Feb. 6–9Washington Convention Center
The Industry
satellite technology
The Attendees
more than 7,400 members of the international military-industrial complex
The Issues
•The feud that’s polarizing the satellite-placement industry: geostationary or merely geosynchronous orbits?
•The Holy Grail of rack-mounted equipment cabinets is finally at hand—noise reduction and heat removal, together at last.
•Does the small gain in security justify the cost of a private VSAT hub? Just how compromising, exactly, is using a terrestrial backhaul through a shared hub facility?
•Canadian firm UPMACS Communications Inc., according to a brochure, “will save you money.” How, you ask? How ’bout multilevel sign-ons and audible alarm latching? How ’bout an event-log browser with customizable filtering? How ’bout full-port diagnostics tools, built-in serial communication terminals, and a multithreaded design that provides a smooth, multitasked environment for operators? Who’s laughing now, bitch?
—Franklin Schneider