EUMETSAT's Dissemination Operations Team Leader Klaus-Peter Renner gives an overview of the current EUMETCast satellite data dissemination system. He also explains how and why EUMETSAT is moving to the DVB-S2 broadcast format. The presentation was given at the EUMETCast User Forum 2014 in Darmstadt, Germany on 17 September.

1. Current EUMETCast
System and ongoing DVB-S2
Parallel Operations

2. EUMETCast System Overview
Slide: 2
2

3. DVB-S2 Implementation, testing
Slide: 3
3
System Integration
• Complete integrated system including platform, uplink service
and transponder capacity was available mid June, with test
data to users
• Verification testing
• Started January, uncovered several issues regarding
redundancy
• Performance issues related to redundancy switches solved
• Completed end of May

4. DVB-S2 Implementation, testing
Slide: 4
4
EUMETCast Platform V&V
• “power testing” in June for 4 weeks
• Uncovered various performance issues related to multicast in
a real-time system, key areas are:
• Storage system (non-blocking I/O)
• Network (MC routing/switching)
• Redundancy (lossless, fast)
• All issues were resolved step-by-step, with acceptable
performance impact

5. DVB-S2 Implementation, testing
Slide: 5
5
EUMETCast System V&V (incl. uplink and satellite)
• “end to end testing” Mid July for 4 weeks
• All redundancies activated and impact characterised,
including station switchover
• Pilot users involved
• Finally all remaining performance issues eliminated (packet
losses, delays due to storage performance)
• Stability phase 1–13 August

6. Service V&V and Pilot Users, results
Slide: 6
6
• Link Margin
• Target availability 99.98% yearly,
equivalent to >4-5 dB clear sky link margin
• In core of footprint DVB-S downlink margin is higher than
DVB-S2, but DVB-S2 uplink margin is better, thanks to ALC
(Automatic Level Control) and backup uplink station
• Lower signal level in centre of footprint, same or higher
outside (especially in the East)
• Link margin very sensitive to alignment and LNB used

7. Service V&V and Pilot Users, results
Slide: 7
7
3
2
1
0
-1
-2
-3
Pilot sites: difference between measured and expected link
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
difference in link margin (dB)
antenna size (m)
margin

8. Service V&V and Pilot Users, results
Slide: 8
8
• Symbolrate 30MS/s vs. 33 MS/s
• 30 MS/s provides 0.5 dB higher link margin but 10% lower
data rate capacity
• Planned link budget was fully achieved with 33 MS/s (with
margin)
 33 MS/s was operationally selected
• ISI (Input Stream Identifier)
• ISI=1 is selected for a reason:
All tested receivers cannot receive error-free multiple
streams (BS, HVS) if different ISI values are used

9. Slide: 9
9
New EUMETCast Europe Transponder
• Final parameters;
Ku-band Transponder EUTELSAT 10A (10° E), Europe
Parameter Value
Name
Transponder
EUTELSAT 10A
C4
Down Link Frequency 11263 MHz
Symbol Rate 33000 kS/s
Polarisation Horizontal
Roll-Off 5%
Transmission Standard DVB-S2
MODCOD 1 — Basic Service
8PSK3/5
MPE transport stream (TS) ISI=1
max 55 Mbps info bit rate (at TS level)
max 50 Mbps IP data rate
MODCOD 2 — High Volume Service
16APSK2/3
MPE transport stream (TS) ISI=1
max 85 Mbps info bit rate (at TS level)
max 77 Mbps IP data rate

10. New EUMETCast Europe Footprint
Slide: 10
10
EUTELSAT 10A (10 deg East)

11. Antenna size plots
Slide: 11
11
Antenna Sizes and Availability for the Basic Service (8PSK3/5) and
the High Volume Service (16APSK2/3)
• http://www.eumetsat.int/website/wcm/idc/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&dDocName=PDF_EUMETCAST_E10A_ANT
ENNA&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&Rendition=Web

