Page 1 Document Number DS000091 Software Version 1.4 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Part A - User Guide Tactical Communications and Surveillance UNCLASSIFIED The Cobham Centre - Solent Fusion 2 1100 Parkway Solent Business Park Whiteley Hampshire PO15 7AB +44 (0)1489 566 750...
Page 2: Who Should Read This Book
 Notice about Specifications While Cobham makes every attempt to maintain the accuracy of the information contained in its product manuals, the information is subject to change without notice. Performance specifications included in this manual are design-centre specifications and are included for customer guidance and to facilitate system installation.
Page 3: Typographic Conventions
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Typographic Conventions This document uses these typographic conventions to identify text that has a special meaning: Typographic Conventions Examples Convention TEXT in small capitals represents a ESC, F1, SHIFT specific key press on the console keyboard or hardware panel.
Page 4: Trademarks
Cobham Tactical Communications and Surveillance. Document History This document was written and produced by Cobham Tactical Communications and Surveillance Technical Publications Team. This is a change controlled document. Each main page of this document displays a revision number and date at the bottom left corner of the page. The revision is also indicated in the table below.
Page 5: Table Of Contents
1.6.3 Accessory Options ..................1-9 1.6.4 Licensing Options ..................1-10 Illustrations ....................1-11 1.7.1 Main System Diagram – SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter ......1-11 1.7.2 Main System Diagram – SOLH264ENGTX Broadcast Camera Back Transmitter . 1- Hardware System ..................1-15 1.8.1 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter Enclosure ..........1-15 1.8.2 SOLH264ENGTX Broadcast Camera Back Transmitter Enclosure ....
Page 6 Panel System – SOLH264TX ................5-28 5.2.1 Top Panel – SOLH264TX ................5-28 5.2.2 Bottom Panel – SOLH264TX ..............5-29 5.2.3 Left Hand Side Panel – SOLH264TX............5-30 5.2.4 Right Hand Side Panel – SOLH264TX............5-30 Indicator System – SOLH264TX ..............5-31 Control Panel System –...
Page 7 7.2.2 Attaching the Antenna ................7-41 7.2.3 Antenna Polarization ................7-41 Downconverter System .................. 7-42 Upconverter System ..................7-42 Connecting Signals – SOLH264TX ..............7-42 7.5.1 Connecting Video Signals ................. 7-42 7.5.2 Connecting Audio Signals ................. 7-42 7.5.3 Connecting Data Signals................7-43 Connecting Power –...
Page 8 Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC A Look at the Display – SOLH264TX ..............7-45 7.10 A Look at the Menu Structure – SOLH264TX ..........7-46 7.10.1 Display Screen, Menu Structure ............. 7-46 7.10.2 Display Screen, Menu Functions ............. 7-47 8.
Page 9 About the Terms ‘ASI’ and ‘Chaining’ ............13-94 13.1.1 Asynchronous Serial Interface, ASI ............13-94 13.1.2 Chaining .................... 13-94 13.1.3 SOLH264TX Uses Both Terms .............. 13-94 13.2 About Hexadecimal and Decimal PID Numbers ..........13-94 13.3 What is an MPEG Transport Stream? ............13-95 13.4 What is a PID? ..................
Page 10 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 13.8 About Service Name and Unit Name – TX End..........13-97 13.9 About the Receiver End of the Link ............13-98 13.9.1 Program Numbers ................13-98 13.9.2 Service Names and Unit Names ............13-98 13.10...
Page 11: Systems Description
The functioning of components is simplified where more detailed knowledge is not necessary. Overview Cobham’s products and services have been at the heart of sophisticated military and civil systems for more than seventy years, keeping people safe, improving communications and enhancing the capability of air, land and maritime platforms.
Page 12: Brief Description
 Figure 1-1 – SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter 1.2.3 Brief Description The SOLO H.264 Transmitter from Cobham is a rugged, Standard or High Definition digital video transmitter, ideal for motorsport, airborne, sports, news links and law enforcement surveillance applications. The H.264 Transmitter can operate in a variety of transmission bandwidths allowing the user to trade off image quality against range to suit all types of applications.
Page 13: The Unique Technology - How Does It Work
The Unique Technology - How Does It Work? The basic video source used in Cobham broadcast products is your current stock of cameras and lenses with a PAL or NTSC output. The SOLO product range has been designed to make use of many common connectors, user interfaces and mounting patterns found on your products helping you to minimise your investment in transitioning to Cobham digital.
