Satcom Resources Blog

This week Satcom Resources has added the popular Comtech Radyne OM20 Rugged Antenna Mount Modem to it’s ever-expanding line of satellite modems to meet all your Satcom communications needs.

The OM-20 is designed for GSM, VSAT and quick deploy applications. Performance that meets or exceeds industry standards, features that provide ease of integration and operation and the ability to withstand extreme environments, the OM20 can take it!

The transmit output port will drive up to 10 Watt C-band or a 8 Watt Ku-band block converter. The OM20 has been designed and built for outdoor use in extreme environments. The OM20 serves as a standalone outdoor modem that can be integrated with a block up-converter and LNB for a complete outdoor system solution. The OM20 supports all the requirements needed to monitor, control and operate remote sites. Outdoor equipment such as the OM can eliminate the expense of sheltering site equipment. With the ability to support IBS, IDR and DVB standards, the OM20 covers virtually all your satellite needs.

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Comtech EF Data has released discounted pricing for redundant CDM-625 Satellite Modems utilizing Carrier-In-Carrier Forward Error Correction. The “Fractional” licensing is good for up to 90 days per operational year and knowing Comtech EF Data, if one of their modems is out of service for more than 90 days per year, we’re pretty sure they will work with you on the backup.

The fractional licensing starts to get you pricing advantages with data rates at anything over 1.1MBPS CNC Data Rates, and as you get into the higher data rates save you as much as 60% over the standard Carrier-In-Carrier License Fee.

You can configure your CDM-625 Here and when you select the redundancy option at then end, the system will automatically add the appropriate switch cabling and backup license if you have selected to use Carrier-In-Carrier on your modem.

In case you missed our previous post, the configurator is also supporting VERSA FEC options as well.

Satcom Resources now offers the Xicom XTRD-400K Ku-Band High Power Rack Mount TWTAs

The Xicom Technology XTRD-400K is a highly efficient rack mountable traveling wave tube amplifier (TWTA) designed for fixed and mobile uplink applications. The unit includes RF gain control, a solid state pre-amplifier, RF filters, cooling, and monitoring and control (M&C) systems.

The unit features a menu driven front panel display and RS-232/422/485 serial port interfaces for complete computer control. RF, traveling wave tube, and default parameters are easily monitored on the four line front panel display.

Gain control is provided via the front panel or through the serial interface.

The XTRD-400K incorporates high efficiency, dual stage collector TWTs. Reliability is enhanced because both prime power consumption and internal operating temperatures are reduced for both the linear and saturated modes of operation.

Power factor correction circuitry is also included which minimizes line current distortion and reduces the required Volt- Amps input.

The automatic features of the high frequency resonant conversion power supply include quick recovery from prime power outages and mulitiple helix fault resets (three fault cycles.)

Depending upon user requirements these amplifiers can be configured for either single thread or redundant system operation.

Rack space is conserved because the amplifier occupies only 3 rack units (5¼ inches) of a standard 19-inch rack cabinet. Nominal weight is 56 pounds.

Comtech EF Data announced the release of
VersaFEC®, the next generation Forward Error Correction
(FEC). Now available in the Comtech EF Data CDM-625 Satellite Modem, VersaFEC provides maximum coding gain with the
lowest possible latency to support cellular backhaul and
other latency-sensitive voice, video and data applications.
The release of VersaFEC demonstrates Comtech EF Data’s
continued leadership in introducing cutting edge
technologies to optimize satellite communications.

VersaFEC Forward Error Correction

VersaFEC is a system of short-block, low latency Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes designed to support latency-sensitive
applications, such as cellular backhaul over satellite. Designed to provide maximum coding gain while minimizing the end-to-end
latency, VersaFEC provides an excellent alternative to existing LDPC and DVB-S2 codes.

VersaFEC is designed to:

• Provide an expanded choice of modulation and code combinations (ModCods). These new combinations provide
  equivalent coding gains to our existing LDPC offering, and also significantly reduce latency. The existing LDPC codes
  (as as well as DVB-S2 short-block codes) use 16 kbit blocks, whereas VersaFEC uses blocks ranging from 2 kbits to
  8.2 kbits.
• Support a patent-pending Adaptive Modulation and Coding (ACM) system. The ModCods have been chosen to provide
  a continuous progression in terms of Eb/No and spectral efficiency, while reducing latency to near-theoretical
  minimums.

