PCS Electronics CYBERMAX FM+ 500W, CYBERMAX FM+ 700W User Manual
Brought to you by PCS Electronics, www.pcs-electronics.com
500/700W FM BAND RF AMPLIFIER
With full digital controls and SWR/PWR/TEMP meters
Manual
Brought to you by PCS Electronics, www.pcs-electronics.com
I M P O R T A N T N O T E
- Upon receiving your order inspect the packaging material and unit for apparent damage.
Any damage should be reported immediately so we can make a claim with the shipping
company. Take photos, if you can, they can be used as a proof.
- The two rack handles have been removed from the front panel just before shipping. This
is to prevent any damage during transport. They are included in the shipment (2x handle +
2x mounting screw) so please make sure you retrieve them before you throw away the
packaging. You will need Phillips screwdriver and 1 minute of your time to install the
handles.
- Mains cable is not included with our units. Since these cables vary from country to country
and we had trouble getting the exact type locally we decided against including them,
especially since finding them is so easy and cheap locally. They can be obtained in any
radio/computer/hardware shop at the cost of about 1 US$. It is the type used in your PC for
mains power.
- Study local regulations and ensure you are operating in compliance.
- Do not open the unit or attempt service yourself. Deadly mains voltage is present inside.
There are also high RF voltage points that can cause burns and discomfort if touched.
- Finally, never ever operate any transmitter or amplifier without a properly tuned antenna!
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Table of Contents
Introducing CYBERMAX FM+ series of amplifiers.................... 5
What makes this FM amplifier series so great? .............................. 5
General features: ............................................................................ 5
Technical specifications: ................................................................. 6
Thank you for purchasing CyberMaxFM+ amplifier......................... 6
Before you start........................................................................ 7
Antenna........................................................................................... 7
So what is this swr (vswr) everyone talks about?............................ 8
Coaxial cable .................................................................................. 8
FM exciter ....................................................................................... 8
Wiring everything together ....................................................... 9
Wiring things up and first power-up................................................. 9
Using the CyberMaxFM+ series amplifier ....................................... 9
Swr And Power Measurement Facility .......................................... 10
Lcd Menu System Explained......................................................... 10
MAIN SCREEN ............................................................................. 10
SWR ALARM ................................................................................ 11
TEMP ALARM............................................................................... 11
VIEW TYPE .................................................................................. 11
RF EQ ........................................................................................... 11
LCD CONTRAST .......................................................................... 12
FIRMWARE VER .......................................................................... 12
BAUD SPEED............................................................................... 12
FAN MODE ................................................................................... 12
Troubleshooting ............................................................................ 13
Appendix A – Attenuators....................................................... 14
Appendix B – Front and back panel layout............................. 15
Appendix C – Internal layout .................................................. 17
Appendix D – Warranty and legal info .................................... 18
Important notice! ........................................................................... 18
Warranty and servicing! ................................................................ 18
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Legal info ...................................................................................... 18
Limitation of liability....................................................................... 18
Also available from www.pcs-electronics.com .............................. 18
Revisions and errata .............................................................. 20
Index ...................................................................................... 21
Introducing CYBERMAX FM+ series of amplifiers
Our series of rack mounted FM broadcasting amplifiers
his manual covers our 500W and 750W CYBERMAX FM+ amplifiers. Even though the design of these units evolved radically over the years
amplifiers from this series remain one of our best selling items. Today our customers still enjoy the incredible price/performance ratio and more
reliability, power and features than ever before. In this manual you will find all of its little exciting secrets.
What makes this FM amplifier series so great?
One might think any of the RF amplifier modules would be enough and anyone can build their own amplifier, but reality is often far from that. Just the basic
coaxial cable wiring represents a major problem to many users. Than there’s the issue of suitable cooling, filtering, RF shielding, potential feedback problems
with RF leaking into mains power supply, and of course the SWR/TEMP protection which most modules don’t offer. Besiders offering all the basic features
this amplifier series also displays a number of usefull parameters on the LCD display: transmitted power, reflected power, temperature, voltage, uptime and
frequency. This is not just convenient but often helps monitor operation and eliminate the problem fast or even before it happens. Another strong point is
the mains power supply, most modules are shipped with PSU that is just barely able to cope with the load, usually quitting after a couple months, or, as
Murhpy would have it, just a few days after warranty expires (in the middle of the top radio show). A relatively modest additional investment in a better
equipment is rewarded by reliable operation, convenience and peace of mind. Of course this unit is completely no-tune and works with mains voltage
available worldwide. Comfortably sized 2H 19" rack enclosure offers easy access to all internal components and assures good ventilation. Our early models
were slightly lacking in the ventilation area so we took steps and made sure ventilation is perfect. 4-6 large heavy-duty 80x80mm cooling fans with protection
mesh will take care of any excessive heat easily. Additional smaller fans cool the mains power supply. Perhaps a bit excessive, but this assures long and
trouble-free life of your transmitter. A number of protection circuits helps prevent disasters. Temperature and SWR are monitored by on-board computer
and alarm threshold can be set via LCD module. Foldback hardware SWR protection is also built-in as a backup. Unit is rugged and made for 24/7/365
operation. In our opinion the best quality/price ratio possible.
