Orion Networks

Remote Satellite Installation Guide

for

UHP TDMA Network

Table of Contents

Introduction

This guide is intended for installers who have some experience installing remote satellite equipment and have a practical capability in IP networks.

The following describes the principle components required for the remote satellite installation. It is important that all these components are assembled correctly in order to receive a reliable internet service.

Modem

The modem model is the UHP-100 from UHP Networks. It is pre-configured prior to shipment for use at the specific installation location. The instructions for configuring the Modem are also included in this guide and can be found in section ‘Modem Configuration’.

Antenna

The antenna used is the Prodelin General Dynamics 1322 Series VSAT Antenna 1.2m. This antenna is specifically suited to the UHP-100 modem and associated Outdoor Unit (ODU) equipment.

The Azimuth/Elevation Positioner (AZEL) attaches the antenna reflector to a vertical mounting pole and is used to point the reflector and ODU to the satellite.

The Feed Support assembly attaches to the reflector and houses the ODU that transmits and receives the radio frequency signals from the satellite.

Outdoor Unit (ODU)

The ODU assembly includes a receiver (Low Noise Block Converter - LNB), a transmitter (Block Up Converter - BUC), a transducer (orthomode transducer - OMT) and a Feed Horn. The Feed Horn and OMT are shipped pre-assembled. The installer must attach the LNB and BUC to the Feed Horn / OMT assembly which in turn is mounted on the Feed Support Arm assembly.

The type of LNB used will be dependent on the location of the installation and will be suitable for use in either a shaped or spot satellite beam. From an installation perspective they are the same

The type of BUC used will be dependent on the required transmission wattage. From an installation perspective they are the same.

Cable Kit

The Cable Kit comprises a set of two 30m coax cables, one for transmit (TX) and one for receive (RX). They connect the ODU with the modem. The modem is typically located with other IT equipment some distance from the antenna setup.

Mount

An optional tripod deck mount is available for mounting of the AZEL and antenna / ODU assembly. Alternatively, the assembly may be mounted on a pole with a 73-76mm diameter.

Equipment

The following equipment is supplied for installation.

9. UHP100 Modem
   
10. 1.2M Antenna Kit
    
1. Reflector
   
2. Azimuth/Elevation Positioner Assembly
   
3. Feed Rods and Support Tube
   
4. Fixtures
   
11. BUC (various wattage)
    
12. LNB (shaped or spot)
    
13. 30M Coax Cable Kit
    
14. Antenna Tripod Deck Mount (optional)
    
15. SIP Phone and PSU (optional)
    
16. DECT Base & Handset (optional)
    
17. DECT Handset (optional)
    

Preparation

In addition to the equipment provided for the installation, the following items are recommended: Global Positioning System (GPS) device; compass; magnetic spirit level; spanners; phillips head screwdriver; electrical tape; amalgam tape; cable conduit; cable ties.

Prior to installation, the satellite Look Angles must be determined for the location of the installation site. Obtain the latitude / longitude coordinates of the site.  Use a smart phone application such SatFinder to determine the azimuth, elevation and polarisation angles (Look Angles). In the app, select Satellite ‘119.5E Thaicom 4’. If you are on-site enable GPS for your location to be identified on the map. If not on-site, disable GPS so you can manually select the desired latitude / longitude location.

Make a record of the Look Angles for when on-site and pointing the antenna.

Convert the latitude / longitude coordinates to DMS format for use later in configuring the modem if the modem is not already pre-configured. For example www.latlong.net/lat-long-dms.html.

Consider using a smartphone application such as Satellite Finder to aid with antenna pointing during the installation.

Print a copy of the compass shown in the ‘Appendix – Using a compass to point antenna’ section if required.

Installation

The following sections describe how to install the various hardware components at the remote site. The position of the installation should have a clear line of site to the satellite location in the sky, refer to the look angle and azimuth determined in the ‘Preparation’ section.

Antenna Assembly Mount

The antenna assembly may be installed on an existing mount with vertical pole diameter of 73-76mm.

