BW Broadcast RBRX Encore User manual

RBRX Encore
REBROADCAST RECEIVER
USERS MANUAL
version 0.26
(rev 2)
www.bwbroadcast.com

Contents!
1. The RBRX encore ...............................................................................3!
2. Warranty ...........................................................................................4!
3. Safety .................................................................................................6!
4. Front and rear panels ......................................................................9!
5. User Interface .................................................................................10!
5.1 Navigating the menu.................................................................................... 10!
5.2 Editing a parameter...................................................................................... 11!
5.3 Editing a text field.......................................................................................... 11!
5.4 The displays .................................................................................................... 12!
5.5 Headphone output....................................................................................... 12!
6. Installation ......................................................................................13!
6. Quick Setup...................................................................................................... 14!
6.1 Configuring as a monitor receiver .............................................................. 14!
6.2 Configuring as a rebroadcast receiver ...................................................... 15!
6.3 Configuring as a stereo generator.............................................................. 16!
7. System Configuration ....................................................................18!
The ‘system’ menu .............................................................................................. 18!
7.1 ‘audio i/o’ ...................................................................................................... 19!
7.2 ‘mpx generator’ ............................................................................................ 20!
7.3 ‘events’........................................................................................................... 21!
7.4 ‘time’............................................................................................................... 23!
7.5 ‘users’.............................................................................................................. 24!
7.6 ‘communication’ .......................................................................................... 24!
7.7 ‘about’............................................................................................................ 26!
7.7.1 Factory Reset and Restart................................................................................. 26!
8. Presets!Configuration ....................................................................28!
8.1 The ‘presets’ menu........................................................................................ 28!
8.1.1 Loading a preset................................................................................................ 29!
8.1.2 Editing a preset................................................................................................... 30!
8.2 ‘tuner 1’ and ‘tuner 2’................................................................................... 31!
8.3 ‘rds’ ................................................................................................................. 35!
8.3.1 RDS settings ......................................................................................................... 35!
8.4 ‘diversity’ ........................................................................................................ 37!
9. Menu Tree .......................................................................................40!
10. Routing Diagram ..........................................................................46!
11. Technical Specification ................................................................48!

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The RBRX encore 1
The award winning RBRX1 was widely regarded as the best rebroadcast
receiver on the market, so improving on it has been no easy task. The RBRX
encore offers all the features of the RBRX1 - and then some.
This premium rebroadcast receiver has two tuner cards as standard and a
whole host of new industry first features, including but not limited to dual tuner
diversity blending using advanced polarisation multi-path cancelling
techniques. There's still the multi-band L-R adaptive stereo noise reduction
pioneered by the RBRX1.
The user has full control of dozens of audio and RF settings, including audio
and IF bandwidths, de-emphasis and blending for stereo, HF and ultrasonic
noise. Control of blending levels and attack & release times is also possible.
For re-transmission applications, the RBRX encore adds DSP enhanced
MPX outputs that reconstruct a clean peak level and bandwidth limited
waveform, eliminating worries about studio transmitter link overshoots. We
had amazing feedback from users about the RBRX1's sound quality. You'll be
pleased to know the RBRX encore is even better, thanks to its enhanced
DSP audio limiter and stereo generator, both with continued industry leading
levels of backend aliasing distortion.
• 2 DSP tuners now offer full diversity reception from both antenna inputs.
• Increased RDS encoder capabilities with more monitor and decode
facilities if you wish to use it as an analyser or monitor.
• Enhanced DSP audio limiter & stereo generator for even clearer sound
quality.
• Unique ‘FMSI’ signal processing to recover good quality stereo
reception from noisy or weak signals.
!

