Hiltron Completes Satellite Television Uplink

Hiltron Communications has completed a satellite television uplink for one of Germany's largest public service broadcasters.

Hiltron was selected to carry out the project for its long experience as a globally active satcom system integrator, manufacturer and distributor. The company has decades of experience in the development and production of tracking systems for fixed and mobile antennas and hundreds of installed base around the world, for tracking LEO, GEO, MEO, and inclined orbit satellites.

The project encompassed the design, planning, installation and commissioning of a dual redundant HPA system feeding a 3.7 metre TV uplink antenna. Each system (one for horizontal and one for vertical polarisation) is based on two 750 watt traveling-wave tube amplifiers in a 1:1 redundant configuration. An integral phase combiner allows the active amplifiers to transmit in tandem if higher output power is required. Supervision and operation are performed via a Hiltron HCS4 satellite communications controller.

A very compact fully air-conditioned shelter was also provided by Hiltron to ensure a high level of weather protection. The shelter is equipped with air intake and exhaust ducts which can be used to perform forced-air cooling of the amplifiers. The cooling system is itself configured with main-plus-secondary protection. Motorised vents allow warm exhaust air to be directed into the shelter to heat the shelter in winter. Temperature control within the shelter is supervised and monitored via the HCS4.

The Hiltron HCS-4 forms the central control element for a wide range of satcom applications. These include easy switchover between devices such as downconverters, high power amplifiers, waveguides, MPEG digital video broadcast encoders and integrated receiver/decoders. The HCS-4 can also be used to control and monitor optical-fibre transceivers and antenna heating panels. Other features include an N+1 redundancy switch and a BUC/HPA controller, LNB supply, LNB redundancy switch control, a fully redundant low-noise 10 MHz reference generator, GPS synchronisation and automatic switchover.

The HCS-4 occupies a 2U high 19 inch rack mount unit with main and backup power supplies plus 13 slots for active modules. Also available are two chassis-mountable frames accommodating up to six or up to 14 active modules respectively. All three versions can be powered from 24 volts DC and are operated via an HTML-based graphic interface. Modules are hot-pluggable to allow on-air exchange. Any new or replaced module is automatically sensed and its address registered. All units in the HCS-4 series have SNMP remote control, hot-swappable dual redundant power supply and an internal data bus. When configured as an antenna controller, the HCS-4 accommodates a freely selectable combination of axis controller cards for SSI-encoders, resolvers or potentiometer-angle readers as well as an optional integrated antenna de-icing controller card.

www.hiltron.de