Page 14: Understanding Cofdm
MPEG-4 Part 2; It defines a range of profiles for different applications. High Profile encoding is used in the Cobham H264TX range due to its flexible feature set, allowing for broadcast quality HD pictures at lower bit-rates than comparable HD MPEG-2 systems.
Page 15: Features And Benefits
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Features and Benefits It can be very useful to understand how the features of the unit yield tangible benefits to you. This table summarises these features and, more importantly, the benefits.
Page 16: Applications
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Integral Encryption at AES128 or Secure - Preserve your security of AES256 (option) transmission with powerful, simple to operate encryption. Choice of L, S, C or X band...
Page 17: Professional Camera Back Applications - Sports And News
A variety of antennas is available to assist with Aircraft and Helicopter up-linking and down- linking. 1. Antenna: A variety of rigid, flexi and semi flexi antennas are available from Cobham for camera mount use. 2. The antenna should be mounted vertically ideally, and exposed to free space.
Page 18: Variants And Options
2.400 to 2.483GHz and 5.725 to 5.875GHz, or in bands specified by the appropriate authorities. Variants and Options 1.6.1 Variants – SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter There are several major variants of the SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter: Equipment Title Part Number Solo H.264 SD TX 340-470MHz 100mW SOLH264TX-034047 Solo H.264 SD TX 1.0-1.5GHz 100mW...
Page 19: Variants - Solh264Engtx Broadcast Camera Back Transmitter
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 1.6.2 Variants – SOLH264ENGTX Broadcast Camera Back Transmitter There are also several major variants of the SOLH264ENGTX Broadcast Camera Back Transmitter: Equipment Title Part Number Solo H.264 ENG SD TX 340-470MHz 100mW SOLH264ENGTX-034047 Solo H.264 ENG SD TX 1.0-1.5GHz 100mW...
Page 20: Licensing Options
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC HD Encoder Upgrade TX-HDUP RF Band Swap TX-RFUP-xxxxxx V-Mount Camera Bracket HDTXBRAC-V Anton Bauer Camera Bracket HDTXBRAC-AB 1.6.4 Licensing Options Equipment Title Part Number 2.5MHz/1.25MHz/625kHz Narrowband Modulation TX-NBUP...
Page 21: Illustrations
UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Illustrations It can be useful to get an overview of the system: 1.7.1 Main System Diagram – SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter Figure 1-2 Main System Diagram DS000091 UNCLASSIFIED Page 1-11 Rev 1.2 2013-05-02...
Page 22 UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Serial Item SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter unit. SMA 2-way jack (sockets) for antenna. SMB 2-way jack, (sockets) for ASI output. SMB 2-way jack, (sockets) for ASI input. Lemo OB 4-way jack, (sockets), for power in.
Page 23: Main System Diagram - Solh264Engtx Broadcast Camera Back Transmitter
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 1.7.2 Main System Diagram – SOLH264ENGTX Broadcast Camera Back Transmitter DS000091 UNCLASSIFIED Page 1-13 Rev 1.2 2013-05-02...
Page 24 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Serial Item SOLH264ENGTX Broadcast Camera Back Transmitter unit. N-Type 2-way jack (sockets) for antenna. RF LED. (Green) When illuminated, RF is being emitted. Transmitter Power Switch D-Tap. Enables you to tap up to 50W of power from the battery for auxiliary use.
Page 25: Hardware System
The Broadcast Transmitter device comes in a two main enclosures: SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter Enclosure  SOLH264ENGTX Broadcast Camera Back Transmitter Enclosure  1.8.1 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter Enclosure Figure 1-3 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter Enclosure DS000091 UNCLASSIFIED Page 1-15 Rev 1.2 2013-05-02...
Page 26: Solh264Engtx Broadcast Camera Back Transmitter Enclosure
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 1.8.2 SOLH264ENGTX Broadcast Camera Back Transmitter Enclosure Figure 1-4 SOLH264ENGTX Broadcast Camera Back Transmitter Enclosure Software System Each Broadcast Transmitter has two software elements: Firmware that runs within the device on the board.
Page 27: Internal Software
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 1.9.1 Internal Software Although much of the Broadcast Transmitter is built up of hardware components, many of the sophisticated features are implemented in firmware running on the internal boards.
Page 28: Equipment Schedule - Solh264Tx
Complete Equipment Schedule This section describes the Miniature Robust Transmitter Complete Equipment Schedule. Naturally you’ll also need a PC with software and some radio devices (transmitters and receivers) to connect with. 2.2.1 Equipment Schedule – SOLH264TX DS000091 UNCLASSIFIED Page 2-18...
