BSRF AFB-250 User manual
Table des matières
Read first:.......................................................................................................................................................2
Firmware revision:.........................................................................................................................................3
Description:....................................................................................................................................................4
Basics about radio over fiber:.........................................................................................................................5
Question answer about RoF.................................................................................................................................6
AFB-250:.......................................................................................................................................................8
AFR-200:.....................................................................................................................................................10
ACH-642:....................................................................................................................................................12
ACH-862:....................................................................................................................................................14
How to:........................................................................................................................................................16
Usefull datas:...............................................................................................................................................18
Insertion loss of usual coaxial cables:......................................................................................................18
Insertion loss of connectors:....................................................................................................................18
Insertion loss of 1:N port passive splitters (min theoric):.........................................................................18
Accessories:.................................................................................................................................................19
Specifications:..............................................................................................................................................20
Warranty:.....................................................................................................................................................21
Read first:
–First of all read this manual.
–RF power can be dangerous please always use or wear proper Personnal Protective
Equipment (PPI).
–Be sure to understand radiofrequency behavior when measuring power otherwise it
can destroy amplifiers or hurts.
–To use those equipments be sure to understand RF concepts such spectrum, power,
noise, intermodulation, filtering...
–Clean the device with a slightly damp cloth.
–This device must'nt be exposed to rain, moisture.
–Do not install the device near any heat sources.
–This device must be serviced by a qualified service personnel.
–Specifications are subject to change without notice.
–BSRF is not responsible of any injuries, destruction resulting of improper usage of
equipments.
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Description:
First of all thanks for buying this product from BSRF, we hope it will serve you well!
The BSRF radio over fiber products are used to take advantages of propagation on optical
fiber. Those devices are used to convert RF electrical signal to optical signal and convert them
back to electrical. This full analog transformation is not compatible with IP network.
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Question answer about RoF.
1. Does it work like network devices ? NO, it's an analog modulation, you've to pay
attention on optical loss. As a rule of thumb every time you loose 1dB on the optical path
you'll loose 2dB on RF path.
2. How far can I remote antenna ? If you use just one fiber between equipments, you can
put the remote 10km from the base (5dB of optical loss leads to 10dB of RF loss). If you
add more connections between equipments or if connectors are dirty this distance will be
reduced.
3. How can I get the best from RoF for wireless microphones applications ? Well as usually
the way you place antenna is still important, the idea is to avoid too strong signals and
too weak signals !! As converter is active device it can be overloaded this lead to
intermodulation and rising noise. With a well defined antenna position, clean fiber,
sometimes filter on big rig, you will get the best RF coverage.
4. How can I get the best from RoF for IEM application ? Well as usually the way you
place antenna is still important. It's never a good idea to put the TX antenna near or in
front of a RX antenna. As AFB-350 and AFB-450 have a broadband amplifier onboard,
you should consider using an external filter to reduce noise generated by amplifier. If you
feel not comfortable with that we are here to help (really!).
5. How to handle wireless microphone multi-zone coverage with RoF ? The best idea is to
alternate A and B diversity antenna. Because diversity receivers switch from A to B
selecting the best signal. You should avoid the case where two A (or B) antennas are near
of each others because you can have drops depending on frequency and position of
emitter... If you have to put A antennas (or B) near each others consider using directive
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antenna to « select » area of coverage.
6. Can I consider not inspecting fiber before an installation ? It's the same when you wear
glasses, generally it's quite hard to clean them when you drive... Seriously it must be
done before an installation with proper tools.
7. How can I inspect fiber ? The best way is to use a video inspection tool (ie:
VIAVI/JDSU P5000i, USB with free software, is widely used, safe for eyes). But ones
can use affordable microscope with a X200/X400 magnification (WARNING ! Don't
use it while equipment is powered as it could lead to permanent damage of your
eyes). You also need the proper microscope tip to adapt to the kind of connector
(LC/PC,LC/APC,SC/PC,SC/APC...). Of course we can help you on that topic.
AFB-250:
WARNING!: DON'T TRY TO INSPECT FIBER WITH YOUR EYES WHEN THE UNIT IS
SWITCHED ON, USE PROPER PERSONNAL PROTECTION EQUIPEMENTS.
The AFB-250 allows to remote two RX antennas over two momode fibers. Specially
made electro-optical components are used in this equipment.
This device must be used with a AFR-200 or ACH642 or ACH-862 base. Its rugged
aluminium made enclosure and its connectors are designed for on field operation. A DC-feed
12V supply, protected from short circuits, can be activated on each inputs individualy. An « RF
peak » indicator shows if the RF input level is too strong. At last a 10dB RF attenuator on each
input can be activated in order to reduce sensitivity and intermodulation. This attenuator must
be enabled on startup.
LEDS:
–Power: Green color lights up when the device is on.
–DC feed: Orange color indicates that supply is enabled for active antennas. This
orange LED will blink in case of short circuit in cable or connector.
–Optical: Green color indicates that optical converter is active.
–RF peak: This red LED lights up when RF level is too high. This may come from a
wrong antenna booster setting or a transmitter too close from the antenna.
SWITCHES:
–DC-feed : Activate 12V/200mA power supply for active antennas. Press on antenna
symbol o toggle DC feed state.
POWER:
–9-36Vdc-15W linear power supply or battery Consumption 500mA - 600mA with 1
active antenna - 750mA with 2 active antennas XLR4 Wiring : 1 - / 4 +
FIBER OPTICS:
–Neutrik OpticalCon Duo APC or LC/APC fiber optics cables linked to fiber receiver
AFR / ACF / ACH
–Each channel use a single fiber, when using a connection with LC connector, the
corresponding pin out is indicated on the Front panel close view.
