RF Technology E2-TRX500A UHF BASE STATION User Manual Eclipse2 Manual V16
RF Technology Pty Ltd UHF BASE STATION Eclipse2 Manual V16
Contents
- 1. User Manual
- 2. Quick Start Guide
User Manual
Eclipse2
UHF / VHF / 800MHz Base Station
Technical Manual
Publication Reference
–
TPR
-
03XX920015
Issue 1.5 – July 2009.
Eclipse2 Technical Manual V1.5 Page 2 of 16
Revisions
Version
Description
Publication Date
1.0 Initial release March 9 2008
1.5 2009
List of Associated Publications
Document
N
umber
Description
TPR-0308920019 IP Commander User Manual
TPR-0309920010 Eclipse2 Application Guide
Disclaimer
Due to our policy of continuous improvement of our products and services, technical specifications and
claims that were correct at time going to print maybe subject to variation without notice. RF Technology has
endeavoured to ensure that the information in this document is correct, but does not accept liability due to
typographical, omissions or other errors or subsequent modifications of the product.
Specifications may vary from those given in this document in accordance with the requirements of local
regulatory authorities.
Copyright
All information contained in this manual is the property of RF Technology Pty Ltd.
All rights are reserved. This manual may not, in whole or in part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced,
translated, stored, or reduced in any manner without prior written permission.
All trade names referenced are the trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective manufacturers.
Copyright 2009 RF Technology Pty Ltd.
RF Technology Pty Limited
Unit 46 / 7 Sefton Road
Thornleigh NSW 2120
Sydney Australia
Phone +61 2 9484 1022
Fax +61 2 9484 1288
Web www.rftechnology.com.au
Eclipse2 Technical Manual V1.5 Page 3 of 16
Contents
REVISIONS ........................................................................................................... 2
CONTENTS ........................................................................................................... 3
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 6
FEATURES ........................................................................................................... 6
SPECIFICATIONS .................................................................................................... 6
Overall .................................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Receiver ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Exciter ......................................................................................................................................... 7
OPERATING BASICS................................................................................................. 7
Front Panel Controls and Indicators ............................................................................................ 7
Buttons: ............................................................................................................................................ 8
Indicators: ........................................................................................................................................ 8
Connectors: ...................................................................................................................................... 8
Rear Panel Connectors ............................................................................................................... 8
System I/O: ...................................................................................................................................... 8
E/M Line: .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Ethernet: .......................................................................................................................................... 9
RF input: .......................................................................................................................................... 9
RF output: ........................................................................................................................................ 9
RS232 and external reference clock (optional) ............................................................................... 10
Programming and monitoring .............................................................................................................10
Connecting with Ethernet .......................................................................................................... 10
Connecting with USB ................................................................................................................ 10
Connecting with RS232 (optional) ............................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Circuit Description ..............................................................................................................................11
Processor (Master) board ......................................................................................................... 11
Interface (Main) board ............................................................................................................... 11
Audio signal processing .................................................................................................................. 11
I/O and Controls ............................................................................................................................. 12
Clock generator .............................................................................................................................. 13
Voltage regulators .......................................................................................................................... 13
RF modules ............................................................................................................................... 13
TX module ...................................................................................................................................... 13
RX module ..................................................................................................................................... 14
Field alignments .................................................................................................................................15
Specifications .....................................................................................................................................15
Eclipse2 Technical Manual V1.5 Page 4 of 16
Description ................................................................................................................................ 15
Channel Capacity ........................................................................................................................... 15
Sub Audio Signaling ....................................................................................................................... 15
Channel Programming .................................................................................................................... 15
Channel Selection .......................................................................................................................... 15
Physical Configuration .............................................................................................................. 15
Connectors ................................................................................................................................ 16
Antenna Connector ........................................................................................................................ 16
Power & I/O Connector ................................................................................................................... 16
Ethernet Connector ........................................................................................................................ 16
E/M Line Connector ........................................................................................................................ 16
RS232 & External Reference Connector ........................................................................................ 16
Microphone connector .................................................................................................................... 16
USB ............................................................................................................................................... 16
CALIBRATION AND ALIGNMENT ................................................................................ 16
Eclipse2 Technical Manual V1.5 Page 5 of 16
Although there are no dangerous mains voltages present within the equipment,
the following general safety precautions as would normally apply, should be
observed during all phases of operation, service and repair of this equipment.
