[QuadList] quads on a plane?
COURYHOUSE at aol.com
COURYHOUSE at aol.com
Wed Jul 7 20:04:32 CDT 2010
unless they had live crews they had to have tape....
Stratovision
>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Stratovision was an airborne television transmission _relay system_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relay_system) from aircraft flying at high
altitudes. In 1945 the Glenn L. Martin Co. and _Westinghouse Electric Corporation_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westinghouse_Electric_Corporation) advocated
television coverage of small towns and rural areas as well as the large
metropolitan centers by fourteen aircraft that would provide coverage for
approximately 78% of the people in the _U.S.A._
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) This system has been used for domestic broadcasting in the
U.S.A, used by the U.S. military in _Vietnam_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam) and other countries, and unsuccessfully attempted by _pirate
radio_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_radio) operators.
Contents
[_hide_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovision#) ]
* _1 Technology_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovision#Technology)
* _2 Early tests_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovision#Early_tests)
* _3 Education by Stratovision_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovision#Education_by_Stratovision)
* _4 Propaganda by Stratovision_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovision#Propaganda_by_Stratovision)
* _4.1 Vietnam War_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovision#Vietnam_War)
* _4.2 1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovision#1999_NATO_bombing_of_the_Federal_Repub
lic_of_Yugoslavia)
* _4.3 War in Iraq_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovision#War_in_Iraq)
* _5 Pirate television by Stratovision_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovision#Pirate_television_by_Stratovision)
* _6 Stratovision: a temporary service_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovision#Stratovision:_a_temporary_service)
* _7 Trivia_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovision#Trivia)
* _8 References_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovision#References)
* _9 External links_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovision#External_links)
[_edit_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stratovision&action=edit§ion=1) ] Technology
Because the broadcasting antenna for Stratovision is usually hung beneath
the aircraft in flight, it naturally has a great command of a _line of
sight_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line-of-sight_propagation) . Although
transmission distances are dependent upon atmospheric conditions, a transmitting
antenna 30,000 feet (9 km) above the earth's surface has a line of sight
distance of approximately 211 statute miles (340 km).
A Stratovision 25 kW transmitter operating from 30,000 feet (9 km) at 600
megahertz will achieve a _field intensity_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_intensity) of 2 millivolts per meter for a 30-foot (9 m) high
receiving antenna up to 238 miles (383 km) away from the aircraft.
[_edit_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stratovision&action=edit§ion=2) ] Early tests
Stratovision tests were undertaken between June 1948 to February 1949. The
first phase was undertaken by the Glenn L. Martin Co. and _Westinghouse
Electric Corporation_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westinghouse_Electric_Corporation) using a twin-engine _PV-2 aircraft_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Ventura) flying at 25,000 feet (7.6 km) that transmitted with
250 watts on 107.5 MHz and 5 kW on 514 MHz at _Baltimore_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore) , _Maryland_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland)
so that recordings could be made at various locations ranging from _Norfolk,
Virginia_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk,_Virginia) to _Pittsburgh_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh,_Pennsylvania) , _Pennsylvania_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania) and _Boston_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston) , _Massachusetts_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts) .
The second phase of testing was undertaken by these companies using a
stripped-down _B-29 Superfortress_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-29_Superfortress) flying at 30,000 feet (9.1 km). The plane was equipped to receive a
relay transmission from WMAR-TV, the Westinghouse television studios in
Baltimore, which was then relayed over a 5 kW video transmitter and a 1 kW
audio transmitter for reception on 82-88 MHz with a television set tuned to
Channel 6.
The aircraft received its originating signals from circular dipoles
attached to a streamlined eight-foot (2.5 m) mast on top of the aircraft's
vertical tail fin. The retractable 28 feet (8.5 m) long broadcasting antenna hung
vertically beneath the aircraft. It was composed of a two-element turnstile
array for video and a single-element circular dipole for sound
transmissions.
The receivers, transmitters and necessary air-conditioning were all powered
by the plane's engines using three 15 kVA, 500 Hz alternators. Without
air conditioning the transmitters in the interior of the aircraft would have
generated a temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit (57 degrees Celsius) with
an outside air temperature of 25 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 4 degrees
Celsius).
