May 2009
FACT SHEET
Historical Summary
Serving Since 1942
American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS)
The first military radio stations appeared in Panama and Alaska just prior to World War II. Early
records are incomplete since there was no official U.S. military recognition of these local stations. During
the first days of U.S. entry into WWII, military radio stations were started on Bataan and Corregidor in the
Philippines by General Douglas MacArthur's staff. The success of these early radio stations paved the
way for the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS).
On May 26, 1942, the War Department officially established AFRS with the mission of providing
programming, shortwave service and broadcast equipment for U.S. military locations overseas. AFRS
was to give servicemembers a "touch of home” and combat “Axis Sally and Tokyo Rose." Los Angeles
was selected as the first headquarters for AFRS and broadcasting executive Thomas H. A. Lewis was
selected as the first commander. With the overwhelming support of the entertainment industry and
dedicated military members, he quickly turned AFRS into a professional broadcast unit. Many young
radio entertainers got their start with AFRS during WWII.
In early 1945, at the height of WWII, there were about 300 AFRS radio stations worldwide. The end
of the war brought considerable reductions to the AFRS system. By 1949, only 60 AFRS stations
remained in operation.
Armed Forces Television began at Limestone AFB, Maine in 1953 as an experimental station. In
1954, the television mission was officially recognized and AFRS became AFRTS - the Armed Forces
Radio and Television Service.
Continuing to provide radio and television service to U.S. combat forces overseas, AFRTS quickly
expanded during the Korean and Vietnam Conflicts.
AFRTS began using satellites to provide live news and sporting events in 1969 and introduced color
television in the early 1970s. Satellite transmitted radio replaced the shortwave system in 1988 expanding
the quality and coverage of worldwide radio services.
During Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, AFRTS once again provided service to U.S. combat
forces. In a few short months, AFRTS built an extensive radio network and established a limited
television service in the desert, providing the familiar news, sports and entertainment programming to the
thousands of troops deployed to the region. More recently, AFRTS deployed to Somalia, Haiti, Croatia,
Bosnia, Hungary, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, East Timor, Central America, and the “Operation
Enduring Freedom” and “Operation Iraqi Freedom” areas of operations to serve our troops.
Today, AFRTS, now renamed the American Forces Radio and Television Service, uses ten satellites
along with digital compression technology to provide multiple television and radio services to military
audiences in 177 countries and U.S. territories, and on board U.S. Navy ships.
From the days of isolated radio stations, AFRTS has grown to a worldwide network, continuing to
provide a "touch of home" to over 1,000,000 million U.S. servicemembers and their families assigned
overseas and to U.S. military members serving aboard U.S. Navy ships.
-0-
May 2009
FACT SHEET
Serving Since 1942
American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS)
Keeping our troops overseas informed and entertained
The AFRTS mission is to communicate Department of Defense (DoD) information to the internal
audience via U.S. television and radio news, information and entertainment programming targeted to U.S.
service members, DoD civilians and their families stationed or deployed overseas and aboard U.S. Navy
ships.
The AFRTS vision is to provide a “touch of home” to DoD personnel wherever they are serving
overseas through U.S. television and radio news, information and entertainment programs.
Best of all
The American Forces Network (AFN), a service of AFRTS, provides the best of all American
television in a unique mix of programs seen stateside on broadcast networks of NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX,
CW, PBS, and major cable channels. Different AFN services are carefully designed to serve different
audiences, or to give the audience more choice, rather than compete for the same audience.
Using space age technology to send the signal
AFRTS uses two state-of-the-art distribution networks: one is called the Satellite Network or SATNET;
and the other is the Direct-to-Sailor or DTS. These satellite networks distribute live and recorded television and
radio programming worldwide.
Bringing troops a touch of home
Through the generous cooperation of U.S. performing guilds, unions, and federations (dating back to
World War II), AFRTS is not charged performance rights or residual fees for programming. That allows
program owners and syndicators to make their products available to AFRTS free of charge, or at a fraction of
the cost that would be paid by commercial radio or television stations.
