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Issue: Sep. 05, 2008
Army Mobile Command Prepared for Gustav with New Communications Trucks
One of the problems the military experienced during Hurricane Katrina was the inability to communicate with the radio systems used by first responders. But a solution from ENG truck provider Wolf Coach is helping them bridge that gap.
An article on GovernmentExecutive.com, “Gustav response highlights Army’s improvement in disaster communications”, looks at the mobile command vehicles Wolf Coach provided the Army. The “Sentinel” system in the Wolf Coach vehicles provides radios that can communicate on all VHF and UHF radio frequencies used by first responders, and also includes an audio bridge that allows connection to up to 24 different radio systems.
Network connectivity has become as important as voice connectivity. The Army vehicles include 2.6-meter satellite dishes that provide 2 Mbps of satellite connectivity from Segovia IP, a Herndon, Va.-based global satellite IP provider. However, during the high wind conditions experienced when Hurricane Gustav passed by earlier this week, the Army mobile command shut down the satellite link and used air cards from Verizon Wireless to access the Defense Department’s unclassified network.
Ham radio operators will be interested in a comment from Col. Laverm Young, the coordinating officer deployed to Baton Rouge. While he praised the communications capability of the new vehicles, he thought an HF radio system should have been included to allow communications with amateur radio operators, as these are often the only persons possessing operational radios after a disaster.
The article has additional information about mobile communications vehicles available to Army North. If you want to compare your ENG van to a mobile command, post, check out the Wolf Coach Sentinel!
Antennas Direct Showing NAB Smart Antenna at CEDIA
Antennas Direct is exhibiting the CEA-909A-enabled Smart Antenna it developed in partnership with the NAB at CEDIA 2008, from now until Sunday, Sept. 7 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. The directional pattern of the CEA-909A antennas can be changed electronically to optimize performance for individual DTV channels using a single-wire protocol from the ATSC tuner.
“Smart antenna technology can make a huge difference in the overall consumer experience, allowing access to all local television signals without having to spend a lot of time aiming or re-aiming antennas,” said Lynn Claudy, NAB’s senior vice president of Science and Technology.
Richard Schneider, president of Antennas Direct, added, “This effective and practical design of the antenna allows it to be affordable; we believe the antenna would not be marketable if the cost exceeded $150.”
Antennas Direct exhibited a fixed (dumb?) indoor antenna and an ATSC digital-to-analog converter combined in a small bookend-sized box at the ATSC Hot Spot at the 2008 NAB Show. That struck me as a better solution for viewers using indoor antennas with their analog TV sets than converter boxes alone. If Antennas Direct can combine a CEA-909A Smart Antenna in an attractive package with a digital-to-analog converter, it should be the ideal solution for non-technical analog TV viewers converting to digital.
Rohde & Schwarz to Introduce ATSC-M/H Technology in December
Rohde & Schwarz, a leading supplier of mobile TV transmitters, has announced that it will introduce ATSC-M/H technology in its transmitter line in December.
U.S. broadcasters plan to use the ATSC-M/H standard to transmit programming to mobile devices via terrestrial DTV signals. It is anticipated that a working standard will be available within the next 12-18 months. Rohde teamed with Samsung to develop the A-VSB mobile DTV system, of which certain features were integrated into the eventual ATSC-M/H system, developed by Harris Corp. and LG Electronics. Rohde said its current line of DTV transmitters are ATSC-M/H ready and that it will offer an ATSC M/H firmware option to its R&S SX800 exciter as early as December.
The R&S SX800 is a fully frequency agile exciter already used in both Rohde’s newest ATSC and NTSC air-cooled and liquid cooled transmitter systems, as well as in systems from other manufacturers. The R&S SX800 is also available as part of an exciter retrofit package to replace the exciter in existing transmitters of any manufacturer.
The new mobile TV standard also will become available in the Rohde & Schwarz line of low power transmitters, which can be used as gap-fillers or in Single Frequency Networks (SFN) to enhance coverage in problem areas. At the same time, a new multiplexer will be introduced that supports ATSC-M/H, to complement the transmitter and exciter products. This will allow the broadcasters to move to ATSC-M/H operation with Rohde & Schwarz as a one stop supplier.
“Rohde & Schwarz is committed to providing the broadcasters with efficient, high quality transmitter products for DTV and mobile TV applications, just as we were able to do on a large scale for the first operational mobile TV network in the USA.” said Eddy Vanderkerken, Director of Sales. “Our high power solid-state transmitters are by far the most energy efficient on the market today, with the smallest footprint, so these are the first true ‘green’ solid-state TV transmitters, which greatly reduce the total cost of ownership over the lifetime of the product. We will continue to develop products that drive efficiency and set standards, and that broadcasters can rely upon, both for transmission products and test & measurement.”
Metageek Releases New 2.4 GHz Spectrum Analyzer
Back in 2006 I reported on a $100 USB spectrum analyzer from Metageek LLC. The Wi-Spy 2.4x, a new enhanced version of the 2.4 GHz spectrum analyzer, is now available, but the cost has increased to $399. The Wi-Spy 2.4x is the same size as the newer DTV USB stick tuner and comes with an SMA connector and a small rod antenna similar to what you’d find on a wireless router. The spectrum is displayed on a computer.