On June 23, 1948 the system's airborne transmitter rebroadcast the
_Republican National Convention_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_National_Convention) , being held in _Philadelphia, Pennsylvania_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania) , to the surrounding nine-state area
during the 9 to 10 pm _EDT_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Time_Zone_(North_America)) time period. As part of the activity, a receiver was set
up in a hall in _Zanesville, Ohio_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanesville,_Ohio) , a small city on the outskirts of the broadcast area (to
demonstrate to the invited newspaper reporters that the system was capable of
reaching "small town and farm homes")._[1]_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovision#cite_note-0)
The tests were watched by many television viewers who sent in reception
reports. From these reports it was calculated that Stratovision would require
only eight relay planes to provide a transcontinental network and six
additional planes to provide coverage to 78 percent of the United States. Mr.
C.E. Nobles who was the head of Stratovision for Westinghouse said in his
report:
"The major technical problems of the system have been solved, and the
commercial development awaits only the crystallization of public demand for the
expanded services offered by airborne broadcasting, application of the
system by the radio industry to meet this demand, and the clarification of
channel facilities available to make possible this application."
[_edit_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stratovision&action=edit§ion=3) ] Education by Stratovision
In 1961 a nonprofit organization, _Midwest Program on Airborne Television
Instruction_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwest_Program_on_Airborne_Television_Instruction) , commenced a Stratovision service from the airfield of
Purdue University. The effort began as a three-year experiment funded by the
_Ford Foundation_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Foundation) . The
program organized, produced and transmitted educational television programs
four days a week from a DC-6AB aircraft flying at 23,000 feet (7,010 m) over
the community of Montpelier in north central Indiana.
MPATI delivered its programs to television channels 72 (call sign KS2XGA)
and 76 (KS2XGD) in the UHF band, by transmitting videotaped lectures from
the aircraft to an estimated potential 5,000,000 students in 13,000 schools
and colleges. The aircraft were equipped with two 2-inch (51 mm) videotape
machines and two UHF transmitters.
When MPATI signed on it used an _"Indian head" test pattern card_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Head_test_card) which was shown for five
minutes before and between programs. The service ended in 1968 when it became
embroiled in legal action over their application of Stratovision in a
controversy with the Westinghouse company.
[_edit_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stratovision&action=edit§ion=4) ] Propaganda by Stratovision
[_edit_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stratovision&action=edit§ion=5) ] Vietnam War
During the war in Vietnam, the _United States Navy_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy) also used Stratovision television technology
when it flew Operation Blue Eagle from 1966 to 1972 over the _Saigon_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saigon) area of _South Vietnam_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Vietnam) . The television programs were aimed at two
audiences on two channels. One was aimed at the general public and the other was
intended for the information and entertainment of US troops who were
stationed in South Vietnam.
On January 3, 1966, _Broadcasting magazine_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Broadcasting_magazine&action=edit&redlink=1) reported:
Vietnam to get airborne TV
Two-channel service - one for Vietnamese, other for U.S. servicemen -
starts this monthTelevision broadcasting in South Vietnam ... begins January
21 and it's going to be done from the air. Two airplanes, circling 10,000 to
20,000 feet [3 to 6 km] above the ground, will broadcast on two TV channels
—one transmitting Saigon government programs; the other U.S. programs. The
project is being handled by the _U.S. Navy_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Navy) . Also involved are the _U.S. Information Agency_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Information_Agency) and the _Agency for International
Development_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agency_for_International_Development) . Work on modifying two _Lockheed_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Corporation) _Super Constellations_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Constellation) has been underway by Navy electronics experts at _Andrews
Air Force Base_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrews_Air_Force_Base) ... The
project is an outgrowth of a broadcasting plane used by the Navy during
the _Cuban_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba) and _Dominican Republic_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Republic) crises when both radio and
television were beamed to home in those countries.
The same article went on to report that during the Baseball _World Series_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Series) of October 1965 Stratovision
had also been used to bring the games to the troops. The aircraft had picked
up _Voice of America_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_of_America)
radio broadcasts from _California_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California)
and relayed the signal to a ground broadcasting station. The Agency for
International Development (AID) had purchased through the military _Post
Exchange Service_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Post_Exchange_Service&action=edit&redlink=1) , 1,000 monochrome, 23-inch television sets modified
to operate on a variety of domestic power sources, and which had been
airlifted to South Vietnam on December 28, 1965. They were to be put into
community facilities around Saigon. AID was also spending $2.4 million to supply
a total of 2,500 TV sets to South Vietnam.
The entire project was under the control of Captain George C. Dixon, USN.
He claimed to be installing AM, FM, shortwave and TV transmitters on the
aircraft which would get their power from an onboard 100 kW diesel-fueled
generator. The planes would not only relay programs from film chain kinescopes
and video recorders, but they would also have live cameras to create their
own live programs.