AROUND THE EQUIPMENT
To minimise any possible shock hazard from an external power supply or
lightning strike, the chassis or equipment cabinet must be connected to an
electrical ground. Provide adequate ventilation around the rear of the
equipment.
DO NOT OPERATE IN AN EXPLOSIVE ATMOSPHERE
Do not operate the equipment in the presence of flammable gases or fumes.
Operation of any electrical equipment in such an environment constitutes a
definite safety hazard.
DO NOT ATTEMPT INTERNAL SERVICE WHILE TRANSMITTING
Thermal or RF burns may result from touching certain components within the
power amplifier module while transmitting or operating the transmitter.
DO NOT SUBSTITUTE PARTS OR MODIFY THE EQUIPMENT
Because of the danger of introducing additional hazards, do not install
substitute or lower voltage parts to the equipment. Return to your authorised
distributor.
EXERCISE CAUTION AND CORRECT DISPOSAL OF RF POWER DEVICES
Most RF power transistors and some RF power hybrids contain Beryllium Oxide.
Although they are normally safe, if physically damaged toxic dust may be
released. Consult your local authority for correct disposal thereof.
Warnings
Eclipse2 Technical Manual V1.5 Page 6 of 16
Introduction
The Eclipse2 series is a Software Defined Radio (SDR) Base Station designed for Conventional
Analogue FM and Conventional APCO P25 modes of operation.
Utilising a DSP and RISC platform
The base station uses a modular design concept, which provides extensive flexibility for users, e.g.
stand alone transmitter/receiver, cross-band repeater operation, etc. Utilizing DSP technology and
the built-in Ethernet port, all operating parameters can be monitored and controlled remotely.
A typical base station or repeater system includes a Reciter (Receiver & Exciter); an RF power
amplifier; and a switch mode or linear power supply. All the modules can be plugged into a RF
Technology standard 19 inch 4U high rackframe.
The Reciter can deliver up to 5 Watts RF output power, the power amplifier in some configurations
may not be required, this allows more than one Reciter (up to 6) to be mounted into a single 19
inch rack.
Features
Specifications
General
Frequency Range
VHF 136 – 174MHz
UHF 400 – 430MHz
440 – 480MHz
480 – 520MHz
Channel Spacing
12.5KHz
25KHz
External Reference
5MHz
10MHz
12.8MHz
Monitor speaker output: 3 watts @ 8 ohm
Microphone input: 6 mV RMS @200 ohm
Duty cycle: 100%
Eclipse2 Technical Manual V1.5 Page 7 of 16
Power Supply: +13.8VDC +/-10% (Negative Ground)
Current Drain: 2A Max with 5 Watt TX output power
750mA Max with TX OFF
Operating temperature: -30°C to +60°C
Receiver
Frequency Spread: VHF 38MHz
UHF 10MHz
Frequency Stability: +/-1ppm (-30°C to +60°C)
Frequency Step: 1Hz
IF frequency: 45 MHz
Sensitivity: 12dB SINAD @ -119dBm (0.25uV) RF Input
Selectivity: 80dB for 25kHz Channel spacing
75dB for 12.5kHz Channel spacing
Spurious Rejection: 90dB
Intermodulation: 85dB
Modulation acceptance: 7.5kHz for 25kHz Channel spacing
3.75 kHz for 12.5kHz Channel spacing
Noise squelch: Adjustable from 0 to 26 dB SINAD
Carrier squelch: Adjustable from –120dbm to –60dBm
Audio Response: 300Hz to 3000Hz
+1/-3dB, Flat or 6dB per Octave de-emphasis
Audio Distortion: < 3%
Line output level: -20dbm to +10dbm @600ohm
Exciter
Frequency Spread: VHF 38MHz
Frequency Stability: +/-1ppm (-30°C to +60°C)
Frequency Step: 1Hz
Maximum deviation: 5kHz for 25kHz Channel spacing
2.5kHz for 12.5kHz Channel spacing
Output power: 0.3 Watt to 5 Watt programmable
Spurious & harmonics: -36dbm
Hum & Noise: -55dB for 25kHz Channel spacing
-49dB for 12.5 kHz Channel spacing
Audio Response: 300Hz to 3000Hz
+1/-3dB, Flat or 6dB per Octave de-emphasis
Audio Distortion: < 3%
Line input level: -20dbm to +10dbm @600ohm
Operation
The Reciter will need approximately 30 seconds to boot up after power up. When the transceiver is
ready to operate, a voice report (if enabled) can be heard from the front panel speaker, and the
Digital/Analog LED will indicate the current operational mode.
