Microwave Radio Communications HDX2025D, HDX064D Users Manual

HDX-1100

Aircraft/Terrestrial High
Power SD/HD Video
Transmitter

User and Technical Manual

PRELIMINARY COPY

Manual Part No. 400609-1 Rev. XX - March 2011

Copyright © 2010
Part number 400609-1
Printed in U.S.A.
Authorized EU representative: Vislink PLC
Quality Certification Vislink is certified to ISO 9001:2008.
The Vislink trademark and other trademarks are registered trademarks in the United States and/or other countries.
Microsoft®, Windows®, and Internet Explorer® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States

and/or other countries.
Proprietary Material The information and design contained within this manual was originated by and is the property

of Vislink. Vislink reserves all patent proprietary des ign, manufacturing, reproduction use, and sales rights thereto, and
to any articles disclosed therein, except to the extent rights are expressly granted to others. The foregoing does not
apply to vendor proprietary parts. Vislink has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the material contained in this
manual at the time of printing. As specifications, equipment, and this manual are subject to change without notice,
Vislink assumes no responsibility or liability whatsoever for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this manual
or for any decisions based on its use. This manual is supplied for information purposes only and should not be
construed as a commitment by Vislink. The information in this manual remains the property of Vislink and may not be
used, disclosed, or reproduced in any form whatsoever, without the prior written consent of Vislink. Vislink reserves the
right to make changes to equipment and specifications of the product described in this manual at any time without
notice and without obligation to notify any person of such changes.

General Safety Information The following safety requirements, as well as local site requirements and regulations,
must be observed by personnel operating and maintaining the equipment covered by this manual to ensure awareness
of potential hazards. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can
radiate radio frequency energy. If not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, it may cause
harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause
harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

About this Manual This manual is intended for use by qualified operators, installers, and servic e personnel. Users of
this manual should already be familiar with basic concepts of radio, video, and audio. For information about terms in
this manual, see Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations (Part No. 400576-1). Pay special attention to Notes, Cautions,
and Warnings.

Read Notes for important information to assist you in using and maintaining the equipment.
Follow CAUTIONS to prevent damage to the equipment.
Follow WARNINGS to prevent personal injury or death.

Symbols The following symbols may be on the equipment or in this manual:

WARNING: General Warning.
Risk of Danger.

WARNING: Risk of Electric Shock. Earth Ground: Identifies the earth ground

CAUTION: Electrostatic Discharge.
Possible Damage to Equipment. Fuse (either icon):

Frame or Chassis Ground: Identifies the frame
or chassis terminal.

terminal.

Identifies fuses or their location.

Protective Earth Ground: Identifies any
terminal intended for connection to an
external conductor for protection against elec­tric shock in case of a fault, or the
terminal on a protective earth electrode.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
(WEEE): The product must not be disposed of
with other waste. You must dispose of the
waste equipment by handing it over to a desig­nated collection point for recycling.

101 Billerica Avenue, Building 6

North Billerica, MA 01862 USA

[phone]

1 About the HDX-1100

The KamelyonTM HDX-1100 high power digital
microwave transmitter is a ruggedized unit
designed to support high quality video and data
transmission in airborne and mobile applications, where
vibration, shock, humidity, and temperature swings
are everyday occurrences. The HDX-1100 is compliant
with aircraft industry mounting standards, making it
perfectly suited for airborne or ground based
mobile platforms. Typical applications include real
time video for law enforcement, public safety, fire,
utility, and other agency based surveillance tasks.

The HDX-1100 includes an H.264/MPEG-4
encoder that provides standard or high
definition (SD or HD) video on DVB-T/
COFDM, or Vislink RangeMaster
carrier modulation. An MPEG-2 encoder
option is available to support legacy
receivers.

Video inputs may be configured for
composite NTSC or PAL in standard analog
formats, or digital video in SDI, HD-SDI, or
ASI formats. Other inputs include two full
range audio channels, and an RS-232 data
channel.

The transmitter RF output is 8W in high power mode, and about 4 W in low power mode.
The HDX-1100 may be operated via the touch screen user interface (see Section 4), however it

is typically controlled by an optional aircraft remote panel (RCU) (see Section 5). Initial HDX-1100
programming and presets should be configured via PC using the integrated web browser utility
(see Section 6).