Programs are provided to the AFRTS overseas audience through land-based outlets or directly via
satellite to homes and deployed ships. Some land-based outlets are organized as networks to serve specific
geographic areas.
American Forces Network Broadcast Center (AFN-BC), part of the Defense Media Activity (DMA),
is located at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California, and is the sole programming source for
military radio and television outlets overseas. These outlets serve American service men and women,
Department of Defense (DoD) civilians, and their families stationed in 177 countries and U.S. territories and
aboard U.S. Navy ships at sea with much of the same programming available to stateside audiences.
Programs are uplinked from AFN-BC to a series of satellites and delivered worldwide via secure digital
transmission paths using MPEG-2 digital compression technology.
AFRTS programs are distributed without censorship, propagandizing, or manipulation in
accordance with DoD Directive 5120.20 and DoD Regulation 5120-20R. While program content is
unchanged, AFRTS is commercial-free; therefore, all commercials are deleted and replaced with AFN
program promotional announcements, DoD internal information and other public service spot
announcements of interest to DoD personnel and their family members.
May 2009
Programming Acquisition
All entertainment, news, sports and information programming is acquired and distributed by AFNBC based on its scheduling needs, the popularity of programs within the specific DoD audience
demographics, and unique interests of military audiences. All religious programs are selected and
approved by the Armed Forces Chaplains Board.
Television Programming Services
There are eight AFN television services, all of which originate at the AFRTS Broadcast Center in
Riverside, California. They are AFN|prime, AFN|news, AFN|sports, AFN|spectrum, AFN|family, AFN|movie
AFN|xtra, and the AFN|program guide. A ninth service, The Pentagon Channel, is produced by
Department of Defense Public Affairs in Alexandria, Virginia, and is distributed along with the AFN services.
Receiving AFN Television
The great majority of overseas military bases are capable of receiving and distributing all AFRTS
television services by using U.S. Government or commercial on-base cable TV systems or direct-to-home
satellite reception equipment. Some areas are served by a low-power over-the-air transmitter and receive
only one service, AFN|prime. Most Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom locations
receive all AFN TV services while a few receive only one or two over-the-air services, usually AFN|news
and AFN|sports. Navy ships equipped with a Direct-to-Sailor (DTS) satellite dish receive AFN|prime,
AFN|news and AFN|sports services. Program scheduling information is available online at www.myafn.net.
AFN Services
Provides the familiar patterns of a traditional broadcast network affiliate. It has news and
information in the morning, daytime dramas and syndicated game and talk shows during the morning and
afternoon; popular current network dramas, sitcoms, reality series, and movies in primetime; and late night
talk shows. Locally and regionally produced news is also inserted in some prime services on weekdays.
Weekend schedules carry some live and tape-delayed sports events at times when alternate entertainment
programming is available on AFN|spectrum, as well as some children’s programming. AFN|prime is timeshifted for three specific geographical locations – Pacific (Japan/Korea), Atlantic (Europe) and Southwest
Asia (Iraq/Afghanistan.
Provides counter-programming to AFN|prime with popular entertainment programs from the major
broadcast and cable networks. AFN|spectrum offers an alternate entertainment choice with a combination
of popular, first-run network shows as well as encore presentations of established hits. AFN|spectrum is
time-shifted for two specific geographical locations – Atlantic (Europe) and Pacific (Japan/Korea).
Provides a wide variety of quality entertainment…the freshest most popular kids programming from
U.S. cable and broadcast networks…targeted specifically to family members between the ages of 2 and
17. Each day part is designed for a different age group, ranging from pre-school to teen viewers.
2
May 2009
AFN|family is time-shifted for two specific geographical locations – Atlantic (Europe) and Pacific
(Japan/Korea).