Page 29: Accessory Options
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Serial Item Part No Broadcast Transmitter SOLH264TX- Field Controller USB Cable. CA0343 Lemo OB 6-way plug (pins) to USB 4-way plug (pins). BNC Video lead 3 metres CA0006...
Page 30: Licensing Options
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC HD Encoder Upgrade TX-HDUP RF Band Swap TX-RFUP-xxxxxx V-Mount Camera Bracket HDTXBRAC-V Anton Bauer Camera Bracket HDTXBRAC-AB 2.2.3 Licensing Options Equipment Title Part Number 2.5MHz/1.25MHz/625kHz Narrowband Modulation TX-NBUP...
Page 31: Equipment Schedule - Solh264Engtx
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 2.2.4 Equipment Schedule – SOLH264ENGTX Serial Item Part No Broadcast Camera Back Transmitter SOLH264ENGTX- Field Controller USB Cable. CA0343 Lemo OB 6-way plug (pins) to USB 4-way plug (pins).
Page 32 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Broadcast TX External 4 Pin ODU Plug CA0340 - Dsub9 3 metre RS232 Data Cable ODU 4-way plug (pins) to D-Type 9-way plug (sockets), data. DS000091 UNCLASSIFIED Page 2-22...
Page 33: Placards And Markings
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 3. Placards and Markings Which model do I have? What is its Serial Number? The information covering placards, labels, markings, etc., showing the part number, legend and location of each placard, label, or marking required for safety or maintenance significant information.
Page 34: Product Placard
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Serial Item DC Power is required. Power requirements, 12 volts, 1 Ampere in this case. CE Marking. Disposal Symbol. Barcode with six digit serial number. The CE marking (also known as CE mark) is a mandatory conformity mark on many products placed on the single market in the European Economic Area (EEA).
Page 35: Sma Max. 0.45Nm Placard
The system information that includes specifications and requirements covering exterior colour and related markings. 3.4.1 Enclosure Colour The main enclosure is finished in black. 3.4.2 Panel Markings The markings on the SOLH264TX are in white. DS000091 UNCLASSIFIED Page 3-25 Rev 1.2 2013-05-02...
Page 36: Cautions And Warnings
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 4. Cautions and Warnings What should I watch out for? General There are some general cautions and warnings which should be observed when using this equipment. Cautions and Warnings...
Page 37: Emc / Safety And Radio Approvals
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Serial Area Note Risk of Eye Care should be taken to avoid eye contact with the antennas. Injury Cables Connecting cables should not be positioned where they are likely to become damaged or were they may present a trip hazard.
Page 38: Panels, Displays, Controls, Indicators And Alarms
There is an operational control panel on one panel of the unit. The next section describes the panels for the SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter followed by the panels for the SOLH264ENGTX Broadcast Camera Back Transmitter.
Page 39: Bottom Panel - Solh264Tx
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 5.2.2 Bottom Panel – SOLH264TX Figure 5-2 SOLH264TX Bottom Panel Serial Item BNC 2-way jack, sockets, for video input Lemo OB 4-way jack, (sockets), for data in. Lemo OB 5-way jack, (sockets), for audio in.
Page 40: Left Hand Side Panel - Solh264Tx
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 5.2.3 Left Hand Side Panel – SOLH264TX Figure 5-3 SOLH264TX Left Hand Side Panel Serial Item HDMI Type-A 19-way jack, sockets, for HD Video input. Lemo OB 6-way jack, (sockets), for RS232 Comm.
Page 41: Indicator System - Solh264Tx
Display Screen Joystick / Confirm Indicator System – SOLH264TX There are no indicators on the SOLH264TX panels. User information is displayed on the display screen or on the Control application. Control Panel System – SOLH264TX The control panel located on the right panel has two push buttons. Here’s what they do: 5.4.1 Cancel/Back Button...
Page 42: Alarm System - Solh264Tx
There are no visual or audible alarms on the SOLH264TX unit. Display System - SOLH264TX The SOLH264TX is equipped with a display screen on the front panel. You can control what is displayed on this screen using the Control Panel buttons described earlier.
Page 43: Back Panel - Solh264Engtx
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 5.7.2 Back Panel – SOLH264ENGTX Figure 5-6 SOLH264ENGTX Back Panel Serial Item XLR 3-way jack, sockets, for left audio input. XLR 3-way jack, sockets, for right audio input.
Page 44: Right Hand Side Panel - Solh264Engtx
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 5.7.3 Right Hand Side Panel – SOLH264ENGTX Figure 5-7 SOLH264ENGTX Right Hand Side Panel Serial Item Toggle Switch to supply power to the transmitter. BNC 2-way jack, (sockets) for ASI output.
