VSAT Training - Basics on Galileo Satellite Equipment

Okay... now the satellite equipment.

There are five components for every Galileo system.

1. The dish & radio electronics on the dish

2. The Gateway IDU

3. The Coax cable that connects the dish to the IDU

4. The Installers Laptop

5. The Client Router

The satellite dish itself is simply a reflector that redirects the satellite signal and focuses it toward the Feed Horn. If you were to break open the white plastic portion of the dish, you would see that inside is a wire mesh that reflects the signal.

The LNB (Low Noise Block) RECEIVES the satellite signal from space.

The 2 Watt TransmitterTRANSMITS to the satellite in orbit.

The Feedhorn is the snowcone shaped instrument that is designed to cut down on ambient signal noise.

The dish itself is sometimes called an ANTENNA or REFLECTOR because it reflects the signal.

Looking at the feed horn, you can see the rings that help cut down on ambient signals. Only signals from the satellite dish should reach the LNB.

The LOOK ANGLE of a satellite is the direction of the satellite if you were to point your finger at it.

The 1.2 meter Galileo satellite dish has look angle offset of 17.3 degrees from the dish's perpendicular point (see picture).

Note how the look angle comes from higher in the sky than the angle of the dish.

NOTE - It is okay to mount a dish upside down with the radio unit vertical to the dish (instead of horizontal). This is useful only if you wish to hide the dish face from view from from a person standing on the ground.

Make sure that no water can pool on the dish if you do this.

The Radio Unit has two coax cables (one for receive, the other for transmit) that connect to the back of the IDU as shown. The yellow tie strap connected to one of the cables is a simple reminder showing that this cable is the receive cable.

The gateway IDU is both the satellite modems and the gateway that you may connect your installer laptop to, or to a network router.

The Installer Laptop can connect directly to the IDU, but only with a cross-over Ethernet cable. Once the system is configured with the installer laptop, normal cablingis used to connect to the customer internal router.

The Galileo system uses a high grade coax cable, and NOT the standard RG-6 that is used in the TV satellite industry. The coax is Belden 1694A and it comes shipped with each Galileo system on a 300 foot spool. Knowing this, you should try to keep your dish within 150 feet (cable run) to the Gateway IDU, or make sure to order more cable from Ground Control before your installation takes place.

On the installation laptop, each Installer should have a copy of:

Internet Explorer, to check to make sure the satellite is online and to access the Galileo Gateway router via its IP address.

The Galileo CD ROM - A copy of the training CD-ROM for easy access.

CPE Installation Wizard - This is the commissioning software to turn on the Galileo system.

Satmaster QuickAim - With a GPS handheld device, you can find the pointing parameter for ANY satellite from any location on the planet. A real handy application for all satellite installers.

Every Installation will require a Windows XP or 2000 compatible laptop with a Cross-Over cable to commission the Galileo gateway. Make sure that you prep your laptop with the appropriate software prior to going on any installation.

After you've commissioned the Galileo gateway, you may connect the customer router directly into the Gateway. If the customer does not have a router, they will need to purchase one. We recommend the Linksys router that retails for about $70. As an installer, you are not responsible to configure the customer network.