Provides news when you want it, anytime, any day. This is a full-time news and information service
with programming primarily from ABC, CBS, CNN, FNC, MSNBC, NBC and PBS. Additionally, you’ll find
news and public affairs programming about the Department of Defense and the Military Services provided
by The Pentagon Channel and the news organizations within the Military Services. AFN|news is the
primary means for the AFRTS audience to stay in touch with national and international events and general
military information.
Provides a wide variety of sports programming based on the interests of the AFRTS military
audience. This full-time sports and sports-news service features programming from major sports sources
like ESPN, FSN, FX, OLN, Speed, TBS and TNT, along with national and international sports coverage
from the broadcast networks of ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX. It provides the most popular sports events such
as MLB, NASCAR, NBA, NCAA football and basketball, NFL, NHL, Olympic Winter and Summer Games
and the PGA Tour.
Provides a wide variety of theatrical and made-for-TV movies, specials, along with entertainment
news and features sure to please the Hollywood fan. Primarily targeted to adults, ages 18 and older.
Theatrical features conform to domestic American over-the-air broadcast standards. AFN|movie is timeshifted for two specific geographical locations – Atlantic (Europe) and Pacific (Japan/Korea).
AFN|xtra takes you on and off the field with a highly-targeted blend of sports events, Emmy-award winning
talk shows and unscripted series, action sports, and videogaming programming. AFN|xtra is your
destination for around-the-clock top professional and collegiate sports events every weekend and brings
you top rated personality-driven programming and reality-based series during the week. Home of the Emmy
and Peabody Award-winning The Daily Show with Jon Stewart along with Best Damn Sports Show Period,
The Contender, World Series of Poker and the widely popular UFC, WWE Smackdown! and RAW
franchises, AFN|xtra brings you big name athletes, celebrities, and comedians with topical sports and
entertainment news, trends, youth culture and current events, while getting you inside the fast-paced
worlds of action sports and videogaming.
The Pentagon Channel broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via a U.S. domestic satellite to
stateside bases and on AFRTS to service members stationed overseas. The Pentagon Channel is
available to all U.S. Department of Defense bases/installations for airing on their base/installation cable
systems, and to anyone wishing to receive it via satellite on the DISH Network and on a number of
commercial cable systems in the continental United States. (Please see more detail in separate fact
sheet.)
3
May 2009
Radio Programming Services
Radio news, information, and sports talk. The Broadcast Center distributes a primary radio service
consisting of international, national and military radio news, commentary and talk radio programs. This
service is provided 24-hours per day, seven days a week by satellite and shortwave. Programs are
provided by U.S. radio networks and suppliers including ABC, CBS, CNN, ESPN, FOX, National Public
Radio (NPR), Associated Press Radio Network, Premier Radio Network, Westwood One, Jones Radio, Air
America and USA Radio Network. In addition, AFN Radio provides a full-time news and features channel, a
full-time NPR channel, and two sports talk channels. AFN affiliated stations are provided news copy from
the radio wires of AP News.
Radio entertainment. The AFRTS Broadcast Center distributes radio entertainment programs
acquired from commercial and public radio networks and syndicators. AFRTS provides seven music
formats ranging from country to hard rock. Additionally, a weekly supply of new CDs is mailed to each
AFRTS land-based and Navy shipboard outlet containing the most popular new recordings in various music
formats for use by outlets in producing local radio programs.
Shortwave: The AFN Voice Channel is broadcast worldwide by a network of shortwave radio
transmitters operated by the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor, Key West, Diego Garcia and Guam.
-0-
4
May 2009
FACT SHEET
Serving Since 1942
AFRTS Satellite Network (SATNET)
In 1969, the American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) was among the first
organizations to use satellites as a means of transmitting television programming. Today, AFRTS provides
radio and television programming by satellite 24 hours-a-day, to 177 countries and U.S. territories.
