opening - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 1980 - 6 Shilling

Satellites as a communication link between the continents are today an indispensable part of telecommunications. The Austrian Postal and Telegraph Administration (PTV) has been using this facility for years, albeit via earth stations of foreign administrations. In the seventies it was decided to build an earth station in Austria. After lengthy preparatory work, an area near Graßnitz, municipality of Aflenz, in Styria was selected as the cheapest location for this facility. First, the first stage of development of the earth station Aflenz was tackled, and started in October 1977 with the building construction for the operating building. In March 1979, the powerful parabolic mirror was built. In May 1979, the central building was completed so far that the installation of the telecommunications equipment could begin. The entire plant was completed on schedule in May 1980. In the following years further expansion stages were planned to increase the efficiency of the system. The brand image shows the antenna 1 of the earth station Aflenz. The diameter of the parabolic main reflector is 32 meters, the total weight around 270 tons.