TA-8 Tracking Antenna User's Guide & Operating Manual REV. X0 - 21 April 2007 http://www.avalonrf.com/ Avalon RF, Inc. • 344 Coogan Way • El Cajon, CA 92020 Phone: (619) 401-1969 • Fax: (619) 401-1971 • Email: sales@avalonrf.
AVALON RF, INC. TA-8 Series User’s Guide & Operating Manual 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Page ii Table of Contents General................................................................................................... 1 Figure A – TA-8 Series Controls and Connectors ................................. 3 Radio Reception..................................................................................... 4 Video Output ..........................................................................................
AVALON RF, INC. TA-8 Series User’s Guide & Operating Manual 1. Page 1 General The TA-8 Tracking Antenna is intended for use in military, homeland security, mobile security etc. for reception of wireless video from a moving source (e.g a UAV/ Helicopter). The unit is completely self contained and requires no setup or connections of antennas, cables etc. All necessary cables have been supplied to setup the link within a few minutes.
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AVALON RF, INC. TA-8 Series User’s Guide & Operating Manual 1.1 Page 4 Radio Reception. The TA-8 has 8 antennas configured in a flower like arrangement. 7 antennas cover the 360o azimuth while an 8th antenna looks straight up. This gives complete reception within the hemisphere. The user does not have to make any antenna connections. The TA-8 is tuned to receive a rf channel by tuning the two DX604’s. 1.2 Video Output.
AVALON RF, INC. TA-8 Series User’s Guide & Operating Manual 2. Specifications 2.1 Electrical Specifications.
AVALON RF, INC. TA-8 Series User’s Guide & Operating Manual Power: Consumption: 2.2 Page 6 12V unregulated DC nominal; 10.5 -17V DC input < 3A Interconnecting. All input/ output connections to the TA-8 are available through the BNC and the 8 pin connector on the IO box on the bottom of the unit. Video output is through the BNC (f) connector labeled VIDEO. The pin out of the 8 pin connector is as shown in figure C.
AVALON RF, INC. Page 7 TA-8 Series User’s Guide & Operating Manual Avalon RF has supplied a 8 pin cable that breaks out into separate connections for power, telemetry and control uplink (if ordered). The telemetry downlink and the Control uplink connectors are standard 9 pin Dtype connectors that interface directly to the serial COM port of a PC.
AVALON RF, INC. TA-8 Series User’s Guide & Operating Manual 2.5 Page 8 Mechanical 2.5.1 Mounting/ Installation. The TA-8 is shipped in a transit case and has room to accommodate all cables and power supplies. The radome of the TA-8 is designed to prevent formation of ice and is thus suitable for all climatic conditions. For mobile applications the TA-8 should be placed as high as is practically possible to maximize the operating range/ distance.
AVALON RF, INC. TA-8 Series User’s Guide & Operating Manual Page 9 2.5.2 Mechanical Data. a) Size (see Figure G) D = approx. 19 in (48 cm) H = approx. 27 in (69 cm) for TA-8 & TA-8-C1 H = approx. 31 in (79 cm) for TA-8-C2 b) Weight approx. 28 lbs (12.7 Kg) for TA-8 & TA-8-C1 approx. 32 lbs (14.
AVALON RF, INC. TA-8 Series User’s Guide & Operating Manual 2.6 Environmental Conditions. The TA-8 Series is designed to meet the following environmental conditions: 2.6.1 Operating temperature -4° to 122° F -20° to 50° C 2.6.2 Storage temperature -13° to 150° F -25° to 65° C 2.6.3 Humidity 5 to 95%, non-condensing 2.6.4 Inclination Any 2.6.
AVALON RF, INC. TA-8 Series User’s Guide & Operating Manual 3. Page 11 Operating the TA-8. All required antenna connections have been made before shipping the TA-8. Please do not disconnect any antenna at any time. NOTE The TA-8 requires a radio line of sight (LOS) to work correctly. It may be used in other non-LOS situations but the operating distance could be significantly reduced. 3.1 The only operator control is the frequency setting on each DX604.
AVALON RF, INC. TA-8 Series User’s Guide & Operating Manual Page 12 To prevent unauthorized/accidental change of the receive frequency/ channel, the keypad can be locked. *077 locks the keypad. *055 unlocks the keypad. The LCD displays a “L” at the bottom right if the keypad is locked. 3.2 General Guidelines While the setup of the TA-8 link is very simple, observing a few considerations will help get the optimum performance.
AVALON RF, INC. TA-8 Series User’s Guide & Operating Manual 5. Ordering information 5.1 Base models TA-8 TA-8-C1 TA-8-C2 Standard TA-8 TA-8 with Telemetry downlink TA-8 with Telemetry downlink and Control Uplink All units come with the following standard accessories: 5.1.1 A heavy-duty carrying case 5.1.2 Universal input (100 – 240V, 50-60 Hz) AC power adaptor. 5.1.3 User guide & operating manual (this manual). Additional accessory supplied with TA-8-C1 and TA-8-C2: 5.1.
AVALON RF, INC. TA-8 Series User’s Guide & Operating Manual 5.3 Recommended accessories. 5.3.
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