• Milestone-Proposal

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This Proposal has been approved, and is now a Milestone Nomination

This is a draft proposal, that has not yet been submitted. To submit this proposal, click on "Edit with form", check the "Submit this proposal for review" box at the bottom, and save the page.

What is the name of the proposed milestone?

The first satellite broadcasting to the public

What is the location of the proposed milestone?

NHK Science and Technology Research Laboratories

In what IEEE section does it reside?

IEEE Tokyo Section

In What Year or Years was the work performed?*

1984

What is the historical significance of the work (its technological, scientific, or social importance)?

NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) planned to use satellites for broadcasting in 1965 in response to the communications satellites being developed in the USA, and began to research and development of satellites next year. After extensive research at NHK Laboratories and the experiments by NHK and other organizations through the experimental broadcasting satellite which was manufactured by Toshiba and GE, the first practical broadcasting satellite was launched by NASDA (National Space Development Agency) of Japan in January 1984, and satellite broadcasting to the public started in May of that year. The satellite broadcasting provided high quality TV services to the general public.

What features set this work apart from similar achievements?

Direct broadcasting from a satellite in geostationary orbit to home receivers equipped with a small antenna was not the usual form of satellite communication at that time, and it represented a significant advance in satellite transmission capabilities. The satellite broadcasting provided clear beautiful TV pictures over a very large area, covering not only the main islands of Japan but also remote islands. The pictures were free of any ghost images from signals off reflected buildings and mountains. After a few years, even high definition TV (HDTV) broadcasting was provided.

What obstacles (technical, political, geographic) needed to be overcome?

The biggest problem was how to build a broadcasting satellite of the same size as a communications satellite. The selection of the 12 GHz band and Dr. Yoshihiro Konishi’s invention, an inexpensive solid-plane circuit with a lower noise figure in the 12 GHz band, were instrumental in solving this problem. By using low-noise home receivers, the output power of the transmitter on the satellite could be lowered to 100W, thereby enabling the satellite to be smaller. An affordable receiver was also important; without one, satellite broadcasting would never be popular. The answer was again in the solid-plane circuit, which could be easily made by punching. The know-how to make receivers with this circuit was transferred to 31 manufacturers, inside as well as outside Japan. Moreover, by developing measurement systems of rain attenuation and computer software for channel allotment, NHK helped to solve other problems such as the attenuation of 12 GHz waves by rain and how to allot frequencies and orbital positions fairly.

Describe briefly the intended site(s) of the milestone plaque(s). The intended site(s) must have a direct connection with the achievement (e.g. where developed, invented, tested, demonstrated, installed, or operated, etc.). A museum where a device or example of the technology is displayed, or the university where the inventor studied, are not, in themselves, sufficient connection for a milestone plaque.

Please give the address(es) of the plaque site(s) (GPS coordinates if you have them). Also please give the details of the mounting, i.e. on the outside of the building, in the ground floor entrance hall, on a plinth on the grounds, etc. If visitors to the plaque site will need to go through security, or make an appointment, please give the contact information visitors will need.

The milestone plaque will be installed outside the building of NHK Science and Technology Research Laboratories, but within the laboratories lot at the entrance space. The location is chosen so that every visitor to the laboratories can see the milestone plaque.

Are the original buildings extant?

No

How is the site protected/secured, and in what ways is it accessible to the public?

The building of the laboratories is guarded by security personnel at the entrance of the laboratories lot and at the entrance of the building. The entrance lobby of the building is open to the public so that visitors can see the display about broadcast technologies.

Who is the present owner of the site(s)?

NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)

Has the owner of the site agreed to have it designated as an Electrical Engineering Milestone?

Yes

Please specify the IEEE Organizational Unit(s) which have agreed to sponsor the Milestone nomination, and list the contact information for the senior officer from those OU(s).

Dr. Hideki Imai, Chair of IEEE Tokyo Section, agreed to sponsor the Milestone nomination. Dr. Imai's e-mail address is h-imai@imailab.jp.