Low Latency

VersaFEC is specifically designed for low latency applications. As a comparison, Comtech EF Data’s current LDPC Rate 2/3 8-
QAM and VersaFEC Rate 0.642 8-QAM provide essentially identical spectral efficiency and Eb/No performance. However, at
64 kbps, the latency has been reduced from 350 milliseconds to 89 milliseconds – a reduction by a factor of 4.

Compared to DVB-S2 short block, the VersaFEC provides a latency reduction of anywhere from a factor of 4 to as much as a
factor of 10. E.g. DVB-S2 QPSK Rate 2/3 and VersaFEC QPSK 0.631 have near identical spectral efficiency and Eb/No
performance. However, at 64 kbps, the VersaFEC latency is 59 ms compared to over 500 ms for DVB-S2 – a reduction by a
factor of over 8.
In addition to using smaller block sizes, to further reduce latency, VersaFEC uses non-interleaved systematic LDPC codes.

Compared to DVB-S2’s interleaved codes, this achieves a significant reduction in latency. The total end-to-end latency for a high
code rate systematic code (such as VersaFEC) asymptotically approaches half the latency of an interleaved code (such as
DVB-S2).

Compared to the DVB-S2 short block ACM, VersaFEC ACM could reduce the system latency by as much as one order of
magnitude.

We have beefed up our configurator to handle the new options, and you can go build and price your Comtech EF Data CDM-625 Satellite Modem. Don’t worry, using our rules based configurator, there is no way to mis configure this product.

The DMD50 Satellite Modem breaks new ground in
flexibility, operation and cost. With standards including
IDR, IBS and DVB, and covering data rates up to 52
Mbps, this 1RU duplex modem covers virtually all of your
Satellite IP, Telecom, Video and Internet applications.
Switch between spur-free 70/140 MHz operation to LBand
without any configuration changes. It’s all in the
same box!

The extensive list of software options allows for budgeting
the modem for today’s needs while covering tomorrow’s
plans. These options can be purchased and then
activated in seconds via the front panel. Additional
hardware options such as Turbo, Interface Expansion,
High-Stability and DC Operation complete the modem’s dynamic feature coverage. Stock this modem at its minimum configuration (and cost) locally for immediate
distribution, then configure on-site by the installer,
allowing huge savings in time and dollars with just-in-time
feature installation.

The DMD50′s impressive remote accessibility surpasses
all others in the field. Remote control via the RLLP
(Radyne Link LevelProtocol) or 10 Base-T SNMP
Ethernet or Web Browser which includes control of all the
modem’s features plus software maintenance.
Additionally, the two-line backlit LCD can be
supplemented with terminal software running on a PC or
laptop. The modem now presents its entire monitor and
control (M&C) functions on the big screen.

Supported by an extensive line of redundancy switches,
converters, encoders and decoders, the DMD50 can be
built into any satellite requirement. Compatibility with
current modems, such as the DMD20, DMD2050,
DMD2401 and DMD15, are maintained for seamless
substitution and addition to your existing systems.

For more information or to build your own version of this unit using our configurator, visit the Comtech Radyne DMD50 Satellite Modem on our website.

We have been provided a special offer on the Tandberg RX1290 Multi-Format SD/HD IRD. The RX1290 has been hailed by the broadcasting industry as a truly ground-breaking product, winning the Cable & Satellite International Product of the Year Award for Best Contribution and Distribution solution at the 2006 International Broadcasting Convention (IBC).

The RX1290′s capability to decode all video formats, coupled with a wide choice of input options for all transmission mediums makes the receiver the smart choice for professionals seeking a futureproof solution. This unique flexibility makes the RX1290 the only full MPEG-4 AVC HD solution for mobile applications. The RX1290 provides significant benefits for organizations who wish to migrate their operations from MPEG-2 SD to MPEG-4 AVC HD. The multi-format capability of the RX1290 allows a significant cost reduction to the traditional migration path of operating separate devices for SD and HD. With the RX1290, customers can upgrade the unit with licenses without having to replace receive devices thereby giving maximum flexibility.