Page 45: Left Hand Side Panel - Solh264Engtx
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 5.7.4 Left Hand Side Panel – SOLH264ENGTX Figure 5-8 SOLH264ENGTX Left Hand Side Panel Serial Item Cancel / Back Button Display Screen Joystick / Confirm Indicator System – SOLH264ENGTX There is one LED indicator (green) located on the top panel if the transmitter.
Page 46: Cancel/Back Button
Press the joystick for ENTER. 5.10 Alarm System – SOLH264ENGTX There are no visual or audible alarms on the SOLH264TX unit. 5.11 Display System - SOLH264ENGTX The SOLH264ENGTX is equipped with a display screen on the front panel. You can control what is displayed on this screen using the Control Panel buttons described earlier.
Page 47: Connectivity
6.2.1 DC Power The SOLH264TX does not have any batteries on board. The unit accepts 6-17VDC through the power interface on the bottom panel (reverse polarity protected). This is a Lemo OB 4- way jack, sockets, marked +12V.
Page 48: Audio
This could be Serial Control Data (RS232 or RS485) or IP. 6.4.1 RS232 Control The SOLH264TX uses Serial Control Data (over USB) to communicate with a Personal Computer for programming. The unit accepts Control signals through the Ctrl interface on the left panel. This is a Lemo OB 6-way jack, sockets, marked CTRL.
Page 49: Power - Solh264Engtx
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Power – SOLH264ENGTX Here are the options for the SOLH264ENGTX Broadcast Camera Back Transmitter. 6.5.1 DC Power The SOLH264ENGTX normally uses conventional camera batteries. The unit accepts power through the power interface mount on the back panel.
Page 50: Data
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 6.6.3 Data The unit accepts data signals through the Data interface on the back panel. This is a Lemo OB 4-way jack, sockets. Your CA0340 Data cable assembly fits in here.
Page 51: Setting Up Your Transmitter
SOLH264TX (in a mobile application for example), keep them short and use very high quality cable. Note: There are many types of antenna that can be fitted to the SOLH264TX unit. Your antennas may look different from those in this guide. For more advice on antenna types call your Cobham representative.
Page 52: Downconverter System
4. Ensure the radio in configured to accept composite or SDI video. For a HDMI input you’ll need a Video source, SOLH264TX and a HDMI cable suitable for the video source with a Type A plug at the other end.
Page 53: Connecting Data Signals
7.5.3 Connecting Data Signals You’ll need a data source, SOLH264TX and a CA0340 Data cable assembly. 1. Connect the Lemo OB 4-way plug to the Data jack of the SOLH264TX. 2. Connect the D-Type 9-way plug to the data source.
Page 54: Connecting Power - Solh264Engtx
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Connecting Power – SOLH264ENGTX The SOLH264ENGTX requires 12VDC. The unit can be powered from DC by using camera batteries or an external power source. Take care that the external supply is within limits for this unit. Aircraft for example, normally use 28VDC supplies.
Page 55: A Look At The Display - Solh264Tx
Press the joystick for ENTER. A Look at the Display – SOLH264TX The SOLH264TX is equipped with a display screen on the right panel. You can control what is displayed on this screen using the Control Panel buttons described earlier.
Page 56: A Look At The Menu Structure - Solh264Tx
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 7.10 A Look at the Menu Structure – SOLH264TX 7.10.1 Display Screen, Menu Structure DS000091 UNCLASSIFIED Page 7-46 Rev 1.2 2013-05-02...
Page 57: Display Screen, Menu Functions
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 7.10.2 Display Screen, Menu Functions Menu Sub-Menu Function Unit Status Encoder/modulator board status. Unit Control RF output related settings and preset range modes. DVB-T Modulation options relevant to DVB-T mode.
Page 58: Basic Operation
Advanced Operation and Control System chapters later in this guide. Starting and Stopping – SOLH264TX SOLH264TX units don’t have power switches – you simply apply power to them and they will start up. 8.2.1 Powering Up – SOLH264TX You’ll need a fully configured SOLH264TX.
Page 59: Working With The Control Panel - Solh264Tx
Figure 8-1 Selecting the Root Menu 8.3.2 Selecting a Configuration You’ll need a powered SOLH264TX set at the root menu as in 8-3-1 above. 1. Push up/down on the Joystick button to select a new configuration number Your new configuration appears highlighted.
Page 60: Selecting Rf On Or Off
Figure 8-2 Selecting a Configuration 8.3.3 Selecting RF on or off You’ll need a powered SOLH264TX set at the root menu as in 8-3-1 above. 1. Push the Joystick / Confirm button for two seconds. 2. The RF caption will toggle to on.
Page 61: Using The Unit Status Menu