Ground transmissions would be received from the aircraft on TV sets tuned
to channel 11 for Armed Forces Television, and channel 9 for programs in
Vietnamese. On radio the broadcasts would be tuned to 1000 kHz for AM and
99.9 MHz for FM.
On February 7, 1966, Broadcasting magazine reported that after working out
a number of technical problems that the first show on channel 9 would begin
at 7:30 p.m. and feature South Vietnamese Prime Minister _Nguyen Cao Ky_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguyen_Cao_Ky) and U.S. Ambassador _Cabot
Lodge_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Cabot_Lodge) in a videotaped
production, followed by channel 11 at 8 p.m. with _General Westmoreland_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Westmoreland) introducing a two-hour program
which incorporated one hour of the _Grand Ole Opry_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Ole_Opry) filmed in _Nashville_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashville,_Tennessee) , _Tennessee_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee) . After that the Vietnamese channel would be seen for one and half hours
a day and the American channel for three hours daily.
On February 8, _The New York Times_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times) reported:
South Vietnamese Watch First TV Show
The story reported that the Vietnamese had to strain their ears because the
speakers on the TV sets would need to be amplified if they were going to
be heard by a room full of people watching THVN-TV channel 9. The American
programming on NWB-TV channel 11 featured a line-up of future shows to
include _Bonanza_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonanza) ; _Perry Mason_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_Mason_(TV_series)) ; _The Ed Sullivan Show_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ed_Sullivan_Show) and _The Tonight Show
Starring Johnny Carson_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Johnny_Carson) . The main feature was _Bob Hope_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hope) in a two-hour special called Hollywood Salute to Vietnam,
followed by half-an-hour of the Grand Ole Opry and another half-hour of the
quiz show _I've Got a Secret_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I've_Got_a_Secret) .
[_edit_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stratovision&action=edit§ion=6) ] 1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
_EC-130 Commando Solo_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EC-130_Commando_Solo)
was used in propaganda warfare during _1999 NATO bombing of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_NATO_bombing_of_the_Federal_Republic_of_Yugoslavia) with questionable success. Production was
very cheap, below local tv standards in _Federal Republic of Yugoslavia_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Republic_of_Yugoslavia) with slide
show and narration based news. Quality of reception was very poor and area of
coverage was rather small.
[_edit_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stratovision&action=edit§ion=7) ] War in Iraq
More recently, the _EC-130 Commando Solo_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EC-130_Commando_Solo) has been used to broadcast information and propaganda
for the United States over a variety of television and radio frequencies. It
has been used in several areas of operation, including _Bosnia_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnia_and_Herzegovina) and _Iraq_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq) .
[_edit_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stratovision&action=edit§ion=8) ] Pirate television by Stratovision
In 1969 news stories began to appear in the _United Kingdom_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom) that _Ronan O'Rahilly_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronan_O'Rahilly) , the founder of the _pirate radio_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_radio) ship based service called _Radio
Caroline_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Caroline) , which at that time was
not on the air, was about to launch _Caroline Television_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Television) instead. His plans called for two
aircraft, one in service and one as a relief, which would transmit commercial
television programs to _Britain_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK) by
Stratovision. Although these stories continued for some time nothing became of the
project. To date no pirate radio or television service has ever operated by
means of Stratovision.
[_edit_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stratovision&action=edit§ion=9) ] Stratovision: a temporary service
Today the Stratovision concept is used as a stop-gap measure where land
based transmitters are not possible and where large areas of territory need to
be served with a television program. Due to the advent of _fibre optic_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibre_optic) _cable television_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cable_television) systems and _direct broadcast satellite_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_broadcast_satellite) services,
Stratovision has become unnecessary as a permanent means of television delivery.
[_edit_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stratovision&action=edit§ion=10) ] Trivia
The 1987 film _Riders of the Storm_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Riders_of_the_Storm&action=edit&redlink=1) (also known as "The American
Way") used a similar concept, with a group of Vietnam Veterans running a
pirate TV station (S&M TV) from a B-29 that was constantly in flight.
[_edit_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stratovision&action=edit§ion=11) ] References
1. _^_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovision#cite_ref-0) _Air &
Space_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_&_Space) magazine, Vol 22 No 3,
August 2007, "Broadcast Bomber", p. 18
[_edit_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stratovision&action=edit§ion=12) ] External links
* _MPATI history page_ (http://lib.umd.edu/NPBA/papers/mpati.html)
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