Sailors in Far East often find themselves
unable to access Direct-to-Sailor TV
By Steve Liewer, Yokosuka
bureau chief
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Two years into the Navy’s experiment with
satellite television at sea, the forecast calls for heavy snow.
That’s what sailors say they often see when they tune in Direct-to-Sailor (DTS) TV
programming, which includes CD-quality music channels and a news data link along with the
Armed Forces Network, a news channel and a sports channel.
"CNN is usually just a bunch of orange and green squares," said Petty Officer
3rd Class Jessica Alpern, 20, a photographer aboard the Yokosuka-based carrier USS Kitty
Hawk. "We have the preview channel, but we can’t watch anything that’s on
it."
First tested in 1996, DTS won a personal stamp of approval from then-Defense Secretary
William Cohen. He heard from sailors who said they missed news, sports and TV while they
were at sea. In late 1997, DTS satellites had been been activated, and since then about
225 of the Navy’s 300-plus surface ships have been equipped to get the signal.
Officials at the American Forces Radio and Television Services predicted DTS satellite
signals would reach almost the entire world. But sailors in the Far East said they’re
frequently out of range.
"When we’re under way, we don’t get it," said Petty Officer 3rd
Class Adrianna Stanley, 20, of the Yokosuka-based cruiser USS Chancellorsville. "We
watch movies."
"When we’re out at sea, we do fall out of the [satellite] footprint a
lot," said Lt. Cmdr. Karl Deans, the Chancellorsville’s operations officer, who
oversees the system.
Like other forms of satellite technology, DTS works better on big platforms than small
ones. There’s less chance of signal interference from masts or superstructure on the
wide-open deck of an aircraft carrier or an amphibious ship than on the crowded topside of
a destroyer or frigate.
On a smaller ship, such obstructions can knock out the signal if the ship steers in a
particular direction.
"If the ship turns the wrong way, then you get a green screen," said Petty
Officer 1st Class Dave Kleiman, 31, of the destroyer USS Cushing.
"It’s on for 30 seconds, and then it’s off for 30 seconds," said
Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeremy Simoneaux.
On ships equipped with the Aegis combat system (a feature of three Yokosuka-based
cruisers, the Chancellorsville, the USS Vincennes and the USS Cowpens), it frequently
can’t be used at sea because the DTS signal occupies the same frequency as an
important piece of radar. Warfighting systems, of course, take priority.
Even without DTS, surface ships generally have some sort of closed-circuit television
that shows video movies or television programs. Few sailors seem terribly upset by the
loss of more current fare.
"If we can get them more satisfaction by doing Navy things, carrying out our
mission, then we don’t really need DTS," said Cmdr. John Jorgenson, the 7th
Fleet’s deputy assistant chief of staff for command, control, communications,
computers and intelligence. "If somebody’s profoundly disaffected because
they’re not getting to see TV, then the Navy is probably not the place for
them."
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