By Howard H. Blonder and Roger c. Greenhalgh, IBM Corporation
The IBM Corporation has been conducting a series of technical experiments on the use of satellites for wideband digital communications at its Development Laboratory in Poughkeepsie, New York.
In addition, experiments have been conducted using digital techniques for transmission over wideband CATV facilities.
IBM's RF and satellite access was supplied by RCA Global Communications as a "Development Satellite Transmission Service" as Tariff FCC No. 92. The access to Telesat Canada's ANIK Satellite Transponders via this tariff and the associated leased RF Terminal deployed onto IBM property have well satisfied the RF Transmission needs.
The TelePrompTer Corporation has been touring the United States with its "Space Cast" Project, a transportable receiveonly Earth Station, making test measurements of signal strength and interference of video signals from the Telesat Canada Domestic Satellite in geostationary orbit 22,300 miles over the earth's equator.
The unique opportunity to deploy a replica of the Poughkeepsie digital transmission equipment, and utilize the facilities at Rochester, Minnesota using the TelePrompTer Earth Station and their CATV system in a realistic digital transmission environment occurred the week of December 17, 1973.
This paper will describe the results of this cooperative digital Transmission Test.