System information

9497B-20 Ku-Band TVRO Basic System Information
3-5
3.3.1. Antenna ADE Assembly
The Above Decks Equipment consists of an Antenna Pedestal inside a Radome assembly. The pedestal
consists of a satellite antenna dish & feed with a linear, or a circular Low Noise Block converter (LNB) with
polarization motor mounted on a stabilized antenna pedestal. The radome provides an environmental
enclosure for the antenna pedestal assembly
inside it. This keeps wind, water
condensation and salt-water spray off the
antenna pedestal assembly. This prevents
damage and corrosion that would shorten
the expected life span of the equipment.
The antenna control cable is connected
between the antenna radome assembly and
the antenna control panel. This cable
provides DC voltage to the antenna and all
control signals to and from the antenna.
Six RG-6 (or better) coax cables are
connected from the antenna radome
assembly to the below decks equipment.
One of these cables is the Antenna Control
Cable, which has the DC operating voltage
for the antenna and the antenna control
communication between the Antenna
Control Unit and the Pedestal Control Unit.
Four cables carry the intermediate frequency
(950-2050MHz) signals from the antenna
assembly directly to the matrix switch and
the DC Voltage & Tone switching from the
Matrix Switch to the a the LNB. All four are
provided, even if you are only currently
using two for the LNB you presently have installed on your antenna. These cables ultimately provide the
input signal into the satellite receiver(s). And finally, one coax is installed as a spare.
3.3.2. Antenna Control Unit
The Antenna Control Unit allows the operator to control and monitor the antenna pedestal with dedicated
function buttons, LED’s and a 2 line display. The ACU and its Terminal Mounting Strip are normally mounted
in a standard 19” equipment rack. The ACU should be mounted in the front of the equipment rack where it is
easily accessible. The Terminal Mounting Strip is normally mounted on the rear of the equipment rack. It is
recommended that the antenna control unit be mounted near the Satellite modem location where you can
see the LED indicators while you are controlling the antenna.
The Antenna Control Unit is connected to the antenna, ships Gyro Compass and Satellite modem.
Figure 3-4 Antenna Control Unit
The Antenna Control Unit (ACU) communicates via an RS-422 full duplex data link with the Pedestal Control
Unit (PCU) located on the antenna. This control signal to/from the antenna is on the Coax cable along with
the 24VDC Pedestal power. The Pedestal Control Unit stabilizes the antenna against the ship's roll, pitch, and
turning motions. The ACU is the operator interface to the PCU and provides the user with a choice of
positioning commands to point the antenna, search commands to find the satellite signal and tracking
functions to maintain optimum pointing angle. The operator may choose to work from either the front
panel, using the M&C Port in conjunction with DacRemP remote diagnostic software, or the built in Ethernet
port and a internal HTML page using a standard internet browser.
Figure 3-3 Series 97 TVRO Above Decks Equipment