SDU5600 PROFESSIONAL SPECTRUM DISPLAY UNIT FOR USE WITH A COMPANION RECEIVER INSTRUCTION MANUAL AOR, LTD. Downloaded by Amateur Radio Directory www.hamdirectory.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Index ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 1-1 Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 1-2 Taking care of the unit ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 1-3 Power requirements --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 1-4 Supplied accessories ---------------------------------------------------
1-1 Introduction Thank you for purchasing the SDU5600 Spectrum Display Unit. For many years, AOR has been marketing the world’s first color spectrum display unit, SDU5000 for professionals and the highend of hobby listeners. The SDU5500 was a worthy successor to the SDU5000, suing a large high resolution LCD. The SDU5600 is the “next generation” in spectrum display units.
Should the SDU5600 appear to behave strangely, normal operation may easily be resumed by resetting the microprocessor. Simply power off the SDU5600 and disconnect the power supply. Leave the power off for 30 seconds, and then re-connect and power back on again. 1-4 Supplied accessories The following accessories are provided in the shipping box.
2 Controls and functions 2-1 Front panel controls The front panel of the SDU5600 is dominated by the large color LCD. Controls are ‘grouped’ to assist efficient operation; there are a total of 26 keys in addition to the power on/off switch and the rotary dial encoder. 1 Power switch Press once to latch the switch in, switching on the SDU5600. To switch off the SDU5600, press the switch again, the switch releases outward. Downloaded by Amateur Radio Directory www.hamdirectory.
2 LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 5 inch TFT color display graphics 3 Special function keys Three special function keys are located under the LCD. There is no ‘printed legend’ identifying the keys as their operations are defined by which menu is active on the LCD. 4 Rotary dial encoder A rotary dial encoder is provided to move the marker position, enter center frequency to the unit, and so forth. 5. Main Control keys There are 20 main keys including numeric keys.
6. Special keys Three (3) special keys are provided with the SDU5600. Those keys are to be used for entry of center frequency, frequency span/step, and amplifier gain select. 2-2 Rear panel The rear of the SDU5600 has two (2) DB-9 connectors for connection to the companion receiver and PC, one (1) BNC connector for IF input, and one (1) DC power connector. A blank plate covers the unused section of the rear panel, which may be used for possible future expansion or options. 1.
4. DC 12 V Connect the supplied AC adapter to this connector. If you wish to operate with 12 V external regulated power supply, it should have a minimum continuous capacity of 1 A or higher, ideally a 2 A (or higher) supply should be used. The connector complies with EIAJ RC-5320A and is wired center positive (+), outer negative (-).
Receiver menu Model number Remarks ============================================================ AR5000A+3 AR5000A Set External IF output AR5000 AR5000+3 (See above) AR5000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------AR3000A AR3000A 10.7 MHz IF modification required Baud rate: 4800 bps ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------AR8600 AR8600 10.
(1) CF Center Frequency The frequency at the center of the screen is always indicated in MHz, and the highest resolution is 10 Hz. (2) SPAN Total displayed bandwidth The center frequency appears in the middle of the display with the frequency extending to the left and right. The total frequency spread from the left through center to the right is referred as the total SPAN. (3) SF Start Frequency The frequency displayed at the bottom left of the screen is the Start Frequency of the SPAN.
(10) Receiver Information This section indicates the status of the connected receiver with the following items: Receive Frequency Receive mode Tuning Frequency Step RF Attenuator on/off (12) Signal Display (13) Signal level indicator Received frequencies are plotted on the horizontal scale and signal strength on the vertical scale, showing the overall effect of signal activity over the given frequency span. The bottom horizontal line is the ‘baseline’.
Note: The measuring modes (Spectrum Analyzer mode, Step Resolution Mode, Channel Scope Mode), frequency span, tuning step, marker frequency, receive mode will not be affected by pressing the CLR key repeatedly. 5-4 When the communication is disconnected from the receiver If the communication between the SDU5600 and the receiver is disconnected, the SDU5600 will automatically try to recover it.
(Note: This function is available only when the receiver model is set to [Other (10M)] or [Other (45M)].) 6-2 Companion Receivers Your SDU5600 may be used with the following companion receivers. (Note: Some receivers require modifications.
The three (3) of the right column of the Main Control Keys are used for this setting. [MODE] key: This is to select the receive mode. To select the receive mode, perform the following steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. Press the [MODE] key. Then the icon indicating the current mode will blink. Rotate the main tuning dial to select the desired receive mode. Press the [ENT] key to complete the setting. [STEP] key: This is to select the tuning frequency step of the receiver.
In the Spectrum Analyzer mode, the receive frequency is equal to the center frequency of the screen. In the Spectrum Analyzer mode or the Step Resolution mode, the center frequency can be changed by numeric keypad. You may also change the center frequency by the Center Frequency key that is defined at the center of the Special function keys. In this case, the receive frequency will change according to the step displayed on the top right of the screen of the SDU5600.