H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 8.3.4 Using the Unit Status Menu You’ll need a powered SOLH264TX set at the root menu as in 8-3-1 above. 1. Push Cancel / Back button 2. You’ll see the frequency and the Unit Status: menu on the display screen 3.
Page 62: Using The Unit Control Menu
8.3.5 Using the Unit Control Menu You’ll need a powered SOLH264TX set at the root menu as in 8-3-1 above. 1. Push Cancel / Back button 2. You’ll see the frequency and the Unit Status: menu on the display screen 3.
Page 63: Using The Local Settings Menu
0.00dB 8.3.6 Using the Local Settings Menu You’ll need a powered SOLH264TX set at the root menu as in 8-3-1 above. 1. Push Cancel / Back button 2. You’ll see the frequency and the Unit Status: menu on the display screen 3.
Page 64 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Note: You must press the Joystick/Confirm button just before the Cancel / Back button to avoid menu interaction. Note: You can lock or unlock the Control Panel from anywhere in the menu structure.
Page 65: Advanced Operation
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 9. Advanced Operation General These guidelines will help you perform advanced operations on your radio. Encryption Your material is a valuable asset to your organisation and naturally you don’t want others intercepting your radio signal.
Page 66: Number Of Encryption Key Characters Required
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Figure 9-1 Switching on Transmitter Encryption 9.2.3 Number of Encryption Key Characters Required In our example above we used AES128 encryption. This needed a key of 32 characters. If...
Page 67 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Key Type Number of Characters Needed AES128 AES256 64 (32 in each field) Note: AES128 uses the same key entered as AES256 (lower). Therefore, setting one will overwrite the other. In the same way, Bcrypt uses the same keys as AES. ABS is entirely separate.
Page 68: Control System
PC. It does not need to write anything to your registry. Remember, the SOLH264TX is very simple to operate using its control panel after it has been fully configured using the Control Application.
Page 69: Starting The Control Application
4. The SOLO4 Transmitter Control window opens 10.2.4 Logging in to the Control Application You don’t need a login to access the SOLH264TX with the Control Application. 10.2.5 A Look at the Main Window Every Windows based application must have a main window as its entry point function. For...
Page 70 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Figure 10-2 Transmitter Control, Main Window Serial Item Serial Port drop-down Connect Button Polling Status Connection Status Configuration Buttons Advanced Options Configuration Set Buttons Connection Status Indicator RF Output Indicator...
Page 71: Configuring Basic Settings
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Encryption Button Refresh Button Apply Button Basic Setup Pane Presets (16 on this version) RS232/IP radio Buttons Toolbar 10.3 Configuring Basic Settings When you start-up the Control Application for the first time you’ll need to set up a couple of things to suit how you want to work with the software.
Page 72: Understanding Connection Status
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 3. Click the OK button 4. Click the Miscellaneous tab 5. In the Polling Interval Text box type a polling interval in milliseconds 6. Click the OK button 10.3.6 Understanding Connection Status...
Page 73: Loading A Configuration
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 4. The Select a file to save to dialog box will open. 5. Type a name for the config in the File name: text box. (Keep the .cfg extension).
Page 74: Opening The Advanced Options Window
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 10.3.10 Opening the Advanced Options Window 1. Click the Advanced button. Note: I’ll tell you all about the advanced options in a later section. 10.3.11 Using the Configuration Set Buttons Used for saving or loading all sixteen configurations from a text file.
Page 75: Loading A Configuration Set
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 10.3.13 Loading a Configuration Set 1. Click the Load Config Set button. 2. The Open dialog box will open. 3. Select the Config file you want to load.
Page 76: Understanding The Video Lock Indicator
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC The unit is not emitting RF energy. Steady Red Aspect 10.3.16 Understanding the Video Lock Indicator Video Lock Indicator Means… shows… The unit has a locked video signal.
Page 77: Using The Apply Button
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 10.3.17 Using the Apply Button Each time you change any parameter on the Control Application it is very important to click the Apply button and wait for a moment for the changes to be sent to the device.
