Bird Technologies Group 61470A UHF Digital Signal Booster User Manual 9558S1 2 3

Bird Technologies Group UHF Digital Signal Booster 9558S1 2 3

Manual Rev6

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 1

8625 Industrial Parkway, Angola, NY 14006 Tel: 716-549-4700 Fax: 716-549-4772 sales@birdrf.com www.bird-technologies.com

Installation and Operation Manual for

the SBIII Digital Signal Booster

Model 614

Manual Part Number

7-9558-2.3

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

WARNING: This is NOT a consumer device. It is designed for installation by

FCC Licensees and Qualified Installers. You must have an FCC license or

express consent of an FCC Licensee to operate this device. This booster can

be configured as either a Class A or Class B signal booster. If configured as a

Class B signal booster (as defined in 47 CFR 90.219), you MUST register

this signal booster online at www.fcc.gov/signal-booster/registration. Unau-

thorized use may result in significant forfeiture penalties, including penalties

in excess of $100,000 for each continuing violation.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 2

Warranty

This warranty applies for five years fr om shippi ng 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. is not liable for dam-

age caused by lightning or other natural disasters. No product will be accepted for repair or replacement without our

prior written approval. The purchaser must prepay all shipping charges on returned products. TX RX Systems Inc.

shall in no event be liable for consequential damages, installation costs or expense of any nature resulting from the

purchase or use of products, whether or not they are used in accordance with instructions. This warranty is in lieu of all

other warranties, either expressed or implied, including any implied warranty or merchantability of fitness. No repre-

sentative is authorized to assume for TX RX Systems Inc. any other liability or warranty than set forth above in con-

nection with our products or services.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE

PRICES AND TERMS:

Prices are FOB seller’s plant in Angola, NY domestic packaging only, and are subject to change without notice. Fed-

eral, State and local sales or excise taxes are not included in prices. When Net 30 terms are applicable, payment is

due within 30 days of invoice date. All orders are subject to a $100.00 net minimum.

QUOTATIONS:

Only written quotations are valid.

ACCEPTANCE OF ORDERS:

Acceptance of orders is valid only when so acknowledged in writing by the seller.

SHIPPING:

Unless otherwise agreed at the time the order is placed, seller reserves the right to make partial shipments for which

payment shall be made in accordance with seller’s stated terms. Shipments are made with transportation charges col-

lect unless otherwise specified by the buyer. Seller’s best judgement will be used in routing, except that buyer’s routing

is used where practicable. The seller is not responsible for selection of most economical or timeliest routing.

CLAIMS:

All claims for damage or loss in transit must be made promptly by the buyer against the carrier. All claims for shortages

must be made within 30 days after date of shipment of material from the seller’s plant.

SPECIFICATION CHANGES OR MODIFICATIONS:

All designs and specifications of seller’s products are subject to change without notice provided the changes or modifi-

cations do not affect performance.

RETURN MATERIAL:

Product or material may be returned for credit only after written authorization from the seller, as to which seller shall

have sole discretion. In the event of such authorization, credit given shall not exceed 80 percent of the original pur-

chase. In no case will Seller authorize return of material more than 90 days after shipment from Seller’s plant. Credit

for returned material is issued by the Seller only to the original purchaser.

ORDER CANCELLATION OR ALTERATION:

Cancellation or alteration of acknowledged orders by the buyer will be accepted only on terms that protect the seller

against loss.

NON WARRANTY REPAIRS AND RETURN WORK:

Consult seller’s plant for pricing. Buyer must prepay all transportation charges to seller’s plant. Standard shipping pol-

icy set forth above shall apply with respect to return shipment from TX RX Systems Inc. to buyer.

DISCLAIMER

Product part numbering in photographs and drawings is accurate at time of printing. Part number labels on TX RX

products supersede part numbers given within this manual. Information is subject to change without notice.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 3

Symbols Commonly Used

NOTE

VIDEO

WARNING !!!

CAUTION or ATTENTION

Important Information

Training Video Available

Heavy Lifting

High Voltage

Hot Surface

ESD Electrostatic Discharge

Electrial Shock Hazard

Safety Glasses Required

Manual Part Number 7-9558

First Printing: June 2014

Version Number Version Date

1 06/16/14

1.1 07/14/14

1.2 09/23/14

1.3 11/13/14

2.0 02/23/15

2.1 04/07/15

2.2 04/29/15

2.3 05/14/15

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 4

Table of Contents

Overview ...............................................................................................................7

Down / Up Conversion.........................................................................................8

Unpacking ............................................................................................................9

Installation ............................................................................................................9

Location .............................................................................................................9

Mounting .............................................................................................................9

Connections......................................................................................................10

Antenna Isolation .............................................................................................10

Required Equipment .......................................................................................11

Measurement Procedure.................................................................................11

RF Exposure (Exposition RF) ..........................................................................12

Signal Flow Block Diagram ..............................................................................12

Uplink and Downlink Input Signals.....................................................................13

Channel Module.................................................................................................13

Uplink and Downlink Output Signals..................................................................15

System Setup .....................................................................................................15

Operation ............................................................................................................15

Alarm Form-C Contacts .....................................................................................16

NFPA Compliant Signal Booster........................................................................16

Communicating with the Signal Booster........................................................17

System Summary Submenu ..............................................................................17

Control Panel Submenu.....................................................................................17

Filters Tab ..........................................................................................................18

Filter Detail Tab .................................................................................................18

Design Button ..................................................................................................19

Status Area ......................................................................................................20

Link Tab .............................................................................................................20

Command Buttons ..........................................................................................21

Link and Settings Area ....................................................................................21

Status Area .....................................................................................................21

FFT Tab ............................................................................................................22

System Tab .......................................................................................................22

Oscillation Detection........................................................................................23

Class B Enable................................................................................................23

Network Configuration Submenu ......................................................................24

User Administration Submenu...........................................................................25

SNMP Configuration Submenu .........................................................................25

Initial Setup .....................................................................................................25

Trap Receiver GUI ..........................................................................................26

Maintenance and Repair....................................................................................27

Power Amplifier Replacement............................................................................27

Channel Module Replacement ..........................................................................28

Control Module Replacement ............................................................................28

Power Supply Replacement ..............................................................................29

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 5

Figures and Tables

Figure 1: The Down / Up Converter Process .......................................................9

Figure 2: Cabinet Mounting ...............................................................................10

Figure 3: Measuring Antenna Isolation ...............................................................11

Figure 4: Signal Flow Block Diagram..................................................................12

Figure 5: Booster Cabinet Front View.................................................................13

Figure 6: On/Off Circuit Breakers .......................................................................15

Figure 7: Alarm Form-C Contacts.......................................................................15

Figure 8: Enet Connector....................................................................................16

Figure 9: System Summary Page.......................................................................17

Figure 10: Filters Page .......................................................................................18

Figure 11: Class A Limit Exceeded Warning Message.......................................18

Figure 12: Filter Detail Page ...............................................................................19

Figure 13: Invalid Filter Settings Warning Message ...........................................19

Figure 14: Design Filter Interactive Display ........................................................20

Figure 15: Link Page...........................................................................................21

Figure 16: FFT Page...........................................................................................22

Figure 17: System Page .....................................................................................23

Figure 18: Starting Class B Operation Message ................................................23

Figure 19: Network Configuration Display ..........................................................24

Figure 20: The Admin Page................................................................................24

Figure 21: SNMP Configuration Display .............................................................25

Figure 22: Trap Receiver GUI Interface ..............................................................26

Figure 23: Trap Details........................................................................................26

Figure 24: Removing the Power Amplifier...........................................................27

Figure 25: Removing the Channel Module .........................................................28

Figure 26: Removing the Power Supply..............................................................29

Table 1: Model number nomenclature...................................................................7

Table 2: Specifications ..........................................................................................8

Table 3: Subassembly LED Descriptions ............................................................14

Table 4: Integer Fault Definitions.........................................................................26

Appendixes

Appendix A: Front Panel Ethernet Connectivity .................................................30

Ethernet Connectivity ..........................................................................................30

Direct Connection ..............................................................................................30

Required Equipment ........................................................................................30

Procedure ........................................................................................................30

Networked Connection ......................................................................................31

Required Equipment ........................................................................................31

Procedure ........................................................................................................33

Appendix B: Changing Your Service Computers IP Address.............................34

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 6

For Class A or Class B Unintentional Radiators

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A or Class B digital device, pursuant to

Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when

the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio fre-

quency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference

to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in

which the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

Pour Classe-A ou Classe-B Radiateurs Involontaires

Cet équipement a été testé et jugé conforme avec les limites de la Classe-A ou Classe-B des appareils numériques,

suivants à la Partie 15 des règlements de la FCC. Ces limites sont conçues pour fournir une protection raisonnable con-

tre les interférences dangereuses lorsque l'équipement est utilisé dans un environnement commercial. Cet équipement

génère, utilise et peut émettre des fréquences radio et, s'il n'est pas installé et utilisé conformément aux instructions du

manuel, ceci peut causer des interférences dangereuses aux communications radio. Le fonctionnement de cet équipe-

ment dans une zone résidentielle est susceptible de causer des interférences mauvaises dans lequel l'utilisateur sera

tenu pour responsable de corriger l'interférence à sa propre discrétion.

