Applied Instruments XR-3 Cable Air Operation Manual
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Applied Instruments XR-3 Cable Air Operation Manual

Modular test instrument
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XR-3 Modular Test Instrument
Cable Air Module
Operation Manual
Revision 1.00
Date 04/03/2015
PURCHASE THE CABLE-AIR MODULE FOR THE XR-3
TESCOM USA
TESCOMUSA.COM

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  • Page 1 XR-3 Modular Test Instrument Cable Air Module Operation Manual Revision 1.00 Date 04/03/2015 PURCHASE THE CABLE-AIR MODULE FOR THE XR-3 TESCOM USA TESCOMUSA.COM...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 INTRODUCTION TO XR-3’S CABLE AIR MODULE ..............4     ..........................5   TANDARD CCESSORIES RUN SCREEN ............................5     ..............................7   MAIN MENU ............................8     CHANNEL PLANS ..........................8  ...
  • Page 3 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Page 3 of 55 TESCOM USA TESCOMUSA.COM...

  • Page 4: Introduction To Xr-3'S Cable Air Module

    XR-3 1. Introduction to XR-3’s Cable Air Module The XR-3 Cable Air module is used with the XR-3 modular test instrument base unit. The XR-3 Cable Air module is a signal level meter and analyzer for cable and terrestrial over-the-air broadcast TV installation and troubleshooting.

  • Page 5: Standard Accessories

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 MMDS FEATURES • Powers frequency block down-converters MEASUREMENTS • Digital and Analog Signal Level (dBm, dBmV, or dBμV) with present and peak bar graph • Analog Signal Quality (C/N) • Digital Signal Quality (MER & BER) •...
  • Page 6 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Main Run Screen Fields 1) Name of active channel plan 2) Channel number – When in Tune by Channel mode (chosen via top right Ch/Freq soft- key), use up or right arrow keys to toggle to next highest channel in active channel plan.

  • Page 7: Soft Keys

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Soft Keys 1) Spectrum screen shortcut soft-key 2) Channel Scan shortcut soft-key 3) Favorites Graph shortcut soft-key 4) Channel Number / Frequency toggle soft-key – toggles between tune-by-channel and tune-by-frequency modes. Active mode is indicated by gray rectangle shown around the channel field or frequency field.

  • Page 8: Main Menu

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 3. Main Menu Pressing the MENU soft-key on the main Run screen takes you to a menu of all of the XR-3 screens. Some of these screens are also available via shortcut soft-keys from the Run Screen.

  • Page 9: Standard Cable Plans

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 This screen is a simple menu selection. To select and activate a plan, use the up/down arrow buttons to highlight the selection you want to use and press ENTER. To create a new custom channel plan, highlight a standard plan to be used as the base plan and press the Edit/Create soft-key.

  • Page 10: Standard Off-Air Plans

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Standard Off-Air Plans When the unit is shipped from the factory, it will have the most common compatible off-air channel plans for North America loaded:  NTSC ATSC – This plan is designed for and automatically detects North American analog (NTSC) &...
  • Page 11 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 soft-key a 2 time to flag channel as one of your tilt channels. Press soft-key a time to remove the flags. You may pick up to 5 favorite channels per channel plan. The 2 tilt channels count as favorite channels as well.
  • Page 12 Use the MeterMaid application on a PC to load a custom channel plan (.pln) file after editing the plan files using a text editor program (i.e. Notepad or Notepad++) on a PC. This method is for advanced users. Contact Applied Instruments for more details and assistance. Page 12 of 55 TESCOM USA TESCOMUSA.COM...

  • Page 13: Limits

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 6. Limits You can define Signal Level and Signal Quality Limits. Once limits have been defined, the XR-3 can provide:  Color coding next to the bar graphs on the main Run screen to indicate if the present signal level and quality are good (green), marginal (yellow), or bad (red), when compared to the defined limits.
  • Page 14 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Page 14 of 55 TESCOM USA TESCOMUSA.COM...
  • Page 15 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 When you open a Limits file in MeterMaid, it appears as shown below: Page 15 of 55 TESCOM USA TESCOMUSA.COM...