Front Panel Controls and Indicators
The front-panel includes LED indicators, tactile switch buttons, a microphone connector and an USB
(type A) connector, refer figure.1 for details
Eclipse2 Technical Manual V1.5 Page 8 of 16
Figure1: Eclipse2 Transceiver Front panel
Buttons:
Status – Press this button to listen to the voice report
Test – Press this button to key up the exciter (if front panel test key enabled)
Up – Press this button to increase the speaker volume
Down – Press this button to decrease the speaker volume
Left – Press this button to channel change down
Right – Press this button to channel change up
Reset – The reset switch mounted inside base station, used for reset the Reciter without
power cycle, use a small pin (e.g. paper clipper) to access this switch
Indicators:
Power – This LED (on) indicates that DC power supply is applied to the Reciter
Ethernet – This LED (on) indicates that the transceiver is operating in Digital mode
Analog – This LED (on) indicates that the transceiver is operating in Analog mode, - if the
transceiver is operating in dual mode, both Digital and Analog LED will be on
Tx – This LED (on) indicates the transceiver’s transmitting path is active
Rx – This LED (on) indicates the transceiver’s receiving path is active
Alarm – This LED (flash) indicates the transceiver is in alarm state, press the status button
to listen the alarm information
Connectors:
Microphone – RJ45 connector for front-panel microphone input
USB – USB (type A) connector for connecting a PC via a standard USB cable to monitor or
program the Reciter.
Rear Panel Connectors
System I/O:
The male D shell, 25-pin connector is the main interface to the Reciter Module. The pins of the
connection are described in table 1.
Pin No. Description Specification
1, 4 Power supply, positive Input: +13.8VDC
(minimum 10.8V, maximum 16V)
13,25 Power supply, negative Input: Ground
2 System serial bus, Data out Output: +3.3V TTL logic
15 System serial bus, Clock Output: +3.3V TTL logic
3 Exciter PTT input
Input: Low active level
≤
+2.5V)
16 Receiver COS output Output: open collector, Imax = 100mA
4 AUX audio input Input: unbalanced 4.7kohm, DC to 3000Hz
5 AUX audio output Output: unbalanced 4.7kohm, DC to 3000Hz
8, 17 Audio signal ground Input: ground
6 Line input + Input: balanced 600ohm,
300 to 3000Hz, -20dbm to +10dbm
19 Line input - Input: balanced 600ohm,
300 to 3000Hz, -20dbm to +10dbm
7 Line output + Output: balanced 600ohm,
300 to 3000Hz, -20dbm to +10dbm
20 Line output - Output: balanced 600ohm,
300 to 3000Hz, -20dbm to +10dbm
8 GPS 1 pulse/sec input Input: +3.3V to +15V TTL logic
Eclipse2 Technical Manual V1.5 Page 9 of 16
21 Monitor speaker output Output: unbalanced 8 ohm
300 to 3000Hz, 3 Watt maximum
9 System serial bus, Data in Input: +3.3V TTL logic
22 System serial bus, CS0 Output: +3.3V TTL logic
10 System serial bus, CS1 Output: +3.3V TTL logic
23 T/R relay output Output: open collector, Imax = 100mA
11 External squelch input
Input: Low active (Vin
≤
+2.5V)
24 Spare GPIO input
Input: Low active level
≤
+2.5V)
12 Spare GPIO output Output: open collector, Imax = 100mA
Table1: 25 Pin System I/O Connector signals
4 Wire E&M Port
This RJ45 connector provides easy connection to the equipment such as microwave links, the signal
of the E/M line connector described in table2.
