YOU'RE HEARD, LOUD AND CLEAR. Installation and Operation Manual for Compact Tower-Top Amplifier System Models 429-83H-01-M/T and 429-83H-01-M-48 Manual Part Number 7-9439 8625 Industrial Parkway, Angola, NY 14006 Tel: 716-549-4700 Fax: 716-549-4772 sales@birdrf.com www.bird-technologies.
Warranty This warranty applies for one year from shipping date. TX RX Systems Inc. warrants its products to be free from defect in material and workmanship at the time of shipment. Our obligation under warranty is limited to replacement or repair, at our option, of any such products that shall have been defective at the time of manufacture. TX RX Systems Inc. reserves the right to replace with merchandise of equal performance although not identical in every way to that originally sold. TX RX Systems Inc.
Manual Part Number 7-9439 Copyright © 2009 TX RX Systems, Inc. First Printing: June 2007 Version Number Version Date 1 06/08/07 2 08/17/07 3 10/10/07 4 02/08/08 5 10/24/08 6 09/03/09 Symbols Commonly Used WARNING ESD Electrostatic Discharge CAUTION or ATTENTION Hot Surface High Voltage Electrical Shock Hazard NOTE Heavy Lifting Bird Technologies Group Important Information TX RX Systems Inc.
Changes to this Manual We have made every effort to ensure this manual is accurate. If you discover any errors, or if you have suggestions for improving this manual, please send your comments to our Angola, New York facility to the attention of the Technical Publications Department. This manual may be periodically updated. When inquiring about updates to this manual refer to the manual part number and revision number on the revision page following the front cover.
Table of Contents General Description ............................................................................................ 1 Unpacking ............................................................................................................ 4 Pre-Installation Checkout ................................................................................... 4 Mechanical Inspection ....................................................................................... 4 Initial Power-up Test ............
Disconnected Cables ........................................................................................ 26 Periodic Maintenance........................................................................................ 27 Recommended Spare Parts.............................................................................. 27 Optional Equipment .......................................................................................... 27 Narrowband Filter ....................................................
Appendixes Appendix A: Front Panel Ethernet Connectivity ................................................. 29 Ethernet Connectivity .......................................................................................... 29 Direct Connection .............................................................................................. 29 Required Equipment ........................................................................................ 29 Procedure .................................................
Table of Contents Manual 7-9439-6 09/03/09
GENERAL DESCRIPTION Your TXRX Systems Inc. Tower Top Amplifier System provides the highest degree of reliability available in a Tower Top Amplifier (TTA). The system uses quadrature-coupled amplifiers (also called balanced amplifiers) to create a redundant amplifier configuration in both the tower box and the receiver multicoupling unit (MCU). Each quadamplifier provides two simultaneously used, essentially parallel paths of amplification.
8-21515 Power Supply (model 429-83H-01-M) 3-21516 DC-DC Converter (model 429-83H-01-M-48) 3-21453 Front Panel Board (under shroud) 3-21476 Front Ethernet Board (under shroud) 3-21450 Distribution Amp 3-21496 Rear Panel Board 3-18173 4-Way Divider 3-18171 8-Way Divider 3-18171 8-Way Divider Figure 2A: Top view of the Multicoupling Unit (MCU). Model 429-83H-01-M shown.
The quad-amplifier in the tower top box amplifies the weak received signal before the signal enters a long and lossy transmission line, thus preventing the line loss from degrading the signal-to-noise ratio. The quadrature amplifiers have a separate power circuit for each half of the amplifier which provides component redundancy as well as unsurpassed IM performance.
converter, and a display panel to provide visual feedback on the system’s operating status. The specifications for the MCU are listed in Table 3. Also included in the system is a webpage user interface for controlling and monitoring of amplifier currents, alarms, and attenuators. The webpage user interface is accessed through the front panel LAN connector. Refer to Appendix A for instructions on accessing this feature.
Tower Top Box Test Ant Main Front Panel Test Port CAT-5e Cable Lightning Arrester TX RX part no. 8-21550 MCU Figure 4: Initial power-up test. release the door. Make sure that all of the connectors are tight. In addition, it is advisable to check the tightness of the hold-down screws for the various assemblies to insure nothing loosened during shipment. Likewise, check all of the cable connections on the MCU to insure they are all properly mated to their associated plugs.
Test Performed Figure 5: MCU software version is displayed briefly during the boot-up sequence. 3) After the power-up sequencing is complete the screen should show the default display as shown in Figure 6. The status LED for each active amplifier will glow a steady green and the status LED for the inactive (stand-by) LNA will be dark. Figure 6: Default display.
