Eight Named as Recipients of Satellite Legends Award
Chaparral Co-Founders Bob Taggart, Taylor Howard Among Honorees

San Jose, CA – August 6, 2007 – During the Pioneers Reunion Dinner at the Satellite Broadband Expo (SBE 2007) held in Atlanta, GA, last spring eight remarkable individuals were selected from a ballot of more than 60 names submitted by readers of Transmitter News to receive the prestigious Satellite Legends Award. Bob Taggart, founder and CEO of San Jose-based Chaparral Communications, a leading innovator and producer of products for satellite television for the past 26 years, was among honorees.

"I am very honored to receive this award and we all wish that Tay could be here with us to receive his award," said Taggart, who accepted the award for his Chaparral colleague and friend Taylor Howard who passed away in 2002. "I thank the staff and readers of Transmitter News and the staff of SBE 2007 for making this possible."

• Sir Arthur C. Clarke – science fiction writer who discovered the geostationary orbit
• Buddy Davis – a leader in the Satellite Broadcast & Communications Association
• Charlie Ergen – visionary, founder and CEO of the Dish Network
• Al Gore and Billy Tauzin – congressional sponsors of the Satellite Television Viewers Rights Act of 1984, making satellite television legal and available to all Americans
• Taylor Howard – pioneer of home satellite TV, industry leader, co-founder and chief technology officer of Chaparral Communications
• Bob Taggart – co-developer of the first direct broadcast satellite system in the 1960’s, founder and CEO of Chaparral Communications
• Ted Turner – visionary, pioneer of cable television and cable broadcasting via satellite

The inscription on the award reads: "You have been recognized by your peers as an Industry Legend. The achievements and contributions you have made to the Satellite Industry have paved the way for those following in your footsteps." As an early pioneer in home dish design, Taggart and James Janky designed the first ever low-cost, mass-producible dish and receiver at Stanford University in the late 60s. Although revolutionary at the time, their innovation became the model for all home satellite TV systems in operation today.

In 1979, Taggart and Howard founded Chaparral Communications in his garage in San Jose, CA, to produce satellite dishes and other receiver components for this emerging market. During the 80s, Chaparral manufactured more C-band antenna feeds than everyone else combined, creating consumer demand for the "all-Chaparral-system," the ultimate, top of the line set-up from antenna feed to the display on the TV screen.

To chronicle the rich history and development of the small satellite TV dish, Chaparral produced a short flash video called "Satellite Industry Pioneers." The award-winning documentary is available on www.chaparral.com.

Chaparral Communications, Inc.

Headquartered in San Jose, CA, Chaparral Communications, Inc. is a leading provider of products used in commercial and residential satellite reception systems worldwide. Chaparral was founded in 1980 and is recognized for developing quality products, innovative designs, responsive customer service and leadership in the satellite reception system industry. Chaparral is privately held and products are manufactured in the United States, Mexico, China and Taiwan. For more information, visit www.chaparral.com or call 408.294.2900.