TriCom TCR-MBA-50 Operator's Manual
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TriCom TCR-MBA-50 Operator's Manual

Multi-band rf amplifier
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OPERATOR'S MANUAL
TCR-MBA-50
MULTI-BAND RF AMPLIFIER
DOCUMENT # 90400-01102
Tricom Research, Inc. 
http://www.tricomresearch.com
17981 Sky Park Circle, Suite M, Irvine, CA 92614
Ph: (949) 250-6024 fax: (949) 250-6023

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  • Page 1 OPERATOR'S MANUAL TCR-MBA-50 MULTI-BAND RF AMPLIFIER DOCUMENT # 90400-01102 Tricom Research, Inc.  http://www.tricomresearch.com 17981 Sky Park Circle, Suite M, Irvine, CA 92614 Ph: (949) 250-6024 fax: (949) 250-6023...
  • Page 2 TCR-MBA-50 OPERATOR’S MANUAL Revision History - Document 90400-01102 Revision Description Date Preliminary Release 4 Aug 2011 Preliminary Release 9 Aug 2011 Preliminary Release 23 Aug 2011 Preliminary Release – changed outline drawings 7 Nov 2011 Preliminary Release – added Appendix A 16 Dec 2011 Preliminary Release –...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    TCR-MBA-50 OPERATOR’S MANUAL TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION General Information..................1 Abbreviations and Glossary................2 Equipment Description ..................3-6 Features ......................7 TCR-MBA-50 System ...................7 1.5.1 Amplifier Components...................7 1.5.2 Power Cable ....................7 Specifications....................8-9 OPERATION General Information..................11 Controls, Indicators, and Connectors.............11-13 Operation......................13 2.3.1 General Information..................13 2.3.2 Equipment Set-up...................13...
  • Page 4 DC Input Power Control Pin Functions ...........19 Table 3-3 Auxiliary Connector Pinout ..............21 Table 3-4 Remote Control Command Set ..............23 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1-1 TCR-MBA-50 System Components ............1 Figure 2-1 Amplifier Controls & Indicators..............11 Figure 2-2 Amplifier Connections................11 Figure 3-1 TCR-MBA-50 Outline Drawing ..............18 Figure 3-2 Amplifier DC Input Connector ..............19...

  • Page 5: Introduction

    INTRODUCTION GENERAL INFORMATION This manual provides operating instructions for the TCR-MBA-50 Multiband Amplifier shown in Figure 1-1. The TCR-MBA-50 is an amplifier/pre-amplifier designed to provide transmit and receive gain for the following modes of operation:  Multiband line of sight (LOS FM and AM) 30~512 MHz communications ...

  • Page 6: Abbreviations And Glossary

    ABBREVIATIONS AND GLOSSARY Automatic gain control Automatic level control Amplitude modulation Antenna Bits per second Cipher text Continuous wave COMSEC Communications security Decibel Decibel referenced to 1 milliwatt (0 dBm = 1 mW) Frequency modulation Hertz Integrated Waveform JITC Joint Interoperability Test Center (DISA) Kilohertz Light emitting diode Low Noise Amplifier...

  • Page 7: Equipment Description

    EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION The TCR-MBA-50 is a bi-directional half duplex RF Power Amplifier that provides transmit amplification for the 30-512 MHz FM/AM Line-of Sight (LOS), 30-88 MHz FM SINCGARS Frequency Hopping, 225-400 MHz AM HAVE QUICK Frequency Hopping, and the 292-318 MHz FM UHF Tactical SATCOM bands; it can also provide receive amplification for the 242-268 MHz receive FM UHF Tactical SATCOM band.
  • Page 8 power ON/OFF button on the front panel keypad and optionally by the remote control interface. The DC input pins, by indicating the maximum allowable current draw, will set the maximum allowable output power. The PWR button or the remote interface will then be able to select from the allowable output power levels.
  • Page 9 1.3.4.1 SATCOM MODE INDICATOR (SAT). The SAT LED will turn on whenever one of two SATCOM modes is selected (SAT LNA ON, SAT LNA OFF). 1.3.4.2 LOW NOISE AMPLIFIER MODE INDICATOR (LNA). The LNA LED will turn on whenever the SATCOM/LNA ON mode is selected (SAT LNA ON).
  • Page 10 1.3.4.8 TX STATUS INDICATOR (TX). The TX LED will turn on during a good transmit condition. Depending on the duty cycle of some data transmission waveforms such as DAMA, the TX LED may flicker. This is due to the fast switching between transmit and receive and DOES NOT indicate a system malfunction.

