CHANNEL MASTER TV ANTENNAS SYSTEM PLANNEING MANUAL

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, ROTOR INFORMATION
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1. What is a Master Antenna System?

MATV stands for Master Antenna Television. It is the means by which many apartment houses1 hotels, schools and other multi-unit buildings distribute TV and FM signals to a number of receivers. In order to accomplish this without a loss of signal quality, these systems must be carefully planned and engineered through the effective use of MATV equipment and techniques. An MATV system is basically a network of cables and specially designed components that process and amplify TV and FM signals and distribute them from one central location . If there were 100 TV sets in a building, it would be extremely expensive to Install and maintain l00 separate antennas. Not only would It be unsightly, but reception would suffer because that many antennas would interact with each other, causing interference problems. The MATV system concept can be separated into two divisions: the Head End and the Distri- butlon System The Head End normally consists of an antenna Installatlon to receive the desired signals to, processing equipment to filter the signals and remove interference, and a disiributlon amplifier to amplify the signals to the level required to provide an adequate signal to every receiver in the system. Antenna amplifiers, traps, filters, antenna mixing units, and UHF converters are among the equipment used in t~is portion of the system. A welt-designed Distribution System is necessary to guarantee that an adequate signal will be delivered to every receiver. It should provide a clean signal to the sets by isolating each receiver from the system and by delivering the proper amount of signal to each set. This portion of the system consists of trunk lines, splitters, feeder lines, and tapoffs. Some of the other equipment used includes tine taps, variable isolation wall taps, coaxial cable, and band separators. It is important to design your distribution syseterm first. Usually, the requirements of the distribution system will determine the type and size of the amplifier that will be necessary at the head end. The actual layout of the system, of course, will depend upon the dimensions and requirements of the building in which it Is installed. 2 HEAD END EQUIPMENT ANTENNA The antenna is the first component of any MATV system to receive a broadcast signal. And, since the ultimate quality of the TV reception can be no better than the quality of the signal from the antenna, it Is vital that the antenna be selected with care. Some MATV installations use broadband antennas.However, if the channels to be received lie in different directions or If adjacent channel reception is desired, single channel antennas may be required. (The criteria for selecting antennas will be discussed in a later section.) The number of channels to be received, the directions to the transmitters, the type of signals (UHF, VHF, FM), and the available signal levels all must be considered when designing an antenna installation.

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Many Installations will require the use of satellite TVRO antennas. The Installation of a satel- lite antenna requires attention to potential microwave interference sources, the exact satellites and transponders to be received, and proper mounting techniques to minimize wind load dangers. BALUNS A Most antennas have an impedance of 300 ohms, wh lie most MATV equipment has an Impedance of 75 ohms. Therefore, in order for maximum signal transfer to take place, an impedance matching device must be inserted into the line to match the 300 ohm antenna to the 75 ohm coaxial cable and MATV equipment. This is accomplished by a 300-to-75-ohm Matching Transformer called a Balun. The balun is mounted as close as possible to the antenna terminals. PREAMPLIFIERS In weak signal areas, it is often necessary to amplify the signal prior to the distribution amplifier in order to get a signal of sufficient strength and acceptable quality. In addition, most MATV preamplifiers act as 300-to-75 ohm matching transformers, eliminating the need for a balun. Noise is seen on the TV screen as snow, so whenever a preamplifier is needed, It is im- portant to choose a unit with a low noise figure. Because the noise figure of the preamplifier establishes the noise figure of the entire system, the amplifier should always increase the signal much more than it increases the noise. The amplitude of the noise must be kept small in relation to the amplitude of the desired signal. UHF CONVERTERS Since system losses for UHF signals are much greater than the losses for VHF signals, many MATV systems convert UHF channels to un- used VHF channels prior to the input to the distribution amplifier and because 1UHF con- verters convert a single UHF channel to a single VHF channel, `a separate converter is needed for each UHF channel desired. Some converters contain a mixing network which permits VHF signals from another con- verter or from a VHF antenna to be combined with the converted signal before the entire band is amplified. In addition, UHF converters usually amplify the signals they convert. This should be taken into account when equalizing signal levels. UHF converters should be located in an area where the environment is fairly constant. Large changes in temperature can cause Instabilities and "drift" in the converter, decreasing the performance of the unit. Crystal-controlled converters should be used for superior performance and stability. MODULATORS A modulator accepts any video source and any audio source and combines them onto a single RF channel. Audio and video modulation levels may be adjusted for optimum performance based on the output level desired. FILTERS AND TRAPS Channel Rejection `Filters cleanly suppress an entire 6 MHz-wide TV channel so that another video source can be Inserted in its place. This reinserted channel may be derived from local origination, VCR, TVRO modulator or any other video source. Filters and traps are used in the head end to eliminate undesired frequencies and provide interference-free reception. Traps, filters and other head end equipment (except baluns and preamplifiers) are mounted indoors. They should be readily accessible for adjustment and servicing. Band Pass Filters permit a desired range of frequencies to pass through the line, while they greatly