Using an Intelsat Galaxy satellite, AFRTS provides satellite service to the U.S. base in Honduras and
the Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Additionally, this satellite provides connectivity for the network’s
Atlantic and Pacific satellites.
Using an Intelsat satellite over the Atlantic Ocean, AFRTS serves DoD personnel in Africa, the Middle
East, and on the islands of Diego Garcia, Iceland and the Azores (Portugal).
In the Pacific, two SES New Skies satellites carry the AFRTS signal to DoD personnel in Japan and
Korea.
A satellite superstation concept is used in the European Hemisphere to deliver regional radio and
television services. In Germany and Italy, the American Forces Network-Europe (AFN-E) uplinks to two
Eutelsat HotBird satellites which are received at sites throughout Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and
many parts of Southwest Asia.
®
All AFRTS satellite transmissions use the Scientific-Atlanta PowerVu digital compression system to
allow the transmission of multiple channels of television and radio services over a single satellite transponder.
This system employs digital conditional access encryption to protect the programming from being received by
unauthorized audiences. SATNET provides full-time, live, radio and television services from the United
States to service members, DoD civilians, and their families serving overseas.
-0-
May 2009
May 2009
FACT SHEET
Serving Since 1942
AFRTS DIRECT-TO-HOME SERVICE (Europe)
Since December of 1998, the European Command (EUCOM), the Army and Air Force Exchange
Service (AAFES), the Naval Exchange Command (NEXCOM), and AFRTS have jointly sponsored a satellite
direct-to-home (DTH) service for service members, DoD civilian employees and their family members living off
base in the EUCOM area of operation (minus Central and Southern Africa).
Using two powerful Eutelsat Communications Hotbird transponders, AFRTS delivers nine television
services, a program guide, and 12 radio services that are received in the European area with an 80- centimeter
satellite dish and an integrated receiver/decoder (IRD). Both the dish and the IRD are available through most
European AAFES and NEXCOM stores. The IRD can be either leased or purchased. Some commands have
purchased IRDs and dishes for issue to off-base military and DoD civilian employee households.
At the beginning of the DTH program, EUCOM estimated that there were approximately 50,000
households living off base in their theater of operation, and almost all of these households were able to receive
either just one over-the-air AFRTS television service or no service at all. As of January 2008, some 32,000
IRDs have been leased or purchased through the European and Southwest Asia AAFES and NEXCOM stores.
Hotbird 9
May 2009
FACT SHEET
Serving Since 1942
AFRTS DIRECT-TO-HOME SERVICE (Pacific)
Since September of 2002, the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM), the Army and Air Force Exchange
Service (AAFES), the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM), and AFRTS have jointly sponsored a
satellite direct-to-home (DTH) service for service members, DoD civilian employees and their family members
living off-base in Japan and Korea. In late 2005, PACOM added a quality of life and situational awareness
program in Japan that provides their off-base personnel a free loaner decoder during their tour. Decoders are
available at military exchanges for lease only in Korea.
Using an SES News Skies satellite over the Pacific Ocean, AFRTS delivers nine television services, a
program guide, and 12 radio services that are received in Japan and Korea with a 60cm or 80cm satellite dish
(depending on location) and an integrated receiver/decoder (IRD). Both the dish and the IRD are available
through most of Japan and Korea AAFES, NEXCOM and MCX stores. In Japan, the Housing Office
Furnishings Management Office on each installation makes this equipment available to eligible viewers living off
base without charge. As of May 2009, more than 7,700 IRD have been issued by housing furniture offices in
Japan.
PACOM estimated that there were approximately 16,000 off-base households that received only one
over-the-air AFRTS television service or no service at all. With Pacific exchange stores leasing decoders and
Japan-based members offering loaner decoders while living off base, all families can now be served with the full
complement of AFRTS television and radio services. As of May 2009, 2,700 IRDs have been leased by
households in Japan and Korea.