Pin No. Description Specification
1 E+ Input: 10V to 48V
2 E- Input: 10V to 48V
3 Line out + Output: balanced 600ohm,
300 to 3000Hz, -20dbm to +10dbm
4 Line out - Output: balanced 600ohm,
300 to 3000Hz, -20dbm to +10dbm
5 Line in + Input: balanced 600ohm,
300 to 3000Hz, -20dbm to +10dbm
6 Line in - Input: balanced 600ohm,
300 to 3000Hz, -20dbm to +10dbm
7 M+ Output: sink current 150mA
8 M- Output: sink current 150mA
Table2: RJ45 E/M Line Connector signals
Ethernet:
The RJ45 Ethernet connector is used for networking the base station via IP protocol, a PC can use
this connector to monitor and control the base station locally or remotely.
The Reciter supports the 10/100Mbs specification (defined by IEEE802.3u) and the MDI/MDI-X
auto crossover function which means either a straight though or crossover cable can be used to
connect the base station.
There are two LEDs embedded in the RJ45 Ethernet connector, the green LED indicates that the
Ethernet link is active; the yellow LED indicates TX/RX status between the base station and the
network.
RF input:
The receiver RF input connector: 50ohm female, N type.
RF output:
The exciter RF output connector: 50ohm female SMA or Optional N type.
Eclipse2 Technical Manual V1.5 Page 10 of 16
RS232 and external reference clock (optional)
The female D shell, 9-pin connector is an optional interface to the transceiver. RS232 and external
reference clock (EXT_REF) signals share this connector. The pins of the connector are described in
table 3.
Pin No. Description Specification
1 GND(RS232) Ground
2 TXD (RS232) Output: +/-5V to +/-15V TTL logic
3 RXD(RS232) Input: +/-5V to +/-15V TTL logic
5 GND(RS232) Ground
8 External reference clock Input, sine wave or TTL logic,
Minimum input: 0.5Vp-p
9 GND(EXT_REF) Ground
4, 6, 7 NC No connection on pin 4, 6, 7
Table2: RJ45 E/M Line Connector signals
Programming and monitoring
Programming and monitoring is accomplished using the IP Commander Software. This software is
based on the Java platform and can be run under various operation systems on the host computer,
it provides a number of useful facilities for the configuration and monitoring of the base station.
The IP Commander software allows configuring of the base station (e.g. the channel frequency,
output power, signal path, etc.) without hardware alignment, it also provides a simple means of
calibrating the RF power, RSSI level, audio line levels. For more details of IP Commander software,
please refer the document: RFT Doc No. 0305917801 (IP Commander User Manual).
There are two interfaces which can be used for connecting a computer and the Reciter:
Connecting with Ethernet
Ethernet is the interface of the base station, especially for remote monitoring and controlling via an
IP Network. Each base station has a unique IP address, to connect, the host PC must be in the
same subnet with the base station.
Connecting with USB
The front-panel USB connector can be also used for connecting to a computer, IP Commander
Software loads a USB driver to recognize the base station.
Eclipse2 Technical Manual V1.5 Page 11 of 16
Technical Description
The transceiver consists of three sub assemblies: Control Board, Interface board, and RF modules.
Control Board
The Control Board is a multi-layer, double side component mounted PCB assembly. The most
important parts of the base station, such as CPU, DSP and digital IF receiver, are embedded in this
master board, two 40-pin connectors on this board allows user inserting/removing it from the
interface (main) board.