Contact your sales rep today to find about the details. It is a screaming price for a limited time.

We have just received news that development is complete and the Paradise Datacom PD80/PD80L DVB-S2 Satellite Modem now fully supports VCM (Variable Coding and Modulation).

Variable Coding and Modulation is a type of data frame structure, where the size, coding and modulation type of the frame is best varied to the conditions.

While VCM is a one-way process, if a feedback loop (or return channel) is introduced then this can taken further to achieve Adaptive Coding and Modulation, so that the efficiency of the data transmission can be maximised.

In DVB-S2 each frame that is transmitted, contains information on how that frame is modulated and coded in its header. A VCM capable demodulator will read this information from the header of each frame and use it to demodulate and decode that frame. This allows varying the modulation and coding parameters of each transmitted frame within the DVB-S2 stream since decoding is done on a frame-by-frame basis. A unique feature of the DVB-S2 standard is that multiple services can be transmitted on the same carrier, each using their own modulation scheme and coding rate. VCM is particularly powerful when different services do not need the same protection level (for example, it is acceptable to lose a secondary channel in case of rain fade), or, like in our example, different services are intended for different stations with different average receiving conditions.

When a return channel is available from each receiving site to the transmit site, DVB-S2 offers an even more powerful feature known as Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM). With ACM it is possible to dynamically modify the coding rate and modulation scheme for every single frame, according to the measured channel conditions where the frame is received. The return channel is used to dynamically report the receiving conditions at each receiving site. The DVB-S2 standard (ETSI EN302307) reads “In the case of interactive and point-to-point applications, the VCM functionality may be combined with the use of return channels, to achieve Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM). This technique provides more exact channel protection and dynamic link adaptation to propagation conditions, targeting each individual receiving terminal. ACM systems promise satellite capacity gains of up to 100 %-200 %. In addition, service availability may be extended compared to a constant protection system (CCM) such as DVB-S or DVB-DSNG. Such gains are achieved by informing the satellite up-link station of the channel condition (e.g. C/N+I) of each receiving terminal via the satellite or terrestrial return channels.”

The C-COM engineering team has developed a proprietary algorithm that allows the iNetVu™ antennas to track inclined orbit satellites. This algorithm, in conjunction with one of the four methods below used by C-COM to locate the satellite, makes it possible for the iNetVu™ mobile antenna system to effectively use an inclined orbit satellite for connectivity.

Search Method using DVB
In this search method a correctly polarized DVB signal is chosen and used as the signal that verifies the correct satellite. This DVB can be any DVB signal on the same satellite. A good choice is a TV station that broadcasts 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

Search Method using RF
In this search method a modem that is directly supported by the iNetVu™ controller is used for verification of the correct satellite. This method operates by looking for a signal sent from a satellite and then asking the modem to verify if that exact frequency is found. This frequency is the operation frequency for that particular modem and client.

Search Method using Reference Satellite
In this search method there is no DVB signal available on the target satellite. In this case a DVB signal is used from an adjoining satellite to locate and verify the position. Once it has been confirmed that this satellite is the correct reference satellite, the platform automatically moves a controlled number of degrees in azimuth, elevation and polarization to the target satellite. The target satellite is then verified by the modem and the Controller can then peak on that signal.

Search Method using Beacon
In this search method an iNetVu™ BR300L Beacon Receiver is employed to verify that the satellite located is in fact the target satellite. This feature can be used in situations where there is no DVB, no direct modem interface and no reliable reference satellite.

For more on Inclined Orbit Tracking see white paper:
Inclined Orbit Satellite Tracking in iNetVu Antenna Systems

See our selection of iNetVu Auto Acquire Antenna Systems

Satcom Resources has add the Uplogix 3200 Secure Remote Management System to it’s line of management systems.

Uplogix 3200 Secure Remote Management System

The Uplogix 3200 delivers advanced remote management capabilities for data centers, branch offices and remote locations on a robust and flexible platform.

With integrated functionality for access, control and enforcement, Uplogix SRM appliances can automate as much as 70% of routine network maintenance functions and autonomously address the majority of issues that cause network-related outages.