New Skies 6
For more information, please see www.myafn.net
May 2009
FACT SHEET
Serving Since 1942
Direct to Sailor (DTS)
Based upon a desire to better serve and improve the quality of life of Sailor and Marines serving
the United States on board U.S. Navy ships, American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) and
the Naval Media Center (NMC) initiated studies in 1995 to determine the feasibility of providing full-time,
satellite delivered television services directly to Navy ships worldwide.
Full operational capability for the Direct to Sailor (DTS) satellite system was reached on 23
December 1997 with the activation of three transponders on Intelsat (and now SES New Skies) platforms
for the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific Ocean Regions. Using global, premium transponders, these three
satellites provide DTS with almost complete coverage of all oceans and seas where U.S. Navy ships
operate.
The initial DTS service was received by twenty large platforms (aircraft carriers, amphibious, and
command ships) already equipped with three-meter television receive-only (TVRO) satellite antennas. A
standard DTS TVRO terminal system was procured by the Naval Space and Warfare Systems (SPAWARS)
st
command. Initial installations began during the 1 Quarter FY 99. All DTS program ships (except new
construction) had their terminals installed and operational by the end of FY 02. There are presently 138
Navy ships, 45 MSC and six Coast Guard ships with DTS.
The TV-DTS services consist of three channels of television, AFN DTS Pacific or AFN DTS Atlantic
depending on where the ship is deployed, AFN DTS news, and AFN DTS sports, three radio services, and
a data channel. NMC operates a full-time DTS control room at the AFRTS Broadcast Center, Riverside,
California. Through this facility, Defense Media Activity-Anacostia inserts Navy Department unique
information programming in the DTS programming services.
The DTS radio services consist of two monaural music channels with rotating blocks of U.S.
produced satellite programming in the Rock, Top-40, Oldies, Country, and Urban musical formats along
with hourly news and sports information. The third radio service is the AFRTS Interruptible Voice Channel,
a full-time news and information service consisting of a representative mix of the most popular radio
services from all of the major U.S. radio networks.
The DTS data channel provides Sailor and Marines on board Navy ships with U.S., DoD and Navy
print products. These include: N.Y. Times Fax and Business Update; daily Stars & Stripes LT (the eight
page version of daily Stars and Stripes newspaper); the DoD “Early Bird”; the NavNews (message);
CHINFO Clips; DTS weekly schedules and, other Navy internal information products.
The Scientific-Atlanta PowerVu receiver/decoders for the DTS service are provided by AFRTS and
the U.S. Navy to U.S. Navy ships. Since DTS also reaches land areas beyond the AFRTS SATNET
footprints, AFRTS provides receiver/decoders to remote land based sites where U.S. military members are
stationed.
Worldwide, the TV-DTS service can be received with a TVRO antenna as small as 1.2 meters but
the AFRTS recommended TVRO antenna size is 1.5 to 1.8 meters, if the larger size antenna can be
accommodated at the site.
May 2009
USS Ships should refer all questions concerning the satellite dish and the antenna control unit (ACU) to
their Regional Maintenance Center (RMC). For questions concerning below deck DTS support equipment
USS ships should contact their local Navy Fleet Support Detachment (FSD). Questions concerning future
installation of shipboard DTS equipment on USS Navy Ships should be referred to SPAWARS Systems
Service Center, San Diego (SSC – San Diego). MSC and US Coast Guard Ships should contact their Port
Engineer for any questions concerning the DTS satellite dish and it's ACU. For questions concerning the
below deck supportive equipment they should contact their local NMC FSD for support and/or SITE for
equipment exchanges. For any future installation questions contact DMA Anacostia Afloat Engineering
Division, Washington DC
-0-
May 2009
May 2009
FACT SHEET
Serving Since 1942
American Forces Radio & Television Service
(AFRTS)
Over-the-Air Transmitters
RADIO
TELEVISION
Afghanistan
Bahrain
Belgium
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Cuba (Guantanamo Bay)
Diego Garcia (BIOT)
Egypt (Sinai)
Germany
Greece (Crete)
Honduras
Iraq
Italy
Japan (including Okinawa)
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Marshall Islands
Netherlands
Norway
Pakistan
Portugal (Azores)
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
South Korea
Spain
Turkey
Afghanistan
Belgium
Cuba (Guantanamo Bay)
Diego Garcia (BIOT)
Egypt (Sinai)
Germany
Greece (Crete)
Honduras
Iraq
Japan (including Okinawa)
Kosovo
Kuwait
Marshall Island (Kwajelein)
Portugal (Azores)
South Korea
NOTES:
(1) Most TV transmitters are low power, NTSC format, with directional antenna patterns serving
only a local U.S. military audience.
