMETCast-Europe footprint and have already successfully transitioned your EUMETCast reception system to receive the EUROBIRD-9 service, please ignore this message.  If you are currently receiving the EUMETCast-Europe service and have not performed the transition steps, please take note of the following important information.

Key Dates:
4 Nov - 17 Dec 2008 - EUMETCast-Europe service is fully operational on both EUROBIRD-9 and HOTBIRD-6. This time period is set aside for Users to transition their reception to the new satellite.

15-16 Dec 2008 - 2-hour outage planned for HOTBIRD-6 service to warn Users that the service shut down is imminent. To avoid loss of data and ensure continuity of service, all Users are recommended to make the transition before 15 December 2008.

17 Dec 2008 - EUMETCast-Europe suspended on HOTBIRD-6 at 13°E.
Operational service continued on EUROBIRD-9.

Transition Technical Details:
Quick Migration Procedure
● Download the quick upgrade package here:
ftp://ftp.eumetsat.int/pub/OPS/out/user/EUMETCast_Eurobird_migration/.
A reinstallation of the DVB software, or manual entry of the parameters is not necessary for most of the DVB devices under Windows and Linux.
Alternatively, use the EUMETCast CD version 5_4 available from the User Service.

● Step 1:  Apply the DVB configuration upgrades (using the package above, or new CD), this will give you the choice to select Eurobird-9.

● Step 2: Select EUMETCast on Hotbird, confirm good reception of EUMETCast on the Hotbird-6 transponder.

● Step 3: While the antenna is still pointed to Hotbird-6 at 13° E, select Eurobird-9 in the DVB configuration.  On Skystar2 cards you should see “Sky” in the Network information. For other DVB devices use the TransEdit tool from the upgrade package to confirm that the transponder switch to SKY was successful. In case of problems, read the troubleshooting guide to find a solution.

● Step 4: Repoint the antenna. See
http://www.satsig.net/maps/lat-long-finder.htm to find the new pointing angle appropriate for your geographical location For most of the Users repointing involves moving azimuth approx 4° to the west. For typical 80-100 cm DVB antennas the LNB has to move approximately 6 cm to the west. If a DVB analyzer is not available, the DVB status display of a reception PC can be used. Select the Eurobird-9 transponder (Step 3), and observe the signal while moving the antenna.
The Hotbird signal will disappear and the next peak is already Eurobird-9.

● Step 5: Maximise the signal level, quality and SNR by fine adjustment of the pointing azimuth and elevation, and by adjusting the skew angle of the LNB.

● Step 6: No further changes are needed, confirm reception of EUMETCast data on the new transponder.

● Alternative to repointing the antenna: If the dish design supports several LNBs, a second LNB can be installed to receive both satellites with one antenna. The second LNB must be mounted several cm (typically 6cm) to the East of the Hotbird LNB.


EUROBIRD™ 9 reception parameters
Transponder: TP63
Frequency: 11976.82 MHz
FEC:  3/4
Symbol Rate: 27500 kS/s
Polarisation: horizontal
All other parameters (e.g. PIDs) stay the same


The above information is also available on the EUMETSAT Web site at:
http://www.eumetsat.int/Home/Main/What_We_Do/EUMETCast/SP_1217320833376?l=en