429-83H-01-M Menu System 429-83H-01-M KEY DEFAULT DISPLAY TX RX SYSTEMS INC C PRESS CANCEL KEY E PRESS ENTER KEY SET LNA A ACTIVE LNA X ACTIVE C PRESS UP-ARROW KEY ENTER TO CONFIRM PRESS DOWN-ARROW KEY PRESS EITHER ARROW KEY A CURRENT XXXmA SET LNA B ACTIVE C YELLOW INDICATES RECORDABLE VALUE B CURRENT XXXmA ENTER TO CONFIRM TERMINATE LNA A BASE CURRENT C AS AN EASY REFERENCE RECORD VALUES HERE XXXX mA ENTER TO CONFIRM TTA NET GAIN TEST CABLE CONNECTED NOT CONNECTED TERMINATE LNA B
Tower Top Box Minimum length cables Best possible sensitivity Default "TTA NET GAIN" Attenuation (3.0 dB) Default Distribution Attenuation (1.0 dB) Signal Generator Test Ant Main Diagnostic Cable Front Panel Test Port Lightning Arrester TX RX part no. 8-21550 CAT-5e Cable 12 dB SINAD Receiver MCU Figure 8: Test equipment interconnection for “bench testing” of system components. Connection to an appropriate power source is assumed.
Test Transmission Line Proper installation of this system requires the installation of a test transmission line in addition to the main transmission line for system testing and diagnostics. The system will operate normally if the test transmission line is not installed or becomes damaged, except the base status LED will continuously display an alarm (red) condition. In addition, one of the display sub-menu’s will show a test cable not connected message.
RX TX 2 4 Tower Top Amplifier 2 WARNING Failure to ground the TTA System properly can result in equipment failure caused by electrical surges. 2 4 GROUNDING REQUIREMENTS 2 Lightning Arresters 7 and 11 must be grounded to the Master Ground Buss. * 1 1 MCU ground stud must be connected to the Equipment Rack Master Ground Bar. ** NOTE Building entry-point ground plate and Equipment Rack Master Ground Bar must be grounded to Master Ground Buss.
INSTALLATION STANDARDS 1. Main transmission and test line grounded at top, base, shelter entrance and every 75 feet. 2. All external cable connections weatherproofed. 3. Hoisting grips used every 200 feet per mainline. 4. 1/2" LDF 10 foot jumper cable from each antenna to its mainline and tower top amplifier. 5. 1/2" Superflex for all internal RF runs. 6. Lightning Arrester on TX lines. 7. Lightning Arrester on test port line. Polyphaser part number DC50LNZ15MA (N-M / N-F ).
Main Transmission Line Test Line Ground Lug Antenna Feedline Moisture Vent Figure 11: Application of rubber splicing tape. Note: Additional waterproofing protection can be realized by covering the rubber tape with either “Scotch Kote” or Vinyl Plastic Electrical Tape (“Scotch” brand 33+). shipped from the factory along with the tower top box. Refer to Figure 12. The chassis of the lightning arrester should be connected to the master ground bus with a pigtail.
4) Connect a double-shielded CAT-5e cable from the RJ45 plug on the rear panel of the MCU to the RJ45 connector on the lightning arrester at the building entry ground plate. We recommend using a pre-built cable from L-Com (part # TRD855DSZ-XX). The -XX suffix represents the cables length in feet. An equivalent cable from another manufacturer is acceptable. 5) If optional additional protection of the data communications line is desired a Data Network Protector can be installed. Use PolyPhaser part # NX3-05.
DC Power Cord used in model 429-83H-01-M-48 (Red is -48 Volts and Black is common) AC Cord used in model 429-83H-01-M Test Cable connects here Main Cable connects here Ground The ground lug must be connected t o t h e e qu ip m e nt rack master ground bar with a pigtail. (double-shielded) CAT-5e Cable connects here Alarm Terminals Figure 14: Alarm terminals. Normally open or normally closed screw terminals are available. Model 429-83H-01-M-48 shown.
4) After setting the main line loss value press the ENTER button to return back to the FEEDLINE DATA menu. This will save your setting choice. 5) With the FEEDLINE DATA menu displayed press the ENTER button to step down to the MAIN LINE LOSS sub-menu. Press the UP ARROW button to move to the TEST LINE LOSS sub-menu. 6) Use the UP and DOWN ARROW buttons to set the test line loss to the desired value. This storage register works in a forward loop fashion, starting at 0.0 and increasing to 9.9.
matic mode for distribution attenuation adjustments. The factory default setting for TTA Net Gain is 3.0 dB of attenuation and the factory default setting for receiver multicoupler Distribution is 1.0 dB of attenuation. These are the initial settings that are programmed into your system when you first turn it on. You will need to adjust these values to optimize your system. This is done through software interface via the menu select keys.
