9.39 Anacom-KuBand-Transceiver

This page describes the device driver and the device window for the Anacom Ku-band transceiver.

Device window pages

The following table shows which device window pages are available with this individual device type. Tool-bar functions not mentioned here are described at the general description of device windows .

• --- This page shows transmit part parameters of the device.
• --- This page shows receive part parameters of the device. If the device is configured to "TX-ONLY" mode, all parameters of this page remain gray.
• --- The faults page.
• --- The device info page.
• --- The maintenance page. The configuration parameters described below are set at this page.

Operational parameters

The transceiver's operational parameters contained on the TX/RX device window pages are mostly self explaining.

If you are using a unit with an external SSPA you should consider that the value shown as "measured output power" is a raw, uncalibrated reading which not necessarily has a linear relationship to the true output power of the device. This is is not a limitation of the sat-nms software but an issue with the transceiver itself.

Configuration parameters

At the maintenance page of the device window there are a couple of configuration parameters which must be set to make the software talk to the Anacom transceiver.

Communication protocol / Interface type

This device driver requires the Anacom-Packet protocol. It is recommended to use an RS485 (4-wire RS422 mode) interface to control the transceiver. A single transceiver also may be controlled via RS232. If you are using an Anacom protection switch, however, the RS485 interface is mandatory.

Installation

Before you can operate an Anacom transceiver with the sat-nms software, you must prepare the unit to match the interface parameters expected by the software. For this, connect an ASCII terminal (or a PC running a terminal program) to the RS232 port of the transceiver. There comes a special cable with the transceiver for this purpose. Now perform the following steps:

1. Set the terminal line settings to 1200,N,8,1. Hit the "Return" key several times. The transceiver should report it's settings now.
2. Enter " UTIMER OFF <RETURN> " to switch off the automatic screen updates.
3. Enter " R <RETURN> ". The transceiver will answer something like " R 123456 FFFF ". The number 123456 is the unit's serial number, "FFFF" is the address it has actually assigned.
4. Set the new packet address. Enter " R 123456 0101<RETURN> ". You should replace 123456 by the serial number the transceiver actually reported. "0101" is the recommended device address for the first unit connected to one single interface. Subsequent units are addressed as "0102", "0103" and so on.
5. Now set the baud rate to 9600: " BAUDRATE 9600 <RETURN> ". The transceiver acknowledges this with some strange characters or not at all. This is because the transceivers baud rate no longer matches the rate test at the terminal.
6. Change the terminal's baud rate to 9600. Be sure not to press any key before the baud rate is 9600, the transceiver may fall back to 1200 baud if it does not recognize the keystrokes at 9600 baud.
7. Now finally enter " SAVE <RETURN> ". This permanently stores the settings you made. Without the "save" command the transceiver will forget all changes when it is powered off. The transceiver now is prepared for the usage with the satnms software. Remember/note the device address you have set at the device, it must be entered at the software at the maintenance page of the device window as described above.

Setting the EIRP alarm threshold

There is no parameter at the M&C user interface to set the "low EIRP" alarm threshold a the transceiver. The transceiver requires to be set in a special maintenance/programming mode to accept commands which change the alarm thresholds.

First of all, you need the password which enables the special programming mode at your transceiver. This password is unique for each transceiver, you have to ask Anacom for the password of your individual unit.

Then, the procedure to set the alarm threshold is slightly different for units with an integrated amplifier and for those with an external SSPA. In principle, there are three steps to:

1. Operate the transceiver at the threshold output power. Apply an input signal and adjust the transceiver gain and/or the drive level to achieve the output power which is just as low that an alarm shall be raised. You should measure the output power using a external power meter or in terms of EIRP by comparing the carrier with other signals you receive from the satellite.
2. Get the detector voltage, the transceiver measures for this output power. You will have the to set the threshold in raw ADC units, so the output power must be read in this way, too.
3. Program the new threshold into the transceiver.

To get the ADC reading, type the command ADC into the "low level command" field at maintenance page of the transceiver's device window. The transceiver should respond with something like ADC FF 06 23 45 D4 00 00 00 6A ..... Each hexadecimal value in the list is the ADC reading for one measurement point the transceiver monitors. With a unit having an internal amplifier, the second value is the one of interest. For units with an external SSPA, note the 8th value.

Now you can program this ADC value as the low output power threshold into the transceiver. For a transceiver with internal amplifier, type the following sequence of commands into the "low level command" field at maintenance page of the transceiver's device window (replace ?? by the threshold value to set). Wait a few seconds between entering the commands, the normal polling of the device state by the software goes on in background, so the commands are processed quite slow. .pre SPECIAL ART TXOUT ?? FF STORE TABLES EXIT .epre For a unit with external SSPA the command sequency is: .pre SPECIAL PA_LINES ON OFF OFF OFF OFF ON ART PA6 ?? FF STORE TABLES EXIT .epre Due to the fact, that a transceiver with an external SSPA uses the PA6 measurement point of read the detector voltage of the external SSPA, it will raise a "PA power supply" alarm instead of the "low TX power" alarm.

Variables defined by this device driver