While designed for use in installing and maintaining 2.4 GHz wireless network systems or access points and tracking down interference in the 2.4 GHz band, the unit’s coverage from 2400 to 2495 MHz gives it enough range to detect 2.5 GHz broadcast auxiliary service signals on channels A8 and A9 (2450-2483.5 MHz) and much of the grandfathered channel A10 (2483.5-2500 MHz).
The Wi-Spy 2.4x input range is specified as –110 dBm to –6.5 dBm. The analyzer has a resolution of 328 kHz with a sweep time of 195 milliseconds.
The spectrum display is created using Metageek’s Chanalyzer 3.1 software. The Chanalyzer 3.1 Web page has a picture of the display showing the conventional amplitude versus frequency analyzer plot as well as a “Topographic” view. A “waterfall” display makes it easy to analyze the 2.4 GHz environment over time. Information about the networks it’s receiving, such as the SSID, is displayed in a panel to the right of the spectrum displays. A “signatures” sidebar makes it easier to identify the source of interference—an RFID reader, a microwave oven, X-Box 360, etc. The Wi-Spy 2.4x and Chanalyzer 3.1 software can be operated remotely over an IP network.
A lower cost version, the Wi-Spy V1, is available for $199. Major differences with the Wi-Spy 2.4x are an internal antenna instead of the Wi-Spy 2.4x’s SMA jack and external antenna, less frequency coverage (upper limit is 2482 MHz), less sensitivity (–97 dBm instead of –110 dBm), worse amplitude resolution (1.5 dBm versus 0.5 dBm) and a wider resolution bandwidth of 1,000 kHz instead of 328 kHz.
The Metageek software requires Windows 2000 or newer, but Linux users can use Kismet Spectrum-Tools utilities to provide the spectrum and network information displays.
Sony Launches Waterproof Portable DTV
 Sony has introduced a new handheld digital TV, the Bravia XDV-W600, featuring a 4-inch LCD screen and waterproofed for use at the beach or even in the bath.
The tuner picks up ISDB-T 1-seg DTV broadcasts as well as analog FM radio signals. Battery life is impressive for a portable DTV—Sony claims it will last 23 hours using an internal rechargeable battery or AA primary batteries.
The portable DTV will be available in Japan in October for approximately $368. If it succeeds in Japan, perhaps Sony can be persuaded to launch an ATSC M/H version in the United States in late 2009 or early 2010.
PC World Compares USB Tuners
The Hauppauge HVR-950Q tuner is now available from electronics retailers. In the article USB Tuners Deliver HD to Your PC, PCWorld compared the HVR-950Q to the Pinnacle HD Pro Stick (Model 801e).
I discussed the Pinnacle HD Pro Stick 801e in my RF Technology column in the Sept. 3, 2008 issue of TV Technology, but so far have not obtained an HVR-950Q for testing. The Pinnacle 801e performed well in my tests, outperforming the DVICO FusionHDTV7, which uses the same chip set—an XC5000 tuner and an Auvitek AU8522—as the HVR-950Q.
The results of the PCWorld testing found the Pinnacle 801e outperformed the HVR-950Q, but the review was based on reception at one Boston location and minor non-RF performance issues. Both tuners found 30 channels, but only the Pinnacle HD Pro Stick picked up four “key” channels, including the Boston NBC affiliate, where the reviewer was able to watch the Olympics.
As I stated in this month’s column, the HVR-950Q’s predecessor, the HVR-950 has been one of my favorite tuners. The HVR-950 used an older Xceive tuner and an LG demodulator. The Pinnacle 801e has the same XC5000 tuner as the HVR-950Q, but uses the Samsung S5H1411 ATSC/ClearQAM demodulator instead of the Auvitek demod. I’ll reserve judgment on the HVR-950Q until I have a chance to test the tuner in multiple cities around the country on VHF and UHF channels, as I’ve done with USB DTV tuners in the past.
One final note for Linux users. A patch for the v4l-dvb modules is now available that allows the Pinnacle 801e HD Pro Stick to work in Linux. It works fine with ClearQAM signals. The issue with scanning in the Linux Kaffeine multimedia player that caused problems for the FusionHDTV7 is also present with the Pinnacle USB tuner. The same developer that created the Pinnacle 801e patch is working on ATSC channel scanning in Kaffeine, so I’m hopeful we’ll see a solution to that problem soon.
Satellite Update
From FCC Report SAT-00550:
PanAmSat requested authority to move C- and Ku-band satellite Intelsat 5 from 26.15 degrees east longitude (EL) to 169 degrees EL and operate it at that location. Requested uplink (Earth-to-space) frequencies are 5925-6425 MHz, 14.0-14.25 GHz, and 12.75-13.25 GHz. The frequency bands 3700-4200 MHz, 10.7-10.95 GHz and 11.2-11.45 GHz were requested for downlink (space-to-Earth) communications. PanAmSat requested a waiver of FCC rules to allow it to operate Intelsat 5 in the 11.45-11.7 GHz Ku-band frequencies in the United States on a non-interference basis to other licensed facilities in this band.
From FCC Report SAT-00551:
The FCC granted a request for special temporary authority from PanAmSat to operate its C- and Ku-band satellite Galaxy 11 at 92.9 degrees west longitude using conventional C- and Ku-band frequencies. The FCC also authorized PanAmSat to conduct telemetry, tracking and control operations for the drift to and operation at the 92.9 degree WL orbital location.
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