  • Page 16: Channel Scan

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 7. Channel Scan Definition of a Channel Scan A “channel scan” is a quick measurement of each channel in the selected channel plan or plan subset. It measures the level and quality of each channel and compares the measurements to a set of limits if one is selected.
  • Page 17 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 The meter will scan through all channels in the active channel plan, collecting the measurements. You can press the ‘Stop’ soft-key to abort the scan, otherwise, wait until the scan completes. A progress bar is shown near the bottom middle of the screen. By default, the Table View is displayed, but you may press the ‘Graph View’...
  • Page 18 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Pressing the up and down arrow buttons toggles through the channels to view the measurement results for each channel. Five soft-keys are shown: Graph View Fav/Tilt Save Summary Exit - You can press “EXIT” to discard the data and return to the Run screen Graph View Pressing the ‘Graph View’...
  • Page 19 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Page 19 of 55 TESCOM USA TESCOMUSA.COM...

  • Page 20: Favorites / Tilt Channels

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Favorites / Tilt Channels Pressing the Fav / Tilt soft-key allows you to tag the presently selected channel as a Favorite or as a Tilt channel. You can select up to 2 tilt channels and can select up to 5 favorite channels.
  • Page 21 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3  Number of Channels Found / Number of Channels Scanned – indicates how many channels were found out of the number of total channels that were scanned  Number of Digital Channels Found - indicates how many digital channels (i.e. QAM64, QAM256, or 8VSB) were found ...

  • Page 22: Saving Data

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Saving Data If you press the ‘Save’ soft-key, the following screen appears: Page 22 of 55 TESCOM USA TESCOMUSA.COM...
  • Page 23 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 After you highlight the desired option and press Enter to select what you’d like to save, a file save screen will be displayed, allowing you to enter some identification data about the test: ...
  • Page 24 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3  Press it quickly a second time to display the first alphabetic character.  Press it quickly a third time to display the next alpha character, etc.  A new key always moves to a new column.

  • Page 25: Transfer Data File To Pc

    The MeterMaid program is required to transfer the data from the instrument to the PC and to print reports. This software is available from the Applied Instruments website along with the FlashUpdate software used to update the instrument. See Software Updating section in XR-3 base operation manual for more information.

  • Page 26: Erasing Files

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 By default, the text files are stored in a “Data” folder under the “FlashUpdate” folder where the MeterMaid program is installed (in the folder C:\FlashUpdate\Data ). You may navigate to other folders by double clicking on the folder icons shown in the destination file box. The [parent] folder icon takes you up one level.
  • Page 27 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 The report itself may not fit entirely on the screen but you may scroll down to see the rest. Page 27 of 55 TESCOM USA TESCOMUSA.COM...
  • Page 28 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Right click with the mouse when your cursor is on top of the Channel Scan results to view the Properties menu, where you can select the units of measure to be displayed (i.e. dBm, dBmV, or dBuV), Table or Graph view, and you can sort by Channel or by Frequency.

  • Page 29: Favorites Graph / Favorites Scan

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 8. Favorites Graph / Favorites Scan The Favorites Graph feature allows you to: 1) Observe the signal level and quality of your favorite / tilt channels in Graph View (with bar graphs displayed) in real-time while adjusting amplifiers to balance a CATV system or...
  • Page 30 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Graph View The graph view is the default view for the Favorites Graph feature. It displays the signal level and quality of your favorite / tilt channels and the screen is constantly being updated.

  • Page 31: Summary

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Summary Press the Summary soft-key to view a Summary of the results of the Favorites Scan. The Favorites Scan Results Summary screen displays:  Overall Scan Result (PASS or FAIL) - based on comparing the measurements to a set of limits, if a limits file is active ...

  • Page 32: Saving

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Saving Pressing the Save soft-key allows you to assign a file name and save the Favorites Scan results to the flash storage of the XR-3. Transfer Data File to PC After the data is collected you can connect the instrument to your PC and transfer the files to the PC disk using the MeterMaid program.
  • Page 33 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Right click with the mouse when your cursor is on top of the Favorites Scan results to view the Properties menu, where you can select the units of measure to be displayed (i.e. dBm, dBmV, or dBuV), Table or Graph view, and you can sort by Channel or by Frequency.