General features:
- Reliable and convenient
- Plenty of power for a small/medium radio station
- Standard 19" 2H rack, clean design and high quality manufacturing
- Clean filtered signal
- Built-in CPU system for controlling and monitoring
- TEMP protection
- SWR protection
- Friendly user interface
- In our opinion the best quality/price ratio possible.
- Industrial quality and rugged switching-mode power supply
- Heavy duty cooling for reliability
Chapter
1
T
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Technical specifications:
- Output power: 500W/750W depending on the model, adjustable
- Output impedance: 50 unbalanced, VSWR less than 2:1 for full output
- Output connector: N female (rear panel )
- Input connector: N female (rear panel )
- Input excitation power: 6-10W for full output
- Frequency range 87.5 to 108MHz
- RF Harmonics > -60 dBc Standard
- RF spurious > -90 dBc Standard
- RF output ruggedness: SWR protection with reduced power, over-voltage protection, TEMP protection
- SWR meter: LCD display
- RF power meter: LCD display
- TEMP meter: LCD display
- VOLTAGE meter: LCD display
- FREQUENCY meter: LCD display
- RF EQ function: (gain/supply voltage boost at band edges)
- Uptime counter: (hours, minutes)
- SWR&TEMP protection: Reduced power with LCD warning, lights RED led
- Monitoring Led: Power on, SWR/TEMP error warning
- Mode: AB/C class, suitable for FM modulation
- AC mains power: 110-240V 50/60Hz universal, works everywhere on this planet
- Ambient temperature: -5° to +45°C
- External dimensions ( W x D x H ) 19" x depth (380mm) x height 2HE (88mm)
- Weight 8-12kg
Thank you for purchasing CyberMaxFM+ amplifier
We hope you will enjoy it as much as we do and if you do remember to tell your friends and colegues about it. Please feel free to leave your comments at our
website or post your experience in our forum. And if you encounter a problem please let us know so that we may offer advice and suggestion. From all of us
we wish you happy broadcasting!
Your PCS Electronics team
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Before you start
It is recommended that you read this section before you power your unit up for the first time. Let us clear up some basics you should know about. You will
also find some useful tips in our guides and forum at http://www.pcs-electronics.com. Here is what you need to get your TV transmitter on the air:
Antenna
Preferred type of antenna is affected by several factors, but mostly by desired radiation pattern, space available and your budget. If you are located in the
middle of the area you want to cover you'll need an omni-directional antenna which transmits equally in all directions. If you are located at the edge of your
desired coverage area you can beam the signal into the target area with a directional antenna. Directional antennas are also practical for point-to-point
communications. Another thing to consider is that directional antennas usually have much higher gain than omni-directional antennas since the power which
is radiated in all directions with omni atenna is concentrated mainly into one direction with directional antenna. Antennas with more gain thus have narrower
beam. A compromise is usually made depending on budget and space available, higher gain antennas are often bigger and often more expensive.
Once you’ve chosen and installed your antenna there is another thing to consider. You can read more about it in the next section (So what is this SWR
everyone talks about). Before powering up your transmitter on the air you should tune your antenna to get minimal SWR. This is typically done by adjusting
the position of the antenna and any adjustable pieces. Aim for 2:1 or less. Use low power into the antenna when tuning it up and making adjustments. If you
were using full power and a bit of the antenna came off in your hand the VSWR could be so bad as to blow the final transistor. For the same reason check
the DC continuity of the antenna with an ohmmeter before plugging it in, to be sure it's what it's meant to be, either a short circuit or an open one, depending
on the antenna type. For instructions regarding construction of antennas please see our website: http://www.pcs-electronics.com (guides section - antennas).
Antenna is a crucial part of the system so take special care. It is usually a good idea to place antenna away from your transmitter, power supply and audio
system. Also any transmitter should be in a metal case which shields circuitry from the radiation of the antenna. If you cannot meet these requirements, you
could experience feedback and other RF problems. We cannot guarantee proper operation of any transmitter/amplifier unless suitable antenna system is used
and transmitters are in ventilated metal enclosure! This applies to any transmitter. Interestingly, strong RF field can make CD players and other digital devices
go bezerk. Try placing antenna next to yours and see what happens. Most of the modern audio gear is not RF shielded – reducing costs is unfortunately the
mantra today. This is why keeping antenna away from audio gear is a good idea, too.
If you are going to place your antenna outside, on your roof, please take care of the grounding. This should be done to prevent lightning hazard and should
be done by a company specializing in lightning protection. You can read more about lightning protection in the book recommended below or many of the
websites (google up “lightning protection ham radio” for example) .
I hope this basic introduction will not scare you too much, it should be suffucient for the time being although we encourage you to explore this exciting
subject further with the help of a book such as the ARRL Antenna Book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0872598047/mightyspiraterad
Chapter
2
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