NASA Audio - why so bad?

[Pano]

Good info, thanks!
S-Band is used for space mission voice. Well, gee, it's also used for satellite radio. While XM and Sirius content leave a bit to be desired, the voice quality is OK. And one might hope that NASA has better antennas than my car.

I am really beginning to think it's all an act. They want it to sound that way.

Here's some tech info on the Apollo radio with some links to more info at the bottom.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_S-Band

 

[jan.didden]

The same is the case with jet pilot comms. With clear comms so important for safety, I'm sure if there was an easy way to improve it, someone would have made a big buck on it years ago.

From my experience in mil comms I can mention two factors:

- because of the high ambient noise they need to use either throat mikes or noise cancellation mikes. The first are very prone to compression and distortion, the latter may suffer from the cancellation process,

- there's a lot of electrical noise also. I remember in my work the all-pervasive 400Hz from the mains, both on all signals and as acoustical noise. Then add in all the digital noise, the radios and radars around you and you've got an EMI nightmare.

jd

 

[jackinnj]

Heh, yeah I'm from Huntsville. Raised by a Nasa dude.

hmmm, is your last name Von Braun?

 

[wwenze]

The same is the case with jet pilot comms. With clear comms so important for safety, I'm sure if there was an easy way to improve it, someone would have made a big buck on it years ago.

From my experience in mil comms I can mention two factors:

- because of the high ambient noise they need to use either throat mikes or noise cancellation mikes. The first are very prone to compression and distortion, the latter may suffer from the cancellation process,

- there's a lot of electrical noise also. I remember in my work the all-pervasive 400Hz from the mains, both on all signals and as acoustical noise. Then add in all the digital noise, the radios and radars around you and you've got an EMI nightmare.

jd

A friend who used to work as a tank mechanic claimed to have made a line-level audio interconnect out of the cable connecting the headset to the tank. He claims speech is very clear but everything else is not there.

 

[Bas Horneman]

Bas, so was the russian shuttle, Buran. But the computers they designed for it are still amazing.

I agree with you. I did not get my point across well enough. The 70's solid state stuff was not the best for audio or so I've been told.

And I was sort of trying to answer the

can beam 100s of SD and HD video and audio channels

statement.

 

[Bas Horneman]

So what's up with the rotten audio from the NASA missions? It has bugged me for years. Ever notice how bad it is? Why?

I reckon one or two LossLess Blackbodies would solve the rotten audio.
Blackbody - $959.00 : LessLoss high end audio power cables, audiophile power cables, audiophile cables

Perhaps a few in Houston too.

 

[Pano]

Sure, but by the time that got into space, they would cost at least 10X that.

 

[Cal Weldon]

Long live the squelchy ping!

 

[Pano]

It's like the Python sketch with the machine that goes Ping! Maybe the techs do it just to please the NASA top brass.

 

[Bas Horneman]

Sure, but by the time that got into space, they would cost at least 10X that.

But they could be sold for 100x original cost. Because they will have been in space. With all the benefits of having been away from the earth's magnetism and the cosmic rays...etc., etc.

 

[Craig405]

Its obviously down to their mid-fi choice in audio interconnects, I also hear that they dont use silver based solder in the analogue sections of the comms..

 

[Bas Horneman]

I also hear that they dont use silver based solder in the analogue sections of the comms..

Actually I think they do. In the Navy at least a lot of wiring was teflon coated silver wire. I assume that if you use silver wire (Aerospace industry as well?) They'll use silver solder...

 

[suntechnik]

A friend who used to work as a tank mechanic claimed to have made a line-level audio interconnect out of the cable connecting the headset to the tank. He claims speech is very clear but everything else is not there.

I doubt tank mechanic experienced 10G. Jets/spacecrafts realities way too different form what we get used here on solid Earth.

janneman explanation of the topic is clear and correct.

 

[Bas Horneman]

I doubt tank mechanic experienced 10G. Jets/spacecrafts realities way too different form what we get used here on solid Earth

Not argueing about your post. Just that when the tank fires a round. The electronics probably get a very brief kick that is a lot harder than 10G I think.

 

[wwenze]

Not trying to argue with anyone here, I see this thread as created for entertainment purposes, limited verified facts. Can't have an argument without facts.

I don't believe in cables compared to using other passive components to achieve heavy band-pass-filtering.

Anyway... did NASA fire new satellites or are they still using the old ones from Richard Nixon era?

 

[Cal Weldon]

This gives you an idea of what is still good, what is now bad and of course the ugly too, satellite version. Ping!

All available sizes | Big Brothers | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[wwenze]

USA - biggest polluter even in space

 

[jan.didden]

USA - biggest polluter even in space

Actually Russia has more than double the dysfunctional satellites than the US, more total functional & dysfunctional than US also.

jd

 

[wwenze]

Actually Russia has more than double the dysfunctional satellites than the US, more total functional & dysfunctional than US also.

jd

Or so they'd like us to think.

What if it actually wasn't the USA that won the Star Wars program?

Perhaps the audio sounds bad because there's a lot going on up there.

 

[Pano]

Mauritius has a satellite? Crazy! Is it called "The Dodo?"