The ATCO Wednesday net is 8PM eastern time. 

WELCOME to the ATCO website

A new version of the ATCO website was launched August 1, 2014.  The new site can be easily accessed on a tablet or smart phone.  There is now a calendar and it will now be easier to add or update most of the pages.  Part of the changes does require everyone to re-register on the website.  You will be asked for your call sign and if you are registered on the old site then it should transfer your dues information over to the new site.  There is also a page (under the Members tab) that will let you view your account status. 

Let me know if there are any problems.  

ATCO/DARA Wednesday 8 PM ZOOM ATV Net

Heads up. We have moved the Tuesday ATCO ZOOM ATV net at 8 PM to Wednesday at 8 PM to combine it with the DARA guys from the Dayton area so it will now be called the ATCO/DARA net. The Wednesday group essentially is the same as on Tuesday with more participants so it makes sense to combine them. All login details remain the same. 

Join us with video, audio or ZOOM on your computer. It would be great if some of the previous ATCO members would join us too as it's been a long time since we've heard from you.  

To join ZOOM for the first time, simply type https://zoom.us/join then download, install the .exe program and run it. ZOOM will start.

If you've been here before, just click on join, enter 9670918666 meeting ID then 191593 password. Join with video or just audio if you don't have a camera. 

See you on Wednesday!

ATCO OVERVIEW:

The ATCO Group Inc., organized in 1980, is located in Columbus, Ohio USA.  We have about 60 members, 40 of them within a 50 mile (80 km) radius.  Our main purpose is to further the exchange of information and cooperation between our members, promote ATV knowledge, operating excellence and conduct activities to advance the ATV general interest and welfare. 

We operate a high profile ATV repeater with (5) ATV outputs: 423 MHz DVB-T digital, 427.25 MHz VSB, 1258 MHz FM, 1268 MHz DVB-S digital, and 10.350 GHz FM and (4) ATV inputs: 438 MHz (digital), 439.25 MHz, 1288 MHz (analog), 1288 MHz (digital) and 2398 MHz located 650 feet (198 m) above street level and within 50 feet (15 m) of all antennas! Our digital DVB-S repeater signal is the first one in the USA! 

We conduct weekly "net" meetings on Tuesday on 147.48 MHz to introduce newcomers, discuss ATV topics and announce news.  See heading "Streaming Video" below for details.

The ATCO Newsletter is available for all members 4 times a year containing local events, ATV news, construction articles, tips/techniques, meeting announcements and whatever else we find of ATV interest.  Archived newsletters can be viewed by all on our internet homepage at atco.tv. 

ATCO helps to provide security video coverage for various local public events such as the annual Independence Day fireworks show in Columbus, Ohio (which historically draws over 500,000 observers), various parades, local air shows and airport disaster drill activity. Additionally, we provide local severe weather video observation that helps identify potential damaging storms to the public.

We host annual "Spring and Fall Events" to serve as formal club meetings along with a means to meet our members face to face, have a free lunch, conduct a short business meeting, engage in a discussion round table, host a mini Hamfest and pass out door prizes.  (No one goes home without a door prize!)  We also have pizza parties to swap stories and eat pizza. 

ATV REPEATER DETAILS:
Below are the sequenced ID patterns displayed continuously on 423 MHz DVB-T (digital), 1268 MHz DVB-S (digital) and 10.350 GHz (analog) when the repeater is not in use.  When it's in use all (5) outputs simultaneously repeat the incoming video signal.  Click on the title above to see the repeater detail summary.
     

DIGITAL DVB-S ATV:
Here we supply some basic information about digital DVB-S ATV.  We believe that DVB-S is the correct choice for DATV in the USA and is justified in the discussion.  Our repeater is the first and presently, the only ATV repeater using DVB-S in the USA.  It has been in 24-7 operation since January 2004.  Click on the title above for more information.

Digital DVB-S DETAILS:
Here is a good explanation of DVB-S from Ken,W6HHC and Robbie, KB6CJZ in California also working on DVB-S Amateur TV.  They are presently experimenting with this format and hope to incorporate it in their repeater soon.  (10/30/09) Good luck, guys.

PLANNING A D-ATV STATION:
Here is a good explanation of how to plan for building a Digital ATV Station.  This article will cover planning to create your own D-ATV station.  But to a certain extent (especially in the US), Digital-ATV seems like a maze.  There are plenty of decisions that need to be made to plan for a D-ATV station.  Click on the title above for more information.

UNDERSTANDING SYMBOL-RATES, FEC AND RF BANDWIDTH:
Here is an article that will explain a few Digital-ATV concepts that are typically not understood by hams and even analog ATVers.  Using the DVB-S standard to transmit a digital ATV signal involves understanding these concepts.  Click on the title above for more information.

DIGITAL TV DEFINITIONS:
Click on the above title to get an idea of the various commercial digital television formats in use today.

LINKS TO OTHER ATV GROUPS:
We try to keep an up-to-date listing of other ATV home pages as well as locations of interest to ATV'ers.  Sometimes it's hard to keep on top of this one because of frequent changes in providers so bear with us.  Click on the title above to view the current list.  Please inform us of any new or interesting URL's not listed as well as corrections to the ones already here.  I'll revise as often as I can.  Email me at towslee1@ee.net
Thanks. WA8RMC.

NEWSLETTERS:
Our group publishes an ATCO newsletter 4 times a year containing local events, late breaking ATV news, construction articles, tips/techniques and whatever else we can find that has ATV interest.  This is not just a single page flyer with repeated old news.  Each issue contains advertisement free 20+ pages of up-to-date information.  Click on the title above to read the archived issues published.  Only ATCO members can view the current year Newsletters, so click HERE or on the PAY DUES/ JOIN ATCO sidebar, fill out the form along with $10 to get each issue Emailed directly to you.  Pay by check or through PayPal.  I guarantee you'll like it!

NEWSLETTER CONSTRUCTION ARTICLE INDEX: The ATCO Newsletters contain numerous construction articles about ATV.  The list displayed by clicking on the title above will summarize them from the first Newsletter to present day. Enjoy!

TELEVISION P LEVEL ILLUSTRATIONS:
This chart illustrates the relative levels of P0 to P5 analog signals.  (The digital comparisons are totally different.  See the "Digital ATV" section for an explanation).  Actual pictures were taken off the air through an attenuator to illustrate the signal levels and how a signal progressively stronger in 6dB increments appears on a monitor.  P0 represents a barely perceptible signal and is the noise floor reference whereas P5 is a snow free picture 30dB stronger.  Click on the sidebar or title above to view the color picture illustrations.

ATV EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS:
Find some of your ATV stuff here! Click on the sidebar or title above to view a list of ATV equipment manufacturers.  There is no endorsement of any of the manufacturers listed so buyer beware.  If I or anyone else that I know of has had any trouble with a manufacturer, it won't be listed.  As I get more info, I'll add manufacturers.  Likewise, if I hear of any trouble, it'll be removed.

STREAMING VIDEO: Our Tuesday night nets are no longer streamed onto the internet via the BATC.  We found Zoom conferencing software works very well for our net.  It's easy to install and use on your computer. All you need is a reasonably fast computer, an Intel core I3, I5 or I7 with a dual or quad processor at 2GHz or better will do.  You can join the meeting the first time by simply typing https //zoom.us/join and then click "download & run Zoom" to install the program.  Run the downloaded program and ZOOM starts.  Click on Join then enter the meeting ID if prompted and you're in.  You can join with video and audio or just audio.