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attenuate all signals on either side of the desired range. Traps are used to block an undesired frequency or range of frequencies. ATTENUATORS As signals are picked up by an antenna or by a combination of antennas, there may be a wide variation in signal levels. In order to ensure the same picture quality on all channels, the signal levels should be equalized to prevent the stronger signals from overriding the weaker ones. This is accomplished with the use of attenuators which reduce the incoming stronger signals by a specified amount. Attenuators can be either fixed or variable That is, they are either designed for one specific attenuation level, or they are switchable so that the signals can be reduced, in increments, to the exact level required. Since attenuators reduce all signals that pass through them by the same amount, the frequencies to be reduced should be separated from the rest of the signals so that only the stronger signals are reduced. ANTENNA MIXING UNITS If more than one antenna is used, the signals from the various antennas must be combined before they are fed into a broadband distribu- tion amplifier. This can be accomplished by an antenna mixing unit. These units are usually a number of band pass filters in a common housing. The fitters are tuned to pass separate TV channels into a common output. In addition to combining the signals from various antennas, an antenna mixing unit also filters out interfering frequencies. For example: if channels 2 and 4 are being fed ihto a low band mixer tuned for channels 2 and 4, and channel 3 is also present, the mixer will filter out most of the channel 3 signal. For this reason antenna mixing units are not recommended when joining adlacent channels. If channel 3 is strong, additional trapping will be required to further reduce adlacent channel interference from channel 3. If both low band and high band channels are to be received1 the signals from the low band mixer and the high band mixer must be combined into a single line before broadband amplification. This calls for a band separator/joiner. This unit joins (or separates) any VHF low band signals from any VHF high band signal to provide a signal coaxial lead with a minimum of signal interaction. Antenna mixing units can also be reversed and used to separate the signals from a broadband antenna into separate lines. stronger signals can then be attenuated to the weaker signal level (equalization) and then recombined before amplification. AMPLIFIERS Amplifiers are used to increase the strength of received signals to a level greater than the losses in the distribution system. This provides an acceptable level to all sets in the system. Though the gain of an amplifier (amount of signal increase) is important. the output capa- bility is lust as important. The amplifier's specifications should be checked carefully to make sure that the output level is sufficient to feed the system and that the strength of the input signal plus the gain of the amplifier does exceed its rated output capabitity. Exceeding the output capability will result in overloading (cross modulation in broadband amplifiers) and overall signal deterioration. There are two types of amplifiers: broadband and single channel. Broadband amplifiers. the more common type, provide a closely uniform gain across the entire band. single channel amplifiers allow complete control of both gain and output level of individual channels. This is accomplished by using

