STA Request

0001-EX-ST-2001 Text Documents

Comsat Corporation

2001-01-03ELS_43583

 o                                                       000L EX—S7— 200 |
§gcoMSAT
   CORPORATION
                                                                      *cAsMaconco
                                                                                    6560 Rock Spring Drive
                                                                                       Bethesda, MD 20817
                                                                                   Telephone 301 214 3459
                                                                                          Fax 301 214 7145
                                                                                               Telex 197800
                                                                     Internet robert.mansbach@comsat.com


                                           December 15,       2000




   Ms. Magalie R. Salas
   Secretary
   Federal Communications Commission
   Experimental Radio Service
   P.0. Box 358320
   Pittsburgh,      PA    15251—5320

         Re:      COMSAT Corporation, Request for Extension of
                  Special Temporary Authority for a Maritime C—Band
                  Radio Experiment, Call Sign WAOXBL

         Attn:     Office of Engineering and Technology

   Dear Ms.      Salas:

        COMSAT Corporation, through its COMSAT Mobile
   Communications business unit ("CMC"), herein requests
   extension of the Special Temporary Authority ("STA")                        first
   granted on July 6,        1998,   in File No.     S$—3451—EX—1998.           This
   STA authorizes CMC to conduct a maritime radio experiment at
   C—band under Sections 5.202 (i) and 5.202 (j) of the Rules,
   utilizing shipboard earth stations installed on vessels
   traveling in the Caribbean and in the U.S. coastal waters, a
   temporary—fixed earth station at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and
   Santa Paula, California, and the COMSTAR D—4 and GE Americom
   Aurora—2 satellites.   The current STA is due to expire on
   December 27, 2000.   CMC herein requests an extension of STA.

         Continuation of this experiment will serve the public
   interest by demonstrating the utility of the two spacecraft
   and the stabilized VSAT antennas in the provision of C—band
   service to maritime users.

        The COMSTAR D—4 will continue to operate in inclined
   orbit at 76° W.L.  Grant of this request will not have a
   significant      environmental      impact and,    thus,    does not        require
   an Environmental Statement under Section 1.1307 of the
   Commission‘s Rules.         CMC certifies that neither the
   applicant nor any other party to this application is subject


to a denial of Federal benefits pursuant to Section 5301 of
the Anti—Drug Abuse Act of 1988, 21 U.S.C. § 853a.

     Accordingly,  CMC respectfully submits that the public
interest would be served by extension of the requested
experimental authorization and the continued operation of
the COMSTAR D—4 at 76° W.L.

                              Respectfully submitted,




                                 )
                              RoMert A. Mansbach
                                 Its Attorney




. . . /COMSTAR . doc


           TEST REPORT
              for
 COMSAT MOBILE COMMUNICATIONGS
       C—BAND EXPERIMENT




December   15,   2000


1.0 General

COMSAT Mobile Communications (CMC) , a business unit of
COMSAT, has been conducting an experiment to determine the
viability of providing communications using C—band to ships
in the Caribbean Sea and in U.S. coastal waters.   The
continuing technical results of this experiment are most
promising.  System performance and communications
availability has been very high and meets customer
expectations.

The following provides a summary of spacecraft performance
and interference potential.

2.0 Spacecraft Performance

The COMSTAR D—4 spacecraft is performing to specification
and has shown no sign of degradation since it was placed
into inclined orbit.        See COMSAT General       Corp.,   4   FCC Red
3820 (1989) . The spacecraft is currently in an inclined
orbit with a north/south inclination of approximately 10
degrees.  A satellite life of at least four more years is
expected.     The anticipated rate of change in inclination per
year was previously reported to the FCC          (File No.        130/134—
SAT—STA—96) as follows:

DATE              INCLINATION            INCLINATION GROWTH RATE

2/26/97             9.24    DEG                  0   .52   DEG/YEAR
2/26/98             9.76    DEG                  0   .46   DEG/YEAR
2/26/99            10 .22   DEG                  0   .41   DEG/YEAR
2/26/00            10.63    DEG                  0   .37   DEG/YEAR

The inclination of the COMSTAR is now approximately 10 .9
degrees.

The Aurora 2 spacecraft continues to provide reliable
service and excellent coverage of the waters around Alaska
and along the Pacific coast during the Alaskan cruise
season.

3 .0   Interference Potential

There have been no reports of interference to other radio
communications facilities due to the operation of this C—
band experiment.  Interference from other C—band radio
communications facilities has not affected the performance
of this C—band experiment.



Document Created: 2001-01-03 11:16:00
Document Modified: 2001-01-03 11:16:00

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