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AI Turbo S2

Operation Manual

Revision 1.02

Date 01/17/2012

Summary of Contents for AI Turbo S2

Page 1: ...AI Turbo S2 Operation Manual Revision 1 02 Date 01 17 2012 ...

Page 2: ...ES 10 3 MAIN MENU 11 4 SYSTEM SETUP 11 REGIONS 12 SERVICES 13 SYSTEMS 13 LNB MODEL 14 SWITCH TYPE 14 5 OPTIONS 15 SIGNAL LEVEL 15 SIGNAL QUALITY 15 FREQUENCY 15 SOUNDER OPTION 15 SHUTDOWN TIMER 16 FREQUENCY DEVIATION 16 IRD CALC 16 6 AZIMUTH ELEVATION LOOKUP 18 POLARIZATION OFFSET 18 SKEW 18 WILD BLUE DATA 19 7 MANUAL TUNING 19 FREQUENCY 19 MODULATION 20 CODE RATE 20 BAUD RATE 20 OPTIONS 20 LO FRE...

Page 3: ...RMALIZATION SCAN 33 13 LIMIT SCAN 39 SPECIFICATIONS 39 SETUP 39 SCANNING 40 EDITING 41 PRESET LIMITS 43 ERRORS 43 LIMITATIONS 44 INITIALIZATION 44 INSTALL PC SOFTWARE TRANSFERRING DATA FILES TO PC 47 14 SPECTRUM SCREEN 49 15 FILE UTILITY 51 16 UPDATING YOUR METER 53 REQUIREMENTS 53 INSTALLATION 53 UPDATING 56 FIELD GUIDES 61 POSTAL CODES 61 15 POWER 63 LNB POWER 63 BATTERY CHARGE 63 AC POWER 64 DC...

Page 4: ...age 4 of 69 This manual covers the basic operations and functions of the meter For more detailed instructions on how to use the meter to install particular systems see the Application Notes available on our website www appliedin com ...

Page 5: ...atible satellite transponder information for the entire continent You just tell it where you are and what type of system you are connected to and the AI Turbo S2 accesses all compatible satellite transponders visible to that system The basic operation becomes extremely simple Left arrow goes to next orbit east Right arrow goes to next orbit west Up arrow next higher transponder Down arrow next low...

Page 6: ...oltage supplied by the IDU IRD Allows voltage supplied by IDU IRD to power the LNB extending the battery life of meter However the meter itself is always powered by its internal battery or by the external AC to DC switching power supply while connected to AC power DC Charge Port The AI Turbo S2 can be connected to its external AC to DC switching power supply for powering the meter and or charging ...

Page 7: ... provided to LNB 13 18 21 or 29 volts 4 Signal Level a Left bar graph with peak hold center line b Numeric value in dBm dBmV or dBµV c Scale 75 to 15 dBm 26 to 34 dBmV or 34 to 94 dBµV 5 Signal Quality a Right bar graph with peak hold center line b Numeric value as IRD equivalent or C N Eb No or Es No in dB c Scale 0 to 20 dB C N 6 Selected LNB type bottom line replaced by frequency deviation if t...

Page 8: ...tal slot If the polarity is locked via single polarity LNB type then you get the next transponder of the selected polarity Only transponders visible to your region are used Polarity If the LNB supports polarity switching i e dual polarity LNBF or is stacked the polarity key is disabled as shown above and the transponder selection determines the polarity If you are using a single polarity LNB the p...

Page 9: ...This is what we call the ID Verification feature It is initiated when you press the ID soft key middle left side of LCD screen on the Run Screen When you change satellites with the left right arrow keys or with the LNB power soft key if you re connected to a multi LNBF system the transponder shown will be one of the transponders used in ID Verification Once you get a lock and peak the dish on this...

Page 10: ...e Field Guide updates come into play As we update our software database we post the revisions on our web site which you can download into your instrument See the section on Updating Your Meter Our software database is updated from information gathered from the service providers other web sites customers and our own testing and research If you know of any omissions or errors in our database please ...

Page 11: ...nter keys Some functions are also available via soft keys as a shortcut Exit takes you back to the Run Screen The functions are described in the sections that follow 4 System Setup You must use this screen to specify the type of system you are connected to and where you are This step is essential the AI Turbo S2 calculates all frequencies based on this information and displays only the transponder...