WARNING: Changes or modifications which are not expressly approved by Bird Technologies

could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

AVERTISSEMENT: Les changements ou modifications qui ne sont pas approuvés par Bird Tech-

nologies pourrait annuler l'autorité de l'utilisateur de faire fonctionner l'équipement.

ATTENTION: This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two

conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference and (2) this device must accept any interfer-

ence received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

ATTENTION: Cet appareil est conforme à la Partie 15 des règlements de la FCC. L'opération doit se con-

former aux deux conditions suivantes: (1) cet appareil ne peut causer d'interférences nuisibles et (2) cet

appareil doit accepter toute interférence reçue, y compris les interférences qui peuvent provoquer un fonc-

tionnement indésirable.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 7

OVERVIEW

Signal boosters extend radio coverage into areas

where abrupt propagation losses prevent reliable

communication. The system receives an RF signal,

raises its power level, and couples it to an antenna

so that it can be re-radiated. The Bird Technologies

614 family of signal boosters is designed to oper-

ate in either the 450 - 470 MHz range or the 470 -

488 MHz range. The system is based on a module

design with each module capable of handling 14 or

30 filters in the uplink and downlink direction. The

signal booster is available in a variety of configura-

tions as shown in Table 1. The product model num-

ber is used to describe each configuration

available. Model number nomenclature is

described in table 1.

The size of the system can be tailored to the cus-

tomers needs by increasing or decreasing the

number of filters used. Each module is bi-direc-

tional with one downlink and one uplink signal

branch. Each of the two branches in a module are

independently tunable to their required pass fre-

quencies via software interface. The booster uses

614-XX-YY-UD-Z-P-Options (nomenclature breakdown)

614 Product Description

UHF Digital Signal Booster

Designates operating frequency band

70 = 450 - 470 MHz

70A = 470 - 488 MHz

Designates how many modules used and number of filters available

A = 1 module with 14 filters

B = 1 module with 30 filters

AA = 2 modules with 14 filters each

BB = 2 modules with 30 filters each

AB = 1 module with 14 filters and 1 module with 30 filters

BA = 1 module with 30 filters and 1 module with 14 filters

Designates the type of output for the uplink and downlink

HH = high power uplink and downlink

HL = high power uplink and low power downlink

LH = low power uplink and high power downlink

LL = low power for both uplink and downlink

FH = fiber output uplink and high power downlink

FL = fiber output uplink and low power downlink

HF = high power uplink and fiber output downlink

LF = low power uplink and fiber output downlink

DP = dual port head-end

DPR = dual port remote-end

Designates mounting style

G1 = Grey Steel

G2 = Stainless

N = NFPA / Red Steel

Power Options

B = AC with DC backup (standard)

D = DC only (24 VDC option)

A = AC only (option)

Options

Designates the options that have been added

Blank = no options added

P = 10 MHz high precision reference

Table 1: Model number nomenclature.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 8

digital processing techniques to provide a wide

range of filter choices to the end user. It is possible

to program digital filters as narrow as 5 KHz and as

wide as 1.5 MHz centered at any frequency within

the licensed range.

The SBIII Digital Signal Booster is capable of oper-

ating as either a Class A booster (no filters greater

than 75 KHz passband width) or as a Class B

booster (having filters with a greater than 75 KHz

passband width). The boosters operating class (A

or B) is user determined via configuration. Class B

operation must be enabled by the customer and

the customer is responsible for registering a

booster operated as Class B with the FCC. System

specifications for the 614 family of signal boosters

are listed in Table 2.

Down / Up Conversion

A signal booster has much in common with a

superheterodyne (superhet) receiver. The incom-

ing signal is converted to a lower frequency so that

single channel selectivity can be obtained. It is then

filtered. Unlike the superhet receiver however, the

signal is not demodulated. Instead, it is up-con-

verted back to its original frequency where it is fur-

ther amplified to reach a useful power level.

Figure 1 shows a simplified block diagram that

illustrates the down/up conversion principle. An

incoming signal at (Freq IN) is amplified and

applied to the first mixer along with a signal from a

local oscillator (Freq LO). A third signal at an inter-

mediate frequency (Freq IF) is produced as a result

of the mixing. The intermediate frequency is given

by the following relationship:

(1) Freq IF = Freq IN - Freq LO

The IF signal from the mixer then passes through

digital filtering with single channel bandwidth

before being amplified and passed on to the sec-

ond mixer. The second mixer also receives the

same local oscillator signal (Freq LO). The result is

Parameter Specification

Frequency Range (MHz) 450 - 470 MHz ; 470 - 488 MHz

Number of Carriers per Module

Low Density Model

High Density Model

14 uplink and downlink

30 uplink and downlink

Gain

Low Power Version

High Power Version

80 dB (max)

95 dB (max)

Maximum RF Bandwidth

450 - 470 MHz module

470 - 488 MHz module

3 MHz

1.5 MHz

Output Level

Low Power

High Power

22 dBm composite (max)

34 dBm composite (max)

Maximum Continuous Input Level Operational: -20 dBm

Static w/o damage: -10dBm

RF In/Out Impedance 50 Ohms

Alarms Form-C Contacts and SNMP v3

Power 90 - 250 VAC, 50/60 Hz

with +24 VDC back-up

Operating Temperature Range -30°C to +60°C

95% RH (non-condensing)

Table 2: Specifications for the UHF SBIII system.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 9

a mixing product frequency at the output of mixer 2.

The output frequency (Freq OUT) is given by the

following relationship:

(2) Freq OUT = Freq IF + Freq LO

Substituting equation (1) for the “Freq IF” term in

equation (2) allows the “Freq LO” terms to be can-

celed yielding:

(3) Freq Out = Freq IN

The implication of equation (3) is that the frequency

stability of the signal that is processed by this type

of signal booster is not affected by the frequency

stability of the signal booster itself. Frequency sta-

bility depends only on the stability of the signal

source producing the signal to be boosted. A shift

in the LO frequency will cause the center of the fil-

ter bandwidth to move with respect to the signal.

For very narrow filter widths, the channel modules

LO may be locked to a high stability 10 MHz refer-

ence.

UNPACKING

It is important to report any visible damage to the

shipping company immediately. It is the customers

responsibility to file damage claims with the ship-

ping company within a short period of time (1 to 5

days). Care should be taken when removing the

unit from the packing box to avoid damage to the

unit.

INSTALLATION

The following sub-sections of the manual discuss

general considerations for installing the booster. All

work should be performed by qualified personnel

and in accordance with local codes.

Location

The layout of the signal distribution system will be

the prime factor in determining the mounting loca-

tion of this unit. However, safety and serviceability

are also key considerations. The unit should be

located where it can not be tampered with by the

general public, yet is easily accessible to service

personnel. Also, consider the weight of the unit and

the possibility for injury if it should become

detached from its mounting for any reason.

The booster needs to be installed such that there

can be unobstructed air flow around the equip-

ment. Insure that the heat sink fins are unob-

structed. The various subassemblies within the

equipment cabinet will stay warm during normal

operation so in the interest of equipment longevity,

avoid installation locations that carry hot exhaust

air or are continually hot.

Mounting

Figure 2 shows the mounting hole dimensions and

layout for the cabinet. Mount the cabinet using 3/8”

(10 MM) diameter steel bolts (not supplied). We

recommend flat washers on both ends and a lock

washer under the nut. Nut and bolt mounting is

preferred to the use of lag bolts. Use backer blocks

where necessary to spread the force over a larger

area. In areas of known seismic activity, additional

devices such as tether lines may be necessary.