TM

single

2 Operating in Safety

Guidelines for safe operation are derived from OET bulletin 65, August 1997, as recommended
by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

WARNING

The HDX-1100, operated without an antenna will not create RF energy exceeding 1.0 mW/cm2,
the FCC limit for exposure. Connecting an antenna to the unit greatly enhances the potential for
harmful exposure, and you must maintain a certain distance from the radiator. The following
table shows the Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) safe distances from the antenna.

High levels of RF power are present in the unit. Exposure to RF or microwave power
can cause burns and may be harmful to health. Remove power from the unit before

disconnecting any RF cables and before inspecting damaged cables and/or antennas.
Avoid standing in front of high gain antennas (such as a dish antenna) and never look
into the open end of a waveguide or cable where RF power may be present.

1

Antenna Gain (dB1)

0 2 3 5 11

Safe Distance (cm)

4 6 6 8 15

Safe Distance (in)

1.57

2.36

2.36

3.15

5.9

Note

Hazardous RF radiation limits and recommended distances may vary by
country. Observe all applicable state and federal regulations when using this
transmitter.

To perform calculations to understand the safe exposure margin (MPE), use the following
formula suggested by OET 65. The calculations provided are for common antennas often used
in the mobile microwave environment.

Calculating MPE
EIRP = P * (10 ^ (G / 10)) = (antilog of G/10) * P

P = RF power delivered to the antenna in mW
G = Power gain of the antenna in the direction of interest relative to an isotropic radiator
R = distance to the center of radiation of the antenna in centimeters
S = MPE in mW/cm² (milliwatts per square centimeters)

Conversions

dBi to numeric gain = Antilog (dBi/10)
Feet to centimeters = Feet * 30.48
Centimeters to Feet = cm * .0328
4 π = 12.57

User Input

RF power delivered to the antenna = Watts
Antenna gain (referenced to isotropic antenna) = dBi
Distance from the center of radiation = Feet

Calculation steps:

1. [P] RF power input. Watts to milliwatts = Watts * 1000

2. [G] Antenna gain dBi. Numeric gain = Antilog (dBi/10)

3. [EIRP] Multiply P * G

4. [R] Centimeters to feet = Centimeters * .0328

5. Square R

6. Multiply R² * 4π

7. [S] Divide (R² * 4π) into EIRP
S = Power Density in milliwatts per square centimeters.

Note

At frequencies above 1500 MHz, S must not be greater than 1.

Reference
FCC OET Bulletin 65, August 1997 - Evaluating Compliance with FCC Guidelines for Human

Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields

2

Power Dens

i

ty (mW

/

cm^2)

The figure to the right is a
typical graph for a Vislink
HDX-1100 Transmitter and
shows the permissible
exposure distance for
various antenna gains.
Graphs and data will vary,
based on the actual
transmitter, output power,
frequency, and antenna
utilized. One plot provides
the permissible output of the
transmitter for digital
modulation, and the other
plot for analog modulation.

2

1.5

1

0.5

0

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4 .5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5

Maximum Permissible Exposure

@ 200 milliWatts RF Power

8

Distance in Feet

0dBi
2dBi
3dBi
5dBi
11dBi

Vislink, in accordance with the requirements set forth by the FCC, provides this information as a
guide to the user and assumes the users of this equipment are licensed and qualified to operate
the equipment per the guidelines and recommendations contained within the product user
guides and in accordance with any FCC rules that may apply.

3

3 Installing an HDX-1100 Transmitter

The HDX-1100 is built in an ARINC compliant 3/8 ATR housing, and was designed primarily
for aircraft operation. It is also suitable for general mobile applications, including terrestrial
vehicles. The transmitter and its remote control panel (RCU) have been tested and certified to
be compliant with RTCA DO-160F, as recognized by the FAA and other global agencies that
regulate aircraft operation and safety. NOTE: Aircraft installation must be performed by
certified aircraft maintenance personnel.