Page 12: ... switch type if desired Regions When the unit is shipped from the factory it will have the latest information for all of North America loaded into it If you are using the AI Turbo S2 outside of North America you must download a different Field Guide from our website See the Updating chapter for details You must select a region within the Field Guide that better identifies the area where you will b...

Page 13: ...nto small sets of choices The available services may change with Field Guide updates Systems The system selection lets you pick the type of system within the selected service In some cases this is the final LNB model selection In other cases the system will be broken down further by the LNB model selection ...

Page 14: ...directly to the LNB or when you connect to a multi LNB head the AI Turbo S2 must know what switch type is connected so it can send the proper type of command to control that switch The switch type is usually selected automatically when you pick an LNB Model but you may wish to change it or select another external switch If you are installing a system that does not have a switch you may need to sel...

Page 15: ...V range from 0 to 100 Dish Network uses two scales the old scale from 0 to 125 and a new scale with much lower values approximately 0 to 85 Frequency The frequency may be displayed as either the L band frequency which the meter is tuned to or the downlink frequency transmitted by the satellite Both are displayed in MHz The L Band 950 2150 MHz frequency is the frequency of the signal after being do...

Page 16: ... of locking onto a signal up to 10 MHz from the frequency defined for the transponder A frequency deviation of more than 2 MHz 2000 kHz may indicate a problem with the LNB High or low temperatures will cause an LNB to drift and an LNB that works in normal weather with a significant drift may fail to work in hot or cold weather due to the additional drift Please note that the Frequency Deviation fe...

Page 17: ...version The screen also displays the serial number of the meter Preset Pressing the Preset soft key in the Options menu will return the meter to its factory default settings will erase any stored postal code or latitude and longitude setting will return the RF signal level field to its default dBm value will return the signal quality field to its default IRD value etc Date Time Pressing the DATE T...

Page 18: ...ve his latitude and longitude coordinates and look up antenna settings based on those coordinates The different postal code databases may be downloaded and updated using the FlashUpdate program which is described further in the Updating section of the manual Type in the zip code using the numeric keypad and press ENTER If a postal code table is not available for your area you may enter the latitud...

Page 19: ...nt or for feed transponders that aren t always active You can manually enter the tuning parameters The screen will display the locking status at the bottom The parameter changes will be kept when you return to the Run Screen but not saved when powering off or changing to other satellites or transponders Frequency You may specify the frequency as either the L band tuning frequency or as the downlin...

Page 20: ...rrection rate Baud Rate Use the keypad to enter the baud rate symbol rate in kiloSymbols per second and press Enter Options Use the left right arrow keys to toggle through the options related to your chosen modulation type If DVB S2 modulation type is selected and you have chosen a specific code rate then you may choose between Pilot on and Pilot off If your code rate is set to Auto then your pilo...

Page 21: ... Changes LNB voltage see below 3 LNB Turns LNB power on or off and selects switch ports 4 EXIT returns to the Main Menu Screen For the voltage the AI Turbo S2 can output 13V 18V 21V for DIRECTV SWiM LNBs or 29V for the WildBlue TRIAs Note In the screenshot shown above approximately 18 volts is being output by the meter to the LNB 9 OPI and DiSEqC Monitoring The OPI DiSEqC Screen serves two similar...

Page 22: ...shown on the meter 4 Return to the dish and connect the AI Turbo S2 into the receiver cable The AI Turbo S2 s ODU LNB port should be connected to the LNB and the IDU IRD port to the modem s Rx port 5 Go to the AI Turbo S2 OPI DiSEqC Screen This screen displays the numbers transmitted from the modem just like the OPI device 6 Adjust the dish to peak the transmitter cross pol quality number The high...

Page 23: ...ine Bad This is the rate of errors detected that the Reed Solomon decoder was unable to correct These are the errors which cause tiling or other problems visible to the customer This is sometimes referred to as the post FEC error rate For Turbo and DVB S2 signals the meter displays Bad blocks This is the rate of errors detected that the Reed Solomon decoder was unable to correct These are the erro...

Page 24: ... test is sufficient to determine the BER for the present conditions As long as both rates continue to read less than some number the character is shown then no errors have been detected and the system is working well On the other hand if you are testing during a rainstorm you can expect some errors to occur The MORE button can be used to display additional information about the signal This display...