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Automatic Gain Control (AGC) circuitry. For the most economical installation, the ampli- her should be centrally located In relation to the distribution lines. The longer the distribution lines, the more loss in the system and the more costly the system will be to Install. CABLE Except for very small residential Installations, MATV systems use 75 ohm coaxial cable to carry the signal throughout the system. Coaxial cable is a concentric transmission line. It con- sists of a center conductor, a dielectric medium such as polyetheiene which fixes the spacing between the center conductor and the outer shield, an outer shield such as copper braid and aluminum foil, and a weatherproof outer jacket, usually vinyl. Coaxial cable has several advantages over 300 ohm twinlead-It can be run through conduit, It stands up better out- doors, it produces less radiation interference, and it virtually eliminates the possibility of direct signal pickup by the center conductor. Unlike 300 ohm twinlead, coaxial cable cannot be attached to the various pieces of MATV equipment in the system by merely wrapping the center conductor around a terminal. Fittings (connectors) must be employed In most in- stances. All Channel Master 75 ohm MATV equipment uses standard "F" type fittings for faster, easier installations Most MATV installations use RG-59 cable1 usually the only type of cable used in systems contained within a single building. When used in conjunction with larger size cables (like .412 f or .500) RG59 is normaly used to connect the trunk lines to the individual outlets. RG-59 uses standard 11F" type fittings for easy con- nection to MATV equipment. If long spans of cable are needed1 RG-11/U, .412 or .500 cable is usually specified because of Its lower loss. These cables normally have a solid aluminum shield and a flooded jacket which make them an excellent choice for direct burial when running cable between buildings in a multi-building system. Channel Master has cable connectors which allow you to attach these larger cable sizes directly to MATV equipment. Loss in coaxial cable Is given as attenuation per 100 ft. of cable. A chart indicating attenua- tion for various cable sizes is found on page 31.

3. Distribution System Equipment

SPLITTERS The coaxial cable that carries the signal away from the head end toward the TV sets is called the main trunkline. occasionally MATV systems operate with a single trunkline, but it is usually more efficient to separate (split) the signal into several lines for distribution to the receivers. This is accomplished with the use of a line splitter. Line splitters split the signal into 2, 3 or 4 separate lines. Splitters divide the input signal equally, providing the same amount of signal at each output of the splitter. Backmatched hybrid splitters are recommended for optimum ( performance, as they minimize the possibility of the signal re-entering the system, causing ghosts. TAPOFFS: Directional Multi-Taps are used In much the same way as line tapoffs. They are designed for outdoor use, accept cable up to diameter and may be pedestal, or aerial-mounted. All ports are selfsealing, and the housing meets FCC radiation specifications. The unique cover plate may be removed to change Isolation values without removing the tap from the line.