Page 78: Understanding Presets
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Note: If you select an HD Video Input a second drop-down box will open to the right where you should select the resolution and scan frequency. Audio Encoder 1 and 2 In this combo box the drop-down arrow enables you to select the audio source.
Page 79: Understanding The Toolbar
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 10.3.21 Understanding the Toolbar Serial Toolbar Toolbar Button Button Engineering Opens the Engineering options window. There are no operational controls here. The page is only used for engineering setups and is described in Part-C, Installation Guide.
Page 80: Configuring The Radio
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 10.4 Configuring the Radio Many of the configuration tasks are best achieved by using the Advanced Window. This is the Secondary window of the Control Application. This is where you can perform all the advanced setup.
Page 81: Understanding The Unit Information Tab
The unit information fields are all greyed out. There is nothing for the operator to enter here; they are simply status results being sent back from the unit for your information. This can be very useful should you have to make a support call to Cobham. Unit Parameter...
Page 82: Configuring The Modulation Tab
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC FPGA core voltage The core voltage in the main processing chip on the board. FPGA aux voltage The auxiliary voltage in the main processing chip on the board. This is the intermediate voltage between the I/O voltage and the Core Voltage.
Page 83: Radio Settings (1)
Modulation 6, 7 & 8MHz DVB-T bandwidths (normally broadcast) bandwidth 2.5MHz Cobham narrowband (this is a licensable feature, normally surveillance use) 1.25MHz Cobham Ultra-narrowband (this is a licensable feature, normally surveillance use) Cobham Extra-Narrowband (this is a licensable...
Page 84: Radio Settings Table
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Narrowband QPSK, 16QAM, The COFDM constellation in use. On a sliding scale: modulation BPSK and 8PSK 16QAM-more user data, less robust, less range. QPSK 8PSK BPSK-less user data, more robust, more range.
Page 85 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Extra long 2.5MHz, FEC2/3, Guard 1/16, 16QAM 4.8Mbps -94dBm range 1 Extra long 2.5MHz, FEC2/3, Guard 1/16, QPSK 2.4Mbps -99dBm range 2 Note: All narrowband based range modes are a licensed feature. If you are not licensed for a mode you’ll be able to select it but the unit will simply drop into off mode automatically.
Page 86: Power Settings (3)
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC more data, less range. 1/4, long extension, deals with slower reflections, less data, more range. DVBT modulation QPSK, 16QAM The COFDM constellation in use. and 64QAM QPSK-less user data, more robust, more range.
Page 87: Configuring The Audio Parameters
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC (dB) If you have selected Low Output power above Output 32.00 is default attenuation low then the attenuation here will apply. (dB) Output 0.00 If you have selected a preset (10, 50, 100,...
Page 88: Configuring The Video Parameters
Checked or unchecked Applies a small voltage to the audio inputs to supply phantom power for Electret microphones. This will be 5V on SOLH264TX units and 12V on SOLH264ENGTX units. 10.8 Configuring the Video Parameters To work with the Video tab: 1.
Page 89: Video Settings
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 10.8.1 Video Settings Unit Parameter Options Notes Video input You can select the video to be off or any available setting to suit the camera source Comp PAL you have.
Page 90 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC HD input format 720p 50Hz HD Cameras are able to produce a variety of different output formats. 720p 59.94Hz Simply match the output of you camera to a...
Page 91 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC progressive. Sub vertical Full, 1/2, 1/4 This is the fraction of the vertical resolution resolution for whatever format you have selected. Let’s say you chose an HD 1080 format. This is actually 1920 x 1080 where 1080 is the vertical resolution.
Page 92: Configuring The Unit Parameters
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Mux bit rate 0.000 When set to 0 the mux bit rate is defined (Mbit/s) automatically based on modulation settings. When set manually with RF output turned off.
Page 93: Unit Parameter Settings
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 10.9.1 Unit Parameter Settings Unit Parameter Options Notes Unit name H.264 Unit 1 The default is H.264 Unit 1. This is an identifier for the service. This may have to...