(2) Radio transmitters may be FM or AM and vary by country. www.myafn.net
May 2009
AFRTS Outlets
Countries
Afghanistan*
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Angola
Antarctica
Antigua
Argentina
Armenia
Ascension Island
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain*
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium*
Belize
Benin
Bolivia
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burma
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African
Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Columbia
Congo, Dem Republic of the
Congo, Republic of the
Costa Rica
Cote d’Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba*
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Diego Garcia*
Dominican Republic
Djibouti
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Fed. States of
Micronesia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany*
Ghana
Greece
Greenland
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras*
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iraq*
Ireland
Israel
Italy*
Jamaica
Japan*
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kwajalein/Marshall Is.
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Mali
Malta
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Moldova
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Panama
Papua-New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal*
Qatar
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
Saipan
Sao Tome
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Trinidad & Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey*
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vatican
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
U.S. & U.S. Territory Locations
Alaska
Guam
Puerto Rico
Wake Island
Total Countries and U.S. Territories Served --------------177
* STAFFED OUTLETS
May 2009
FACT SHEET
Serving Since 1942
American Forces Radio & Television Service
Radio & Television Production Office
The Radio & Television Production Office (RTPO) produces, acquires and approves radio and
television spot announcements for AFRTS and The Pentagon Channel. RTPO is the only activity within the
AFRTS system authorized to release spots for worldwide broadcast.
The spot announcements RTPO provides to AFRTS are divided into three categories. The first
includes spots written and produced exclusively for the AFRTS audience by civilian companies under contract
to RTPO. The creative process for these contract spots is closely supervised by RTPO project officers, in full
coordination, with appropriate DoD subject matter experts and the military broadcast services. Unlike the spots
created by AFRTS outlets to address local or regional internal information topics for specific audiences,
contract spots are designed to deliver DoD messages to a joint-service audience worldwide.
The second category is RTPO’s in-house spot production capability. The seven-person team
consists of four writer producers, a video editor, an audio designer and a graphic artist, all equipped with
state-of-the-art production equipment. The intention is to produce two to five spots a week that have a shelf
life of anywhere from one day to one year. RTPO’s goal is to provide a flexible and fast spot production
capacity that will communicate the Defense Department’s relevant and timely internal communications
messages to the DoD audience.
The third category of RTPO-provided spots are Command Information spots produced by other
agencies throughout the Defense Department and Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that relate to existing
DoD Internal Information topics.
RTPO spots and PSAs cover more than 130 topics such as Health Care, Anti-Terrorism, Motorcycle
Safety, Cancer, Code of Conduct, Financial Management, Gambling Abuse, Gallery of Heroes, Military Justice,
Intoxicated Driving, Education, Child, Safety, Sexual Harassment, Tobacco Use and Voting. Approximately
300 new spots and 100 new PSAs are added to the RTPO inventory each year. Though the working inventory
of RTPO spots varies from month to month, it generally numbers between 12 and 13 hundred television and
eight to nine hundred radio spots.
