Promax measuring equipment

By Alexander Boyarkin

Spanish Promax Company doesn’t need a presentation. Its measuring devices present on CIS market more than 10 years and this trade mark perhaps is known to any cable technical person. One of company’s success factors is constant upgrade of devices lineup produced which is well synchronized with market needs changing.

What new has Promax offered in recent time? First, Prolink-4 analog and digital TV signals analyzer gained extended feature. This device which is on the market over one year was developed in proceeding lineup presented by Prolink-2 and Prolink-3 analyzers. Prolink-4 has all features of its predecessors with addition of new ones. In particular the new model is equipped simultaneously with three digital receiver modules: DVB-S, DVB-C & DVB-T. Besides, it has MPEG-2 decoder and a slot for conditional access module. It allows decode and output to screen digital image including one received in encoded form.

Handheld Promax-10 meter

Analysis of satellite, cable and terrestrial signals includes ability to measure BER (Bit Error Ratio). Nevertheless most full information about digital signal quality careers constellation diagram. It allows visually evaluate not only degree of QAM modulated signal distortions but also their nature. Regarding it Prolink-4 recently got an option for QAM signals constellation diagram output. This function can be added to analyzer at any moment.

Similar upgrade was made for handheld Promax-10 measuring device. Despite to light weight and small size this device features pretty powerful functionality for measuring analog and digital signals within cable TV networks. Like its predecessor Promax-8 it can measure main analog signals’ characteristics including CSO & CTB levels but it has wider possibilities for digital streams analyzing assuming BER & MER measure for QAM modulated signals. And since resent time Promax-10 has constellation diagram output function as a basic one.

Pleasure news for Russian cable operators will become appearance at Promax-10 Russian language menu which is planned for very near future.

RP-050 test signals generator

Another new message is development of RP-050 test signals generator. This inexpensive device is designed for testing systems of common reception of terrestrial and satellite TV. It generates four signals allowing testing a signal path before feeding by operational signals. Three generated signals are formed in first satellite IR band at frequencies of 1.075, 1.612 & 2.150 MHz. Fourth signal formed at 537.5 MHz frequency is dedicated to UHV band testing. Test signals levels can be chosen between 90 and 105 dBµV in value. Using generator along with level meter allows define signals’ attenuation degree within tested chain part and detect deviation of frequency converters’ heterodynes. It is necessary to note that RP-050 generates simplest TV signal consisting of two black and one white bars plus audio tone signal transmitted on 7.02 MHz sub-career. It allows controlling passing three ’satellite’ signals in mode of video or audio playback.

Prolink-4 analog and digital TV signals analyzer

Especially convenient is the use of generator along with Prolink-4 analyzer which has special SAT IF TEST for this purpose. At preliminary stage generator is being connected directly to analyzer which reads out and memorizes etalon signals levels. Than the same generator’s signals are being passed through tested network’s part and analyzer compares them with etalon values and defines attenuation degree at each frequency. Besides, generator is equipped with two LEDs allowing indication 12/18 V and 22 kHz signals presence.

Material is provided by Universal Communications Corporation