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A tapoff is a means of delivering signal from the distribution lines to the TV.sets, while providing enough isolation to prevent the sets from interfering with one another. Tapoffs divide input unequally, sending the smaller portion of the signal to the set. The larger portion is sent further down the line. Each set In an MATV system should get ap- proximately the same amount of signal. How- ever, because of the losses Involved in any distribution system1 there Is more signal avail- able to sets closer to the amplifier than to sets further down the line. Therefore, tapoffs are made with various values of isolation rather than with a single value in order to achieve a balanced signal distribution. Channel Master manufactures two types of tapoffs: the wall tap and the line tap. Each performs essentially the same function, but they are used for different installation applications. A Wall Tap is employed In the same manner as an AC outlet. In new construction the distribu- tion line is run inside the wall and the tap Is mounted in a standard electrical outlet box within the wall. This provides protection for both the tap and the cable and hides unsightly wiring and fixtures. Wall taps are available with either a 300 ohm output, a 75 ohm output or a dual 300/75 ohm output. The signal strength In the area usually determines the type of tap used. Generally, using a 75 ohm tap with a matching transformer is recommended, because in strong signal areas, 300 ohm twinlead tends to pick up signals from the air and can cause ghosting and other forms of electrical Interference 75 ohm coaxial cable prevents this, since It is shielded from direct signal pickup. Some systems will require an outlet for both television and FM. In this Instance, the dual 300/75 ohm tap can be used. The 75 ohm section is used for the TV and the 300 ohm section is hooked up directly to the FM tuner. Line Tapoff. are the Ideal units for any system requiring an in-line type tapoff. Each tap provides from one to four drop lines. These drop Ii nes can be connected directly to the set with a matching transformer or run to a "0" dB wall outlet. Line taps should be used in any MATV installation where losses must be kept to a minimum. They assure low Insertion loss on the thru ports while providing a high degree of isolation between the thru line and the tap ports. These tapoffs will pass AC/DC voltage on the `thru line to allow for line powered equipment capability, while blocking the voltage at the tap. Line tapoff units are very effective for use where outlets can be fed from a center run trunkline, such as hallways or attic spaces in schools, motels, hotels, apartment buildings and homes. They are also useful where.a wall outlet type tapoff is not desired, such as a TV sales display area or any area where many sets are in close proximity. PAGE #10 F TYPE CONNECTORS, for RG6, RG59 and RG11, ground Block, DC Voltage block, right angle adapters, 75 ohm terminators, F Inline splice PAGE #11 Compression Seal F TYPE CONNECTORS , Tools, SPLICES AND INTERSERIES ADAPTORS also Compression installation Tool. A "0" dB Wall Outlet is used in conjunction with line taps.~lt can be used to match 75 to 300 ohms or for a 75 ohm feed-through. These wall outlets are available as duplex types for flush mounting in standard electrical gem boxes or as flush wall plates. 75 TO 300 OHM MATCHING TRANSFORMERS

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Since the characteristic impedance of MATV distribution lines is 75 ohms1 and most TV sets only accept 300 ohms, the signal must be matched to the set. Sometimes this is done with a 300 ohm wall tap. However, it is usually recommended that a 75 to 300 ohm matching transformer be used at the set instead, because it helps eliminate direct signal pickup In strong signal areas.

BAND SEPARATORS Band separators are used In all-channel (UHF/ VHF) MATV Systems to separate the UHF signal from the VHF signal before it Is fed Into the TV set. Unlike splitters which divide signal equally, band separators contain circuitry which separates one~band from another band. In addition to UHF/VHF band separators, you may also have occasion to use VHF/FM band separators in VHF/FM Systems. TERMINATORS The end of each 75 ohm distribution cable and any unused port on MATV equipment must be terminated with a 75 ohm resistor to prevent signals from traveling back up the line and causing ghosts. These resistors are called term- inators. Whenever line power is added to a system, a voltageblocked terminator must be used. 4. The Decibel The signal levels received on television antennas are usually measured in millionths of a volt or microvolts. Calculations in microvolts are difficult because they often Involve six or seven digit numbers. Therefore1 MATV calculations are made in decibels. Decibels are used for MAT V calculations because they are convenient. Because they are logarithmic ratios, decibels are added or subtracted instead of multiplied or divided. The number of decibels in MATV calculations is usually less than 100. So by using decibels, calculations become a matter of adding and subtracting two digit numbers rather than multiplying and dividing numbers as large as 1,000,000.