-0-
August 2009
The Pentagon Channel provides 24/7 news and information for the 2.6 million men and women serving in
the U. S. Armed Forces, and for their families. Launched in the U. S. on May 14, 2004, the Defense
Department-operated internal communications channel is distributed by satellite – overseas as a channel
of the American Forces Radio and Television Service, and domestically to military bases, reserve centers
and National Guard armories. A growing number of U. S. satellite and cable carriers are also making the
channel available to their viewers. At its heart, the Pentagon Channel’s goal is to provide military viewers
timely access to news and information about the Department of Defense.
The Pentagon Channel programming produces original programming that includes timely news and
information, documentary programming and lifestyle shows. In addition to the programming produced by
its own staff, the Pentagon Channel also broadcasts Pentagon briefings, Congressional hearings, and
news programs created by each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Check out what the Pentagon
Channel has to offer:
August 2009
Many of the Pentagon Channel’s news and information and lifestyle shows can be found in podcast
format on the Web site or through iTunes. Check out these podcasts:
All on the Web 24/7 – LIVE
Catch all the news and programs the Pentagon Channel has to offer from your desktop as it happens with
live stream on our Web site, www.pentagonchannel.mil, or click to watch a select video “on demand” in
the video archive. If you want more of the Pentagon Channel, follow them through social media sites
such as Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, DODLive and more.
August 2009
May 2009
FACT SHEET
AFRTS Satellite Information
NewSkies NSS-9 (C-band) (East Asia/West Pacific)
Location: 183 degrees East
Band: C
Transponder Antenna polarization: Left-hand circular
Receiver Setting Polarization: “H-fixed” for model 9234
consumer-grade decoders or “H” for commercial-grade
decoders with dual-band LNBs
C Band Downlink Frequency: 3.680 GHz
Transponder: 44
L-Band/LO Freq: 1505.875 MHz
Symbol Rate: 28.0000 MS/s
FEC Rate: ¾
35.5 dbw EIRP (Hong Kong)
Network ID: 2
Coverage Map: http://www.newskies.com/satellite.htm
click on the map and select NSS-9 and then the Cband half of the satellite. The north-west zone beam is
AFRTS.
NewSkies NSS-6 (Ku-band) (Japan/Korea)
Location: 95 degrees East
Band: Ku
Transponder Antenna polarization: Vertical
Receiver Setting Polarization: “V-fixed” for model 9234
consumer-grade decoders or “H” for commercial-grade
decoders with dual-band LNBs
Ku Band Downlink Frequency: 12.647 GHz
L-Band/LO frequency: 2047 MHz* (10.600 MHz LNB
Frequency)
Symbol Rate: 28.0000 MS/s
FEC Rate: ¾
EIRP: 53.7 dBW center pattern
Network ID: 4
Coverage Map: http://www.newskies.com/satellite.htm
click on the map and select NSS-6 and then the Kuband half of the satellite.
INTELSAT 10-02 (South America / Africa / Europe /
Atlantic Ocean Region)
Location: 359 degrees East (1 degree West)
Band: C
Transponder Antenna Polarization: RHCP
Receiver Setting Polarization: “H-fixed”
C-Band Frequency: 4.1750 GHz
Transponder: 38
L-Band frequency: 975 MHz
Symbol rate: 28.0000 MS/s
FEC rate: ¾
EIRP: 35 dBW
Network ID 3
Coverage Map:
http://www.intelsat.com/images/en/resources/coverage
maps/maps/10-02-359-global.jpg
Serving Since 1942
Galaxy 28 (United States)
Location: 89 degrees West
Band: C/L Band
C-band frequency: 4.060 GHz
Transponder: 118