The CPU (U1) is a single chip 32-bit RISC processor, it controls all the operating functions of the
base station. The support chips include a 16Mbyte Flash (U9) and 64Mbyte SDRAM (U7, U8). The
base station software and configuration databases are stored in the Flash memory. The system
serial bus and GPIO of the RISC processor are connected to the system interface board via two 40-
pin connectors.
The 10/100Mbps Ethernet Physical Layer single chip transceiver (U10) provides the interface
between RISC processor and the Ethernet. A serial ATA cable is used for connecting between the
Master board and System interface board.
The DSP (U2) is a 32-bit fixed-point digital signal processor, which provides the base band
processing including modulation, demodulation, RSSI/SINAD calculation, CTCSS encoding/decoding
and audio processing of the base station. The DSP software is modularized, the modulator,
demodulator, pre-emphasis, de-emphasis, filters and gain are individual modules, user can connect
or disconnect any module by the Service Kit software for different applications. The DSP also
controls the frequencies of the PLL chips within the RF modules. The digitized audio signal
interfaced to the CODEC of the system interface board is via the DSP serial port.
The digital IF receiver consists of an ADC (analogue to digital converter, U4) and a DDC (digital
down converter, U3). The pre-filtered analogue IF signal from the receiver module is fed to ADC,
converted to the digital IF and passed to the DDC via the parallel bus, the DDC mixes the incoming
digital IF with the internal Numerically Controlled Oscillator (NCO) frequency signal to produce the
0Hz IF, the DDC also provides decimating and further filtering for the IF signal. The output from
the DDC is in complex I/Q format, sent to the DSP for demodulating via the serial bus.
The clock of ADC, DDC and DSP is derived from the system interface board.
Interface (Main) board
The Interface (Main) board provides the interfaces among the Processor (main) board, RF modules
and external equipment. The function of the Interface board can be described as following sub
sections.
Audio signal processing
External audio signals from/to the base station are processed in this section.
The balanced audio input from RJ45 E/M Line connector or D25 system connector is passed, after
line matching transformer (T1) coupling, to a Trans-conductance amplifier (U11), the gain of the
amplifier is controlled by the RISC processor. The output of this amplification stage is then
amplitude limited, attenuated and filtered before send to the channel 1 of the CODEC (U12). The
CODEC encodes the analog audio to digital PCM signal send to the DSP via the serial bus.
The Microphone input from front panel RJ45 connector is amplified by op-amplifier (U16),
amplitude limited and attenuated then fed to the cannel 2 of the CODEC (U12). The CODEC
encodes the analog audio to digital PCM signal send to the DSP via the serial bus.
The AUX input signal from D25 system connector is DC coupled, filtered and amplitude limited by
the op-amplifier (U16), then fed into a 16-bit ADC (U17) to convert to the digital signal. The
digitized signal is send to the DSP via the serial bus. This AUX input is useful for low frequency
Eclipse2 Technical Manual V1.5 Page 12 of 16
(down to 0Hz DC) signals, the DC offset of input signal is shifted by the bias circuit which is
controlled by the RISC processor to give the maximum dynamic range for the ADC.
The CODEC has two identical channels, the output of channel 1 is used for line output. PCM signal
from the DSP is decoded to analog audio, and amplified, buffered by op-amplifier U10, coupling
through the line matching transformer (T2), and sent to the RJ45 E/M Line connector and the D25
system connector.
The channel 2 output of the CODEC is used for monitor speaker, PCM signal from the DSP is
decoded to analog audio, amplified by a Trans-conductance amplifier (U11), this amplifier is used
as the speaker volume control. The power amplifier (U13) provides additional power gain to drive
the internal and external speaker.
A 16-bit DAC (U14) converts the digital output from the DSP to analog signal, the signal is filtered
and buffered by op-amplifier (U10), then sent to the D25 system connector. The amplifier is DC
coupled, the DC offset can be set by the bias circuit which is controlled by the RISC processor. This
output is useful for low frequency application such as sub-tone, and NRZ digital signals.
