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Broadcast Electronics STXe Series Technical Manual

2 & 3 kw fm transmitter
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Broadcast Electronics
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4100 North 24
Street, Quincy, Illinois 62305 USA • Phone (217) 224-9600 • Fax (217) 224-9607 • www.bdcast.com • bdcast@bdcast.com
STXe Series
2 & 3 kW
FM Transmitter
Technical Manual
597-40633
Revision B
August 24, 2021

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  • Page 1 Broadcast Electronics 4100 North 24 Street, Quincy, Illinois 62305 USA • Phone (217) 224-9600 • Fax (217) 224-9607 • www.bdcast.com • bdcast@bdcast.com STXe Series 2 & 3 kW FM Transmitter Technical Manual 597-40633 Revision B August 24, 2021...
  • Page 2 The information in this publication is subject to improvement and change without notice. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this manual, Broadcast Electronics accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions. Broadcast Electronics reserves the right to modify and improve the design and specifications of the equipment in this manual without notice.
  • Page 3 Broadcast Electronics’ product literature or instruction manual which accompany the equipment. The warranty shall be voided if the product or subassembly is equipped with a tamper seal and that tamper seal is broken. Broadcast Electronics shall not be liable for any expense of ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 4 EXCEPT AS SET FORTH HEREIN, AS TO TITLE AND AS SPECIFICALLY REQUIRED BY LAW, THERE ARE NO OTHER WARRANTIES, OR ANY AFFIRMATIONS OF FACT OR PROMISES BY BROADCAST ELECTRONICS, WITH REFERENCE TO THE EQUIPMENT, OR TO MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR APPLICATION, SIGNAL COVERAGE, INFRINGEMENT, OR OTHERWISE, WHICH EXTEND BEYOND THE DESCRIPTION OF THE EQUIPMENT ON THE FACE HEREOF.
  • Page 5 RF PRODUCT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, REPAIR SERVICE, PARTS - Technical assistance is available from Broadcast Electronics by letter, prepaid telephone or E-mail. Do not return any merchandise without first contacting Broadcast Electronics and receiving prior written approval and a Return Authorization. We will provide special shipping instructions and a code number that will assure proper handling and prompt issuance of credit.
  • Page 6 All returned merchandise must be sent freight prepaid and properly insured by the customer. MODIFICATIONS Broadcast Electronics, reserves the right to modify the design and specifications of the equipment in this manual without notice. Any modifications shall not adversely affect performance of the equipment so modified.
  • Page 7 Additional information follows. D. RF BURNS - Circuit boards with RF power transistors contain high RF potentials. Do not operate an RF power module with the cover removed. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 8 être de 0 dBi ou moins et toutes les personnes doivent conserver une distance de séparation minimale de 1119.13cm pour les expositions générales non contrôlées et les expositions générales contrôlées. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 9: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Default Operation ........................12 Broadcast Electronics-Interface active stub................12 GPIO Remote Station Interface ....................13 AC Connection ......................... 14 Turn on AC ..........................15 Set Time and Date ........................15 Frequency ..........................16 100% peak modulation ......................17 Power set point ........................
  • Page 10 Clean Air Filters and Check Fans ....................79 Low Voltage Power Supply ...................... 79 Combiner Fan ........................... 79 Main/Add-on Fan ........................80 Front Panel Board ........................80 Power Amplifier ........................80 Add-on PA Controller ....................... 81 System Controller and Exciter ....................81 ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 11 Table 6 – Combiner Display Features ....................68 Table 7 – Exciter Page Features ......................69 Table 8 – Audio Page Features ......................71 Table 9 – Exciter Diagnostics Details ....................77 Table 10 – PA Diagnostics Details ......................77 ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 12 “Installation and Initial Set Up”. If you are not currently familiar with the STX Series, please refer to the detailed information provided in Sections 4 & 5 of this manual for addition installation and product information. Figure 1 – STX 3 Front Panel User Interface Figure 2 – STXe Series Rear GPIO & Interface ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 13: Default Operation

    2000-01-01 00:00:00 during shipping or any other time when the system is unpowered for days. Broadcast Electronics-Interface active stub The activation stub is required for operation. If the stub was removed for shipment, connect it to the BE Interface located just below the GPIO connector as shown and secure the two jackscrews with a small flat screwdriver.

