EUMETCast served three ways

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EUMETCast served three ways

• David Taylor
• SatSignal Software

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Basics of EUMETCast

• Its a network link between EUMETSAT in Darmstadt
  and your home.
• Packets of data are sent out from EUMETSAT
  (actually from Usingen).
• They look like digital TV signals but have more
  robust protection.
• Your job is to capture them.

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Usingen ground station
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Usingen older antennas
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Packets to files

• Need to convert DVB (digital video broadcast)
  packets into data packets, like those sent over
  your Wi-Fi or LAN.
• Packets are broadcast to your network, so you
  need a network card to receive them.
• The TelliCast software converts the packets to
  files, and needs to know your network card
  address.

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1 - Served with a SkyStar card

• PCI card inside your PC
• Software installation adds device driver named
  SkyNET.sys
• Appears as a new network card
• IP address 192.168.238.238
• You set this yourself in Control Panel
• DHCP is not used

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2 - Served with a DVB World box

• USB box outside your PC
• Software installation adds device driver named
  DVBNet.sys
• Appears as a new network card
• IP address 192.168.238.238
• You set this yourself in Control Panel
• DHCP is not used

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3 - Served with an IP receiver

• New network card inside your PC
• Or motherboard port if you use Wi-Fi for your
  house network
• Software installation adds device driver
  Windows usually does this automatically.
• IP address 192.168.10.103
• You set this yourself in Control Panel
• DHCP is not used

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PC changes for IP receiver

• TelliCast software unchanged
• SatSignal processing software unchanged
• Recv-channels.ini unchanged
• Update recv.ini
• parameters
• interface_address192.168.238.238
• interface_address192.168.10.103

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Later DVB S2 changes

• Re-point your dish when the new service is
  available.
• Adjust for new service parameters.
• Maybe you will need a bigger dish?

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Which receiver?

• Ayecka SR 1
• dual receivers
• two LAN ports for Management Traffic
• USB serial port for initial setup.
• Novra S300E
• single 100 Mb/s LAN port
• single receiver.
• See http//www.satsignal.eu/wxsat/dvb-s2/

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Ayecka SR 1

• (edited from EUMETSAT guide)

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Novra S300E

• (from EUMETSAT guide)

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IP Receiver settings

• For the Ayecka SR 1 receiver, EUMETSAT provide a
  file which can be used to configure
  automatically.
• Requires the USB serial connection enabled
• Manual configuration possible.
• over a USB serial connection
• over a telnet session to the management port

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What can possibly go wrong!

• Dish issues
• Network issues

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LNBs too far apart
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LNB fallen off
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LNB pointing in the wrong direction
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Wrong IP address

• Tempting to use the address of the IP receiver
  when editing recv.ini.
• Not right! You need the address of the network
  card in the PC.
• Not the address of the sender
• But the address of the receiving card

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Not using a separate network

• The full EUMETCast stream which comes out of the
  IP Receiver will saturate a Wi-Fi or 100 Mb/s
  network.
• So use a separate LAN
• Not complicated simply connect a network lead
  between the IP Receiver and a port on your PC.

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Using poor cables or 100 Mb/s network

• Using 100 Mb/s switch and random cables, found
  some odd missed packet events in early tests, but
  most packets recovered.
• Not seen since using 1 Gb/s switch and 1 Gb/s LAN
  cards.
• Should check cables are gigabit certified.

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Need to wake network card?

• On one PC, found the need to PING the remote
  receiver before starting TelliCast.
• Perhaps the LAN port sleeps even though UDP
  packets are present?
• Solved with a simple .CMD file
• PING ltLAN adaptergt
• Wait a little
• PING ltSR 1 receivergt
• Wait a little
• Start tc-recv.exe

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What can go right?

• Add a 20 5-port Gigabit switch and you can feed
  up to four PCs with EUMETCast data e.g. to
  spread the processing load.
• Each PC needs TelliCast software and eToken
• Generally, receiver performance is better than we
  have been used to.
• More modern design
• Professional, not consumer-level design.
• Ayecka receiver provides limited SNMP, allowing
  performance monitoring and logging.

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Conclusions

• Update receiver hardware
• Change one line in recv.ini
• Dish re-pointed when S2 starts.. and you are up
  and running!.. all being well!

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Acknowledgements

• To Ayecka, Novra and GEO for procuring test
  receivers.
• To EUMETSAT for providing User Guides
• To David Simmons, Alan Banks and others for their
  testing and for discovering some of the issues
  and asking helpful questions!

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Questions?