Need a de-icer for your satellite dish? How about a rugged case to lug your satellite phone through the wilds of Afghanistan? Well, if you're looking for all this and more, then the Satellite 2012 Conference is where you should be.

Among the 350 companies exhibiting at Satellite 2012, you can find the above products and a whole lot more, and the wide range of companies and booths on the exhibition floor demonstrates the reach of the satellite market.

One highlight of the floor is the SpaceX (News - Alert) booth where the launch service provider is touting its Falcon 9 rocket and claiming to be the first commercial company to recover a spacecraft from orbit.

There is a wide range of providers in the military market, showing how important that satellite communication technology is to US war efforts. One company touting its military wares is XTAR (News - Alert), which proudly proclaims that it provides mission critical communications for US and Allied Warfighters. They specifically tout their coverage in Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Aside from these sectors of the market, the exhibition boasts vendors who specialize in satellite TV (treating guests to live broadcasts of spring training games) as well as maritime satellite specialists and the companies that make the nuts and bolts of the satellites and receivers, like switches and robotic armatures.

So, aside from the vast array of doses and, yes, even a few small satellites themselves, there is a lot to see on the exhibition floor of Satellite 2012. That is, when I'm not scouting the game for fantasy baseball sleepers.

More on the convention tomorrow!