4
Warranty 2
Please ensure the Warranty Registration process is completed upon receipt of this
product. To do so, go to www.bwbroadcast.com/warranty with your product’s serial
number to hand. BW Broadcast warrants the mechanical and electronic
components of this product to be free of defects in material and workmanship for a
period of two years* from the original date of purchase, in accordance with the
warranty regulations described below. If the product shows any defects within the
specified warranty period that are not due to normal wear and tear and/or
improper handling by the user, BW Broadcast shall, at its sole discretion, either repair
or replace the product. If the warranty claim proves to be justified, the product will
be returned to the user freight prepaid. Warranty claims other than those indicated
above are expressly excluded.
Return authorisation number
To obtain warranty service, the buyer (or his authorized dealer) must contact BW
Broadcast during normal business hours BEFORE returning the product. All inquiries
must be accompanied by a description of the problem. BW Broadcast will then issue
a return authorization number. Subsequently, the product must be returned in its
original shipping carton, together with the return authorization number to the
address indicated by BW Broadcast. Shipments without freight prepaid will not be
accepted.
Warranty regulations
Any product deemed eligible for repair or replacement by BW Broadcast under the
terms of this warranty will be repaired or replaced within 30 days of receipt of the
product at BW Broadcast. If the product needs to be modified or adapted in order
to comply with applicable technical or safety standards on a national or local level,
in any country which is not the country for which the product was originally
developed and manufactured, this modification/- adaptation shall not be
considered a defect in materials or workmanship. The warranty does not cover any
such modification/adaptation, irrespective of whether it was carried out properly or
not. Under the terms of this warranty, BW Broadcast shall not be held responsible for
any cost resulting from such a modification/adaptation. Free inspections and
maintenance/repair work are expressly excluded from this warranty, in particular, if
caused by improper handling of the product by the user. This also applies to defects
caused by normal wear and tear, in particular, of faders, potentiometers,
keys/buttons and similar parts. Damages/defects caused by the following conditions
are not covered by this warranty: Misuse, neglect or failure to operate the unit in
compliance with the instructions given in BW Broadcast user or service manuals.
Connection or operation of the unit in any way that does not comply with the
technical or safety regulations applicable in the country where the product is used.
Damages/defects caused by force majeure or any other condition that is beyond
the control of BW Broadcast. Any repair or opening of the unit carried out by
unauthorized personnel (user included) will void the warranty. If an inspection of the
product by BW Broadcast shows that the defect in question is not covered by the

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warranty, the inspection costs are payable by the customer. Products that do not
meet the terms of this warranty will be repaired exclusively at the buyer’s expense.
BW Broadcast will inform the buyer of any such circumstance.
Warranty transferability
This warranty is extended exclusively to the original buyer (customer of retail dealer)
and is not transferable to anyone who may subsequently purchase this product. No
other person (retail dealer, etc.) shall be entitled to give any warranty promise on
behalf of BW Broadcast.
Claims for damages
Failure of BW Broadcast to provide proper warranty service shall not entitle the buyer
to claim (consequential) damages. In no event shall the liability of BW Broadcast
exceed the invoiced value of the product.
Other warranty rights and national law
This warranty does not exclude or limit the buyer’s statutory rights provided by
national law, in particular, any such rights against the seller that arise from a legally
effective purchase contract. The warranty regulations mentioned herein are
applicable unless they constitute an infringement of national warranty law.
*Warranty period can be extended for an additional cost at point of purchase.

6
Safety 3
MAINS VOLTAGE: the encore products operate from an AC power source
between 110 and 240 V.
These power supplies use an IEC plug. The wiring format is:
Ground - GREEN/YELLOW
Neutral - BLUE
Live - BROWN
SWITCHED MODE POWER SUPPLY HAZARD Please note that the power supply unit in
this equipment is of the switched mode variety and has lethal voltages present
internally. The switched mode supplies are universal input fully approved type. They
are non-serviceable modules and should be replaced if they fail.
FUSES Only use fuses with the specified voltage and current ratings as stated on the
back panel. Failure to do so may increase the risk of equipment failure, shock and
fire hazard.
TOXIC HAZARD This equipment may include R.F. components that may contain
Beryllium oxide which is a highly toxic substance that could be hazardous to health if
inhaled or ingested. Care should be taken when replacing or discarding such
devices. Seek expert advice from the manufacturer should you physically damage
a device that contains Berillyium Oxide.
OTHER SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS Do not operate this equipment in the presence of
flammable gases, fumes or liquids Do not expose this equipment to rain or water.
CE CONFORMANCE This device complies with the
requirements of the 1995/5/EC Radio and
Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE). The
equipment will meet or exceed the following standards: EN
60215:1996 (Safety Requirements for Radio Transmitting Equipment), EN301489-11
(ERM/EMC for Radio Equipment, Part 11 Specific Conditions for FM Transmitters), EN
302 018-2 ERM (Transmitting Equipment for FM Radio Broadcasting service)
WEEE COMPLIANCE BW Broadcast Ltd is registered with Northern
Compliance PCS number WEE/P3438PR/ SCH and has been issued
with WEE/FA0268RX as its unique producer ID by the appropriate
environment agency. BW Broadcast Ltd full comply with it explicit
responsibilities, subject to WEEE Collections Policy outlined in their
General Terms and Conditions of Sale, when it sells Electrical and
Electronic Equipment (EEE) to B2B customers in the UK and EU.