12. Status of Reception Devices
Slide: 12
12
Company Name Model Type OS Support
Further information
by Company
EUMETCast Setup
Information
Used by
EUMETSAT
Ayecka Ayecka SR1 Router/LAN All
Ayecka SR1
Satellite Receiver
SR1 Setup Guide Yes
Newtec
EL940 IP Satellite
Receiver is not
available any more,
replaced by
MDM6000
Router/LAN All - EL940 Setup Guide Yes
Newtec
MDM6000
(successor of
EL940)
Router/LAN All
Newtec MDM6000
Satellite Modem
Under construction Planned
Novra
Novra S300E or
S300N
Router/LAN All
Novra S300E
Satellite Receiver
S300 Setup Guide Yes
Omicom
Pro Omicom 16/32
PSK
PCI Card Windows/Linux
Omicom Pro 16/32
APSK PCI Under construction Planned
TBS TBS 6925 PCIe Windows, Linux Under construction Under construction Planned
TBS TBS 5925 USB Windows, Linux
TBS-5925 Satellite
Receiver
TBS-5925 Windows
Setup Guide
Yes
Therefore, we recommend you consult this web page regularly.

13. DVB-S2 documentation
Slide: 13
13
• All migration information available on
http://www.eumetsat.int/website/home/TechnicalBulletins/EUMETCast/DAT_2082113.html
• The DVB-S2 WEB page is being frequently updated with latest
information
• Static information will be inserted into TD 15
• Will be merged into the generic EUMETCast pages

14. User Experience
Slide: 14
14
• Receiver upgrade relatively easy for DVB routers, after a
learning curve dealing with multicast networking
• USB and PCI/PCIE cards recently provide low price alternative,
thanks to persistent driver developers and users
BUT: more complicated setup and compatibility problems with
old hardware
• Main challenge turned out to be the antenna/LNB alignment
• Pointing
• LNB Skew angle
• LNB focussing (sometimes requires new LNBs)

15. User Experience – LNB Skew
Slide: 15
15

16. User Experience – LNB focussing
Slide: 16
16

17. User Experience – LNB results
Slide: 17
17
DVB-S2 Active
0.75 m 
10A
Original LNB 1. LNB 2. LNB 3. LNB
Demodulator Link Margin (MAX)
8 PSK 3/5 3.9 dB 5.1 dB 5.1 dB 4.8 dB
16 APSK 2/3 0.6 dB 1.7 dB 1.1 dB 1.4 dB

18. EUMETCast DVB-S Status January – June 2014
EUMETCast  System Availability for the Year-To-Date
The chart here shows the monthly
system availability for the three
EUMETCast services covering Europe,
Africa and South America respectively.
Both EUMETCast Africa and
EUMETCast South America systems
are, in effect, extensions of
EUMETCast Europe and thus the end-to-
18
end system availability is calculated
taking due account of the availability
of EUMETCast Europe and of the
respective extensions.
Events which impacted availability:
Feb-April 2014: Antenna – satellite
– sun colinearity had
some impact on
EUMETCast Africa and
South America services.
100.0%
99.8%
99.6%
 
99.4%
99.2%
99.0%
Jan-14 Feb-14 Mar-14 Apr-14 May-14 Jun-14
EUMETCast Europe EUMETCast Africa
EUMETCast S.America Target = 99.5%

19. 19
EUMETCAst – DVB-S2 Service availability
• Basic Service operational since 14 August
• Monthly availability August: 99.99%
99.00%
99.20%
99.40%
99.60%
99.80%
100.00%
31-Jul-14
01-Aug-14
02-Aug-14
03-Aug-14
04-Aug-14
05-Aug-14
06-Aug-14
07-Aug-14
08-Aug-14
09-Aug-14
10-Aug-14
11-Aug-14
12-Aug-14
13-Aug-14
14-Aug-14
15-Aug-14
16-Aug-14
17-Aug-14
18-Aug-14
19-Aug-14
20-Aug-14
21-Aug-14
22-Aug-14
23-Aug-14
24-Aug-14
25-Aug-14
26-Aug-14
27-Aug-14
28-Aug-14
29-Aug-14
30-Aug-14
31-Aug-14
01-Sep-14
DVB-S2 Service Daily Availability
BAS availability
HVS availability