Because Bird Technologies cannot anticipate all of

the possible mounting locations and the structure

types where these devices will be located, we rec-

ommend consulting local building inspectors, engi-

neering consultants or architects for advice on how

to properly mount objects of this type, size and

weight in your particular situation. It is the custom-

ers responsibility to make sure that these devices

are mounted safely and in compliance with building

codes.

Intermediate

Frequency

Signal

Processing

1st Mixer 2nd Mixer

RF OutRF In

Local

Oscillator

Figure 1: The down converter / up converter process.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 10

Connections

All RF cabling connections to the booster should

be made and checked for correctness prior to pow-

ering up the system. N(f) bulkhead connectors are

available at the top of the booster enclosure box for

connection to the system antennas. Make sure the

correct branch of the antenna system is connected

to its corresponding uplink/downlink connector or

the system will not work properly. Using high qual-

ity connectors with gold center pins is advised.

Flexible jumper cables made of high quality coax

are also acceptable for connecting to rigid cable

sections.

Caution: The ERP (effective radi-

ated power) from the booster sys-

tem must not exceed +37 dBm (5

Watts) in order to remain compliant

with FCC regulations.

Caution: The maximum continu-

ous input power level for this

booster is -20 dBm. Stronger input

signals will cause the unit to exceed

it’s IM specifications. Static input

signals greater than -10 dBm may

damage the unit.

Models of the booster are available for either AC,

DC, AC/DC operation. Based on the model number

(see table 1) the booster is designed to be plugged

into either a single phase AC line (110 VAC at 50/

60 Hz) or a 24 Volt DC source. A connector is avail-

able at the top of the equipment box for connecting

the AC or DC source voltage.

Antenna Isolation

Antenna isolation between uplink and downlink

should be measured before connecting the signal

booster to the antenna system. This step is neces-

sary to insure that no conditions exist that could

possibly damage the signal booster and should not

be skipped for even the most thoroughly designed

system.

Just like the feedback squeal that can occur when

the microphone and speaker get too close together

0.44 Dia

(2 places)

0.44 wide slot (2 places)

33.2430.00

14.00 10.8

20.00

Mounting Tabs

(4 Places)

Figure 2: Cabinet mounting hole layout.

Lockable Door Latch

(user supplied padlock)

Note: To open the door handle insert

a slotted screw driver into the silver

slot and turn to the vertical position.

At the same time turn the black han-

dle. This will release the latching

mechanism and the door can now be

opened. When the door is closed and

the black handle is turned down, the

silver slot will reset to the horizontal

position re-enabling the latching

mechanism.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 11

in a public address system, a signal booster can

start to self oscillate. This can occur when the iso-

lation between the Uplink and Downlink antennas

does not exceed the signal boosters gain by at

least 15 dB. Oscillation will reduce the effective-

ness of the system and may possibly damage

amplifier stages. Isolation values are relatively

easy to measure with a spectrum analyzer and sig-

nal generator.

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT

The following equipment is required in order to per-

form the antenna isolation measurements.

1) Signal generator for the frequencies of interest

capable of a 0 dBm output level. Modulation is

not necessary.

2) Bird Technologies “Signal Hawk” spectrum ana-

lyzer which will cover the frequencies of interest

and is capable of observing signal levels down

to -100 dBm or better.

3) Double shielded coaxial test cables made from

RG142, RG55 or RG223 coaxial cable.

MEASUREMENT PROCEDURE

To measure the antenna isolation perform the fol-

lowing in a step-by-step fashion.

1) Set the signal generator for a 0 dBm output level

at the center frequency of the boosters pass-

band.

2) Set the spectrum analyzer for the same center

frequency and a sweep width equal to or just

slightly greater than the passband chosen ear-

lier in step 1.

3) Temporarily connect the test leads of the signal

generator and spectrum analyzer together

using a female barrel connector, see Figure 3.

Observe the signal on the analyzer and adjust

the input attenuator of the spectrum analyzer for

a signal level that just reaches the 0 dBm level

at the top of the graticule.

4) Referring to figure 3, connect the generator test

lead to one side of the antenna system and the

spectrum analyzer to the other then observe the

signal level. The difference between the

observed level and 0 dBm is the isolation

between the sections. If the signal is too weak

to observe, the spectrum analyzer’s bandwidth

Signal Generator

External

Antenna

(YAGI)

Spectrum Analyzer

Isolation (dB)

Zero Loss

Reference

Internal

Signal Distribution

System

(Omni-directional

Antennas)

Figure 3: Typical test equipment interconnection for measuring antenna isolation.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 12

may have to be narrowed and it’s input attenua-

tion reduced. The isolation value measured

should exceed the signal booster’s gain figure

by at least 15 dB.

5) Repeat step 4 again with the signal generator

set at the passband edges in order to see if the

isolation is remaining relatively constant over

the complete width of the passband.

6) Repeat the isolation measurements if neces-

sary at other system passbands to determine

the overall minimum isolation value for the sys-

tem. Physical modification of the antenna sys-

tem maybe required in order to reach an

acceptable minimum value.

RF EXPOSURE

To comply with FCC RF exposure compliance

requirements, a separation distance of at least 90

cm must be maintained between the Donor

antenna of this device and all persons. To comply

with FCC RF exposure compliance requirements, a

separation distance of at least 22.2 cm must be

maintained between the DAS antenna of this

device and all persons. This device must not be co-

located or operating in conjunction with any other

antenna or transmitter.

EXPOSITION RF

Pour conformer aux exigences d'exposition de

FCC RF, une distance de séparation d'au moins 90

cm doit être maintenue entre les Donor antenne de

cet appareil et toutes les personnes. Pour con-

former aux exigences d'exposition de FCC RF, une

distance de séparation d'au moins 22.2 cm doit

être maintenue entre les DAS antenne de cet

appareil et toutes les personnes. Cet appareil ne

doit pas être co-localisé ou exploités en conjonc-

tion avec toute autre antenne ou transmetteur.

SIGNAL FLOW BLOCK DIAGRAM

Figure 4 is the signal flow block diagram of the

standard signal booster model 614. Figure 5

shows the front view of the booster cabinet. In the

Digital Booster design the channel modules are bi-

directional with each module containing one down-

link branch and one uplink branch. The branches

are functionally identical because the same circuit

board designs are used in each branch. The uplink

and downlink branches may be programmed to any

frequency in the appropriate band.

Figure 4: Signal flow block diagram of the signal booster.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 13

Uplink and Downlink Input Signals

Uplink input signals are picked up by the DAS

antenna and are passed through an isolator before

being applied to a bandpass filter. The signals pass

through the filter and are fed into the uplink input

port of the channel module. Downlink input signals

are picked up by the Donor antenna and are

passed through an isolator before being applied to

a bandpass filter. The signals pass through the fil-

ter and are applied to the downlink input port of the

channel module.

Channel Module

The uplink input signals and the downlink input sig-

nals are applied to a down-converter board when

they enter the channel module. Within the channel

module input signals are down converted, digitized,

and DSP filtering is performed. There are two

styles of Channel modules available, a 14 filter ver-

Figure 5: Front view of the booster.

Channel Module

Control

Board

Power

Supply

Filters Power

Amplifier

Circulator

Line

Filters

Circuit

Breakers

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 14

sion and a 30 filter version. After DSP filtering the

analog signal is recreated and up converted with

an up-converter board to the original frequency

before being output from the channel module at the

downlink and uplink output ports.

Up converter boards are available in two different

styles including low level and high level. If the sig-

nal booster is a high-power model then a low level

up converter board is used in the channel module.

If the booster is a low power model then high level

up converter boards are used. Signal booster mod-

els that have the fiber-optic option installed in them

have enhanced down-converter boards that are

capable of dealing with the low level signals from

the optical conversion.

Location Label Possible

States Causes Action

to take

Bottom of channel module DL/UL PWR Green solid FPGA successfully loaded None

Bottom of channel module DL/UL PWR Off Issue with board Return to factory

Bottom of channel module DL/UL COM Red flashes Exchanging data with con-

trol board None

Bottom of channel module DL/UL COM Red solid Exchanging data with con-

trol board None

Bottom of channel module DL/UL COM Off No data exchanging None

Bottom of channel module DL/UL COM

Always Off and it

is expected to

flash

No data exchanging Check cabling; return con-

trol board to factory

Bottom of channel module DL/UL DAC Red solid DAC overflow Lower output power setting

Bottom of channel module DL/UL DAC Off DAC normal operation None

Bottom of channel module DL/UL ADC Red solid ADC overflow Increase down converter

attenuation

Bottom of channel module DL/UL ADC Off ADC normal operation None

Control board Ctrl LED Off no power, no bootloader,

no program Return to factory

Control board Ctrl LED Orange bootloader installed, no

program

return to factory or perform

field update

Control board Ctrl LED Red Control board detected a

fault

Address fault condition.