  • Page 11: Features

    SATCOM mode  Amplifier front panel indication of system status TCR-MBA-50 SYSTEM The TCR-MBA-50 is pictured in Figure 1-1. 1.5.1 Amplifier Components The Amplifier consists of several printed circuit assemblies, a filtering and switching network, and RF connectors housed in a water resistant aluminum housing. With normal care and maintenance, the assembly is highly resistant to corrosion from the elements.

  • Page 12: Specifications

    Specifications The operating parameters, physical characteristics, and environmental specifications are shown in the following tables. Table 1-1. Nominal Performance Specifications TRANSMIT SECTION SATCOM OPERATION Frequency Range 292-318 MHz Switching Speed JITC DAMA and IW compatible Modulation FM or Phase modulation RF Power Input 5 Watts (1-10 Watts typical) RF Power Output...

  • Page 13: Specifications

    Table 1-1. Nominal Performance Specifications (continued) RECEIVE SECTION SATCOM OPERATION Frequency Range 242-268 MHz Noise Figure 3.5 dB typical Receive Gain 10 dB typical LOS OPERATION Frequency Range 30-512 MHz Insertion Loss <3.5 dB VSWR 2.5:1 Max ADDITIONAL SPECIFICATIONS Radio Connector BNC female (Optional TNC) LOS Antenna Connector BNC female (Optional TNC)

  • Page 14: Table 1-2 Interconnect Characteristics

    Table 1-2. Interconnect Characteristics Connection Signal/Pin Connector Function DC IN DC power input MS3112E10-6P (mating connector for cable use is MS3116F10-6S) PIN A 12-32 VDC Input PIN B PIN C Commercial Vehicle Select (12 V) PIN D Military Vehicle Select (28 V) PIN E Auto Power On Select PIN F...

  • Page 15: General Information

    Controls, Indicators, and Connectors The TCR-MBA-50 has three push button switches to control:  Power ON/OFF, LED intensity and RF power level selection  SAT Modes of Operation ...

  • Page 16: Table 2-1 Mode Indicators

    Table 2-1. Mode Indicators MODE OF OPERATION LOS MODES LOS FM LOS FREQUENCY HOP FM (SINCGARS) LOS AM LOS FREQUENCY HOP AM (HAVE QUICK) SATCOM MODES SATCOM LNA ON SATCOM LNA OFF Table 2-2. Power Output Level Indicators MODE OF OPERATION 10 W 15 W 25 W...

  • Page 17: Operation

    Used to apply DC power input to amplifier Operation 2.3.1 General Information The TCR-MBA-50 can be used for operation once it has been installed as described in Section 3. 2.3.2 Equipment Set-up Refer to Paragraph 2.2 for the locations and functional description of the controls and indicators.

  • Page 18: Lna Operation Precautions

    3 seconds. The PWR button cycles the TCR-MBA-50 from power ON to power OFF Bypass mode. To switch the power amplifier back to the Power OFF Bypass mode press and hold the PWR button for more than 6 seconds (the LEDs will dim as the PWR button is pressed and held down).