  • Page 14: Gpio Remote Station Interface

    Figure 2. Figure 4 – GPIO Fail Safe Jumper 2. Insert the connector on one of the shell halves. 3. Place the other shell half on top and set the nuts in place as indicated in the figure. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 15: Ac Connection

    4. Plug the assembly on the GPIO connection and secure the screws. AC Connection ENSURE AC MAIN IS DISCONNECTED AND LOCKED OUT BEFORE INTERACTING WITH ANY AC CONNECTIONS 1. Insert AC wiring into the rear connector as shown in Figure 6 Figure 6 – AC Input ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 16: Turn On Ac

    4. Press enter when finished editing for the setting to take effect in the system, save, and start keeping time. 5. Enter the date and time menu again. Press up or down to navigate to the date editing screen. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 17: Frequency

    2. Press left or right to move the cursor between frequency digits. Press up or down on each digit to increment or decrement the number. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER FREQ-> 98.10M Hz 3. Press enter when finished editing for the frequency change to take effect. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 18: 100% Peak Modulation

    2. Press up or down to select the power set point for the FM operation mode, which should display as active. Note that digital, FM+digital, and hybrid HD sideband settings require an optional VPe system. Press enter to continue. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 19: Primary Audio Source

    AUDIO INPUT menu. Press enter to continue. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER < AUDIO INPUT > COM POSITE 3. Press up or down to select AES as the primary audio source. Press enter to continue. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER AUD IN-> AES ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 20 This has immediate effect. Do this until the displayed left channel peak hold is the desired value – typically 100%. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER AES-> -02.0dBFS 11. Press enter when finished editing to exit the sub-menu. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 21 AUDIO LEVEL menu. Press enter to continue. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER < AUDIO LEVEL > 8. Press up or down to select L. Press enter to continue. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER AUDIO LEVEL L-> -03.00dB ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 22 99.8% 12. Press enter when finished editing to save the L calibration setting. 14. Repeat these steps 6 – 9 for R. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER AUDIO LEVEL R-> -03.00dB R-> -03.00dB 99.6% ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 23 AUDIO LEVEL menu. Press enter to continue. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER < AUDIO LEVEL > 5. Press up or down to select COMP. Press enter to continue. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER AUDIO LEVEL COM P-> + 08.00dB ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 24: Turn Rf Transmission On

    1. At the main screen on the transmitter control center, press the return button. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER < TX OFF > RFL= 0 2. Press the button under “ON” to power up the transmitter. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER TX OFF ON OFF ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 25: Additional Program Services

    6. From the main screen on the transmitter control center on the front panel of the main assembly, press up or down to navigate to the AUDIO LEVEL menu. Press enter to continue. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER < AUDIO LEVEL > ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 26 10. Adjust until the displayed composite peak hold is approximately 10%. Note that enabled SCA1, SCA2, RDS, and composite input signals all contribute to this peak hold value. Other sources should be turned off for calibration of each individual channel. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER SCA1-> -12.00dB 9.9% ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 27: Ethernet/Ip Network

    MAC address. Press up or down to observe the currently active IP configuration (0.0.0.0 IP address typically indicates that the port is not connected), and then press enter to modify the static IP setting. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 28 5. Press left or right to move the cursor to any of the 12 digits. Press up or down to increment or decrement the number. Press enter when finished making the setting change. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER 192.168.001.010 6. Verify that the settings active by connecting to the port. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 29 6. Verify that the host control function is active by connecting to the IP port with a web browser. Connect through the managed switch/gateway. Alternatively, view the IP ADDRESS status in these menus to retrieve the current host and access the port through a different local switch. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 30: Password

    3. Press left or right to move the cursor between password digits. Press up or down on each digit to increment or decrement the number password. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER CHIEF-> 12345678 4. Press enter when finished editing for the password to take effect in the system. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 31: Stereo Generation And Stereo Pilot Injection

    PILOT menu. Press enter to continue. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER < PILOT > ON 10.0% 6. Press up or down to select LEVEL. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER PILOT LEVEL = 10.0% ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 32: Pre-Emphasis

    < PRE-EM PHASIS > NONE 2. Press up or down to select the desired filter type. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER PREEM PH-> 75uSEC 3. Press enter for the filter change to save and take effect in the system. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 33: Tuning Digital Mode Rf Amplifier Linearity

    Also note that other PAs will reduce power to maintain total output power. Repeat this step for other PAs in the system. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER PA1 V-> 44.0V ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 34: Secondary Audio And Silence Timeout

    9. Press enter when finished with selection for the secondary audio source to take effect in the system. 10. Press SET UP again. 11. Press up or down to select SILENCE TIMEOUT and press enter to continue. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 35 SILENCE TIM EOUT 12. Press up or down, left or right to enter a timeout in seconds. TRANSM ITTER CONTROL CENTER SILENCE-> 10 13. Press enter when finished for the time out setting to take effect in the system. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 36: Figure 7 - Feature / Connector Location Rear

