You have probably passed by it on your way to class.Most know it as big white truck outside the library that never moves.

But there is more to California State University?s satellite truck than meets the eye.

The truck was purchased by the CSU system back in the 1980s with lottery funds through the Chancellor?s office. The truck was bought to provide any California State University with distance learning programs and educational training tools via analog satellite transmission.

The majority of signals used in television and computer production today are digital.

“Our mission is to reach the public by informing and educating them with this technology,” said Spencer Freund, associate vice president of academic affairs and telecommunications.

“It?s important to allow our campus to have this kind of resource.”The truck allows the campus to transmit programs and class lectures, and other services directly to the university campuses and broadcast it through local cable stations.

The University Media Services Department has seen a fall off in the use of the satellite truck in recent years due to the ever-changing world of technology.

“There?s been a tremendous evolution in technology,” Assistant Director of Media Technologies Allan Hinderstein said. “Our challenge now is finding stability in this evolution and having technology that uses a universal signal.”

An analog signal is the most basic form of signals, limiting how fast and easy the department can receive and transmit information. Broadcasting advances into digital, microwave and Internet streaming satellite transmission has become an inefficient method of sending and receiving different data.

“It just isn?t cost effective to use the truck with all of the other technology available,” Hinderstein said. “It costs a lot of money to have engineers run the truck and pay for the gas to send the truck out to different locations.”

“The other types are faster, cheaper and what we cant to do now is upgrade to digital or high definition television,” he added.Upgrading to a faster, more efficient form of technology is costly however, and the department is hesitant to make any decisions about the truck?s future right now.

“We can?t afford to make a bad decision,” Freund said. “But we?re getting closer.”

“We just need to wait for some stability in technology.”

Although the truck gets no use, Freund said that it is unlikely that the satellite will disappear amongst the new trends in technological development, and is adamant about keeping the truck.

“People think the satellite is dead, that it has no place,” he said. “But if you look on top of any building in Sacramento, they all have satellites.”

“I think there will be a mix and marriage of technologies,” he added.

“We?ll just have to wait and see which ones will separate and compliment each other.”