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This appliance has been designed and manufactured with high
quality materials and components that can be recycled and reused.
Electronic appliances are liable to contain parts that are necessary in order for the
system to work properly but which can become a health and environmental hazard
if they are not handled and disposed of in the proper way. Consequently, please do
not throw your inoperative appliance with the household waste. Having purchased
this appliance it is your responsibility to dispose of this equipment appropriately.
CAUTION: To reduce the risk of electrical shock, do not remove the cover. No user
service- able parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified personnel.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock, do not expose this appliance
to rain or moisture.
DETAILED SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS:
All the safety and operation instructions should be read before the appliance is
operated.
Retain Instructions: The safety and operating instructions should be retained for
future reference.
Heed Warnings: All warnings on the appliance and in the operating instructions
should be adhered to.
Follow instructions: All operation and user instructions should be followed.
Water and Moisture: The appliance should not be used near water (e.g. near a
bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a wet basement, or near a
swimming pool etc.). The appliance should not be exposed to dripping or splashing
and objects filled with liquids should not be placed on the appliance.
Ventilation: The appliance should be situated so that its location or position does not
interfere with its proper ventilation. For example, the appliance should not be
situated on a bed, sofa rug, or similar surface that may block the ventilation
openings, or placed in a built-in installation, such as a bookcase or cabinet that may
impede the flow of air through the ventilation openings.
Heat: The appliance should be situated away from heat sources such as radiators,
heat registers, stoves, or other appliance (including amplifiers) that produce heat.
Power Source: The appliance should be connected to a power supply only of the
type de- scribed in the operating instructions or as marked on the appliance.
Grounding or Polarisation: Precautions should be taken so that the grounding or
polarisation means of an appliance is not defeated.
Power-Cord Protection: Power supply cords should be routed so that they are not
likely to be walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against them, paying
particular attention to cords and plugs, convenience receptacles and the point
where they exit from the appliance.

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Cleaning: The appliance should be cleaned only as recommended by the
manufacturer.
Non-use Periods: The power cord of the appliance should be unplugged from the
outlet when left unused for a long period of time.
Object and Liquid Entry: Care should be taken so that objects do not fall and liquids
are not spilled into the enclosure through openings.
Damage Requiring Service: The appliance should be serviced by qualified service
personnel when:
• The power supply cord or the plug has been damaged;
• Objects have fallen, or liquid has been spilled into the appliance;
• The appliance has been exposed to rain;
• The appliance does not appear to operate normally or exhibits a marked
change in performance;
• The appliance has been dropped, or the enclosure damaged.
Servicing: The user should not attempt to service the appliance beyond that is
described in the Operating Instructions. All other servicing should be referred to
qualified service personnel.

9
Front and rear panels 4
Rear panel:
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Front panel:
Analog audio
inputs
Pin 1 0v
Pin 2 +ve
Pin 3 -ve
Analog
audio
outputs
Pin 1 0v
Pin 2 +ve
Pin 3 -ve
MPX inputs
and
outputs
FM
antenna
inputs
AES/EBU Digital
input and output
Pin 1 0v
Pin 2 +ve
Pin 3 -ve
USB
and
Ethernet
(LAN)
GPIO
connector
(see
section
7.1.3)
Mains power
connector.
90-260v AC, 25w
Headphone
socket
Left OLED
display!
Softkey buttons
and scroll knob
with LED ring
Right OLED
display!
RS232

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User Interface 5
5.1 Navigating the menu
The RBRX encore has an intuitive interface based around six buttons and
a pushable scroll knob. The knob is surrounded by a ring of LEDs.
The buttons are ‘soft keys’, and perform various functions, denoted by icons
shown adjacent to them in the displays; softkey 4 though is always ‘back’.
The icons shown against the softkeys are as follows:
There are two high quality OLED displays: The left display shows various levels,
tuner parameters and received signal data.
The right display allows selection and editing of the various settings and
parameters throughout the unit.
The menu system is navigated by rotating the knob to highlight an item and
pushing it to open a submenu, or to select the parameter for editing.

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While navigating the menus, if an ‘info’ help-text is available for that
parameter, the ‘i’ symbol will illuminate next to softkey 5. Pressing this softkey
will show the info; pressing it again (or pressing ‘back’) will dismiss the info.
The RBRX encore boasts a unique feature, ‘Context Sensitive Metering’.
As you navigate through settings in System and Presets, the left OLED display
will automatically follow, showing the metering screen appropriate to the
parameter you’re currently adjusting.
This feature is ‘on’ by default, but may be switched off if desired in the System
| Display menu (see later). [This menu will be added in an imminent release].
While in a submenu, pressing softkey 4 (‘back’) will return to the parent menu.
5.2 Editing a parameter
To edit a parameter, navigate to it in the menu using the knob - square
brackets [ … ] will surround the currently highlighted parameter. Press the
knob to select the parameter, then rotate the knob to change it.
Changes happen immediately as you turn the knob; press the knob again to
keep the change; alternatively press the ‘back’ softkey to revert without
changing.
The parameter setting will be shown on the right screen, numerically and with
a progress bar.
5.3 Editing a text field
When editing a text field, such as the system name or a preset name,
pressing the knob will display a ‘qwerty’ keyboard on the right screen.
Highlight the letter to be used by turning the knob and press to select. To
delete a letter, use softkey 5 which shows an ‘X’ symbol.
To accept and save the new text, press softkey 6, which shows a tick symbol.
!