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The decibel is 1/10 of a bel-it comes from a mathematical formula used by early telephone and telegraph engineers which has been adapted for television. The formula for the decibel used In MATV is: Decibel (dB)= 20 log El / E2 However, you don't need to remember the formula to use dB. All you have to do is use the dB tables in this manual. The decibel has no absolute value. It merely tells how many times greater (or smaller) a quantity Is from a pre-established reference level. lt Is important to realize that the relationship between dB levels Is non-linear. in other words, 40 dB is not merely twice as much as 20 dB It is a lot more. Study these examples: 10dB 3.1 x reference level 40 dB 100 x 20 dB 10 x reference level 50 dB 300x 30dB 32 reference level 60dB 1000x in the MATV industry the zero reference level-the level to which any plus or minus number of decibels is referred-is 1,000 microvolts measured across 75 ohms of impedance. Why 1,000 microvoits? Well, in the early days of, television, TV sets had very poor noise fIgures.;Through experimentation it was learned that a minimum signal of 1,000 microvolts was required to produce an acceptable picture. This Is why, in MATV, you'll find the dB figure represented as dBmV-a reference to 1,000 microvolts, this figure provides a margin of safety in design, and is still used today. All MATV amplifier gains, cable losses, Insertion losses and isolation values are expressed in dB. To determine amplifier output and system losses, dB are added or subtracted directly. Example: An amplifier has an Input signal of 0 dB (1,000 microvolts) and a gain of 50 dB. What is the signal in microvolts available at the last televIsion set if the system has a loss of -36 dB? Input Signal 0dB (1,000 MIcrovolts) Amplifier Gain 50 dB System Loss -38 dB Available Signal 14 dBmV What is 14 dBmV? Turn to the chart in Section ii (page 32). Look in the dBmV coiumn on the left until you find 14 dBmV. Now look at the column headed uV and see what the reading is in microvolts. it is 5,000 microvolts. Therefore, the available signal is 5,000 microvolts. The same procedure is applied In calcuiating all system losses. The following section shows how to calculate the losses In dB for a typical system.

5. Designing the Distribution System

DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM Since the losses of the Distribution System, the specific frequencies (I.e. which VHF and/or UHF

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channels) to be received and the direction of the transmitters determine the requirements of the head end, the distribution system should be designed first. The first step in designing any MATV distribution system is to obtain building plans or a rough layout of the structure and mark the locations of the necessary TV outlets and a central location for the amplifier. You must decide whether the distribution cables are to be run horIzontally or vertically. generally speaking1 If the building Is taller than it Is wide1 the cables should run vertically. If the building is wider than it is tall, it is usually more eco- nomical to run the cables horizontaily. Next determine the number of distribution cable runs necessary to supply every set in the system. Avoid long runs wherever possible- two 400' runs are usually better than one 800' run. Cable runs should be as straight as possible-avoid zig-zag runs and loops. One the distribution cables runs have been determined, each tap off and splitter location should be marked. The longest qable run, or the one with the greatest number of splitters and tapoffs1 should be used to calculate the distribution system losses. The object Is to use the branch with the greatest loss (in dB), because If you can supply an adequate signal to the last set In that line, you can supply every other set also. When you are in doubt which branch has the highest loss, it is best to calculate the loss on several branches to find the one with the greatest loss. In general, there are four types of loss that must be considered. They are Cable loss, Splitter loss, Insertion loss, and Isolation loss.

CABLE LOSS
A certain amount of signal will be lost as it travels through coaxial cable. This loss is dependent on two factors: the type, of cable used (refer to the chart of characteristic cable losses, page 31) and the frequency of the signal being carried. Losses are greater at higher frequencies, the greatest loss occurlng at channel 13 in aVHF system or channel 83 In a UHF/VHF system. Always figure the cable loss at channel 13 for a VHF system and the highest frequency that is now being received or will be received in the future for a system including UHF. The Cable Attenuation Chart on page 31 shows losses in dB per 100 feet of various types of coaxial cable. SPLITTER LOSS When a two-way splitter is inserted In the line, the VHF (and/or UHF) signal in each branch leg will be approximately 3.5. dB (4.0 dB) less than that of the main line. If a 4-way splitter is inserted in the main line, the signal in each f branch leg is 6.5 dB (7.2 dB) less than that in'. the main line. The signal sent to each branch of the system will be equal to the signal sent Into the splitter minus the splitter loss. That is, an input of 30 dB into a 2-way splitter will deliver a signal of 30 dB minus 3.5 dB splitter loss, or 26.5 dB to each branch of the System.