20. Basic Service
Slide: 20
20
• “The Basic Service will provide the same availability as the
current DVB-S service, assuming the existing antennas are
being used”?
• Despite lower signal values the target link margin can be
reached and the yearly availability as well, for most of the
existing antennas.
• LNB replacement might be necessary

21. Further DVB-S2 Planning
Slide: 21
21
October
• C-band services switch to DVB-S2 feed (October)
(C-band Americas already validated)
• Operational service Monitoring based on DVB-S2 (October)
• High Volume Service completion of formal tests (functionally
ok)
November/December
• Preparations for switch off of DVB-S
• Planned “outages” end Nov/early Dec
• A termination of the DVB-S Service before holiday period is
being discussed

22. Further DVB-S2 Planning
Slide: 22
22
2015
• Cleanup activities (data duplication, DVB-S system, etc.)
• Start of operational High Volume Service (Sentinel-3)

23. Direct Data Providers (DPs)
23
September 2014: Parallel Operation
Slide: 23
EUTELSAT 9A
EUTELSAT
5West A
SES-6
Europe Users
EUTELSAT
10A
Africa Users
Americas Users
Africa
Turnaround
Americas
Turnaround
Service Provider, Usingen
Service Provider, TBD
EUMETSAT
Ground
Segments
EXGATE
Multicast
Platform
Uplink
Uplink
Direct Data
Providers:
DWD, RETIM,
UKMO, SAFs,
EARS, other
OIS
External Data
Providers:
DWD, Meteo
France,
ECMWF,
NOAA, UKMO,
SAFs, EARS,
other
Multicast
Platform
MMDS
ftp
multi
cast
DVB-S
multicast
DVB-S
DVB-S
DVB-S2

24. Direct Data Providers (DPs)
24
October 2014: migration of C-band turnaround
Slide: 24
EUTELSAT 9A
EUTELSAT
5West A
SES-6
Europe Users
EUTELSAT
10A
Africa Users
Americas Users
Africa
Turnaround
Americas
Turnaround
Service Provider, Usingen
Service Provider, TBD
EUMETSAT
Ground
Segments
EXGATE
Multicast
Platform
Uplink
Uplink
Direct Data
Providers:
DWD, RETIM,
UKMO, SAFs,
EARS, other
OIS
External Data
Providers:
DWD, Meteo
France,
ECMWF,
NOAA, UKMO,
SAFs, EARS,
other
Multicast
Platform
MMDS
ftp
multi
cast
DVB-S2
multicast
DVB-S
DVB-S
DVB-S

25. Direct Data Providers (DPs)
25
Latest 1 January 2015: end of Ku band DVB-S
Slide: 25
EUTELSAT 9A
EUTELSAT
5West A
SES-6
Europe Users
EUTELSAT
10A
Africa Users
Americas Users
Africa
Turnaround
Americas
Turnaround
Service Provider, Usingen
Service Provider, TBD
EUMETSAT
Ground
Segments
eEdge
Multicast
Platform
Uplink
Uplink
Direct Data
Providers:
DWD, RETIM,
UKMO, SAFs,
EARS, other
IDS
External Data
Providers:
DWD, Meteo
France,
ECMWF,
NOAA, UKMO,
SAFs, EARS,
other
Multicast
Platform
MMDS
ftp
multi
cast
multicast
DVB-S
DVB-S
DVB-S2

26. Further Evolution
Slide: 26
26
• Existing client licenses remain valid with the 2.4 clients;
• New client version (2.12) with fixes (java security, etc.) new
functionality and better performance currently prepared for
release, and will be available Q1 2015 (including license);
• Future evolution of clients depending on the needs, e.g. 64bit
versions, other platforms
• New EKUs (eToken 72K), including more modern Linux drivers

27. Future Evolution of Data Rates
Slide: 27
27
140.0
120.0
100.0
80.0
60.0
40.0
20.0
0.0
including 3rd party and Copernicus baseline
MTG I1
Jan-14 Jan-15 Jan-16 Jan-17 Jan-18 Jan-19 Jan-20 Jan-21 Jan-22 Jan-23 Jan-24
net data rate (Mbps)
year
MTG S1
MTG I2
S3b
S3a