I/O and Controls
The RISC processor uses serial buses and GPIO to control the base station.
A 10-bit 11-channel ADC (U7) senses the following signals and passes the data to the RISC
processor via serial bus:
Channel 0: exciter PLL tuning voltage
Channel 1: exciter forward power of the power amplifier
Channel 2: exciter reverse power of the power amplifier
Channel 3: receiver PLL tuning voltage
Channel 4: Interface board temperature
Channel 5: Input power supply voltage
Channel 6: receiver power supply voltage
Other channels are reserved for future use.
A 10-bit 8-channel DAC (U6) converts data from the RISC processor serial bus to analog voltage
for following functions:
Channel 0: monitor speaker volume control
Channel 1: 600 ohm audio Line input gain control
Channel 2: exciter reverse power of the power amplifier
Channel 3: AUX audio input bias setting
Channel 4: AUX audio output bias setting
Channel 5: receiver IF amplifier gain control (not used in release1 RX module)
Channel 6: exciter RF output power control
Channel 7: exciter VCO bias setting
Channel 8: receiver VCO bias setting
The op-amplifiers (U4, U28) are used for converting DAC output to proper voltage which is required
by the system hardware.
The Interface board accepts both TTL PTT input and E/M signaling, the TTL PTT is buffered by Q4
and Q5, E/M signal is isolated by Opto-coupler U3 to system I/O level. The output of the RISC I/O
logic is buffered by U1,Q1-Q3 for interfacing the external logic. The solid-state relay Opto-coupler
is used to isolate the system I/O from E/M signal.
A dual retriggerable monostable multivibrator (U5) in the circuit is functioned as a IRQ generator, it
senses the changes of the Input logic and sends a narrow pulse to the RISC processor for trigging
the processing IRQ.
U31 is a USB to RS232 bridge which transfers the USB data between the front panel connector and
the system serial bus. U9 is an transceiver which converts RS232 +/-15 logic from the rear panel
to serial bus level. U30 is a bus switch to select one of above passing through to the RSIC
processor.
Eclipse2 Technical Manual V1.5 Page 13 of 16
Header (H4) is used only for emergency system booting purpose, do not assert jumper into this
header.
Clock generator
the 12.8MHz TCXO (X1) output is buffered (by U26) and divided by 4 (U29) to provides PLL
reference frequency for exciter and receiver. The frequency doubler double 12.8MHz frequency to
25.6MHz to provide system clock for digital IF receiver.
Voltage regulators
There are nine voltage sources generated by the voltage regulator
VTX – +12.5V DC for TX module
VRX – +12.0V DC for RX module
D3V3 – +3.3V DC for Processor (Master) board and 3V TTL logic
A3V – +3.15V DC for analog 3V rail
+12V – +12.0VDC for analog circuits
+5V – +5V DC for TCXO and 5V TTL logic
+1V8 – +1.8V DC for Flash core supply on the Processor (Master) board
-20V – -20.0V DC for TX and RX VCO bias setting
-12V – -12.0VDC for analog circuits
The input power supply voltage is 13.8VDC, LDO (U19, U22) provides 12.5V (Imax = 1.5A) and
12V DC (Imax = 800mA) for TX and RX module. Switch mode DC-DC converter (U20) generates
digital 3.3V DC rail (Imax=2A) for the Processor board and Interface board, then regulated to
3.15V analog DC rail by LDO (U21) for 3V analog circuits in the transceiver.
The DC-DC converter (U23) provides –20V negative supply voltage for VCO bias amplifier (U4).
Voltage regulator (U24) generates –12V DC supply analog circuits of the interface board.
RF modules
TX module
The TX module can be divided into the VCO, PLL, PA and the Data storage section.
The Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO)
The Voltage Controlled Oscillator uses a junction FET (Q2) which oscillates at the required
transmitter output frequency. Varactor diodes (D2, D9, D10, and D11) are used by the PLL and
bias control circuits to keep the oscillator on the desired frequency. Transistor Q1 is used as an
active filter to reduce the noise on the oscillator supply voltage.
