Atec JDSU-SDA-5000 User Manual

In the world of high-growth subscriber
services, engineers and technicians
struggle with assignments as diverse
as tracking down and fixing ingress,
aligning optical nodes, and proof­of-performance. With competitive
threats building, cable operators need
easy and cost-effective solutions for
efficient installation, qualification,
maintenance and troubleshooting
their HFC networks.

The Acterna SDA-5000 Series of
Stealth Digital Analyzers provides a
lightweight, weather resistant, rugged,
and affordable single instrument with
the versatility to test the latest digital
services as well as the ideal device
for maintaining the analog spectrum.
The SDA Series provides seamless
forward and return path testing as well
as advanced digital testing. A host of
invaluable extra options such as QAM
analysis and PathTrak Field View are
available, enabling the SDA Series
to be customized for both the cable
operator’s network technology level
and budget.

The SDA builds on Acterna market
leading RF sweep capabilities with
numerous new features that ensure
engineers can cope with the changing
demands of today’s network.
Backward compatibility with earlier
Acterna Stealth and StealthTrakSeries
products build on a company’s existing
investment. Automated testing, new
“Find and Fix” tools, and easy-to-use
graphical user interfaces ensure
training time is kept to a minimum.
In addition, users familiar with an
Acterna Stealth product can transfer
their existing expertise to other SDA
products without additional training.

Highlights

– Offers unmatched measurement

performance for digital video, data,
and traditional analog services in a
single instrument

– Increases the efficiency of

service calls and reduces
troubleshooting time

– Ensures HFC network integrity with

the Acterna non-interfering forward
and reverse sweep system compa­tible with today’s digital signals

– Enables easy preparation of

networks for interactive services
with a 5 to 1000-MHz, fast,
sensitive spectrum analyzer

– Delivers comprehensive testing of

forward and reverse digital services
including optional QAM analysis

– Ensures full in-service proof-of-

performance with automated tests

– Rugged, weather-resistant,

and lightweight

Stealth Digital Analyzer

Acterna SDA-5000 Series

Offers single-instrumenttesting
of all services

Acterna SDA Series testers are capable
of handling a broad spectrum of inter­active testing needs including reverse
sweep, multiple-user reverse testing,
portable reverse testing, reverse path
noise testing, quality forward path
digital services with QAM View and
in-service cable modem analysis.
The SDA-5000 Series of Stealth Digital
Analyzers includes the SDA-5000,
SDA-5500, and SDA-5510, each of
which provides a single-instrument
“One Box” solution for engineers and
technicians. The main features include:

Analog testing

– Non-interfering forward RF sweep
– RF level, fast scan, tilt
– In-service carrier-to-noise, hum,

depth of modulation

– Fast spectrum display with CTB/CSO
– Automatic/24-hour testing

(FCC and CENELEC compliant)

Return path testing

– Non-interfering reverse RF sweep
– PathTrak Field View option

pinpoints return path noise

– Reverse Alignment mode

prepares network for cable
modem deployment

– Reverse noise feature shows

accumulated noise/ingress seen
at the headend

– Zero Span Spectrum mode
– DOCSIS/DAVIC compatible cable

modem analysis

Advanced digital testing

– Acterna digiCheck average power
– QAM View digital analysis with

modulation error ratio (MER),
pre/post FEC BER, constellation,
and exclusive noise/ingress under
the carrier measurement

2

Forward and reverse non-interfering Sweep enables
easy preparation of networksfor interactive services

SDA instruments provide a comprehensive set of measurement toolsthat will follow the expansion
of your cable network

Sweep is the right solution

The majority of all transmission errors
(including digital) are found by meas­uring the frequency response of the
network. Every physical error in the
network that influencesthe transmitted
signals will be revealed in the sweep
trace. This means the sweep results are
independent of transmission methods
and formats.

When maintaining and setting up the
HFC network, the goal is to transmit all
signals with the best noise specifica­tions and the lowest intermodulation
distortion. Sweep provides the most
effective and efficient tool to show the
effects and compromises of setting up
the correct gain versus frequency.

Headend

HFC under development

Network

Combining

To

Headend Forward Sweep
Transmission (Multiuser)
SDA-5500 Sweep
Transceiver

Headend Reverse Sweep
Manager (Multiuser)
SDA-5510

Reverse
Applications

Reverse
Combiner

Reverse-Path
Optical Receiver

Sweep trace and reverse ingress sent out on
forward path telemetry to receivers

Field Portable Sweep
Transmitter
SDA-5000+OPT2

Reverse Optical Node
Alignment
SDA-5000+OPT1

Reverse sweep signal sent
to SDA-5500 or SDA-5510

Forward Sweep and
Reverse Sweep
SDA 5000+OPT1

Reverse path ingress
troubleshooting
SDA-5000

Normalized sweep

To ensure thatnetworkspecifications
are maintained, starting from the
headend to the subscriber, each
section of the network has itsown set
of specifications. A normalized sweep
divides the network into easily man­aged sections. Each of these network
sections can be designated to an
individual team or contractor and
tested to its own specifications and
quality standards.

The SDA Series uses a variation of
Acterna original market-leading Stealth
Sweep technology. Existing video
carriers (analog, digital, or scrambled)
are referenced when possible, elimi­nating any possibility of interference to
the subscriber services. Where carriers
are absent, the SDA-5500 transceiver
at the headend transmits a sweep to
fill vacant spectrum areas. To remove
effects of headend level drift, the
SDA-5500 transceiver monitors the
levels and transmits new reference
information with every sweep. This
means that if the signallevels are
changing in the headend, they willnot
affect the sweep response measure­ment. The SDA-5500 transceiver has
all of the measurement capabilityof
the SDA-5000 receiver enabling the
technician to check headend levels.