    The reference designators in the figures below refer to sub-section numbers in this section. For example, Box 4.1 of Figure 7 corresponds to details in 4.1 of this section 4.13 4.12 4.11 4.10 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 Figure 7 – Feature / Connector Location REAR ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 37: Gpio

    Checked at system boot for a held low level. Output Reflected Power DC voltage for total reflected power at the system RF output. Varies linearly from 0V = 0W to 5V = 100 * Model W (100W for 1kW, 200W for 2kW, etc.). ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 38 Output PA Voltage DC voltage representing the variable RF power supply in a PA (select via pin 18). Linear from 0V = 0V to 5V = 50 V. Output Reserved Reserved Output Reserved Reserved Ground Chassis ground ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 39: Be Interface

    BE INTERFACE Broadcast Electronics machine interface. This D-Sub 37 female connector provides conduits for many exciting new product options including a standby system control and exciter, digital radio generators, and much more. Table 2 – BEI Pins Direction Name Description...

  • Page 40: Left And Right

    The one pulse-per-second BNC input connector synchronizes stereo pilot signals such that rising zero-crossing point in the pilot signal corresponds to the rising edge of this logic clock. A high precision clock generator such as a GPS receiver module or a digital radio signal generator is recommended. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 41: Exc Rf Out

    Ground bolt that should be used to connect chassis ground to equipment rack or station ground. AC Input & Power Switch AC power switch. This hand operated switch turns on or off power service to the device. Complete power-down of the module may take a few seconds. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 42: Audio

    The LED will return to green when the fault is cleared and the exciter switches back to primary. Check the exciter diagnostics for details on what alarms or faults may be active. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 43: Exc Drv

    The failsafe LED is coupled to the failsafe input on the back panel when running transmitter modes. Green indicates the failsafe is connected for normal operation. If red the failsafe is not connected and RF power will not turn on. In exciter setups this LED is turned off. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 44: Transmitter Control Center

    After entering a submenu screen it either selects different branches or cycles through options. When an editing screen is entered this button modifies the object located at the cursor. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 45 This can lead to submenu screens, options selection, or field editing. Once an editing function has been made this saves the field and returns to the first screen in the submenu tree. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 46 Theory of Operation Broadcast Electronics STX & STXe FM transmission systems are equipped with a system controller and exciter platform. The exciter sub-system routes audio and other program service data through digital signal processing, digital up conversion, a numerically controlled oscillator, RF digital to analog conversion, and low-power RF analog signal output.
  • Page 47 With a provided cable harness, the STXe can seamlessly interface with legacy Broadcast Electronics transmitters. Using the configuration capability of the I/O pins, the STXe can be made to interface with most other manufacturers’ transmitter models as well. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 48 Figure 10 – Transmitter Control Center Menus Sheet 1 ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 49 Figure 11 – Transmitter Control Center Menus Sheet 2 ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 50: Login Profiles - Basic Web Page

    “00000000” is not accepted as valid by the transmitter. The customer must change the password to something other than “00000000” before remote operation is allowed. The password can only be changed at the front panel. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 51: Figure 15 - Web Interface Authentication

    The Authentication dialog box will pop up, as shown inFigure 24. Simply enter the user profile required and the correct 8-digit numerical password that goes with it to save the setting. Figure 15 – Web Interface Authentication Figure 16 – Expanded View on Main Page ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 52: Figure 17 - Web Interface Pa Status Page

    Figure 17 – Web Interface PA Status Page Figure 18 – Web Interface Events Page To check the current web page version, simply point a web browser to [IP Address]/rev.htm ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 53: Rds And Fsk Setup

    To enter static RDS information or FSK ID data such as Translator Identification, use the “Internal RDS Setup” link listed in the bottom of the Basic Web page, Figure 28, to access the RDS Setup Page, Figure 29. Figure 19 -– Internal RDS Setup Link Figure 19 – RDS Setup Page ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 54: Audio Delay Setup

    Figure below. Enter a number calculated from the 5.3 micro-second step amount. The example below of “20” equals a delay of 106 micro-seconds. Figure 20 – Audio Delay Web Interface When finished, press OK to save and exit the menu. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 55 When the PC’s mouse pointer icon comes in contact with one these buttons, it will change from the user’s default mouse icon, (Arrow) to either the (Hand/Finger) icon or (Not-Allowed) icon, depending on the Login Profile ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 56: Login Profiles - Gui Web Page