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5.4 The displays
When the RBRX encore is powered up, the left screen will show the tuner
status display: The frequency, signal strength, deviation level, pilot level and
RDS PS information of the station(s) being received by the two internal tuners.
Pressing the > and < buttons (1 and 2) will scroll through three other screens:
input levels, output levels, and a status screen.
The right screen will, on boot-up, show the ‘home screen’.
The three buttons available on the home screen are ‘system’, ‘sleep’ and
‘presets’.
The ‘system’ and ‘presets’ menus are described in the following section.
The ‘sleep’ button will, when highlighted and pressed, apply an instant
‘screensaver’ function in which both screens are extinguished and a
‘heartbeat’ is played on the knob’s LED ring to show at a glance that the unit
is powered up.
The ‘sleep’ function will also be automatically entered if no front panel
controls are operated for 30 minutes.
[‘sleep’ will be replaced in an imminent firmware version by ‘lock’ – which will
manually put the unit into the ‘security lock’ state - an added feature in that
version].
5.5 Headphone output
When a headphone plug is connected to the front-panel socket, the
‘headphone’ icon will illuminate next to softkey 3. To adjust the headphone
level, press the softkey (the icon will start flashing) and turn the knob. To end
this function, press softkey 3 again, or wait 5 seconds, when it will timeout.
The feed to the headphones can be any of the unit’s inputs, outputs or
tuners. This is determined in configuration, described in Section 7.

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Installation 6
The RBRX encore is extremely versatile, and be used in a number of
ways:
• Monitor receiver;
• Rebroadcast receiver;
• Stereo coder;
• RDS generator;
• A combination of these!
Please see section 10 for a comprehensive routing diagram.

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6. Quick Setup
6.1 Configuring as a monitor receiver
1. From the home screen, highlight ‘presets’ and push the knob to enter
the presets submenu.
!
2. Preset 1 will be highlighted, along with the frequency that tuner 1 is
currently set to. Press the knob to enter the preset 1 submenu.
3. Scroll to highlight ‘tuner 1 frequency’, press the knob to select, then
turn it to enter the desired frequency. Press the knob to save this, then
press ‘back’ three times to return to the home screen.
4. Enter ‘system’, ‘audio i/o’. Highlight ‘outputs’ and press the knob to
open the submenu.
5. If you’re using the analog outputs, change ‘an output source’ to
‘tuner 1’; if using the digital output, change ‘dig output source’ to
‘tuner 1’. You may also need to change the ‘digital sample rate’ to
that the equipment to which is connected requires.
6. If you’d also like to monitor via headphones, set ‘headphone source’
to ‘tuner 1 audio’.
7. Connect a receive antenna to the rear-panel ‘FM1 IN’ connector.
8. Connect the analog, or digital outputs to a suitable
amplifier/speakers or mixing desk etc.
Listen with pleasure!

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6.2 Configuring as a rebroadcast receiver
…with the received composite audio feeding the transmitter.
1. Carry out actions 1 through 3 in Section 6.2 above, to set tuner 1 to
the frequency of the transmission you wish to rebroadcast.
2. From the home screen, enter the ‘system’ menu and navigate to the
‘audio i/o’ submenu.
3. Enter the ‘outputs’ submenu.
4. Set the ‘mpx 1 source’ to ‘mpx generator’.
5. Set ‘mpx out level’ to your desired level.
6. Navigate to ‘MPX generator’, enter that menu and set the source to
‘tuner 1 audio’.
8. Set the pilot level to your desired level, probably 7.5%.
9. Press ‘back’ three times to return to the home screen.
Note: You could set ‘mpx 1 source’ to ‘tuner 1 mpx’ – then the received mpx
signal would pass through the unit unmolested; however you will not then be
able to feel the benefit of the complex ‘fmsi’ dsp-based signal processing,
which can recover very good stereo audio from a poor or noisy receive
signal.
This is because, in the RBRX encore, the ‘fmsi’ dsp signal processing is
carried out in the demodulated audio domain. We recommend you take
advantage of this powerful feature.