The VCO is keyed ON by the RISC processor through Q3, It is keyed ON when any of the PTT
inputs are active or self-calibrations, but OFF at all other times. The VCO output is amplified by
monolythic amplifier U4 before being fed to the PLL chip (U10).
The Phase Locked Loop (PLL)
The frequency reference for the PLL is from the Interface board via a 20pin connector. A
fractional-N PLL synthesiser (U10) is used in the TX module, this fractional-N synthesiser provides
very fine frequency resolution which enables the PLL used as a FM modulator by modulating the
PLL data. The modulation data is provided by DSP via the serial bus. The phase detector output
(charge pump) signal of U10 is smoothed and filtered by the loop filter to form the tuning voltage
for the VCO circuit.
The Power Amplifier (PA)
Eclipse2 Technical Manual V1.5 Page 14 of 16
Amplifiers (U1, U2) increase the VCO output to a sufficient level to drive the power amplifier (U3).
The output power level of the PA is controlled by RISC processor via bias pin of U3. The directional
coupler (D3, D4) detects the forward and reverse power components, the detected voltages are
then amplified by U7 and U8 to provide proportional dc levels to the RISC processor. The output
from U3 is further filtered by the low pass filter to reduce higher order harmonics. U1, U2 and U3
are not switched on until the PLL has locked and had time to settle. This prevents any momentary
off channel transmission when the transmitter is keyed.
The Data Storage
Each TX module has an EEPROM for storing the individual module information such as, TX module
serial number, model name, frequency range, calibration data etc. This is allows user to simply
replace the TX module in the transceiver without redo the alignment and calibration. The data is
transferred between EEPROM and RISC processor via the serial bus.
RX module
The RX module can be divided into the Font-end Amplifier, LO, PLL, IF amplifier and the Data
storage section.
The Front-end Amplifier
A two-pole voltage tuned filter (D6, D7, L18-20, L23 and L24) is used to limit the RF bandwidth
prior to the RF amplifier transistor Q1. The tuning voltage is supplied by the
RISC processor through the bias control. The circuit values are chosen so that the centre frequency
tracks the VCO bias voltage. RF amplifier transistor Q5 is followed by a second two-pole voltage
tuned filter (D4, D5, L7, L11, L14, L21 and L22) which provides additional image and spurious
frequency rejection. The filter output is connected to the RF input port of the mixer MX1 via a
1.8dB pad.
The Mixer
MX1 is a level 13 double balanced diode ring mixer with excellent Intermodulation performance. It
has a conversion loss of approximately 6 dB. The gain between the receiver input and the mixer
input is approximately 10 dB so that the total gain between the antenna input and the IF input 3-
4dB. The network (C28, C74, L29, L15, L16 and R20) passes the IF frequency of 45 MHz and
terminates the RF and LO components.
The Local Oscillator (LO)
The LO is a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (Q2) which oscillates at the required transmitter output
frequency. Varactor diodes (D2, D9 - D11) are used by the PLL and bias control circuits to keep the
oscillator on the desired frequency. Transistor Q1 is used as an active filter to reduce the noise on
the oscillator supply voltage. Monolithic amplifiers U1, U2 and transistor Q6 amplify the VCO output
to approximately +16dBm then feed to the mixer via a 3dB pad.
The Phase Locked Loop (PLL)
The frequency reference for the PLL is from the Interface board via a 20pin connector. A
fractional-N PLL synthesiser (U10) is used in the RX module, PLL frequency PLL is set by DSP via
the serial bus. The phase detector output (charge pump) signal of U10 is smoothed and filtered by
the loop filter to form the tuning voltage for the VCO circuit.
The IF Amplifier
The first IF amplifier uses two parallel connected JFET transistors Q3 and Q4 to obtain 8-10 dB
gain. The two transistors provide improved dynamic range and input matching over a single
transistor. A 4-pole 45 MHz crystal filter (FIL1, FIL2) is used between the first and second IF
amplifiers. The second IF amplifier (U3, U5) provides additional 35dB gain to drive the digital IF. A
two pole crystal filter (FIL3) is used as an anti-alias filter of the digital IF.