Transponder Antenna Polarization: HP
Receiver Setting Polarization: “H-fixed” for model 9234
consumer-grade decoders or “H” for commercial-grade
decoders with dual-band LNBs
L-Band frequency: 1090 MHz
Symbol rate: 28.0000 MS/s
FEC rate: ¾
EIRP: 41.9 dBW
Network ID 9
Coverage Map (not-official):
http://www.intelsat.com/flash/coveragemaps/index.html
HotBird 9 (Europe)
Location: 13 degrees East
Band: Ku
Transponder Antenna Polarization: Vertical
Transponder: 129
Receiver Setting Polarization: “H-fixed” for model 9234
consumer-grade decoders or “H” for commercial-grade
decoders with dual-band LNBs based on transponder
settings Ku Band Downlink Frequency: 10.775 GHz
L-Band/LO frequency: 1025 MHz* (9.750 MHz LNB
Frequency)
Symbol rate: 28.0000 MS/s
FEC rate: ¾
EIRP: 50.0 dBW
Network ID 6
Coverage map:
http://www.eutelsat.com/satellites/9e_eb9a_popd.html
May 2009
Direct To Sailor (DTS) Service
INTELSAT 701 (Pacific Ocean)
Location: 180 degrees East
Band: C
Transponder Antenna Polarization: LHCP
Receiver Setting Polarization: “H-fixed”
C-Band frequency: 4.1735 GHz
L-Band frequency: 976.5 MHz
Symbol Rate: 3.6800 MS/s
FEC rate: 2/3
EIRP: 29.0 dBW
Network ID 5
Coverage map:
http://www.intelsat.com/images/en/resources/coveragema
ps/maps/701-180-global.jpg (global)
New Skies NSS-7
(Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea)
Location: 338.0 degrees East (22 degrees West)
Band: C
Transponder Antenna Polarization: LHCP
Receiver Setting Polarization: “H-fixed”
C-Band frequency: 4115 MHz
L-Band frequency: 1035 MHz
Symbol Rate: 3.6800 MS/s
FEC Rate: 2/3
EIRP: 30.5 dBW
Network ID 6
Coverage map: http://www.newskies.com/satellite.htm
(global)
INTELSAT 906 (Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf)
Location: 64.1 degrees East
Band: C
Transponder Antenna Polarization: LHCP
Receiver Setting Polarization: “H-fixed”
C-Band frequency: 4093.5 MHz
L-Band frequency: 1056.5 MHz
Symbol Rate: 3.6800 MS/s
FEC Rate: 2/3
EIRP: 29.0 dBW
Network ID 7
Coverage map:
http://www.intelsat.com/images/en/resources/coveragema
ps/maps/906-64-global.jpg (global)
AMC-1 Ku Band (The Pentagon Channel)
Location: 103 degrees West
Band: Ku
Transponder 20 Polarity: Vertical
Receiver Setting Polarization: Vertical
Ku band frequency: 12.100 GHz*
Symbol Rate: 20,000 MS/s
FEC Rate: ¾
Encryption: none
Coverage map:
http://www.ses-americom.com/americom_2008/siteSections/technical/satelliteFleet/amc1/index.php
*Important note on LNB frequencies:
All C-band LNB’s have a local oscillator (L.O.) frequency of 5.150 GHz but Ku-band LNB’s may come in many different
frequencies typically 9.750 to 12.75 GHz. This means that if you’re attempting to watch a Ku-band service you need to set
the decoder’s frequency using a bit of simple math. The formula to set the Ku-Low/Single L.O. frequency on the AFRTS
decoder is the downlink frequency minus the L.O. frequency. As an example the downlink frequency for the INTELSAT
804 satellite serving the Japan and Korea Direct to Home service area is 11.6380 GHz. An LNB with a local oscillator
frequency of 10.000 GHz would give a Ku Low/Single L.O. frequency of 1638 MHz (1.638 GHz) by working the math
problem 11.16380 – 10.000 = 1.638. The Ku-band satellite serving the European service area is HotBird 4 at 13 degrees
east and it has a downlink frequency of 10.775 GHz. Connecting an LNB with a local oscillator frequency of 9.750 would
result in a receiver frequency of 1025 MHz (10.775 – 9.750 = 1.025 GHz which is 1025 MHz). Source:
http://afrts.dma.mil/tech_info/page.asp?pg=tech_info