An optional Antenna Tripod Deck Mount is available. The tripod should be dyna-bolted onto a concrete slab. ‘Appendix – Tripod Deck Mount’ provides guidelines for mounting the tripod on a concrete slab. If a concrete slab is not available, the tripod may be mounted directly onto the ground and secured with robust steel pegs.

Use a spirit level to ensure the mounting pole is in a vertical position. It is important that the mount is secured in position and does not move around otherwise the antenna assembly will require periodic realignment to ensure a reliable internet service.

Antenna AZEL, Reflector and Feed Support

Fit the adapter plates to the AZEL if required to align with the screw holes on the reflector. Attach the AZEL to the reflector ensuring that the thick spacer washers are installed between the reflector and the AZEL, do not overtighten. Slide the AZEL, with the reflector attached, onto the vertical mounting pole of the tripod. Lightly tighten bolts but allow rotation of the reflector on the pole right and left.

Loosely fit the two Feed Support rods and Feed Support tube together. Attach all three to the reflector taking care not to place undue weight on the Feed Support tube whilst doing so. Tighten the bolts.

Point the reflector in the general direction of the satellite location in the sky.

Outdoor Unit (ODU)

Attach the LNB and BUC to the Feed Horn / OMT assembly to form the ODU. For larger sized BUC’s the ODU includes additional support, refer to diagram and picture below.

Fix the ODU to the Feed Support assembly that is now attached to the reflector. Ensure that the ODU is in a horizontal position before tightening the hoop clamps that secure the ODU to the Feed Support.

Connect the TX coax cable to the BUC and the RX coax cable to the LNB. Tighten the connections so they are finger tight only. Use cable ties or tape to secure the cables to the Feed Support tube ensuring no load on the connectors from the cables.

Modem

Connect the other end of the TX coax cable to the TX connector located at the rear of the modem. Connect the other end of the RX coax cable to the RX1 connector located at the rear of the modem. Attach the power cord to the modem.

Antenna Pointing

Initial Setup

Using a compass or Satellite Director smart phone app for example, point the antenna in the direction of the calculated azimuth angle as noted in the ‘Preparation’ section. Refer to ‘Appendix – Using a compass to point antenna’ section if required.

Using Scale A* on the side of the AZEL (see picture below), adjust the antenna elevation angle so it is ~10⁰ below the calculated elevation angle as noted in the ‘Preparation’ section. Note that the AZEL scale is accurate to ±2⁰and only if the pole mount is vertical.

*IMPORTANT: The AZEL Scale A has a 17.3⁰ elevation offset look angle, when the AZEL Reflector plate is facing perpendicular to the ground the scale will read ~17.3⁰. Therefore, when the AZEL is pointing at the calculated elevation angle the scale will read ~(calculated elevation angle + 17.3)⁰.

Loosen the hoop clamps (that secure the ODU to the Feed Support) sufficiently to allow the ODU to be rotated. Rotate the ODU on its axis to the polarisation angle as noted in the ‘Preparation’ section. Refer to the diagrams below.

Modem Access

Power on the modem and connect a computer to ethernet port 1 on the modem. Open a browser and type in 192.168.222.222. Select ‘Maintenance’ then ‘Pointing’ as shown in diagram below.

The objective of pointing the antenna is to maximise the signal strength - the value of ‘SCPC C/N’ shown as a green bar. A value of 6dB is considered minimal and obtaining at least 10dB is considered good. The higher the value the better the internet service will perform.

Maximising Signal Strength

With the AZEL bolts loose enough to allow the whole antenna to be moved left and right, move the antenna in an arc through the calculated azimuth angle to around 30⁰ either side of the azimuth direction.

If no change in the signal strength is observed (the ‘SCPC C/N’ value in above screen shot), elevate the antenna by ~1⁰ and again move the antenna in an arc whilst observing the signal strength.

Repeat this process until the signal strength is at a maximum. At this point tighten the AZEL bolts to the mount so the antenna may no longer move left and right. Use the AZEL fine adjustment bolts to gain further signal strength.

Make fine adjustments to the ODU polarisation angle to further improve the signal strength. Once maximised, retighten the hoop clamps.