The Data Storage
Eclipse2 Technical Manual V1.5 Page 15 of 16
Each RX module has an EEPROM for storing the individual module information such as, TX module
serial number, model name, frequency range, calibration data etc. This is allows user to simply
replace the RX module in the transceiver without redo the alignment and calibration. The data is
transferred between EEPROM and RISC processor via the serial bus.
Field alignments
As the TX and RX module is pre-tuned for the whole operational frequency range and level
adjustment of signal path is done by software (local or remotely), there is no field alignment
required for optimizing the performance.
Specifications
Description
The transceiver is a digitized, software upgradable radio, The exciter and the receiver can be
configured as base station, repeater or the stand-alone unit. The exciter normally has maximum 5
Watt output which is used to drive a high power amplifier. It can also be used alone in lower power
applications. The output power can be preset between 0.3 and 5 watts. All necessary control and
600 ohm line interface circuitry is included.
Channel Capacity
Although most applications are single channel, it can be programmed for up to 256 channels (from
CH0 to CH255). Each channel can have it’s own name, TX/RX frequencies and profiles.
Sub Audio Signaling
Full EIA CTCSS capability as well as nonstandard sub tones are built into the modules. The CTCSS
tone can be programmed for each channel in their profiles. This means each channel can represent
a unique TX/RX and tone frequency combination.
Channel Programming
The channel information is stored in Flash memory and can be programmed via the Ethernet, USB
or RS232 interface using a Host PC and RF Technology’s Service Kit software.
Channel Selection
Channel can be select by Service Kit or front panel buttons (if enabled).
Physical Configuration
The transceiver is designed to fit in a 19-inch rack mounted frame. The installed height is 4 RU
(178 mm) and the depth 350 mm. The transceiver is 63.5 mm. The weight of the transceiver is
approximately 1.6kg
Eclipse2 Technical Manual V1.5 Page 16 of 16
Connectors
Antenna Connector
Receiver: Type N 50ohm Female Mounted on the module rear panel
Exciter: SMA or Optional N Type 50ohm Female Mounted on the module rear panel.
Power & I/O Connector
25-pin “D” Male Mounted on the rear panel
Ethernet Connector
LED Embedded RJ45 Mounted on the rear panel
E/M Line Connector
RJ45 Mounted on the rear panel
RS232 & External Reference Connector
9-pin “D” Female mounted on the front panel
Microphone connector
RJ45 Mounted on the front panel
USB
Type A female Mounted on the front panel.
Calibration and Alignment
RF Exposure
This amplifier and associated exciter constitute a RF transmitting system that both
the FCC and Industry Canada has established RF exposure requirements for.
In order to comply with the RF exposure requirements of both countries the
transmitting antenna must maintain a specific physical separation from all persons.
The antennas for this device usually are mounted on outdoor permanent structures
and the installer must see that the separation distance be maintained. The RF
exposure report was written for one typical power output and antenna gain. If your
situation is different than the one described your minimum separation distance will be
different. RF exposure takes into account many different contributing factors some of
which are: power output, system losses, coax cable losses, and antenna gain.
For a typical installation of a 3 dBi antenna and 3W UHF band (406.1 to 430 MHz)
transmitter. Operated in a push to talk radio system were the average ratio of
transmit to receive time is limited to 50% the separation distance would be 1.8 meters
or approximately 6 feet. This separation distance also does not take into account any
other transmitters that might be considered co-located at the same site.
An RF exposure report was prepared for this transmitter and in it are the typical
calculations on which the above is based.
Warning Statement
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class
B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not
installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause
harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
- Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
- Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
-Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.
-Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
NOTE: THE GRANTEE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY CHANGES OR MODIFICATIONS NOT EXPRESSLY APPROVED BY
THE PARTY RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLIANCE. SUCH MODIFICATIONS COULD VOID THE USER’S AUTHORITY TO
OPERATE THE EQUIPMENT.