Page 94 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Mode 1 8b No Parity You can choose to leave data turned off or select from one of the available modes. Mode 1 8b Even Parity 8b (8-bit data) or 7b (7-bit data) must Mode 1 8b Odd Parity match the data source, as must the parity.
Page 95 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC (OSD). On Screen Display Service name This can be used to select overlay text which is added to the pattern generator. Video source PMT PID Default or Each table or elementary stream in a...
Page 96: Care And Maintenance
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 11. Care and Maintenance 11.1 General Do not subject the radio to physical abuse, excessive shock or vibration  Do not drop, jar or throw the radio ...
Page 97: Repairs
11.5 Repairs Do not attempt any repair. The radio contains no user serviceable parts. Contact the Cobham Customer Service Centre or take it to a qualified repair technician. 11.6 Technical Support All other enquires (Like technical support) should be sent to the Client Services team on tcs.whiteley.support@cobham.com...
Page 98: Appendix A-Glossary
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 12. Appendix A-Glossary 12.1 General The glossary contains some abbreviations and terms you’ll need to know. 12.2 Glossary Means… Alternating Current. Current that is continually changing in magnitude and periodically in direction from a zero reference level.
Page 99 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Means… power values produced at the receiver input terminals is used. The more directional an antenna is, the higher is its gain. Attenuation Power loss resulting from conductor resistance and dielectric loss within the insulating material used to separate the conductors.
Page 100 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Means… Electromagnetic field The field of force that an electrical current produces around the conductor through which it flows. Electromagnetic A wave propagating as a periodic disturbance of the electric and...
Page 101 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Gain The increase in signal strength that is produced by an amplifier. Means… Hertz One cycle per second. Means… IP Address Internet Protocol Address – A unique numeric ID for a device within a network.
Page 102 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC metre (i.e., 10 m or one millionth of a millimetre). Noise Random pulses of electromagnetic energy generated by lightening or electrical equipment. Means… Omni directional An antenna whose radiation pattern shows equal radiation in all antenna horizontal directions.
Page 103 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC field used to convey data from one place to another. The simplest form of signal is a direct current (DC) that is switched on and off; this is the principle by which the early telegraph worked.
Page 104: Appendix B-Advanced Chaining Guide
On many Cobham products, you’ll see the term ‘Chaining’ in the software. On SOLH264TX, the Field Controller Window on the side of the unit has a menu item called ‘ASI’. We did this to make the unit more familiar to our broadcast customers.
Page 105: What Is An Mpeg Transport Stream
PID. In most applications, Time-division multiplexing will be used to decide how often a particular PID appears in the transport stream. 13.5 About Cobham Default PIDs Cobham transmitters have a set of Default values for PIDs. Default Value Video Audio 1...
Page 106: About Program Number
13.7 The Relationship between PIDs, Program Number and Chaining Number We saw above that Cobham transmitters have a set of default PIDs which is fine if you are sending just one program. When we start chaining devices together to send multiple video programs over one RF link for example, we need to identify those programs so that the receiver can decode them separately.
Page 107: Chaining Numbers And The Default Pids
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Chaining Number Program Number What happens to the Default PIDs? Adds 7 Adds 8 Adds 9 Table 13-2 – Relationship between Chaining Number and Program Number 13.7.2 Chaining Numbers and the Default PIDs We saw that if you use Chaining Number 5, five is added to the default PIDs and this gives you Program Number 6.
Page 108: About The Receiver End Of The Link
Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC On Cobham Transmitters, if you are set up for DVB-T operations, you use the Service Name field to uniquely identify your program. If you are set up for narrowband operations, you use the Unit Name field to uniquely identify your program.
Page 109: Before You Begin
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Note: When set in Relay mode the TX will not allow selection of video/audio encoder or data modes (they are forced to OFF) until the unit is no longer in relay mode.
Page 110: Step 1 - Connect The System