TOUCH SCREEN DISPLAY

AIR VENT

HOLD DOWN BRACKETS
(used with optional mounting kit)

HDX-1100 FRONT PANEL

4

10

DC POWER, AUDIO, DATA, REMOTE

VIDEO 1 – COMPOSITE NTSC or PAL

VIDEO 2 – COMPOSITE NTSC or PAL

SDI or HD-SDI DIGITAL VIDEO INPUT

ASI INPUT FROM EXT. ENCODER

WEB BROWSER MANAGEMENT
(Ethernet)

DC CIRCUIT BREAKER

RF OUTPUT

HDX-1100 REAR PANEL
The following electrical connections must be made to place the HDX-1100 in service.

o Video Inputs and connector types:

 Video 1: BNC female – NTSC or PAL composite
 Video 2 - BNC female – NTSC or PAL composite (NOTE: This is the DoubleVision input,

usable in MPEG-4 SD mode only)

 SDI: BNC female - SDI or HD-SDI (configurable)
 ASI input: BNC female – accepts signal from an external encoder

o RJ-45 jack

 10/100 web browser interface for set-up & maintenance

o RF Output: Type N female – 50 Ohms
o DC power in, audio, auxiliary data, and remote control, are all connected via 26 pin Bendix chassis

receptacle. A mating connector is supplied with each unit, and must be wired per the drawing in
section 7.3

5

NOTE: There is a 10 AMP DC circuit breaker on front panel of HDX-1100. If the power to this
breaker is fed from another circuit breaker in the aircraft, the HDX-1100 breaker should be left in
the on position. To operate the breaker: push in = ON, pull out = OFF, a manual reset is required
after the breaker trips.

HDX-1100 MECHANICAL OUTLINE

There are two possible mounting configurations, which should provide an installer with enough
flexibility to work in most situations:

1) For situations where the transmitter will be mounted on a flat surface, four captive nuts
have been installed in the transmitter side plate.

2) An optional aircraft mounting kit (part # 9000372) may be ordered. The kit includes an
ARINC compliant low profile tray with quick release clamps, and removable spacers.

Optional 9000372 3/8 ATR mounting kit with removable spacers

6

HDX-1100 installed in optional 3/8 ATR mounting tray with spacers

The optional 9000372 3/8 ATR mount includes a set of spacers that may be installed if
clearance is not sufficient to allow the clamps to disengage. The spacers would not be needed
if the mounting plate is attached to a shelf within the airframe, as shown below.

HDX-1100 in optional 3/8 ATR tray installed on existing shelf without spacers

7

4 Controlling the HDX-1100 with the Touch Panel

The touch panel screen on the front of the unit lets you perform routine setup and
maintenance functions and control the HDX-1100 directly as described in the following
sections.

NOTE: To use the HDX-1100 front panel controls, the RCU panel must be turned off or
disconnected prior to turning the HDX-1100 on.

4.1 Selecting a Preset or a Channel

The HDX-1100 recalls the most recently saved preset and channel when it is powered up.
You can select from up to nine preset configurations. The last four are configured as factory
defaults, but may be changed to suit your needs. Up to 15 RF channels may be configured
To select a preset, do the following:

1. Press the UP or DOWN buttons below the PRESET bar in the display

2. The new PRESET selection will remain so until it is changed.

3. Press the UP or DOWN buttons below the CHANNEL bar in the display

4. The new CHANNEL selection will remain so until it is changed.

4.2 Selecting the RF Output Level

The HDX-1100 recalls the most recently saved RF output power level when it is powered up. To
select between high or low power for the RF output level, do the following:

1. Press PA HIGH/LOW key to toggle between HIGH or LOW RF output level.

2. Press the PA ON/OFF button to toggle between RF on and RF off.

NOTE: When changing channels, the PA will automatically shut off to avoid interference
with other users, as the frequency changes. It must be manually turned on again once
the frequency change is complete (the display will change to new channel selection).

Please refer to section 8 for complete information on using the local touch screen controller

8

5 Setting the HDX-1100 with the Aircraft Remote Panel

You can install the Aircraft remote control unit (RCU) up to 50 feet from the HDX-1100 using a
3-wire serial interconnection and a power source. The following figure shows the RCU.

Remote Control Unit – Part Number 907621-6

When the remote panel and HDX-1100 are powered up at the same time, the remote takes
priority and the HDX-1100 local touch screen will not have any menu items shown, and will
appear as the in the photo below.

The following table provides detailed descriptions of the functionality of each push button and
rotary switch, plus an explanation of each LED. Presets and channel numbers are both
shown in LCD window displays.

9