By Preston A. White Ill, Scientific-Atlanta, Inc.
Not long ago the process of designing a TVRO earth station was relatively uncomplicated. Consider that there were a few manufacturers offering a few products to a few prospective customers. Economy was secondary to performance since all earth stations were very expensive and since very strong signals were necessary because of equipment limitations and projected use. Of course the situation at present is much different. The amount of equipment on the market has increased spectacularly. The costs have fallen as competition has increased and as the equipment is manufactured in larger numbers to accommodate a much larger market. Satellites have proliferated, become more powerful and more closely spaced. In a word the design of a modern TVRO earth station is now "complicated".