RF in:
–Connect Rx Antennas A & B Passive up to 5m with RG58 and 10m with RG213 cable
Active up to 35 m with RG58 and 70m with RG213 cable.
Activate/desactivate internal attenuator:
–While switching device ON, press SWITCH RF in A. Optical A and B leds will blink
alternatively. From this moment you'll have about 10sec to set attenuation: Pressing
DC feed switch (A or B) for having RF peak led ON & DC feed OFF(10dB
attenuator activated on corresponding channel) or RF peak OFF & DC feed OFF (no
attenuation, default).
–When 10s pass, configuration will be stored in EEPROM.
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AFB-250 specifications:
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Specifications:
RX section
Bande
passante 470-800MHz
Entrée RF 2xBNC 50R
Télé-alim 12V/200mA
Atténuateur
RF 0/10dB
Seuil RF peak -12dBm
Sortie optique Neutrik Opticalcon,
1310nm, monomode/APC
Consommation 500mA typ.
+1 antenne 600mA typ.
+2antennes 750mA typ.
Alimentation XLR4, 12W
Dimensions 155x180x70mm
Poids 1,3kg
LEDS:
–Power: Green color lights up when the device is on.
–Optical: Green color indicates that optical link is active Beyond 3 dB power loss in
optical link, this LED will blink.
POWER:
–110/220V 50-60Hz Max 2A .
FIBER OPTICS:
–Neutrik OpticalCon Duo APC or LC/APC fiber optics cables linked to fiber receiver
AFR / ACF / ACH
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Illustration 5: Optical connection
RF out:
–Connected to wireless receiver or splitter/combiner.
FIBER OPTICS:
–Neutrik OpticalCon Duo APC or LC/APC fiber optics cables linked to fiber receiver
AFR / ACF / ACH
–Each channel use a single fiber, when using a connection with LC connector, the
corresponding pin out is indicated on the Optical connection.
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Illustration 7: Optical connection
ACH-642 specifications :
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Specifications:
TX section
Bandwidth 150-850MHz
Input.output
coax 4x BNC 50 ohms
Télé-alim 12V/200mA
Gain coax
channel +3dB typ.
Fiber input Neutrik OpticalCon Duo
(fibre monomode APC)
Gain fiber
channels 0dB typ.
Supply 110-220V 50-60Hz
Dimension 480x280x44mm
Weight 3,5kg
(Subject to change without notice)
–110/220V 50-60Hz Max 2A .
FIBER OPTICS:
–Neutrik OpticalCon Duo APC or LC/APC fiber optics cables linked to fiber receiver
AFR / ACF / ACH
–Each channel use a single fiber, when using a connection with LC connector, the
corresponding pin out is indicated on the Optical connection.
RF out:
–Connected to wireless receiver or splitter/combiner.
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Illustration 10: Optical connection
ACH-862 specifications:
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Specifications:
TX section
Bandwidth 470-790MHz
RF IN/OUT 4x BNC 50 ohms
DC-feed 12V/200mA
Gain on coax +/-1dB typ.
Optical input Neutrik OpticalCon Duo
(fibre monomode APC)
Gain on fiber
(RF) 0dB typ.
Isolation
ON/OFF RF 60dB typ.
Supply 110-220V 50-60Hz
Dimension 480x280x44mm
Weigth 3,5kg
(Subject to change without notice)
How to:
1) What is important:
Most important things are:
-Optical loss as it directly induce RF loss: 1dB loss in the the optical path lead to 2dB of
RF loss
=> keep fiber interface as clean as possible.
=> as soon as fiber is unplugged protect it.
=> use quality equipements to inspect/clean fibers interface.
-Too strong RF signals: radio over fiber as all active equipements have a limited
dynamic. This means above a threshold the more the signal become strong the more it
will produce distrortion, noise.
=> RF in ports must be preserved from high signal, on AFB-250 the RF peak led l
lights up at -12dBm, keep signal under this threshold (specially when using many
carriers).
=>Use filter behind passive antennas to reduce outband perturbing signals.
=>Use directive antennas, move antenna to not be in the line of sight of IEMs, TX,
walkies
2) When should I need radio over fiber equipements?
If you need to:
-Put antennas far away from receiver (above 100 meters) and low loss coax is not an
option (weight/oxydation/on field set up).
-Capture wireless from distant location and you don't want to put one receiver per carrier
in every spot... and handle multiple audio source.
-Quickly deploy antennas on field.
3) What about noise?
Radio over fiber equipements use active components that produces noise, specially the
laser used as an optical carrier. The noise produced is a broadband noise (AWGN), seen
as an increasing noise floor on a spectrum analyzer. Summing multiple ROF link will
increase this level.
4) How to set up equipements.
AFR-200:
Simple as following 1).
ACH-642/ ACH-862:
Multiple antenna combining can produce destructive interference, this happens when two
out of phase signal sums locally. This produce a quick drop out that every RF tech
knows. So the more antenna you sum the more probability you have to get this effect
to happens. This effect happens when both signals are phase opposite and of equal
magnitude. This magnitude is important, you need to take care of that.Antennas from the
same diversity channel (A or B) must not receive the same magnitude coming from the
same source (wireless microphone). If you try to put all summed antennas in the same
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This manual suits for next models
3
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