European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 6, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday. Ocl Obers 1986 the stars and stripes new facility helping get message out by brkm1a Hosier staff writer Tor it i Jon a. Spain the airman reaches across the desk picks up the Telephone and dials a number. In i split second inc signal races through fiber optic rallies into Complex sending and receiving equipment and bounces off a huge sled dish in a satellite Over the Indian of cite. The signal then reaches another office Lel Ephom perhaps Miles incr tvs Tho Ocean or just across the base. What happens in thai spin second is the business of the 2ih6lh Infurna Ivalinn systems so a new satellite communications facility. Master sol Daniel no name to Torr Jun from a satellite communications Center in Umosa. Spain last nov Cher to help Monitor the sitcom fail Jas s construction and design. Normally us Don t gel involved in the cons Ruc lion you just see the no said. Bui i helped 1o Point out things that needed to he chanced to male this facility run it lot smoother and More one of the tilings that makes tvs operation More modern than most communication Sites is us Van i Eit Sel up for Quick Moh Lily. Protruding from she Small red shriek building Are vans that House the majority of the facility s state of inc url communications equipment. All sat of terminals in Spain will he Vanliew in the future a said. We enclosed the Hack end of the vans in make them look like they Are pan of the building hut we can pull them out qui ekk and easily i required Lodo he said. Inside the facility. Ciui Menf codes decodes de fines measures transmits and receives signals hounded Hel when units and satellites and Back again. The facility boasts the most modern coins Buniea Lions enu Ismeni in the defense satellite communications system including a satellite terminal w Ith a Seri Al number of i. A said. We got the first series of Shis equipment from the manufacturer he said. I guess you could say were the testers for a computer called the Earth terminal serves As the technicians eyes and ear in the facility. No said it saves a lot of Guesswork a n trouble shooting problems my technicians can trouble shoot the problem right Here at the he said. They la know for example if iht1 problem is with the Antenna outside or one ofic Unis inside the building. What you and i can s see Are inc measurements the computer is making on the fiber optic cables and modems also increase the signals reliability and Speed a said. There s no delay when you have finer optic capability because this Type operates on digital Light Sig nals he said. A Riant satellite dish us turn Jon a Spain Points toward a communications Sallile above the Indian Ocean. Fach Cable has Sis fibres and each fiber can carry hundreds of Telephone lines a said. If we were still using the old Copper cables we. Could t be Sel up like we Are 800 Yards from their technical control facility because the signals Don l carry As no and his technicians provide 24-hour satellite communications maintenance to the Mediterranean Region. Other Siles Are in Lan Stuhl. Germans c Olta no Italy and Raf Croughton. England no said the equipment is the hell he s Ever worked with. We re in a learn As we go situation Here so thai when the other stations gel set up with this equipment they won t have the same problems no said. Ass or Moi a l menial i at left i computer display helps technicians is Bligh mid . Warren Donnelly spot communications problems. Al right master sgt. Daniel no adjusts equipment
