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Satellite Glossary A-B | C-D | E-F | G-H | I-J | K-L | M-N | O-P | Q-S | T-V | W-Z A Analog:  Traditional method of transmitting and recording sound and pictures where the signal varies smoothly and continuously over time. Antenna:  See "satellite dish". Artifact:  The effects seen on a TV screen caused by errors in a digital signal (See "cliff effect"). Asymmetric transmission:  Where the information or data transmission speeds for the forward and return channels differ (e.g. high speed for the forward channel and low for return). Audio subcarrier:  Signal beside the television picture which contains the audio information. Either TV related sound or radio programming. Azimuth:  Angle between true north and a particular satellite. Can be measured with a compass. B Bandpass filter:  An electronic circuit that allows a selected band of frequencies to pass unattenuated. All frequencies that lie outside of the passband are severely attenuated. Bandpass filters are often used on C-Band satellite systems between the LNB and feedhorn to eliminate nearby telephone microwave and airport radar and altimeter interference. Bandwidth:  This is the range of signal frequencies that can be carried on a communications channel. The capacity of a channel is measured in cycles per second, or Hertz (Hz), between the highest and lowest frequencies. While this indicates the channel's information-bearing capacity, it is more commonly expressed as "bits per second". Bandwidth varies according to the sort and method of transmission. Bit Error Rate:  Denotes the quality of a received demodulated digital signal. The lower the rate, the better the signal. Example: a BER of 10 -4 means one error in every 10,000 bits. Bit Rate:  Transmission speed of digital information, expressed in bits per second. Bit:  Abbreviation for binary digit. Blackout area:  A pre-defined area where particular programming (often sports or special events) will not be available, usually because of contractual agreements. Byte:  Sequence or group of eight bits. 1 byte = 8 bits; 1 Kbyte = 1,024 bytes; 1Mbyte = 1,024 Kbytes; 1Gbyte = 1,024 Mbytes. Home | Residential Products | About Us | Contact Us © 2003 Stallions Satellite and Antenna - All rights reserved.