Page 25: ...lds more information 4 Symbol rate in kilo symbols second 5 Symbol rate error 6 Modulation type i e DVB S DSS DC2 Turbo DVB S2 7 Code rate or bit puncture rate 8 Data rate calculated rate of payload kilo bits per second post FEC data rate 9 Bit rate 10 Elapsed time counter seconds ...

Page 26: ...nment as usual When the system is fully peaked use one of two main menu options to perform the PoP Scan and collect the data PoP Scan uses the presently selected LNB port and collects data for that LNB only Full PoP Scan steps through all LNB positions and collects data for all related orbital positions Tip You should choose Full PoP Scan when you re connected to a multi LNB head LNBF assembly wit...

Page 27: ...he data or NEXT to continue Saving Data If you press NEXT the following screen appears allowing you to enter some identification data about the test Note Alphanumeric characters can be entered in the following way Press the key once to display the numeric digit Press it quickly a second time to display the first alphabetic character Press it quickly a third time to display the next alpha character...

Page 28: ...ut 70 files The actual limit depends on the number of transponders used Press SAVE and the system will copy the file from temporary storage to flash file storage If an error occurs during the copy process or the flash storage area is too full the message Flash copy failed will appear and the test data will be lost If you fill up the file storage space you can transfer all of the stored files to a ...

Page 29: ...eted its 5 second boot up countdown An icon that looks like the AI Turbo S2 should be installed on your desktop for this purpose 3 The File Transfer window appears somewhat like the following example The box on the left displays the files stored on the meter The box on the right shows the files stored on the PC The files are stored in a text file format txt so they can be easily opened in Excel or...

Page 30: ...es click Erase All Files to erase the files from the meter and free up the flash storage space Due to the way the flash memory works it is not possible to erase only selected files all files must be erased to free up the memory Print Reports The File Transfer window is not the only window available in the SatTransfer program You may also open one or more report windows to display and print the dat...

Page 31: ...lect File Properties Results only before printing Proof of Performance Scans to reduce the number of columns printed Most field technicians do not need to or want to see the transponder parameters modulation type code rate baud rate Screenshots of the Properties settings change and the subsequent trimmed down Proof of Performance Scan results are shown below ...

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Page 33: ...scan is performed The scan compares the present readings with a previously stored reference reading to determine the effect of the cable system on the RF signal The data is displayed graphically along with summary readings After the user specifies the expected RF level entering the network the AI Turbo S2 uses the measured losses to calculate the expected min max levels at the receiver These are c...

Page 34: ...Operation Manual AI Turbo S2 Page 34 of 69 2 Power on NS 1 3 Press MENU soft key 4 Choose Spectrum from Main Menu ...

Page 35: ... scan run a new normalization scan whenever you use a different noise source or suspect the noise source has changed output level You can check your normalization scan by performing a regular noise scan while the noise source is connected with the same short jumper coax cable The readings in this case should only differ from the reference normalization scan by a few tenths of a dB and the graph sh...

Page 36: ...nnect NS 1 to one end of a long coax cable and power on the NS 1 11 Connect the other end of the long coax cable to the ODU LNB port of the AI Turbo S2 meter 12 Power on the AI Turbo S2 meter 13 Press MENU soft key on AI Turbo S2 meter 14 Choose Spectrum from the Main Menu 15 Press More soft key ...

Page 37: ...S2 Page 37 of 69 16 Choose Add ref 17 Select your source reference file and press Enter 18 You can choose to view both your un normalized reference source and the scan of the long cable on the screen at the same time by choosing ...

Page 38: ...Operation Manual AI Turbo S2 Page 38 of 69 Or you can choose to view your normalized reference source and the scan of the long cable on the screen at the same time ...

Page 39: ...ion against recommended quality values Specifications 1 Up to 5 transponders per satellite may be tested 2 Up to 10 total satellites may be stored 3 Signal quality test IRD signal quality number 4 Signal level test 5 Signal quality limits defined for individual transponders 6 Signal level limit defined overall 7 Limits are changeable and are stored in the instrument Setup Use the normal meter setu...

Page 40: ...quality value Limit must be defined by the user 4 IRD The received IRD signal quality value corresponding to each specified transponder 5 Level Limit found at the very bottom center of the LCD screen displays the minimum desired Signal Level dBm dBmV or dBµV value Limit must be specified by user If a lock is not obtained the IRD column will display instead The table will be filled in as the transp...