On the above screen, the following information is displayed. Receive marker: 81.3 MHz Receive frequency: 81.3 MHz Marker Position: 82.5 MHz Start frequency: 79.0 MHz Frequency step: 25 KHz End (Stop) frequency: 83.0 MHz To move the Receive marker in the Channel Scope mode, move the (regular) marker to the desired position. Then press the [MK.F] on the Main Control keys. By using this function, you can monitor the frequency immediately once you found the signal by using the (regular) marker.
The followings are the features of respective mode. • Spectrum Analyzer Mode (SPECT) The standard default mode used by the SDU5600 is spectrum analyzer mode “SPECT”. • Step Resolution Mode (StepReso) In the Step Resolution Mode, ONLY the wanted frequency steps are checked for activity rather than the entire band. This is particularly useful when you know the frequency steps Used on a particular band and don’t want to view the area between the channel allocations.
6-6 Basic Settings for Operation 6-6-1 Spectrum Analyzer Mode On the above screen, the following information is displayed. Center frequency (CF): Frequency span: Start frequency: End (Stop) frequency: Marker frequency: Display step: 122.5 MHz 10.0 MHz 117.5 MHz 127.5 MHz 123.5 MHz 31.25 KHz Center Frequency (CF) Press the [CENTER FREQ.] key located between the LCD display and the rotary dial encoder.
Press the [SPAN/STEP] key located between the LCD display and the rotary dial encoder. The icon indicating the current span frequency will be reversed prompting the entry of new span frequency. Using the numeric keypad, enter a new frequency span. Start Frequency, End (Stop) Frequency Enter the Start Frequency and the End (Stop) Frequency using the Special Function Keys located on the lower side of the LCD display and the numeric keys followed by the [ENT] key ([KHz] key or [MHz] key.
Center frequency (CF): Display step: Frequency span: Start frequency: End (Stop) frequency: Marker frequency: 122.5 MHz 25 KHz 8 MHz 118.5 MHz 126.5 MHz 124.35 MHz Center Frequency (CF) Press the [CENTER FREQ.] key located between the LCD display and the rotary dial encoder. The icon indicating the current center frequency will be reversed prompting the entry of new center frequency.
Enter the Start Frequency and the End (Stop) Frequency using the Special Function Keys located on the lower side of the LCD display and the numeric keys followed by the [ENT] key ([KHz] key or [MHz] key.
Using the numeric keypad, enter a new frequency followed by the [ENT] key ([KHz] key or [MHz] key.) Step Frequency (Ch. STEP) Press the [Ch. STEP] key using the center Special Function Keys. The icon indicating the step frequency will be reversed prompting the entry of new step frequency. Using the numeric keypad, enter a new step frequency followed by the [ENT] key ([KHz] key or [MHz] key.) End (Stop) Frequency Press the [Ch. END] key using the right Special Function Keys.
Press the [AMPLITUDE] [ 2 ] [MHz] key. [Caution] Compare the following 2 screen shots. These are measured with different reference levels. [Improper setting] On the above screen, the reference level has been set to -30 dBm. In this situation, the internal amplifier of the SDU5600 is saturated, causing the display of noise that does not actually exist. On the above screen, the reference level has been set to -20 dBm. As you can see, a clearer display is observed.
Resolution Band Width (RBW) The resolution is selectable from 4 KHz, 32 KHz, 64 KHz, and 128 KHz. Greater detail is obtained by 4 KHz, often with a lower baseline, while 128 KHz provides faster refresh rates. Press the [RBW] key on the numeric keys. The icon indicating the current Resolution Band Width will be reversed prompting a new entry. Rotating the rotary dial encoder, select the desired value and press the [ENT] key. Below are screens of the same signals with two different RBW settings.
The first one has 4 KHz of RBW and the second has 128 KHz of RBW settings. Greater detail is obtained by narrow RBW, however, you can get faster refresh rates by using wide RBW. Therefore, a proper RBW should be selected according to your application. [Note: When monitoring a signal that has a wide bandwidth such as wideband FM or high speed digital communications by a narrow RBW filter, the signal strength readout may become different. This occurs due to its narrow filter.
• Marker In the normal spectrum analyzer mode, the rotary dial encoder may be used to move the marker position indicated by a vertical bar with triangle symbol. The frequency and strength of traces may be read in this manner. • Peak The “Peak” icon is displayed when the Peak function is activated, and the maximum strength of incoming signals will be frozen on the LCD until this function is deactivated. Press the [Peak] key on the Special Function Keys.
• Continuous Peak (C-Peak) When the Continuous Peak function is activated, the marker automatically hops to the largest new signal once a sweep has completed, and the frequency of transmission is displayed to the right of the “C-Peak” icon. To activate the Continuous Peak function, press the [C-Peak] key on the Special Function Keys. To return to the Marker mode or the Peak mode, press the [CLR] key on the numeric keypad. • Marker Frequency (MK.
In the Spectrum Analyzer mode or the Step Resolution mode, pressing the [MK.F] key on the numeric keypad will set the marker frequency to the receive frequency. [MK RF] In the Channel Scope mode, the receiver connected to the SDU5600 receives the signal on the marker frequency. This will not affect the start frequency, end (stop) frequency, frequency channel step settings of the SDU5600.