Minimise & Stabilise CRC Errors

CRC errors are caused by line-of-sight obstacles or radio frequency interference from surrounding sources. Service efficiency and quality deteriorates as a result. Ideally there will be no CRC errors, however, often they are unavoidable. The most important point is that there should not be a constant change in the number of CRC errors.

To check the level of CRC errors, in the modem user interface select the active demodulator, highlighted below.

The following screen is displayed. The screen updates every ~10 seconds. If the CRC errors remain constant then the service is okay and errors likely due to low level background interference. If the errors continuously increase then the service is likely to need repointing or even relocated if there is significant local radio frequency interference, from power lines for example.

Completion

Use cable conduit, cable ties, or tape to secure the TX and RX cable to the mount and ensure the cable route to the modem is not prone to disruption.

The browser can now be closed and the computer unplugged from the modem.

Restart the modem and observe that the Lock Indicator is on.

Refer to section ‘Modem Indicators’ for further information.

The service is now ready for use.

Modem Indicators

System Indicator

The “SYSTEM” indicator indicates the routers operation mode. This indicator is always flashing. If it does not flash it means that the router is not functioning, check the router power supply.

4. Slow flashing (once every second) means the router is in normal operation.
   
5. Two blinks means that a message is in the modem user interface.
   
6. Three blinks means that the modem is in redundant (backup) status.
   
7. Simultaneous flashing of “ERROR” and “SYSTEM” indicators means that the router is functioning with the factory default configuration.
   

Access to the router is possible either via USB or via IP-address 192.168.222.222 (mask 255.255.255.248 or /29).

Error Indicator

When the “ERROR” indicator flashes in indicates:

1 flash – Demodulator cannot receive SCPC or TDM channel from the other station or the Hub. Check AGC value in the demodulator statistics to determine whether there is a signal from antenna (see description of reception problems) to separate LNB and cable faults. 

2 flashes – Router cannot receive TDMA configuration from the HUB (TDM/TDMA network mode). The reason may be in the non-availability of receive channel from the HUB, CRC errors during reception, wrong configuration of the Terminal. 

3 flashes - Router cannot calculate time shift with respect to the HUB. The reason may be in the non-availability of reception or a large number of CRC errors during reception. 

4 flashes – HUB cannot receive signal from this terminal. Check transmit signal level of the terminal, the power supply and the reference signal for the transmitter are switched on (or off if required), whether DTTS or geographical coordinates are set correctly in the TDMA settings. 

Continuous indicator - the router has hardware or configuration errors. Try to power off and power on again or press RESET button on rear panel.

Lock Indicator

The “LOCK” indicator indicates whether the router receives a channel from the Hub or other station. If there are CRC errors during reception of information from the channel (e.g. with weak signal from the antenna), the indicator extinguishes for a fraction of a second at every error. If there are too many errors the indicator may not glow at all in spite of the fact that the router receives the channel (in this case check the router demodulator statistics).

RX1 Indicator

The “RX1” indicator flashes every time a data packet is received via RX1 interface.

RX2 Indicator 

The “RX2” indicator flashes every time a data packet is received via RX2 interface. (Not Used).

TX Indicator

The “TX” indicator flashes every time a data packet is transmitted, including a blank packet (if no data is available for transmission).

IP-Phone Configuration

If an optional IP-Phone is required simply plug the phone ethernet cable into one of the UHP-100 Modem LAN ports. The IP-Phone is configured for plug-and-play prior to shipment. The UHP-100 Modem does not support Power over Ethernet (PoE) therefore the IP-Phone PSU must be used.

Alternatively, the IP-Phone may be plugged into a customer’s downstream router or switch.

Technical Support

Please note that warranty will be void for any items damaged during a self-installation. If you require technical support or support outside of business hours, please contact your Account Manager directly or via the phone / email noted below.