Contact factory

Control board Ctrl LED Green solid Control board normal oper-

ation None

Power Amplifier PWR Green solid 6 VDC supply to Amplifier

is OK None

Power Amplifier PWR Off No supply voltage check power supply and

cabling

Power Amplifier PA OFF Off Power Amp normal opera-

tion None

Power Amplifier PA OFF Red solid Over current, over temp Amp shut down, contact

factory

Table 3: Subassembly LED descriptions.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 15

Uplink and Downlink Output Signals

Uplink output signals leave the channel module at

the UL OUT port. The signals are then passed on

to a power amplifier stage. The output of the power

amplifier is passed through a filter then radiated

from the donor antenna. Note: When the booster is

operated at the maximum uplink output power level

(+37 dBm) the gain of the donor antenna should be

limited to 0 dBi.

Downlink output signals leave the channel module

at the DL OUT port. The signals are then passed

on to a power amplifier stage. The output of the

power amplifier is passed through a filter then radi-

ated from the DAS antenna. Note: When the

booster is operated at the maximum downlink out-

put power level (+37 dBm) the gain of the DAS

antenna should be limited to 0 dBi. We recommend

the use of a Ceiling Mount DAS Antenna from Frac-

tal Antenna Systems inc. part # UACM.

SYSTEM SETUP

The filter bandwidths can be programmed up to 3

MHz wide occupied bandwidth as long as operat-

ing in Class B mode. If in Class A mode the occu-

pied filter bandwidth is limited to 75 KHz.

Typically the filter bandwidth is usually kept small,

such as one of the predefined bandwidths of 12.5

KHz, 25 KHz, or 12.5 KHz low delay. In areas

where group delay is a concern the filter rejection

bandwidths or rejection amount can be modified

using the filter design tool.

When programming a filter for wide-

band it is important to note that the fil-

ter cannot be programmed wider than

the hardware filter being used in the

booster design (typically 1.5 MHz for

the 470-488 range and 3 MHz for the

450-470 range).

When the booster is shipped from the factory it is

programmed in a generic fashion as follows; the

first wideband filter will be set to 500 KHz above

the lowest frequency in the band, the second wide-

band filter will be set to the center frequency of the

band, and the third wideband filter will be set to 500

KHz below the highest frequency in the band. All of

these filters will be set up as 12.5 KHz low delay fil-

ters. Changes to this initial setup are the cus-

tomer’s responsibility. If you need help with

programming your frequencies please contact your

sales representative at Bird Technologies.

OPERATION

Power is applied to the digital booster by plugging

in the AC or DC power cord (depending on how the

system was configured for input power), then turn-

ing the circuit breakers inside the cabinet to the ON

position. The breakers are ganged so they function

as a 2-pole switch, see Figure 6.

NOTE

Figure 6: On/Off Circuit breakers.

Figure 7: Alarm Form-C Contacts.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 16

When the unit is powered ON there are LED’s

located on several of the subassemblies within the

cabinet that will become illuminated to indicate the

ON condition. The function of each of these indica-

tor LED’s are listed in Table 3.

Alarm Form-C Contacts

The ALARM Form-C relay contacts are located on

the back panel of the unit as shown in Figure 7.

These screw terminals are intended for connection

to the customer’s supervisory and data acquisition

system. Both normally open and normally closed

contacts are available. The system will alarm when

an over current or high temperature event occurs in

a channel module or power amplifier. Also, a DAC

overflow condition can cause the alarm contacts to

change state.

NFPA Compliant Signal Booster

The NFPA style booster system is designed to be

compliant with the national public safety in-building

codes issued in the International Fire Code (IFC

2009) and the National Fire Protection Association

(NFPA-72 2009). The booster system accom-

plishes compliance when used in conjunction with

an appropriate battery backup unit. An optional

battery backup unit is available from Bird Technolo-

gies, model number 6160-H-48-NG. Detailed

installation and operating instructions for the bat-

tery backup unit are included with the backup unit

when it ships from the factory.

The system consists of a signal booster unit as well

as the optional battery backup unit which can pro-

vide up to 24 hours of emergency battery operation

for the booster. The NFPA compliant signal booster

is designed to easily interface to fire alarm panels.

Five alarms are provided which are accessible

through a convenient terminal block location. The

terminal block provides a common access point to

the alarm signal relay contacts. Available alarm

functions include;

SB Failure - this is a summed alarm that is active

when any number of fault conditions arise within

the booster unit such as when an over current or

high temperature event occurs in a channel module

or power amplifier. Also, a DAC overflow condition

can cause the alarm contact to change state.

Loss of AC Power - active when the booster

switches from operating on the AC power supply to

operating on the DC battery backup voltage.

Low Battery Capacity - the source of this alarm is

the battery backup unit and it indicates that the bat-

tery backup voltage level has dropped significantly.

The optional battery backup unit is capable of pro-

viding at least 24 hours of continuous backup

power for the booster.

Charge Fail - the source of this alarm is the battery

backup unit and it indicates failure of the battery

charger. If the battery charger looses AC power

this alarm will be active. It will also indicate when

the battery will not properly charge.

Antenna Malfunction - indicates there is a loss of

cable connection integrity between the signal

booster unit and the remote antenna line sensor.

The alarm terminal strip uses screw terminals for

ease of connection. Route the alarm wires through

one of the access holes in the bottom of the box,

strip about 3/16” of insulation from each end,

loosen the screw terminal, insert and retighten.

Use #20 or #22 gauge insulated wire.

All five of the alarms use “supervising” alarm cir-

cuits. A supervised circuit includes technology that

will detect open or shorted circuits regardless of

Figure 8: Enet connector on the control board.

Enet

Connector

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 17

the alarm status. This is accomplished by using

EOL (end-of-line) resistors at the alarm terminal

strip in the signal booster cabinet. The value of the

EOL resistors is a function of the alarm panel so

you should consult the manual for the alarm panel

when you are determining the resistor value.

COMMUNICATING WITH THE BOOSTER

The booster provides Ethernet connectivity that

allows access to a web-based user interface for

communicating with the control board, program-

ming the individual filters, checking system status,

etc. Communications will require connecting your

laptop computer to the Enet connector on the con-

trol board. Figure 8 shows the connector. A stan-

dard Ethernet crossover cable is used to make the

connection between your laptop computer and the

booster cabinet. Refer to Appendix A at the back

of this manual for detailed instructions on how to

properly connect your laptop computer to the Enet

port of the booster.

System Summary Submenu

Once your laptop computer is properly connected

to the signal booster the web-based user interface

screen will appear as shown in Figure 9 This is the

System Summary page which shows the IP and

MAC address of the control module. On the left-

hand side of the screen are a list of the major sub-

menus available to the user including System Sum-

mary, Control Panel, Network Configuration, SNMP

Configuration, and User Administration.

When the webpage first comes up,

the Control Panel menu choice will

not be displayed. The user needs to

go to the User Administration Page

and type in the default user name

(admin) and default user password

(admin). After this login function is

performed the Control Page menu

choice will appear.

Place your cursor over a particular menu heading

and left click to make a selection. Each submenu

page contains a group of related functions. With

password protection enabled the user will only be

allowed to view the pages, however the user will

not be able to make changes without entering a

password. After entering a valid password via the

Admin submenu the pages will switch from read-

only to fully interactive.

Password protection is disabled by

default when your system leaves the

factory. To enable password protec-

tion for your system refer to the

ADMIN submenu page for specific

instructions.

Control Panel Submenu

The Control Panel submenu gives the user the abil-

ity to interface with and adjust the RF parameters

of the booster. Five tabs are available on the Con-

trol Panel Page including FILTERS, FILTER

DETAIL, LINK, FFT, and SYSTEM. Each page con-

NOTE

Figure 9: System Summary page.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 18

tains a group of related user functions. Each tab of

the Control Panel presents a new screen. Selection

is made by placing your cursor over the tab and

performing a left click.