Step 1 – Connect the System Figure 13-1 – Connecting for Relay Mode Step 2 - Configure the Transmitter for Relay 1. Connect the SOLH264TX Transmitter to your Windows PC and start the Control Application. 2. Click the Advanced button.
Page 111: Troubleshooting
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Figure 13-2 – Configuring the Transmitter for Relay Mode Troubleshooting  In the Unit Information tab the Chaining field said ‘Overflow’ instead of active and my relay didn’t work.
Page 112: Setting Up Chaining Mode
Before you Begin You’ll need: At least one Receiver.  Two SOLH264TX Transmitters each configured to accept an SD video source.  A video source for each transmitter (I’m using SD in my example)  A Chaining Cable (ASI Cable).
Page 113: Step 1 - Connect The System
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Step 1 – Connect the System Figure 13-3 – Connecting for Chaining Mode Step 2 - Configure Transmitter 1 for Chaining 1. Connect Transmitter 1 to your Windows PC and start the Control Application.
Page 114: Step 3 - Configure Transmitter 2 For Chaining
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 11. Set the Chaining Output to ON. 12. Click the Apply button. Figure 13-4 – Configuring Transmitter 1 for Chaining Step 3 - Configure Transmitter 2 for Chaining 1.
Page 115 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC 5. Set Modulation output to ON. 6. Click the Apply button. 7. Select the Unit Parameters tab. 8. Set the Unit Name to Transmitter2. 9. Set the Chaining Input to ON.
Page 116: Step 4 - Configure The Receiver To Show Transmitter 1
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Figure 13-5 – Configuring Transmitter 2 for Chaining Step 4 – Configure the Receiver to Show Transmitter 1 1. Ensure all the modulation and video parameters are correctly set as in a conventional link 2.
Page 117: Step 5 - Configure The Receiver To Show Transmitter 2
In my example above, I was using a ProRX receiver which uses the terms Default Service and Program ID. On other Cobham receivers you may see other Variations of these names but as we said earlier, many of these terms are interchangeable.
Page 118: How Does Solo 6 Do Chaining
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Figure 1-6 – About the Terms at the Receiver End 13.14 How does SOLO 6 do Chaining? A SOLO6 Transmitter is really two transmitters in one box and naturally, it can do chaining.
Page 119: Dividing Bit Rate Using A Manual Method
There is a manual way of doing this same exercise using two conventional transmitters. Before you Begin You’ll need: At least one Receiver.  Two SOLH264TX Transmitters each configured to accept an SD video source.  A video source for each transmitter (I’m using SD in my example)  DS000091...
Page 120: Step 1 - Connect The System
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC A Chaining Cable (ASI Cable).  A PC with the Transmitter Controller software loaded.  A CA0343-2 USB to Lemo communications cable.  CAUTION: You must configure transmitter 2 to provide a known bit rate for the radio link.
Page 121: Step 2 - Configure Transmitter 1 For Chaining At High Bit Rate
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Step 2 - Configure Transmitter 1 for Chaining at High Bit Rate 1. Connect Transmitter 1 to your Windows PC and start the Control Application. 2. Click the Advanced button.
Page 122 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Figure 13-8 – Configuring Transmitter 1 for Chaining with Manual Bit Rate DS000091 UNCLASSIFIED Page 13-112 Rev 1.2 2013-05-02...
Page 123: Step 3 - Configure Transmitter 2 For Chaining At Low Bit Rate
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Step 3 - Configure Transmitter 2 for Chaining at Low Bit Rate 1. Connect Transmitter 2 to your Windows PC and start the Control Application. 2. Click the Advanced button.
Page 124 SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Figure 13-9 – Configuring Transmitter 2 for Chaining with Manual Bit Rate DS000091 UNCLASSIFIED Page 13-114 Rev 1.2 2013-05-02...
Page 125: Step 4 - Configure The Receiver To Show Transmitter 1
SOLH264TX Broadcast Transmitter UNCLASSIFIED Part A - User Guide H264TX, H264ENGTX, H264ENC Step 4 – Configure the Receiver to show Transmitter 1 1. Ensure all the modulation and video parameters are correctly set as in a conventional link 2. To see Transmitter 1 set your Default Service to Transmitter1 or set your default Program ID to 1.

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COBHAM SOLH264TX User Manual

Preface

1 Systems Description

2 Complete Equipment Schedule

3 Placards and Markings

4 Cautions and Warnings

5 Panels, Displays, Controls, Indicators and Alarms

6 Connectivity

7 Setting up Your Transmitter

8 Basic Operation

9 Advanced Operation

10 Control System

11 Care and Maintenance

12 Appendix A-Glossary

13 Appendix B-Advanced Chaining Guide

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