Page 41: ...The limit editing function may be activated in three ways 1 By pressing EDIT soft key from the Limit Scan screen 2 By activating the Limit Scan from a satellite that does not have limits defined or 3 By scrolling via left right arrow keys or the LNB soft key to a satellite that does not have limits defined When a satellite with no limits is selected the edit screen contains zeros for all transpond...

Page 42: ...l satellites To remove a transponder enter zero for the transponder number If all transponders have been zeroed for a satellite that orbit will be removed from the Limit Scan table You may also use the TR soft key to insert a valid transponder number from the list of transponders for that satellite When your cursor is in the Transponder Tr column field pressing the TR soft key several times will a...

Page 43: ...te the fields with minimum values specified by the service provider To auto populate the Required IRD value fields based on your geographic location zip code in the Limit Scan feature 1 Using the soft keys select MENU 2 Using the arrow keys highlight Limit Scan 3 Press Enter 4 Select the EDIT soft key 5 Select the USE ZIP soft key 6 Select the DONE soft key to return to the main Limit Scan screen ...

Page 44: ...ocument the Limit Scan to prove that the signal level and quality of the key transponders are adequate before you leave the site To accomplish this you may save the Limit Scan to the flash memory of the AI Turbo S2 while out in the field Then you can upload it to a PC when back at the office to store the documentation on your hard drive or forward it on to upper management if required Since the Li...

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Page 46: ...e that has already been used To determine which names have been used the user can run the SatTransfer program on a PC or can select File Utility from the Main Menu After you type in the file name using the numeric keypad press SAVE and the system will copy the file from temporary storage to flash file storage If an error occurs during the copy process or if the flash storage area is too full the m...

Page 47: ...tructions of how to transfer the saved files to your PC using the SatTransfer application Screenshots from examples of transferred Limit Scan files are shown below It is recommended to select File Properties Results Only before printing Limit Scans to reduce the number of columns printed Most field technicians do not need to or want to see the transponder parameters modulation type code rate baud ...

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Page 49: ...creen although it has less resolution and a much slower sweep rate than an actual spectrum analyzer This screen has the following features Adjustable frequency span Automated level scaling Frequency and level cursors Adjustable sweep rate To view the spectrum display press the MENU soft key in bottom right hand corner of main Run screen Then use your up down arrow keys to highlight Spectrum and pr...

Page 50: ...o 2150 MHz Paging Press the upper left soft key to page to the left changing the start and stop frequencies when not at full span Press upper right soft key to page to the right Amplitude Range The default amplitude range shown on the spectrum display is 70 to 20 dBm To change the amplitude range press the LVL soft key in bottom left hand corner of LCD screen to turn auto scaling on or off This wi...

Page 51: ...hat he she has used for saved PoP Scans Limit Scans and Spectrum Scans The user can also delete a single file or format the flash drive and therefore erase all saved files from the flash memory of the meter Press MENU soft key and then select File Utility The user can choose to see all saved files or filter the saved files ...

Page 52: ...the up down arrow keys and then press the Delete soft key To format the flash memory and erase all saved files press More soft key and the Format soft key Each file type is designated by a different file type extension Limit Scans fail lmf Limit Scans pass lmp PoP Scans pop Spectrum Scans scp ...

Page 53: ...ion of the FlashUpdate and SatTransfer programs and the related USB drivers If you have a hardware firewall either stand alone or in a router you must either modify the settings of the device to permit access to our program or you will have to entirely by pass the router or other inhibiting hardware device 3 Go to the Applied Instruments website www appliedin com With your mouse move your cursor o...

Page 54: ...WinZip Self Extractor program will appear It is recommended that you press the Unzip button to unzip the files to the default location c FlashUpdate If you wish to unzip the files to another location type that desired destination folder into the field titled Unzip to folder or press the Browse button and then navigate the network to select the desired destination folder ...

Page 55: ...ng System you re running on this PC using your mouse right click on the My Computer icon Scroll to Properties and left click on it On the General tab underneath System it will tell you which Operating System is installed on your PC i e Microsoft Windows XP Another method to find out which Operating System you re running is by using Windows Explorer Path Windows Explorer Help About 9 Another Comman...