FILTERS TAB

The Filters page gives an overview of all the filters

associated with each branch in the booster system.

Refer to Figure 10. The link drop-down box allows

you to select which branch you want to overview.

Press the down arrow button and highlight the

desired branch. Each filter is accorded one row in

the display. The first row of displayed data is used

to provide a summation of the input and output

power for the branch. The parameters displayed for

each filter include; Center frequency, Bandwidth,

Channel enabled, Test signal, Squelch, Input signal

level as both a numeric value and a bar graph,

Maximum allowed output level, and Output signal

level as both a numeric value and a bar graph.

Changes to the filters are made from the Filter

Detail page.

A check mark in the box for enable, test signal, and

squelch indicates that function is turned on while

no check mark indicates the function is turned off.

The All Filters area at the top of the page allows

the user to adjust the Maximum Output Level of all

the filters in a branch simultaneously. Use the up or

down arrow to set the level change amount then

press the submit button.

On start-up, the booster validates the

widths of programmed filters. If any

are configured wider than 75 KHz and

the booster is set to Class A mode an

error message as shown in Figure 11

will appear. The offending filter or filters must be

corrected or the booster must be switched to Class

B mode. Refer to the System Page discussion later

in this manual for instructions on switching from

Class A to Class B mode of operation.

FILTER DETAIL TAB

The Filter Detail page is divided into three func-

tional areas which includes two drop down boxes

and a row of command buttons running down the

left side of the screen, a filter details area in the

middle of the screen, and a status area on the right

side of the screen as shown in Figure 12. Once

NOTE

Figure 10: Filters page.

Figure 11: Class A limit exceeded warning message.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 19

you have interactive access to the Filter Detail

page you can begin programming the individual fil-

ters that you want the booster to pass in the uplink

and downlink directions.

The Filter Detail page is designed to interact with

one filter at a time. To program individual filters you

must select the branch and the filter of interest

using the Link and Filter boxes on the left side of

the screen. Once the filter has been selected for

interaction a label can be assigned to the filter by

typing into the name box. Three groups of charac-

teristics need to be defined including frequency

band, OLC, and filter. Frequency band is selected

from a drop down list. Center Frequency and

Desired Output Power must be entered by the user

by clicking in the box and typing in the desired

value. Likewise OLC style is determined with a

drop down box. The two choices are Custom and

APCO 25 Phase 2. OLC Hold time and OLC Decay

time must be entered by the user.

Filter specifics are selected from a drop down list

that includes Custom, 12.5 KHz, 25 KHz, 12.5 KHz

Low Delay, and XML File. Four parameters are

customer adjustable including Occupied Band-

width, Adjacent Channel Offset, Passband Ripple,

and Adjacent Channel Rejection. Delay time is cal-

culated by the software. The four adjustable

parameters are setup using the Design tool, see

the following section of this manual for details.

If a filter passband is selected that

exceeds the Class A limit of 75 KHZ

and Class B operation is not selected

(see discussion in System Page sec-

tion of this manual) then a warning

message will appear as shown in Fig-

ure 13 You MUST set the booster to

the Class B mode of operation if you

have any filter with a passband

greater than 75 KHz.

Design Button

When the Design Filter button is pressed a custom

design template will be displayed as shown in Fig-

ure 14. Boxes for the four required filter parameters

mentioned earlier are shown along with a graphical

representation of the filter’s response curve. Enter

into the four boxes the parameters you want. Click

NOTE

Figure 12: Filter Detail page.

Figure 13: Invalid filter settings warning message.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 20

on the Estimate button at the bottom of the screen

and the software will calculate the Delay time for

you. Press the Design button to design the filter.

The rejection scale of the display can be changed

by making a selection from the “maximum plot

rejection” drop down list. Choices include -10, -50,

and -100 dB scale. When the display is to your sat-

isfaction and does not violate any parameter

ranges press the Save and Close button to exit

back to the filters page then load the design into

the selected filter by pressing the Submit button.

Status Area

The status area of the Filter Detail page uses sta-

tus indicators to let the user know whether the

channel is enabled, if the test signal is on, and if

the carrier squelch is on. When the status indicator

is illuminated the feature is on and when it is dark

the feature is off. The Carrier Squelch status indi-

cator will be green if the channel is squelched. The

Carrier Squelch status indicator will stay dark if

there is no squelching even if the Carrier Squelch

radio button is set to enabled. A test signal can be

generated for any channel within the system or

every channel simultaneously. The output power

box displays the output power for the channel mod-

ule. This value should be close but not necessarily

exactly the same as the “Desired Output Level” dis-

cussed earlier. The box showing output power is

only displayed if the filter is giving an output power.

If the filter is not enabled or there is no signal

present then there would be no value to display.

LINK TAB

The link page is divided into four functional areas

including a row of command buttons running down

the left side of the screen, a link and settings area

in the middle of the screen, and a status area on

the right side of the screen as shown in Figure 15.

The link page is designed to interact with one

branch of a module at a time. The branch that is

selected for interaction is determined by the Link

box on the upper left of the screen. To change the

branch that you are going to interact with click on

the arrow to display the full drop down box. Scroll

down the list until the desired branch is highlighted

and click on it. The data displayed in the link area

of the display screen will now be for the selected

branch.

Figure 14: The design filter interactive display screen.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 21

Command Buttons

Clicking on a command button (located on the

extreme left-hand side of the filters page) performs

the associated task immediately. The Submit and

Reload buttons in the bottom left corner allow any

changes you make to the display/interface boxes to

be downloaded to the booster. The Submit and

Reload buttons act like a trigger sending any

changes you made in the interface boxes to the

channel module as well as updating any displayed

data from the module, but only after the button is

pressed. Individual branches or all branches can

be enabled or disabled using the enable/disable

buttons.

Link and Settings Area

The link portion of the area displays status informa-

tion for the branch. The Settings area is a user

interactive area where the field engineer can pro-

gram the operating characteristics of the selected

branch. Each parameter in the settings area can be

changed by clicking in the box and typing in the

new values or by pointing at an arrow to display a

drop down box. Most of the adjustable parameters

have adjustment limitations as applicable.

The parameters include turning on/off the use of an

external 10 MHz reference signal when an external

reference is available. If an external reference is

not available then leave this feature off and the sys-

tem will operate from the internal 10 MHz signal.

The AGC Reference Level should be set to the cal-

ibration value which is -15 dBFS. The ADC refer-

ence level can be adjusted when excessively

strong input signals are present. The Maximum

Output Power is the desired output power level

from the booster for the selected branch. The Max

Gain allows the user to determine the maximum

operating gain of the booster. This can be adjusted

based on your antenna isolation.

The changes you make in the Settings area are

only applicable to the selected branch. After you

have made changes to the various parameters

press the Submit command interface button (lower

left corner of the screen) in order to copy the

changes into the channel module itself.

Status Area

The status area of the link page lets the user know

the status of the channel module and power ampli-

fier if a power amplifier is used in the system

design. The status for seven parameters are con-

veyed by the status indicator next to the parameter

name. When the status indicator is green it indi-

cates that the parameter is on and when it is black

it indicates the parameter is off. In the case of the

Alarm (Summed Alarm), ADC Overflow, and DAC

Figure 15: The Link page.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 22

overflow, the status indicator will turn red during a

fault condition.

When the Summed Alarm indicator is

red, if the cursor is placed over the

indicator, a message tab will appear

briefly describing the reason for the

alarm condition.

Seven additional parameters are displayed with

numerical values. The first group of parameters

using a status indicator include; Enabled which

indicates whether the branch is on or off, Ext Ref

which indicates whether the system is running on

an external or internal 10 MHz clock signal, and

Down and Up LO Lock which indicate if the down

converter and up converter local oscillators are

synchronized to their respective RF signals. The

second group of parameters using a status indica-

tor will be black under normal conditions and will

turn red to indicate a fault. The Alarm indicator is a

summed alarm and will activate when either the

module or power amplifier temperature/current

exceeds their normal range. Also, the Form-C con-

tacts inside the cabinet will change states. ADC or

DAC Overflow indicator shows that the input power

to the branch is too high.

The first four numerical parameters are real-time

indications of the module and power amplifier tem-

perature/current values. AGC Attenuation updates

in real-time and provides an indication of what the

AGC is doing. Input Power is a summation of all the

input signals to the branch. Output power also

updates in real-time and indicates the composite

power output for the branch. If a fault occurs, press

the Clear Errors button on the left side of the

screen. If the error reappears right away then trou-

bleshooting will need to take place.