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Connect the rear-panel ‘mpx1 output’ socket to your transmitter, and
connect a receive antenna to the rear panel ‘FM 1 IN’ connector.
Of course, if you’re using the RBRX encore as a rebroadcast receiver, you
can still configure it as a monitor at the same time. You could also configure
the audio and/or headphone outputs to carry audio from tuner 2, which
could be on another frequency, including the frequency you’re transmitting,
so you can hear your transmitted audio!
6.3 Configuring as a stereo generator
1. Go to ‘system ‘, ‘audio i/o’, ‘outputs’, and set ‘mpx 1 source’ to ‘mpx
generator’.
2. In ‘system’, ‘mpx generator’, set source to ‘analog audio’ or ‘digital
audio’ depending on how you’re feeding the unit.
3. Scroll to, and set your desired pilot level.
If you wish to add or modify RDS information to your composite stereo
signal, please then do the following:
4. From the home screen, navigate to ‘presets’, ‘preset 1’, ‘rds’… and
set the RDS parameters as you need.
5. Then back in ‘mpx generator’, set the RDS level to the percentage
you need, probably 2-4%.

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And that’s it.
A more detailed description of the configuration of the RBRX encore
follows:

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System Configuration 7
The ‘system’ menu
This menu contains all the fundamental unit configuration settings, and should
be the first place you go after taking the RBRX encore out of its box!
These settings are particular to the installation, perhaps the transmitter site
itself, as opposed to the following ‘presets’ section (Section 8) which are
particular to the frequencies being received.
Power the unit up, and from the home screen, highlight and press the
‘system’ button:
You’ll now see a list of submenus:
audio i/o: Contains all audio input and output settings, as well as
output routing selections.
mpx generator: Settings for the mpx (‘composite’) generator.
events: A comprehensive events/alarms/scheduling system.
time: Manually setting the unit time and date, or automatically
setting this via ntp.
users: Set up admin user and standard users.
communication: A sub menu containing settings for identity, ethernet,
email, web remote, snmp, telnet, logging and RS232.
about: Unit information.
Let’s take some time to discuss the contents of each of these menus:

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7.1 ‘audio i/o’
Within this there are two submenus – ‘inputs’ and ‘outputs’.
‘inputs’ allows you to set the operating level of the unit when referenced
to the rest of your installation. For both analog and digital reference level,
please set these to your maximum normal operating level.
For example, if you will be feeding analog audio into the unit that may reach
but never exceed +12dBu, set the ‘analog ref level’ to +12. (For PPM users,
PPM4=+4, PPM5=+8, PPM6=+12).
Similarly, if your digital levels may meet but not exceed -10dBFS, set ‘dig ref
level’ to -10.
‘outputs’ allows you to set output levels from each physical output, and
choose what source feeds those outputs.
The sections of this submenu are:
an (analog) output source: none
analog audio
digital audio
tuner 1 audio
tuner 2 audio
test tone (a 1kHz sine wave)
diversity
analog output level: -18dBu to +24dBu
dig (digital) output source: none
analog audio
digital audio
tuner 1 audio
tuner 2 audio
test tone
diversity
dig output level: -20dBFS to 0dBFS
dig output sample rate: 48kHz
96kHz
192kHz
mpx 1 source: none
mpx in 1*
tuner 2 mpx*
mpx generator

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pilot tone
rds
mpx 1 out level: 0dBu to +12dBu**
mpx 2 source: none
mpx in 1*
tuner 1 mpx*
tuner 2 mpx*
mpx generator
pilot tone
rds
mpx 2 out level: 0dBu to +12dBu**
headphones source: none
analog audio
digital audio
tuner 1 audio
tuner 2 audio
test tone
diversity
headphone level: 0 to 100%
For convenience, the headphone source and headphone level settings are
duplicated directly under the ‘audio i/o’ menu.
* Note that if ‘tuner 1(or 2) mpx’, or ‘mpx in 1’ is selected as the source for an
mpx output, the received signal merely passes through the unit, unaffected
by the ‘fmsi’ signal processing (please see section 8.2 of this manual).
** The mpx output level adjustments only affect the output of the internal
mpx generator. If the mpx (1 or 2) output source is set to ‘tuner 1 (or 2) mpx’,
the output level is fixed at +6dBu.
7.2 ‘mpx generator’
This menu controls the on-board stereo generator (‘mpx’ meaning multiplex,
sometimes known as ‘composite’).
The stereo generator includes a composite clipper. With a drive level of 0dB,
this has no effect; above that it will become active and clip the mpx signal.
The clipper contains RDS/SCA protection filters, also there is a pilot protection
filter option.