Scenario 1 - First Day

Duration: 25-35 minutes

Difficulty: Beginner

Mission Type: Station Familiarization

New Operator Orientation

Date: Monday, 0800 Local

Station: Vermont Ground Station (VT-01)

Trainer: Charlie Brooks, Senior Operator

New Hire: You

Charlie’s Note

Welcome to North Atlantic Teleport Services. I’m Charlie Brooks - I’ve been running this station for six years. I’m transferring to our European operations next month, which means I need to get you and two other new hires up to speed before I leave.

Today is observation only. TIDEMARK-1 is already online serving customer traffic - you’re not touching any controls. You’re learning what each panel shows, what the indicators mean, and what “normal” looks like. Tomorrow we’ll see if any of it stuck.

I don’t repeat myself, but the system will. If you need to review something, the Mission Brief and Dialog History buttons are on the left.

Let’s not waste time.

TIDEMARK-1 Operations Reference

TIDEMARK-1 is an eight-year-old C-band maritime communications satellite operated by SeaLink Global Communications. It sits at 53°W geostationary orbit, providing broadband service to vessels operating between Newfoundland and the Caribbean.

The satellite is fully operational and serving active customer traffic. Your job today is to understand what healthy equipment looks like.

Frequency Allocation

Parameter	RF (MHz)	LO (MHz)	IF (MHz)
Beacon (Downlink)	4,175.5	5,250 (LNB)	1,074.5

Antenna Configuration

Parameter	Value
Azimuth	161.8°
Elevation	34.2°
Polarization	14°
Tracking Mode	Program-track

Vermont Station Equipment Status

This is what operational equipment looks like. Memorize it.

Timing Reference

Equipment	Status	Key Indicators
GPSDO	Locked	8 satellites in view, 3× 10 MHz outputs active

Receive Chain

Equipment	Status	Key Indicators
LNB	Powered, reference locked	Noise temp: 43K, thermally stable
Spectrum Analyzer	Configured for beacon	Center: 1,074.5 MHz IF, Span: 2 kHz
RX Modem	Locked	QPSK, FEC 3/4, C/N ≥ 8 dB

Transmit Chain

Equipment	Status	Key Indicators
BUC	Active, reference locked	LO: 6,425 MHz, not muted
HPA	Transmitting	50 dBm output, 10 dB backoff

System

Equipment	Status	Key Indicators
Antenna	On target	Program-track active, tracking TIDEMARK-1
Dashboard	No active alarms	All systems nominal

Station Familiarization Checklist

Charlie will walk you through each item. Verify you can locate and read these indicators.

GPS Timing Tab

GPSDO lock status (Locked/Holdover/Unlocked/Off)
Satellite count
10 MHz reference outputs

RX Analysis Tab

TX Chain Tab

HPA enable status
HPA backoff level
TX Payload Data (source, encryption, buffer)

ACU Control Tab

Antenna tracking mode
Azimuth and elevation readings
Polarization setting

Dashboard Tab

Alarm status summary
Equipment health indicators

Signal Flow Reference

Receive Path

Satellite → Antenna → LNB (RF→IF) → Coupler → Spectrum Analyzer
                                           → RX Modem → Data

Transmit Path

Data → TX Modem → BUC (IF→RF) → HPA → OMT → Antenna → Satellite

Normal Operating Parameters

These are Charlie’s benchmarks for healthy equipment:

Indicator	Normal	Warning	Investigate
GPSDO	Locked (green)	Holdover (yellow)	Unlocked (red)
LNB Noise Temp	< 100K	100-150K	> 150K
LNB Thermal	Stable	Fluctuating	Climbing
Beacon	Clear spike	Weak/noisy	Missing
RX C/N	≥ 8 dB	5-7 dB	< 5 dB
Constellation	Tight clusters	Spreading	Scattered
HPA Backoff	8-12 dB	3-7 dB	< 3 dB
Alarms	None	Warning	Critical

End of Briefing

This is your first day. Charlie will guide you through the equipment panels and explain what you’re seeing. Pay attention - he’s not going to repeat himself, and in a few weeks you’ll be doing this alone.

The health check workflow follows a logical sequence:

Timing first - GPSDO is the foundation
Receive chain - LNB, spectrum analyzer, modem
Transmit chain - BUC, HPA
Antenna - Tracking mode, polarization
Dashboard - Confirm no alarms

Do this check at the start of every shift, after any anomaly, and whenever something feels off.

Welcome to NATS.