FFT TAB

A Fast Fourier Transform feature is built into the

system software. This feature allows the user the

ability to display the output spectrum of the booster

in an amplitude versus frequency display. Pressing

the FFT tab will display the FFT screen as shown

in Figure 16. The FFT screen allows the user to

look at one link at a time. All of the signals input or

output from that link of the channel module can be

displayed. Also, any filters that are enabled can be

shown (see white waveform in example).

SYSTEM TAB

The system tab lists the control board software ver-

sions. A customer-designated location name can

be recorded and is useful in situations where multi-

ple boosters are used in the overall system design.

There is also a system logbook available on the

bottom of this page for use by field engineers when

working on the system. Refer to Figure 17.

NOTE

Figure 16: The FFT page.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 23

Oscillation Detection

This feature shuts off the output signals from the

booster for both the uplink and downlink whenever

an oscillation condition is detected. Oscillation

detection occurs whenever port to port isolation

falls down to 25 dB or less. For normal operation

the port to port isolation needs to be at least 10 dB

greater than the gain of the booster. There are four

modes of operation for the Oscillation Detection

feature including Ignore, Alarm, Shutdown, and

Shutdown/Retry.

In the Ignore mode the booster will ignore oscilla-

tion events. In the Alarm mode the booster will gen-

erate a alarm notification by illuminating (turn RED)

the alarm button on the Link Tab and illuminating

(turn RED) an LED indicator on the control module.

The Shutdown mode is the same as Alarm mode

except the booster shuts off the output signals in

both the uplink and downlink direction. The shut-

down continues until the filters are re-enabled and

the alarm is reset. The Shutdown/Retry mode is

the same as the Shutdown mode except the

booster will retry operation the number of times

specified by the user. This is called the retry limit

which is entered into the associated box on the

System Page. How long the booster waits between

each retry attempt is determined by the retry inter-

val. After the retry limit is reached, if the booster is

till experiencing an oscillation condition, the

booster will enter the regular shutdown mode. The

Shutdown/ Retry mode is useful in situations where

brief transient overdrive signals are occurring.

Class B Enable

In order to operate the booster with a filter pass-

band greater than 75 KHz the booster MUST be

configured as a Class B booster and the customer

must register the booster online with the FCC.

Class B operation is enabled by checking the box

labeled “Enable Class B Operation”. When the box

is checked a warning message will be displayed as

shown in Figure 18 reminding the user to register

the booster with the FCC.

Figure 17: The System page.

Figure 18: Starting Class B operation message.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 24

Network Configuration Submenu

Values for IP Address, Netmask, the Gateway and

MAC Address are displayed on the network config-

uration page. Refer to Figure 19.

The network configuration page allows the user to

enable or disable DCHP. The Dynamic Host Con-

trol Protocol (DHCP) is a standardized networking

protocol used on IP networks for dynamically dis-

tributing network configuration parameters, such as

IP addresses for interfaces and services. With

DHCP, computers request IP addresses and net-

working parameters automatically from a DHCP

server, reducing the need for a network administra-

tor or a user to configure these settings manually.

The DCHP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

is either active or inactive. When DCHP is active

the values for IP address, netmask, and gateway

are set to zero. When the DCHP is inactive (default

setting from the factory) the IP address, netmask,

and gateway values can be modified by the user by

typing the desired values into the associated box

and pressing the submit button. The customer

should consult with their IT department to deter-

mine whether DCHP should be active or inactive.

Figure 19: The Network Configuration display.

Figure 20: The Admin Page.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 25

User Administration Submenu

The User Administration submenu allows the user

to enable password protection for the web-based

interface program. The boxes on this page are

interactive. To make changes click inside the box

and a cursor will appear. Refer to Figure 20. The

user is queried for a User Name and Password.

The default user name is “admin” and the default

password is “admin”. Once the correct user name

and password are entered then a menu box for cre-

ating a new user will be presented. To create a new

user enter the new user name and associated

password. Confirm the new password by entering it

again and then press the Submit button. Make sure

you write down the new user name and password

for safe keeping.

SNMP Configuration Submenu

The SNMP feature is designed to provide reliable

internet notification of an alarm occurrence or a

change in operational status of the TTA system.

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is

an Internet-standard protocol for managing devices

on IP networks. In order to configure the booster as

an SNMP device the following values need to be

entered; the IP address, Authentication type, User

name (this field must have a value or traps will not

be sent), Password, Encryption type, and the

Encryption passphrase. Figure 21 shows the

SNMP Configuration display.

The three destination IP addresses that are

entered into the table should be the IP addresses

of the computers that you want the traps to be sent

to. The destination computer must have trap

receiver software installed and running. The trap

receiver software is available for download.

Authentication type can be either none or MD5.

The User Name field must have a value entered

with the associated user name password optional.

Encryption type can be either none or MD5 with

the associated encryption passphrase as optional.

Whenever values in the SNMP Configuration

screen are changed you must click on the submit

button to save the changes.

INITIAL SETUP

When the TTA system is installed the SNMP fea-

ture should be setup for proper communications.

There are several steps required for proper setup

of the SNMP feature as listed below.

1) Connect a laptop directly to the TTA deck. Refer

to Appendix A for detailed instructions on how

to make a direct connection. The TTA deck is

shipped from the factory setup for static IP

addressing with a default IP address of

“192.168.1.1” and the factory default subnet

mask is “255.255.255.0”. Change the factory

default IP address of the TTA deck to one pro-

vided by your IT department.

Figure 21: SNMP Configuration Page.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 26

2) Use the Network Configuration to setup the

DHCP as either active or inactive. When DHCP

is inactive the deck will be using a static IP and

the user must enter values for IP address, net-

mask, and gateway. Make sure you consult with

your IT department regarding setting DCHP

active or inactive.

3) Use the SNMP Configuration to enter up to

three destination device addresses. These are

addresses where the SNMP feature will send

traps whenever a qualifying event takes place.

Qualifying events are listed in the section of this

manual under the title Trap Receiver GUI.

4) Load trap receiver software into the destination

SNMP computer/manager(s), so it will be able

to decipher the SNMP traps. The trap receiver

software (called a MIB file) will be supplied by

Bird Technologies as a downloadable file.

TRAP RECEIVER GUI

The trap receiver software (MIB file) provides a

GUI interface for the user so that traps sent from

the TTA deck can be received and displayed for

viewing. The trap receiver software must be down-

loaded from Bird Technologies and installed on

your computer (destination computer). The soft-

ware must be running on your machine in order to

receive and display traps from the TTA deck. The

GUI interface is shown in Figure 22.

The SNMP feature does not send

traps when the web page is opera-

tional.

When a qualifying event occurs in the system a

trap message is formulated and sent to the desti-

nation computer, Typical trap messages are shown

in figure 19. To interpret the meaning of the trap

message it must be examined in detail for an inte-

ger value which is imbedded in the message. Dou-

ble clicking on the message will allow you to see

the imbedded details. When a trap message is

double clicked a details window will be presented

as shown in Figure 23. The details window will dis-

play the integer in the value column of the Variable

Bindings table. The definition of what the integer

means is listed in Table 4. Closing the Trap Details

window will return the user to the Trap Receiver

GUI.

NOTE

Figure 23: Trap details.

Integer

Value

Figure 22: Trap Receiver GUI interface.

Integer Fault Description

Value TBD

Table 4: Integer fault definitions.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 27

MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR

Signals boosters manufactured by Bird Technolo-

gies can perform for years with little maintenance

and repair. However, if the amplifiers are subjected

to excessively high signal levels, power surges or

lightning strikes, failures may occur. The following

procedures may be followed for detecting a mal-

functioning subassembly or as part of a periodic

maintenance program.

1) Heatsink areas should be clear of dust and

debris.

2) Inspect the unit to see that all LED indicators

are illuminated correctly. Check all hardware

and cable connections for tightness.

3) Compare system performance to initial perfor-

mance levels measured when the system was

installed.

Power Amplifier Replacement

The SBIII power amplifiers are field replaceable.

Follow the steps listed below in sequential order.

The required tools are a 3/32” hex head driver.

1) Turn off power to the signal booster.

2) Disconnect the 28 VDC power cable.

3) Disconnect the COM cable.