4) After setting the TTA Net Gain press the ENTER button to return back to the ATTENUATORS menu. This will save your setting choice. Then pressing the CANCEL button while at the ATTENUATORS menu will return you to the default display. Setting Distribution Attenuation The MCU to receiver cable loss can be determined from the cable manufacturers specifications. For your system these values will be fixed once the cable type is chosen and cut to length.
Tower Top Box Antenna Test Ant Front Panel Test Port Main CAT-5e Cable Lightning Arrester TX RX part no. 8-21550 MCU Spectrum Analyzer Bird SignalHawk Figure 15: Testing the output spectrum of the TTA system.
preselector is not adequately performing its job and must be changed. noise. The difference between the two is the system degradation. 3) All Other Frequencies - The receiver is designed to monitor very low signals and there must be a minimum amount of undesired energy exposure. The preselector has very sharp selectivity and must reduce all carriers outside the bandwidth below -75 dBm except as indicated above.
Actual Sensitivity is calculated using the following formula: Actual Sensitivity (dBm) = IS LEV (dBm) + TC LO (dB) + TP LO (dB) Where: IS LEV is the Injected Signal Level TC LO is the Test Cable Loss TP LO is the Test Port Loss Example: If the Test Cable for the system is 200 ft. long with a loss of 3.6 dB per 100 ft., then the Test Cable Loss will be 7.2 dB. The Test Port Loss is Fixed at 45 dB. If the Injected Signal acquires BER or SINAD at a level of -71.
Tower Top Box Antenna Signal Generator Test Ant Main Diagnostic Cable Front Panel Test Port Lightning Arrester TX RX part no. 8-21550 CAT-5e Cable 12 dB SINAD Receiver MCU Figure 18: Using the test port to measure sensitivity of the TTA system. 8) Use the ARROW buttons to scroll over to the STATIC W/LOAD menu choice and press the ENTER button. 9) Use the ARROW buttons to dial in the static sensitivity value (from the signal generator) and press the ENTER button to save the information in memory.
Measuring Effective Sensitivity (Antenna Connected) The Effective system sensitivity should be taken under normal conditions as well as with all transmitters producing full power. All transmitters keyed will show the worse case situation.
Degradation The difference between the static sensitivity (loadconnected) and the effective sensitivity (antennaconnected) is the system degradation which can be caused by noise or interference (such as a user on an active channel). At 800 MHz it is unusual to have degradation greater than 2 dB (and even this is rare). The degradation value should be recorded for future reference. Degradation levels in excess of 1 to 2 dB should be investigated, as this will decrease the range and performance of the system.
scroll down from the default display to the SOFTWARE VERSION sub-menu. Form-C contacts located at the back of the unit will also change state. Front Panel LEDs Status indicator LED’s for all three amplifiers illuminate in one of two colors. The meaning of each color is summarized in table 7. During normal operation, the LED’s for amplifier A and the BASE amplifier will glow green, indicating normal current draw. The LED for amplifier B will be off indicating this amplifier is in stand-by.
NOTE If left unattended, after about 9 minutes the system will switch out of the test mode and back into the normal mode of operation. The amplifier selected while in the test mode will now become the active amp and on-air signals will again pass through to the station receivers. Terminate LNA X Allows you to connect the input of either of the tower top amplifiers to its internal 50 ohm load.
Loss of Sensitivity (Intermittent / Continuous) Individual Receive Channel(s) affected Intermittent Continuous All Receive Channels affected Intermittent Continuous Measure Sensitivity Measure Sensitivity Measure Sensitivity Measure Sensitivity Small to moderate loss of sensitivity Small to severe loss of sensitivity Small to moderate loss of sensitivity Small to severe loss of sensitivity Do spectrum analysis Do spectrum analysis Do spectrum analysis Do spectrum analysis Two or more carrier
the front panel circuit board and the rear panel circuit board (on the MCU deck itself). Table 10 lists the faults and system responses. Fault Indication Main Cable Disconnected Base LED steady Red. A and B LED flash Red. “Tower Comm Lost” message appears in sub-menu’s. Test Cable Disconnected Base LED steady RED. “Test Cable Not Connected” message appears in the TEST CABLE sub-menu. CAT-5e Cable Disconnected Base LED steady Green. A and B LED flash Red.
Opt Filter RF IN From Tower Dist Amp 8-Way RF OUT 4-Way 8-Way RF OUT Figure 19: Optional filter interconnect diagram. Multicoupler Expansion Deck The optional multicoupler expansion deck (part # DDX1002A) is shown in Figure 20 and includes a pair of 8-way dividers mounted on a 19 inch deck. These 8-way dividers are designed to be connected to the unused outputs of the 4-way divider at the back of the MCU deck (refer to figure 2C).