Sales:

2. 1800 063 123
3. sales@orionsat.com.au

Help Desk:

2. 1300 880 663 or 02 8776 3056
3. help.desk@orionsat.com.au

General Enquires:

2. 1800 063 123
3. info@orionsat.com.au

Trouble Shooting

Symptoms	Possible Reasons	Actions
Modem Doesn’t work	AC Power beyond the limits of allowed Values	Check AC power Voltage
	Power Cord is Broken	Check AC Cable Replace AC Cable
	Modem Failure	Check AC Cable Escalate to Service Provider.
ERROR indicator lights constantly after power on.	Modem can’t start the software	Press RESET button on the rear panel of the modem.  Contact your service center for advanced support as the modem will require reconfiguration.
Modem restarts every 3-5 seconds.	Short-circuit in transmit cable	Disconnect and check Tx cable
	Software failure	Escalate to Service Provider.
No reception from the satellite (indicator LOCK is off, single flashes of ERROR indicator)	Incorrect configuration	Check Rx frequency and symbol rate.
	IF cable failure	Check Rx cable and make sure that its connectors are properly connected to the LNB and the modem.
	LNB is not powered	Check if LNB power is switched on  Disconnect Rx IF cable from LNB and make sure that 12-18 VDC is available on the connector.  Check Rx level in the statistic of the demodulator.
	No carrier on the satellite or its level is insufficient.	Verify if antenna is properly pointed to the satellite and there no obstacles in the direction to the satellite.  May need re-alignment. Contact Service Provider.
	Low Rx carrier level	Verify if antenna is properly pointed to the satellite and there no obstacles in the direction to the satellite.  Check the integrity of the film of antenna’s feed horn and absence of moisture in it.
	LNB failure	Replace LNB to the spare one
High rate of errors of Rx path (LOCK indicator is not lighting constantly)	Bad weather conditions	The quality of reception may temporarily decrease during intensive rainfall, for, thunderstorm cloudiness.  Check if there is no snow or ice on the antenna surface and on the feed horn.
	Low signal to noise level	Check C/N in demodulator’s statistics.  Verify if antenna is properly pointed to the satellite and there no obstacles in the direction to the satellite.  Check the integrity of the film of antenna’s feed horn and absence of moisture in it.
	Low Rx carrier level  Interferences	Check Eb/No in demodulator’s statistics.
Station is not transmitting (Reception is normal:	Wrong network setting	Check Tx frequency and symbol rate of the modulator. Make sure that transmission is enabled.
	Transmission of the terminal is not	Contact Service Provider.
LOCK indicator is lighting, but TX indicator is off)	allowed by Hub (only for TDM/TDMA terminal)
Station is not transmitting (Reception is normal: LOCK indicator is lighting, TX indicator is blinking, but transmission is not received by Hub/opposite station)	IF Tx cable failure	Check Tx cable and make sure that its connectors are properly connected to the BUC and the modem.
	BUC is not powered	Check if BUC power is switched on  Disconnect Tx IF cable from BUC and make sure that 24 VDC is available on the connector.
	BUC failure	Replace the BUC on the spare one

Appendix – Modem Configuration

The modem is pre-configured prior to shipment for the location of the remote site. This section advises how to configure the modem should the location subsequently change. A setup script is required for the new location.

Power on the modem and connect a computer to ethernet port 1 on the modem. Open a browser and type in 192.168.222.222. Select ‘Site Setup’ as shown in screen shot below.

Select ‘Setup via script’ as shown in screen shot below.

Copy and paste the setup script into the ‘Setup script’ window then select ‘Apply’ as shown in screen shot below.

The modem is now ready for use.

Appendix – Using a compass to point antenna

Print a copy of the compass page below (courtesy of www. puntodepartida.com).

Mark the calculated azimuth angle as determined in the ‘Preparation’ section:

Use a compass to align the printout with magnetic north:

Then rotate the antenna assembly to point in the azimuth direction:

Appendix – Tripod Deck Mount

Outlined below are the recommended dimensions for a concrete slab for the tripod deck mount.

*Recommended: 100mm M12 Cuphead bolt with a nut above and below the foot plate. Use 100mm concrete slab with 50 x 50 or 75 x 75 mm mesh set at half thickness of slab, pour slab then sit Tripod Deck Mount, with hold down bolts attached, onto partly cured concrete, the Cuphead goes below the mesh.