Page 56: ...o the AI Turbo S2 meter Application filename FlashUpdate exe SatTransfer is the program used to upload stored Proof of Performance Scan Limit Scan and Spectrum Scan information from your AI Turbo S2 meter to the PC Application filename SatTransfer exe Updating 1 Ensure you have an active internet connection 2 Plug your AI Turbo S2 into an AC outlet to prevent any problems due to a low battery 3 Co...

Page 57: ...s fully seated Click Connect to retry the connection With the USB connection the computer should automatically establish connection with the meter If you don t know the com port number you can choose Auto or try all available ports or you can check your COM port assignments in the Device Manager section of the Windows Control Panel Path Control Panel System Hardware Tab Device Manager button Ports...

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Page 59: ... COM port right click with your mouse on the desired COM port and select Properties Then click on the Port Settings tab Then click on the Advanced button Using the drag down menu at the bottom of the Advanced Settings screen reassign the COM port to an open unused port to any COM port from COM1 to COM12 Then press OK twice and exit out of the Device Manager and exit out of the Control Panel ...

Page 60: ...rth America Click UPDATE to start updating the instrument The progress bar at the bottom will show the installation progress of each component In the screenshot from the example shown below the program has detected that four components need to be updated it automatically placed four check marks next to the items that need updated The blue status bar at the bottom of the program will reset itself a...

Page 61: ...an Field Guide European Field Guide African Field Guide Middle East Field Guide Asian Field Guide South Pacific Field Guide If you simply want to change Field Guides even though no new versions are available you may need to also put a check in the box before clicking UPDATE Only components that are checked will be updated Postal Codes Postal code files for the United States and Canada are availabl...

Page 62: ...Updates You may check for an update by connecting your AI Turbo S2 to your computer and performing the step in the section Checking for Updates Make sure your Internet connection is active if you have a dial up connection to the Internet It is recommended you check for updates regularly i e monthly If you have any problems or questions about the FlashUpdate program call Applied Instruments Tech Su...

Page 63: ...he LCD display can be misleading If not powering an LNB it may display full even if it is not It is more accurate when connected to an LNB load It is normal for the battery symbol of a fully charged battery to quickly drop by when powering an LNB The symbol should remain in the middle two segments for the longest time period and will again drop faster when the last battery symbol segment is displa...

Page 64: ...ter finger tightening Warning Do NOT over tighten ii Ensure that you have the latest available version of Field Guide and Software loaded If you don t you must update meter s software using the FlashUpdate program iii If issue still remains contact Applied Instruments Tech Support department and request a RMA to send the instrument to the factory for inspection and repair b While I have the LNB co...

Page 65: ...multi LNB head then he will have to use the left right arrow keys instead to navigate in this configuration If you receive this error message when there isn t an IRD or modem connected to the meter s IDU IRD port of the AI Turbo S2 meter there may be a problem in the LNB power circuit of the meter which would require service at the factory f I m doing a Dish Network Dish 500 install I have the 110...

Page 66: ...ter iv There is a chance that only the even transponders are active on the satellite for your beam footprint area j My serial number is missing off the back of my AI Turbo S2 meter How can I obtain my serial number to know its history and to check if it s still under warranty i Connect your AI Turbo S2 meter to the PC power it on and open the FlashUpdate or SatTransfer program The serial number of...

Page 67: ...ing will be incurred Warranty repair includes defects in material and workmanship only Each repair is done on a case by case basis and charged according to the technician s time and the components replaced If unit is under warranty standard warranty period is 12 months charges do not apply unless instrument has been opened abused or exposed to moisture Accidental damage or abuse repairs will alway...

Page 68: ...ions SPECIFICATIONS Frequency Range 250 750 950 2150 MHz Tuning Resolution Individual Transponders Signal Level Range 75 to 15 dBm 26 to 34 dBmV 34 to 94 dBµV RF Level Accuracy 2 dB typical 3 dB max Signal Lock Formats DVB S QPSK Digicipher 2 QPSK DVB S2 QPSK 8PSK DSS DIRECTV Legacy QPSK Turbo QPSK 8PSK Impedance 75 Ohm LNB Power 13VDC for V R 18VDC for H L current limited at 780mA 21VDC for DIREC...

Page 69: ...nsportation to the factory is to be prepaid by the customer Authorization RMA by Applied Instruments is required prior to shipment Applied Instruments assumes no liability for secondary charges or consequential damages and in any event Applied Instruments liability for breach of warranty under any contract shall not exceed the purchase price of the instrument shipped and against which a claim is m...

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