4) Disconnect the RF In cable.

5) Disconnect the RF Out cable.

6) Remove the 12 hold down screws (3/32” hex

head) that hold the power amplifier assembly to

the cabinet. The screw heads are accessible

from the heatsink side of the assembly. Refer to

Figure 24.

7) Remove the assembly by puling it away from

the cabinet.

8) To install the replacement amplifier reverse

steps 7 thru 2. When replacing the RF cables

do not overtighten the SMA connectors. They

should be tightened just slightly more than hand

tight or to the specification of 7 in/lbs. The

amplifier assembly comes with an O-ring gasket

which must press up against the outside of the

cabinet firmly and squarely in order to provide a

correct moisture seal.

Figure 24: Remove mounting screws to detach power amp from cabinet.

Remove Screws

Remove

Screws

Remove

Screws

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 28

Channel Module Replacement

The SBIII channel module is field replaceable. Fol-

low the steps listed below in sequential order. The

required tools are a 5/32” hex head driver.

1) Turn off power to the signal booster.

2) Disconnect the 6 VDC power cable. The power

input cable is located at the top of the module

next to the LED indicators.

3) Disconnect the COM cable. The COM cable is

located at the top of the module next to the LED

indicators. There may be one or two COM

cables depending on the boosters configura-

tion. It is important to re-attach the correct COM

cable to the correct plug so it is a good idea to

mark the cables as you remove them from the

module so as to avoid confusion later during re-

installation.

4) Remove the control cable. The control cable is

located at the bottom of the module and has a

white plastic pull tab on it.

5) Disconnect the downlink and uplink RF cables.

6) Remove the 12 hold down screws (5/32” hex

head) that hold the channel module assembly

to the cabinet. The screw heads are accessible

from the heatsink side of the assembly. Refer to

Figure 25.

7) Remove the assembly by pulling it away from

the cabinet.

8) To install the replacement channel module

reverse steps 7 through 2. When replacing the

RF cables do not overtighten the SMA connec-

tors. They should be tightened just slightly more

than hand tight or to the specification of 7 in/lbs.

The channel module assembly comes with an

O-ring gasket which must press up against the

outside of the cabinet firmly and squarely in

order to provide a correct moisture seal.

Control Module Replacement

The SBIII Control Module is field replaceable. Fol-

low the steps listed below in sequential order. The

required tools are a 5/16” nut driver, a #2 Phillips

screwdriver, and a small flat blade screwdriver

(jewelers screwdriver).

1) Turn off power to the signal booster.

Figure 25: Remove mounting screws to detach channel module from cabinet.

Remove Screws

Remove

Screws

Remove

Screws

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 29

2) Disconnect the 6 VDC power connector on the

lower left side of the module.

3) Disconnect the control cable (one for each

channel module). The control cable is located at

the lower left side of the control module and has

a white plastic pull tab on it.

4) Disconnect (3) Form-C control lines from the

top of the module. The lines are connected to a

terminal strip on the control module. The termi-

nal screws can be accessed through a slot on

the front of the control module. Use a small flat

blade screw driver (jewelers screwdriver).

6) The control module is held in place with either

mounting bolts or Phillips screws. Use a 5/16”

nut driver to remove mounting bolts or a #2 Phil-

lips screwdriver to remove mounting screws. Lift

the module up and out of the cabinet.

7) Reverse steps 6 through 2 to install the new

control module assembly.

Power Supply Replacement

The SBIII Control Module is field replaceable. Fol-

low the steps listed below in sequential order. The

required tools are a 5/32” hex head driver.

1) Turn off power to the signal booster.

2) Disconnect the AC plug on the right side of the

supply.

3) Disconnect the three (6 Volt) DC Output plugs

on the left side of the supply.

4) Disconnect the three (28 Volt) DC Output plugs

on the left side of the supply.

5) Remove the 12 hold down screws (5/32” hex

head) that hold the power supply assembly to

the cabinet. The screw heads are accessible

from the heatsink side of the assembly. Refer to

Figure 26.

6) Remove the assembly by puling it away from

the cabinet.

7) To install the replacement power supply reverse

steps 6 through 2. The power supply assembly

comes with an O-ring gasket which must press

up against the outside of the cabinet firmly and

squarely in order to provide a correct moisture

seal.

Figure 26: Remove mounting screws to detach power supply from cabinet.

Remove Screws

Remove

Screws

Remove

Screws

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 30

ETHERNET CONNECTIVITY

The front panel User Interface connector on the

booster provides for 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet con-

nection using the TCP-IP protocol. This product

feature allows access to a web-based interface for

programming the individual modules within the

booster. The web based interface requires a JAVA

runtime environment (version 1.6.0 or later) to be

installed on your laptop. The JAVA software can be

downloaded free of charge from the Sun Microsys-

tems website found at “http://java.com/en/down-

load/index.jsp”. The booster is shipped from the

factory with a default IP address of “192.168.1.1”.

Two connection schemes are discussed including a

direct connection from your laptop computer to the

booster front panel as well as connecting the

booster to a networked environment. A direct con-

nection (at the installation site) should be estab-

lished the first time you interface to the booster

using the fixed IP mentioned above. Once the initial

communications are established the IP address in

the booster can be changed to permit a networked

connection (from a remote site such as your office).

Direct Connection

Your initial connection to the booster system should

be a direct connection to the front panel using an

Ethernet crossover cable. Figure A1 shows the

proper way to interconnect the equipment as well

as the pinout for a CAT-5 crossover cable.

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT

Cat-5 Crossover Cable

Laptop Computer with a network interface card

installed. In addition, the JAVA run-time environ-

ment version 1.6.0 or later, and a web browser

such as Internet Explorer must also be installed on

the laptop.

PROCEDURE

To connect your laptop computer to the front panel

LAN port and access the web page interface, per-

form the following steps;

1) Insure the JAVA runtime environment software is

installed on your laptop.

2) Connect your laptop network port to the LAN

connector on the booster front panel using a

standard CAT-5 Crossover cable.

The front panel LAN connector

has two built-in bi-color status

LED’s which will aid you in estab-

lishing communications. The

meaning of each LED is shown in

Table A1.

3) The left-most (LINK) status LED built-in to the

LAN port connector should illuminate amber or

green indicating that a good physical connec-

tion is established between your computer and

the booster.

4) Insure that your laptop’s IP address is compati-

ble with the default address of the signal

booster system. This may require changes be

made to the Ethernet adaptor address on your

laptop (refer to Appendix B). Your laptop’s IP

address will need to be set to “192.168.1.2”

along with a subnet mask of “255.255.255.0”.

The right-most (ACTIVITY) status LED built-in

to the LAN port connector will turn amber or

green indicating good TCP-IP communications

are established between the laptop and the

booster.

5) Launch your web browser software on the lap-

top.

NOTE

APPENDIX A

Front Panel Ethernet Connectivity

LINK LED (left side) ACTIVITY LED (right side)

Color Meaning Color Meaning

Off No Link Off No Activity

Amber 10 Mbps Amber Half-Duplex

Green 100 Mbps Green Full-Duplex

Table A1: LAN port status LED’s

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 31

6) In your web browsers address box type-in the

address of the booster “http://192.168.1.1” and

press the ENTER key. The web page interface

to the booster should appear in your laptop’s

browser window. When you launch the web

page you may notice that the JAVA applet will

load first.

Networked Connection

Before attempting a networked connection to the

signal booster system consult with your IT support

personnel for information concerning the correct IP

address to use and any additional connectivity

issues such as firewalls. Once you have the correct

IP address you will need to direct connect to the

booster system as discussed in the earlier section

of this appendix and reconfigure the booster LAN

port with this new address. You can then connect

the signal booster system using a straight-through

CAT-5 cable to the networked environment and

interface to it from a remote computer. Figure A2

shows the proper way to interconnect the equip-

ment 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 environ-

ment version 1.6.0 or later, and a web browser

such as Internet Explorer must also be installed on

the laptop.