INSERTION LOSS
All tapoff devices inserted into the distribution system create signal loss. The amount of this loss is known as the insertion loss of the inserted unit, (sometimes called feed-through loss). The insertion loss of each tapoff on the line must be subtracted from the signal carried by that line. When estimating total system losses, the insertion loss of each unit must be added together to find the total insertion loss for that system. For example: If there are 10 tapoffs on the line, and each tapoff has an insertion loss of .5 dB, the total insertion loss r would be 5 dB. NOTE: For initial calculations the tapoff values and the insertion losses must be estimated because the output of the amplifier will Influ- ence the final selection tapoff values. ISOLATION LOSS

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Each tapoff also reduces (attenuates) the signal which it has removed from the line by a specified number of dB to prevent one set from interfering with another. For example: if there Is a 25 dB signal in the line, and a 23 dB isolation wall tapoff Is Inserted in the line, the signal available at the tapoff would be 2 dB. The 23 dIEl loss Is called Isola- tion Loss. In computing the total distribution system losses, we figure the isolation loss of the last tapoff only. Since our system design requires that we provide a minimum of 0 dB (1000 uV) to each set, we use the lowest isolatIon value. For most MATV tapoffs this value is 12 dB . Wall Tap isolation Values with lnsertlon Losses 23 dB isolation-.3 dB insertion loss 17 dB isolation-.7 dB insertion loss 12 dB isolation-.9 dB Insertion loss SELECTING TAPOFF VALUES In selecting tapoff values, the object is to use ~ taps that will deliver a minimum of 1,000 microvolts per channel (0 dBmV) to each set in the system1 and provide enough isolation at each set to prevent interference. More than 11000 microvolts at the set will not harm reception, but no set should receive less than 1,000 microvolts per channel. in strong signal areas where there is a possibility of direct signal pickup, it may be necessary to feed more than this to each tapoff. Many professional application engineers design their Systems to provide a 10 dBmV signal level at each tap For the sake of discussion and computations here, we will use a 0 dBmV signal level for each tap. The higher the isolation value of the tap, the lower its insertion-so higher value taps mean lower total insertion loss. The insertion loss of a single tap is small compared to its isolation value-but the insertion loss of every tap on the line must be added together to get the total insertion loss for the line. On the other hand1 e as stated earlier, the total isolation loss for the entire line Is determined by only one tap (the last tapoff on the line). When you are using line drop taps, you must consider the cable loss between the output of the tap and the TV set. When you are using wall taps, the distance between the tap output and the set is usually so short that cable loss between the tap and the set can be disregarded. SAMPLE CALCULATIONS Here is a sample VHF distribution system with losses calculated step by step. We'll go through them one at a time in order to determine the requirements of the head end, and the isolation values at each tapoff. For purposes of illustration, we have selected a system with two equal branches, each having identical isolation values. In a system with unequal branches, we would figure the head end requirements based on the branch with the largest losses. Our first step is to determine the total system losses...that is the combination ofloss incurred through cable, splitter, insertion and isolation. (See page 35 for a chart showing symbols and typical losses for various pieces of equipment.)

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Cable loss
Let us assume in this instance that we will be using a low loss, 82 channel coax cable such as Channel Master Super Colorduct which shows losses of approximately 4.2 dB per 100 feet, at channel 13. Note from our diagram that we have: 50' cable leading to the first tapoff 30' cable to the second tapoff 30' cable to the third tapoff 40' cable to the fourth tapoff 40' cable to the fifth tapoff 190' cable through the entire branch of the system 190' cable @ 4.2 dB attenuation per 100 feet.... gives us 4.2 dB K 1.9 or a total of 8.0 dB cable loss.

SPLITTER LOSS
The two way splitter used has a loss of 3.5 dB. INSERTION LOSS We have 5 tapoffs In our branch. Note that these are wall tapoffs. Since the losses must,be estimated, we will use the median isolation value....17 dB with attendant i~sertion loss of .7 dIB per tapoff 5 tapoffs K .7 dB=3.5 dB.

ISOLATION
Since 12 dB is the least amount of signal we can have at the last tapoff, we will use a tap with an isolation value of 12 dB for this last tapoff.

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