APPENDIX A Front Panel Ethernet Connectivity ETHERNET CONNECTIVITY The front panel LAN connector on the MCU provides for 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet connection using the TCP-IP protocol. This product feature allows access to a web-based interface for controlling and monitoring of amplifier currents, alarms, and attenuators. The web based interface requires a JAVA runtime environment (version 1.6.0). The JAVA software can be downloaded free of charge from the Sun Microsystems website found at “http:/ /java.
1 Transmit (1 & 2) Receive (3 & 6) 8 1 8 Pin Orange/White 1 Orange 2 Green/White 3 Blue 4 Blue/White 5 Green 6 Brown/White 7 Brown 8 Pin 1 Green/White 2 Green 3 Orange/White 4 Blue 5 Blue/White 6 Orange 7 Brown/White 8 Brown Receive (1& 2) Transmit (3 & 6) Pins 4, 5, 7 and 8 are not used CAT-5 Cross-Over Cable Figure A1: Direct connection to the TTA using crossover cable. 6) In your web browsers address box type-in the address of the TTA “http://192.168.1.1” and press the ENTER key.
1 8 1 Pin Orange/White 1 Orange 2 Green/White 3 Blue 4 Blue/White 5 Green 6 Brown/White 7 Brown 8 Transmit (1 & 2) Receive (3 & 6) 8 Pin 1 Orange/White 2 Orange 3 Green/White 4 Blue 5 Blue/White 6 Green 7 Brown/White 8 Brown Receive (1& 2) Transmit (3 & 6) Pins 4, 5, 7 and 8 are not used 4 Port Ethernet Hub 1 2 3 4 4 Port Ethernet Hub 1 2 3 4 Internet Modem/Router CAT-5 Straight-Through Cable Modem/Router TX RX Systems member Bird Technologies Group LAN Remote PC System Figure A2: WAN con
way to interconnect the equipment for a networked connection as well as the pinout for a straight-thru CAT-5 cable. REQUIRED EQUIPMENT Cat-5 Straight-thru Cable Laptop Computer with a network interface card installed. In addition, the JAVA run-time environment version 1.6.0, and a web browser such as Internet Explorer must also be installed on the laptop. PROCEDURE Before a networked connection can be established, the MCU LAN Por t must be changed to an IP address that’s compatible with your network.
Figure A6: Password Prompt. 6) Type in the host IP address. This is the current address of the TTA (factory default is 192.168.1.1). Type in the port number of 9999, see Figure A5. Click the OK tab to complete the TelNet connection. 7) The HyperTerm window will now display a flashing cursor, see Figure A6. Type in “bird” using small letters at the password prompt (“bird” is the factory default password). A prompt to enter the setup mode will now appear as shown in Figure A7.
8) TTA LAN port configuration information will be displayed as well as the Change Setup Menu as shown in Figure A8. For Your Choice type in “0” to select Server and press the ENTER key. 9) Enter the new IP address information that was provided to you from your IT support personnel. 10) To finalize your selections choose (9) to save the new information and exit the Setup Menu. Close the HyperTerm utility program. 11) Disconnect your laptop from the TTA.
Changing The Telnet Port Password To change the Telnet port password perform the following steps; 5) To finalize your password change choose (9) to save the new information and exit the Change Setup Menu. Close the Hyperterm utility program. 1) Launch HyperTerm on your direct connected laptop or your remote PC. NOTE 2) Navigate to the Change Setup Menu by following steps 4 through 8 as discussed in the earlier section of this appendix (Networked Connection).
Appendix B Changing Your Service Computers IP Address When you initially direct connect your service computer to the TTA it will be necessary to change the computers IP address. The procedure for doing this varies depending upon your operating system. As an example, this appendix illustrates how to make the change using the Microsoft XP operating system. The procedure for other operating systems will vary slightly from this example. Consult with your IT support personnel if needed.
Figure B2: Select the “Network Connections” icon. Figure B3: Select the “Local Area Connection” icon. TX RX Systems Inc.
Figure B4: Select the “Properties” tab. Figure B5: Make sure the “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)” choice is highlighted. Then select “OK”. TX RX Systems Inc.
Figure B6: Select “Use the following IP address”. Figure B7: Enter the new IP address and Subnet mask values. TX RX Systems Inc.
SYSTEMS INC. RX Systems Manual 40 TX RX TX Systems Inc. 8625Inc. Industrial Parkway, Angola, NY7-9439-6 14006 Tel: 716-549-4700 Fax:09/03/09 716-549-4772 sales@txrx.com Page www.txrx.