    Next, a dialog box will pop up requesting password entry. Change browser settings if this dialog box is being blocked by the browser. Enter the password and press enter or click Save and the process displayed will move to “Pending”, followed by “Logged in” Figure 24 – Login Process ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 57: Navigation

    Figure 25 – Profile Logged Out Navigation The primary screens in the GUI can be accessed by clicking on the text in the Navigation Bar near the top of the page in Figure 36. Figure 26 – Navigation Bar ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 58 Active login status displayed as View, Operator, or Chief and control button to change profile Transmitter ON/OFF ON/OFF status of the final RF output (not just the control status). Transmitter setups allow RF to be turned on and off with sufficient login level. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 59: Power Amplifier

    Power Amplifier The power amplifier page contains detailed status information for all power amplifiers in the system. In addition to power amplifier data, is a link to the combiner assembly via the COMB button. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 60: Combiner

    PA power supply. Status Balloons Fault and alarm indications for the PA. These will be red, yellow or green depending on the status of each item Combiner Data for the Combiner Assembly is displayed on this web page. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 61 Celsius. Combiner Temperature Internal heat sink temperature measurement in degrees Combiner Temp (C) Celsius. PS Measurements Measurements in Volts for fixed DC power supply voltages. Status Balloons Fault and alarm indications for the splitter and combiner systems. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 62: Exciter

    Automatic power control set point. Transmitter mode setups attempt to regulate total system forward output power to this value. Frequency Nominal FM carrier frequency. Silence Timeout Time allowed before loss of primary audio source switches to secondary audio source. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 63: Input/Output

    The Input/Output page contains information for connections on the GPIO connector pins, shown in the left columns. These connections may be used for machine interfaces with remote station controllers/monitors or with other transmission system equipment. Refer to section 4.1.1 for detailed function descriptions. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 64: Audio

    Composite Mod includes Unbalanced Composite, SCA1, SCA2, and RDS inputs. SCA 1,and SCA 2 Allows on/off control and input hardware amplification/attenuation adjustment. Allows on/off for an external RDS or mode control of the internal RDS, (Static vs From TRE) Logs ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 65: Other Features - Vswr Vs Reflected Power

    Other Features - VSWR vs Reflected Power Another feature added to the revision of GUI is to either display Reflected Power or VSWR shown in Error! Reference source not found. The display can be toggled to either mode with proper login profile ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 66 ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 67: Authentication

    Alternatively, various third party MIB browser GUI applications are available for free download; however Broadcast Electronics does not endorse any specific application. Simply direct the manager to the Ethernet port for communication across a network.

  • Page 68: Emergency Control Mode

    For electronic copies of this and any other technical documentation please visit http://www.bdcast.com/information- center/ and follow navigation on the left side of the page – authorized login is required. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 69: Event Log

    949-4130 that activates the transmitter. This must be attached to the BE Interface jack, see section 2.4 Broadcast Electronics-Interface active stub. Dual system controller and exciter setups require a switcher that connects to both assemblies through this interface.

  • Page 70: Mute

    There is current monitoring on the final stage RF amplifiers. The PA shuts down when measured current on any of these solid state amplifiers exceeds the safe limit. Hardware Fault This is an internal self-report of problems in PA control hardware. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...
  • Page 71 During FM-only operation this indicates a condition where automatic power control has reached its highest or lowest possible control value indicating that the transmitter cannot reach the RF power set-point. The power control system automatically leaves this state if the condition is resolved. ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 72: Clean Air Filters And Check Fans

    FM broadcast market. Use this document as an all-inclusive technical resource for the STX transmitter. Other Documents For electronic copies of these and other Broadcast Electronics technical documentation please visit http://www.bdcast.com/information-center/. In addition to this main manual, check the web site for Application Guides such as the STX CPE Software Update Application Guide 597-4200 for software and firmware update details.

  • Page 73: Main/Add-On Fan

    See the application guide that ships with the field service kit for detailed replacement instructions. Final Amplifier Transistor 210-2Identify the final stage amplifier to be removed – Q1 is Final 1, etc. Low-Pass Filter Assembly 919-4060-100 Low Pass Filter Board Assembly ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

  • Page 74: Add-On Pa Controller

    THIS SYSTEM USES CMOS LOGIC ON “GPIO” AND “BE INTERFACE” CONNECTIONS. LOGIC VOLTAGES THAT EXCEED +5V WILL DAMAGE CIRCUITRY. THIS TYPE OF DAMAGE REQUIRES HARDWARE SERVICE AT THE USERS EXPENSE AS THE WARRANTY ON THIS SYSTEM WILL BE VOID! ©2020 Broadcast Electronics...

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