EUMETCast served three ways David Taylor SatSignal Software

Basics of EUMETCast It’s 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.

Usingen ground station

Usingen older antennas

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.

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: You set this yourself in Control Panel DHCP is not used

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: You set this yourself in Control Panel DHCP is not used

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: You set this yourself in Control Panel DHCP is not used

PC changes for IP receiver TelliCast software – unchanged SatSignal processing software –unchanged Recv-channels.ini – unchanged Update recv.ini: –[parameters] –# interface_address= –interface_address=

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?

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:

Ayecka SR 1 (edited from EUMETSAT guide)

Novra S300E (from EUMETSAT guide)

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

What can possibly go wrong! Dish issues Network issues

LNBs too far apart

LNB fallen off

LNB pointing in the wrong direction

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

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.

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.

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 –Wait a little –PING –Wait a little –Start tc-recv.exe

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.

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!

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!

Questions?