  • Page 19: Remote Control Operation

    LNA operation off via the front panel SAT push button switch by selecting SAT LNA OFF. 2.3.3.3 Remote Control Operation The TCR-MBA-50 can be controlled remotely via a USB or asynchronous RS-232 interface (refer to section 3 for a functional description of these interfaces). 2.3.3.4 Out of band operation...

  • Page 20: Table 2-5 Troubleshooting Guide

    Table 2-5. Troubleshooting Guide SYMPTOM PROBABLE CAUSE SUGGESTED FIX XMT light flashes Incorrect operating frequency for Change mode or frequency for (1 Hz) when selected mode. proper operation. transmitting Input RF is too low. Increase input RF power until LVL light flashes LVL LED is off.

  • Page 21: Installation

    3.3 Mounting Provisions. The TCR-MBA-50 can be mounted using existing mounting holes for the TCR-MBA-25 power amplifier (refer to Figure 3-1). These holes accommodate #10-32 screws, which screw into tapped 10-32 X 0.220 deep holes on the amplifier. Ensure the proper length screw is used to prevent damage to the threaded holes on the amplifier.

  • Page 22: Figure 3-1 Tcr-Mba-50 Outline Drawing

    Mounting Tab Tricom Part # 31002-01677 Use 100º #8 flat head screw Figure 3-1 TCR-MBA-50 Outline Drawing...

  • Page 23: Dc Input Power

    DC Input Power. The DC input power connector is compatible with the TCR-MBA-25 power cables. Attach the DC power source to the DC IN connector located on the rear of the amplifier (See Fig 3-1 and Table 3-1 for connector pinout and location). RF Interconnections.

  • Page 24: Figure 3-3 Commercial Vehicle Dc Power Cable

    Remove cap to replace fuse Replace with 3AG 10A 250 VAC fast blow fuse MS3116F10-6S 60” To tip To side Contacts Optional connection for Auto (GND) Power On (green wire) Figure 3-3 Commercial Vehicle DC Power Cable (part number 77500-00411) MS3116F10-6S 60”...

  • Page 25: Remote Control Interface

    3.6 Remote Control Interface. The power amplifier can be controlled via a USB or RS-232 interface using a terminal emulator such as HyperTerminal. To connect the remote control interface cable, remove the dust cover labeled AUX CONN on the connector side of the power amplifier. The operating data parameters for RS-232 are 9600 bps, 8 bits, no parity, and 1 stop bit.

  • Page 26: Figure 3-7 Usb Remote Control Cable

    77500-00421 60” +5 VDC Ground Figure 3-7 USB Remote Control Cable (part number 77500-00391) 77500-00421 60” Ground Figure 3-8 RS-232 Remote Control Cable (part number 77500-00390)

  • Page 27: Remote Control Command Set

    3.7 Remote Control Command Set Table 3-4 describes the command set for controlling the TCR-MBA-50 remotely. Each valid command is responded with an “ack” message; invalid commands due to incompatible operational parameters will be responded with a “nack” message and invalid commands due to syntax errors will be responded with an “unknown command”...
  • Page 28 This may create a problem if a remote control GUI for the TCR-MBA-50 only allows the use of specific comm ports. As an example, if the GUI only allows the use of COM1, COM2 or COM3 to interface to the PA via the USB interface and MS Windows automatically assigns COM12 to the USB serial port adapter embedded in the PA then the PC and the PA will not be able to communicate.
  • Page 29 7. Click on the Port Settings tab and select Advanced… 8. Click on the Comm Port Number: drop down list and select the desired comm port. Currently assigned comm port Desired comm port COM2 COM12 9. Click OK on the advanced settings window and verify that the reassigned comm port settings are 9600 bps, 8 bits, no parity, 1 stop bit and no flow control.
  • Page 30 Reassigned comm port COM2 12. Exit Device Manager. 13. Run the remote control utility being used to communicate with the TCR-MBA-50 and verify that the PC is communicating with the PA. NOTE: Any communications terminal software such as HyperTerminal can be used to communicate with the PA.

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