  • Page 34: Spectrum Screen

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 9. Spectrum Screen The spectrum screen may be used to:  Look for the presence of carriers  Look at a carrier with an incompatible modulation type or encryption  Look for interfering signals This feature imitates a spectrum analyzer although it has less resolution and a slower sweep rate than an actual spectrum analyzer.
  • Page 35 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 To view the spectrum display: Press the Spect. shortcut soft-key on Run screen or 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 press ENTER.
  • Page 36 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Press the Down arrow button to zoom out (more span). This will double the displayed span around the active cursor's frequency position. Full (maximum) span is 995 MHz (i.e. 5 to 1000 MHz).
  • Page 37 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Spectrum screen after pressing LVL to perform auto level scaling: Resolution and Refresh Rate Press +/- key on numeric keypad to change the number of samples per sweep. You can choose between 60, 120, 240, or 480 samples. 60 samples results in lower resolution and less detail, but a faster sweep.
  • Page 38 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3  Open Spectrum – allows you to open and view a previously saved spectrum  Add Reference – allows you to add a reference to the spectrum screen, which could be a spectrum at the same site performed at an earlier time on the same carriers, or the same signal at another point in the network to show the change.
  • Page 39 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3  Vertical Bar Marker - allows you to turn ON or OFF the vertical bars for MRK1 (marker 1) and MRK2 (marker 2). The vertical bars make it much easier to see the frequency of where each of your markers is positioned.
  • Page 40 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Attached below is a sample saved spectrum scan of an 8VSB carrier when opened in MeterMaid: Page 40 of 55 TESCOM USA TESCOMUSA.COM...

  • Page 41: Constellation Screen

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 10. Constellation Screen To view the constellation screen: Press the ‘Const. BER’ shortcut soft-key on Run screen or Press the MENU soft-key in bottom right hand corner of main Run screen. Then use your up/down arrow keys to highlight ‘Constellation’...
  • Page 42 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 8VSB Constellation: QAM256 Constellation: Page 42 of 55 TESCOM USA TESCOMUSA.COM...
  • Page 43 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Soft-Keys: 1) Stop – stops the plotting of the constellation diagram 2) Save – allows you to save the present constellation scan 3) Clear – clears the present constellation diagram (new diagram will begin to be plotted) 4) Zoom Select –...

  • Page 44: Voltage / Current

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 If the error rate is preceded by a less than sign (<), it indicates that no errors have yet been detected and so the bit error is not known but is less than the number given.

  • Page 45: File Utility

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 12. File Utility The File Utility feature allows you to see the filenames that you have used for saved scans and custom channel plans. You can also delete a single file or format the flash drive and therefore erase all saved files from the flash memory of the selected drive.
  • Page 46 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 To delete a single file, highlight the file using the up/down arrow keys and then press the Del File soft-key. Note that erasing a single file does not free up flash memory. You must use the Format function to really erase the files.

  • Page 47: Options

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 13. Options There are several options you may select to personalize the operation of your meter. To use this screen, highlight the option you want to change with the up/down arrow buttons and select the value you want with the left/right arrow buttons.

  • Page 48: Versions

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Key Beep By default, key beep is on and you will hear an audible “beep” when any buttons on the meter are pressed. You can turn off the key beep if desired. Sort Order By default, the channel lineup on the Run screen is sorted by Frequency.
  • Page 49 XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 Page 49 of 55 TESCOM USA TESCOMUSA.COM...

  • Page 50: Power

    XR-3 Cable Air Module Operation Manual XR-3 15. Power LNA Power The LNA current is limited: Current Limit Normal battery operation: 780 mAmps Charger active (AC): 780 mAmps Under conditions 1 and 2, an inrush current of 900 mAmps is allowed for a short period of time.

  • Page 51: Ac Power

    Install new F-connector barrel and only tighten to 20 inch pounds of torque with wrench after finger-tightening. Warning: Do NOT over-tighten! 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.
  • Page 52 If your company has a strict policy and the firewall blocks any executable files, then please contact your IT department and ask for assistance. Applied Instruments is more than happy to speak to the IT department about a work-around solution.

  • Page 53: Replacement Parts & Accessories

    Signal splitter / Combiner (5-2150 MHz, single side power passing) 340-00012 Operation Manual for model XR-3 base instrument 078-00380 Operation Manual for model XR-3 Cable Air meter module 078-00400 Operation Manual for model XR-3 TS2 DBS satellite meter module 078-00390...

  • Page 54: Specifications

    After the repair is completed, we will contact you for payment. If payment is not received within 60 days after contact is made, then the repaired equipment will become the property of Applied Instruments. Version Updating As our product lines are refined and features and performance are enhanced, we will upgrade older units at a nominal cost when possible.
  • Page 55 Any application recommendation made by Applied Instruments for the use of its products is based upon tests believed to be reliable, but Applied Instruments makes no guarantee of the results to be obtained. This warranty is in lieu of all other warranties, expressed or implied, and no representative or person is authorized to represent or assume for Applied Instruments any liability in connection with the sale of our products other than that set forth herein.

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