The SDA Series also offers significantly
faster forward sweep speed than earlier
instruments, especially in systems that
include many digital signals. Theycan
reference 64/256 QAM signal types,
removing the need to worry about
subscriber interference, or injecting
sweep carriers in the guard bands.

Reverse sweep

The SDA-5000 (with option 1 installed)
enables simple and practical testing
of the reverse pathfrequencyresponse,
regardless of the frequency (5 to
1000 MHz). It has a built-in reverse
sweep transmitter, which means
externally generated carriers are not
required. Furthermore, the SDA-5500
transmitter and field receivers have
frequency agile telemetry, enabling
them to communicate on both the
forward and reverse paths.

SDA Series instruments enable one
person to perform forward and reverse
path alignment simultaneously.
The operator simply indicates which
screen should be displayed – either
the response from the headend to the
testpoint, or the response from the
testpoint to the headend. A reverse
sweep can uncover mismatch prob­lems, which reveal themselves as
standing waves, or diplex filter roll-offs
that can severely hamper the quality
of services in the reverse band.

3

Reverse ingress spectrum display Constellation display with MER and

pre/post FEC BER

Multiple-user reverse testing

For intense reverse testing require­ments, the rack mounted model
SDA-5510 Headend Reverse Sweep
Manager handles the reverse sweep
job for up to 10 different technicians
on the same cluster of nodes. Using
the SDA-5510 in conjunction with the
model SDA-5500 transceiver provides
a full forward and reverse sweep
alignment solution. The SDA-5510
can also stand alone in remote hub
sites for dedicated reverse alignment
applications.

Seeing headend/hub site accumulated
ingress in the field

The reverse noise feature of the
SDA-5000 enables easy reverse path
noise testing. The operator simply
presses the “noise” softkey while
reverse sweeping, and the display
changes to a noise/ingress response
indicating the noise level over
the entire reverse path spectrum
measured at the headend or hub site.

All SDA transmitters provide feedback
to the field regarding the current
condition of noise and ingress in the
headend, even when noise or ingress
is swamping the telemetry (Broadcast
mode). A picture of the headend noise/
ingress is sent out to the SDA receiver
via a special forward telemetry carrier.

Reverse Alignment mode preparesnetwork for
cable modem deployment

4

QAM View ensures quality forward
path digital services

For measurement and analysis of
digital TVand forward modem signals,
the new digital QAM View option
provides a full complement ofdigital
quality measurements. Included is a
64/256 QAM constellation display
with zoom, average digital power
level, bit error rate (BER), 21 to 35-dB
modulation error ratio (MER), and a
noise margin “cliff effect” parameter.
An equalizer display shows equalizer
stress and distance to fault.

In addition, an exclusive Noise mode
enables technicians to see ingress/
noise under an active digital carrier.
This tool is invaluable for detecting
forward path ingress otherwise hidden
by conventional spectrum views.

One button, in-service C/N measurementson
TDMA return path cable modem signals (DOCSIS,
EuroDOCSIS, EuroModem)

Zero span/time domain expert mode, showing the
TDMA bursty return path cable modem powerramp
of 3.5 ms

In-service cable modem analyzer

For bursty digital signals such as TDMA
technologies used on cable modems
for reverse services, the SDA-5000
offers two measurement choices.
The first, a one-button cable modem
analyzer test, shows carrier-to-noise
measurements quickly. The second,
an advanced zero span feature, uses
a time domain display to allow power
measurements while the modem is in
service. Both modes are compatible
with DOCSIS/EuroDOCSIS, CBR/
switched circuit telephony, and
proprietary cable modem standards.

Detecting ingress in the field

When detecting ingress in the field,
first the operator looks at the ingress
present at the field testpoint using
the spectrum display on any of the
receivers and then switches to reverse
ingress/noise to see the ingress at the
headend for comparison. Thistime­saving procedure helps in locating
sources of ingress. An adjustable dwell
time ensures that even intermittent
ingress is detected. The preamp and
lowpass filter also assures that even
low-level ingress is seen. The preamp
and lowpass filter on the SDA-5000
assures that ingress can be measured
on devices with bidirectional testpoints
or testpoint values of 30 dB or more.

PathTrakField View option

When a network is equipped with the
Acterna PathTrakPerformance Moni­toring System, system technicians can
benefit from the ultimate tool to com­bat ingress – the PathTrak Field View
option for the SDA-5000. With Field
View, the SDA-5000 receives a return
path headend spectrum broadcast
from the PathTrakunit and compares it
with a return path spectrum at any field
testpoint. The side-by-side spectrum
comparison instantly reveals to the
technician whether the ingress source
is originating at the technician’scur­rent testpoint or at a different location.
The comparative spectrum technique
reduces noise/ingress troubleshooting
time dramatically, since the technician
can immediately verify whether correc­tive action performed in the field (local
trace) results in improvement in the
headend spectrum (remote trace).

Comprehensive testing

The SDA Series provides an extensive
set ofsignalanalysisfeaturesdesigned
for proving and improving network
quality. Its key capabilities include
level measurement, analog and
digital signal limits, tilt measurement,
scan measurement, in-service
carrier-to-noise measurement, hum
measurement, modulation measure­ment, and local amplifier alignment
with loopback tests.

In-service ingress spectrum showing CTB/CSO­intermodulation problems due to analog-TV
channels