Press the [CLR] key to exit from this function. 6-8-3 Middle Trace (MED) Press the [FUNC] key and press the [9] key to select the Middle Trace. The middle height of traces are calculated and displayed on the LCD. The effect is a ‘wave’ of activity, and is useful for accessing band activity over a relatively short period of time. Once activated, the buffer size must be allocated between 2 and 4 frames. The number of frames can be entered by the numeric keypad followed by the [ENT] key.
To activate the Waterfall Function, press the [FUNC] key and press the [ . ] (decimal) key on the numeric keys. The lower half of the LCD will be used to display waterfalls. The Waterfall Function will not be affected by changing of the Operation mode, Calculation mode, Marker function, Resolution, Center frequency, Frequency span, Start frequency, End (stop) frequency, and so forth. The strength of signals are visible by color in 16 steps.
In this chapter, we learn how to use the SDU5600 with the AR5000 receiver. Before proceeding, please review Connection to a Receiver in Chapter 3 of this manual. Turn on the power to the AR5000. 7-1 Using the SDU5600 with the AR5000 receiver After turning on the power to the SDU5600, an opening message will be displayed. You will need to select the receiver that is used with the SDU5600. To select the receiver, enter the configuration menu by the following steps: 1. 2.
( Note: The following functions of the AR5000 can be controlled from the SDU5600. Receive Frequency Receive Mode Frequency Step RF Attenuator on/off No other functions can be controlled by the AR5000.) 7-2 Monitoring FM broadcast frequencies in the Spectrum Analyzer Mode The following screen is a sample display of monitored FM broadcast signals in Japan. As the screen is showing, incoming signal is overloading the SDU5600. To correct the situation, you will need to change the reference level.
Changing the Resolution Band Width (RBW) (from 4 KHz • • • • 128 KHz) Press the [RBW] key on the numeric keypad. Rotate the Rotary Dial Encoder to select [128 KHz]. Press the [ENT] key. As FM broadcast signals are in the Wide FM mode, it is proper to set the RBW to 128 KHz. 7-3 Monitoring FM broadcast frequencies in the Step Resolution Mode Let’s try to monitor FM broadcast signals in the Step Resolution Mode.
7-4 Monitoring VHF Air Band in the Channel Scope Mode Let’s try to monitor VHF Air Band in the Channel Scope Mode. • • To go into the Channel Scope Mode, press the [FUNC] key and press the [ 3 ] key from the numeric keypad. Set the Start Frequency to [118 MHz], Frequency Step to [25 KHz], and End (Stop) Frequency to [122 MHz]. [NOTE] The End (Stop) Frequency in the Channel Scope Mode is determined by the following formula.
7-5 Operation Mode Summary The following is a summary of the operation mode of the SDU5600. A proper mode should be selected according to your applications. Mode Features Spectrum Analyzer Mode Default operation mode. Best for generic measurements. Required settings: Center Frequency, Span Step Resolution Mode Best for measurement of signals which have a known frequency step. Required setting: Frequency step Channel Scope Mode Best for measurement of signals which have a known frequency allocation.
While monitoring a crowded band with lots of strong signals, the noise floor of the SDU5600 may rise due to the AGC action of the receiver. Overloading the receiver may cause a distortion within the receiver’s amplifier circuits which then affects the SDU5600 noise floor. Turn the RF attenuator ON if such situation is observed.
10 Specifications Model: Input Frequency: Maximum Sweep Width: Resolution Band Width: Dynamic Range: Input Impedance: Display type: Communication port: Control: Operating Temperature: Dimensions: Weight: Power requirements: SDU5600 10.7 MHz / 45.05 MHz 10 MHz 4, 32, 64, 128 KHz 60 dB 50 ohm 5” TFT color LCD RS-232C x 2 26 keys + rotary dial encoder 0 ~ 50 degrees C (32 ~ 144 degrees F) 220 (W) x 120 (H) x 195 (D) (in mm) 8.7 (W) x 4.7 (H) x 7.7 (D) (in inches) (Projects not included) 2.3 Kg (5.
temperature extremes or water, including rainfall or immersion. 4. Exposure to toxic materials, biohazards, radioactive materials or other contamination. 5. Repairs attempted by parties other than AOR or its authorized personnel. 6. Damage that results from improper installation, including improper voltage and/or reversed polarity, or exposure of a receiver to signal levels exceeding specifications. 7. Damage resulting through the use of accessories from manufacturers other than AOR. 8.
AOR, LTD. 2-6-4, Misuji, Taitok-Ku Tokyo, 111-0055, Japan http://www.aorja.com AOR USA, INC. 20655 S. Western Ave. Suite 112 Torrance, CA 90501, U.S.A. Phone: 310-787-8615 Fax: 310-787-8619 http://www.aorusa.com info@aorusa.com Copyright © 2003 All rights reserved Downloaded by Amateur Radio Directory www.hamdirectory.info Printed in the U.S.A.