Orange/White

Orange

Green/White

Blue

Blue/White

Green

Brown/White

Brown

Green/White

Green

Orange/White

Blue

Blue/White

Orange

Brown/White

Brown

Transmit (1 & 2)

Receive (3 & 6) Transmit (3 & 6)

Receive (1& 2)

Pins 4, 5, 7 and 8 are not used

Pin Pin

CAT-5 Cross-Over Cable

18 18

Figure A1: Direct connection to the booster using crossover cable.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 32

Orange/White

Orange

Green/White

Blue

Blue/White

Green

Brown/White

Brown

Orange/White

Orange

Green/White

Blue

Blue/White

Green

Brown/White

Brown

Transmit (1 & 2)

Receive (3 & 6) Transmit (3 & 6)

Receive (1& 2)

Pins 4, 5, 7 and 8 are not used

Pin Pin

1234

4 Port Ethernet Hub

1234

4 Port Ethernet Hub

CAT-5

Straight-Through

Cable

Modem/Router Modem/Router

Remote PC System

Internet

18 18

Figure A2: WAN connection to the booster using straight-through cable.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 33

PROCEDURE

Before a networked connection can be established,

the booster LAN Port must be changed to an IP

address that’s compatible with your network. If you

are unsure how to determine this address check

with your IT support personnel. To connect the

booster LAN port to a networked environment and

access the web page interface, perform the follow-

ing steps;

1) Change the boosters LAN port IP address. To

do this, direct connect your laptop to the

booster as discussed in the earlier section of

this appendix titled “Direct Connection” and fol-

low steps 1 through 4.

2) Launch the configuration Applet in your web

browser.

3) Click the “Admin” tab at the top of the interface

display screen.

4) To be safe, take note of the settings currently

displayed.

5) Select the “User Static IP” radio button.

6) Enter the following settings provided by your

network administrator;

A) IP Address

B) Subnet Mask

C) Gateway Address

7) Click the “Submit” button to apply the changes.

8) Once the changes have been successfully

applied close your web browser.

9) Launch the configuration Applet in your web

browser using the newly entered IP address.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 34

When you initially direct connect your laptop ser-

vice computer to the booster it will be necessary to

change the computers IP address. The procedure

for doing this varies depending upon your operat-

ing system. As an example, this appendix illus-

trates how to make the change using the Microsoft

XP operating system. The procedure for other

operating systems will vary slightly from this exam-

ple. Consult with your IT support personnel if

needed. To change the IP address (assuming the

Microsoft XP operating system is being used) per-

form the following in a step-by-step fashion;

1) Select “Start” from the status menu.

2) Single click the “Control Panel” choice from the

“Start” pop-up menu as shown in Figure B1.

3) From the “Control Panel” icon selections double

click on the “Network Connections” icon. Refer

to Figure B2.

4) When the “Network Connections” folder opens

double click on the “Local Area Connection”

icon. See Figure B3.

5) The “Local Area Connection Status” box will

open. Single click the “Properties” tab as shown

in Figure B4. Note: If you do not have the cable

connected between the service computer and

the booster front panel the “Local Area Connec-

tion Status” box will not open. Instead proceed

to step 6.

6) The “Local Area Connection Properties” box will

open. Use the arrow buttons to scroll down the

list until the “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)” choice

is highlighted as shown in Figure B5. Click the

“Properties” tab at the right-center of the box.

7) Select the “Use the following IP address” bub-

ble. Make sure the circle is filled-in. Refer to

Figure B6.

8) Enter the new IP address and subnet mask val-

ues as shown in Figure B7. To interface your

computer to the signal booster use an IP

address of “192.168.1.2” and a subnet mask of

“ 255.255.255.0”.

9) Click on the “OK” tab to initiate the changes.

This completes the procedure. Close any open

boxes.

APPENDIX B

Changing Your Service Computers IP Address

Figure B1: Choose the “Control panel” icon.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 35

Figure B2: Select the “Network Connections” icon.

Figure B3: Select the “Local Area Connection” icon.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 36

Figure B4: Select the “Properties” tab.

Figure B5: Make sure the “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)” choice is highlighted. Then select “OK”.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 37

Figure B6: Select “Use the Following IP Address”.

Figure B7: Enter the new IP Address and Subnet mask Values.

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 38

CELCIUS FAHRENHEIT

105 221.0

104 219.2

103 217.4

102 215.6

101 213.8

100 212.0

99 210.2

98 208.4

97 206.6

96 204.8

95 203.0

94 201.2

93 199.4

92 197.6

91 195.8

90 194.0

89 192.2

88 190.4

87 188.6

86 186.8

85 185.0

84 183.2

83 181.4

82 179.6

81 177.8

80 176.0

79 174.2

78 172.4

77 170.6

76 168.8

75 167.0

74 165.2

73 163.4

72 161.6

71 159.8

70 158.0

69 156.2

68 154.4

67 152.6

66 150.8

65 149.0

64 147.2

63 145.4

62 143.6

61 141.8

60 140.0

59 138.2

58 136.4

57 134.6

56 132.8

55 131.0

54 129.2

53 127.4

52 125.6

51 123.8

50 122.0

49 120.2

48 118.4

47 116.6

46 114.8

45 113.0

44 111.2

43 109.4

42 107.6

41 105.8

40 104.0

39 102.2

38 100.4

37 98.6

36 96.8

35 95.0

34 93.2

33 91.4

32 89.6

31 87.8

30 86.0

29 84.2

28 82.4

CELCIUS FAHRENHEIT

27 80.6

26 78.8

25 77.0

24 75.2

23 73.4

22 71.6

21 69.8

20 68.0

19 66.2

18 64.4

17 62.6

16 60.8

15 59.0

14 57.2

13 55.4

12 53.6

11 51.8

10 50.0

948.2

8 46.4

744.6

6 42.8

541.0

4 39.2

337.4

2 35.6

133.8

0 32.0

-1 30.2

-2 28.4

-3 26.6

-4 24.8

-5 23.0

-6 21.2

-7 19.4

-8 17.6

-9 15.8

-10 14.0

-11 12.2

CELCIUS FAHRENHEIT

-12 10.4

-13 8.6

-14 6.8

-15 5.0

-16 3.2

-17 1.4

-18 -0.4

-19 -2.2

-20 -4.0

-21 -5.8

-22 -7.6

-23 -9.4

-24 -11.2

-25 -13.0

-26 -14.8

-27 -16.6

-28 -18.4

-29 -20.2

-30 -22.0

-31 -23.8

-32 -25.6

-33 -27.4

-34 -29.2

-35 -31.0

-36 -32.8

-37 -34.6

-38 -36.4

-39 -38.2

-40 -40.0

-41 -41.8

-42 -43.6

-43 -45.4

-44 -47.2

-45 -49.0

-46 -50.8

-47 -52.6

-48 -54.4

-49 -56.2

-50 -58.0

CELCIUS FAHRENHEIT

Celsius to Fahrenheit Conversion Table

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 39

Return Loss vs. VSWR

Return Loss VSWR

30 1.06

25 1.11

20 1.20

19 1.25

18 1.28

17 1.33

16 1.37

15 1.43

14 1.50

13 1.57

12 1.67

11 1.78

10 1.92

92.10

Watts to dBm

Watts dBm

300 54.8

250 54.0

200 53.0

150 51.8

100 50.0

75 48.8

50 47.0

25 44.0

20 43.0

15 41.8

10 40.0

537.0

436.0

334.8

233.0

130.0

dBm = 10log P/1mW

Where P = power (Watt)

Insertion Loss

Input Power (Watts)

50 75 100 125 150 200 250 300

325 38 50 63 75 100 125 150

2.5 28 42 56 70 84 112 141 169

232 47 63 79 95 126 158 189

1.5 35 53 71 88 106 142 177 212

140 60 79 99 119 159 199 238

.5 45 67 89 111 134 178 223 267

Output Power (Watts)

Insertion Loss

Free Space Loss

Distance (miles)

.25 .50 .75 12510 15

150 68 74 78 80 86 94 100 104

220 71 77 81 83 89 97 103 107

460 78 84 87 90 96 104 110 113

860 83 89 93 95 101 109 115 119

940 84 90 94 96 102 110 116 120

1920 90 96 100 102 108 116 122 126

Free Space Loss (dB)

Free space loss = 36.6 + 20log D + 20log F

Where D = distance in miles and F = frequency in MHz

Frequency (MHz)

Bird Technologies Manual 7-9558-2.3 05/14/15 Page 40

8625 Industrial Parkway, Angola, NY 14006 Tel: 716-549-4700 Fax: 716-549-4772 sales@birdrf.com www.bird-technologies.com

Bird Technologies Group 61470A UHF Digital Signal Booster User Manual 9558S1 2 3

Bird Technologies Group UHF Digital Signal Booster 9558S1 2 3

Manual Rev6

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