Lucoro Broadcast FMTX250M User manual

FMTX250M
FM Transmitter
User Manual
WARNING!
This Transmitter is capable o generating extremely high RF
potential. Touching internal parts, or the connected antenna
system, will cause serious RF burns. Antenna systems should be
installed such that exposure by any person to RF ields cannot
exceed sa e limits. The permitted limits vary rom country to
country. Expert advice should be sought about the sa e
installation o this transmission system.
RISK OF FIRE!
RF (Radio Frequency) energy could cause ignition o combustible
sur aces during ault conditions. Installation should be le t to
quali ied personnel. RF can cause burns to skin. Ensure antenna
systems and eeder cables are not situated near, or could all
onto, any combustible sur ace.

IMPORTANT!
Always reduce the RF Output power to minimum be ore changing
the transmission requency. Once the new requency is active,
slowly increase the RF output power control to provide the
required power output level.
WARNING!
Never operate this device without a suitable 50 ohm load
connected to the RF OUTPUT socket, or without a suitably
installed and matched antenna system connected. Although the
output o this transmitter is protected against antenna load
aults, MIS-OPERATION MAY RESULT IN DAMAGE NOT COVERED
BY ANY WARRANTY.
IMPORTANT!
Correct operation o the cooling ans in this product is vital to
reliable continuous operation. Schedule bi-annual maintenance
checks. We strongly advise the use o a standby transmitter
system or use during maintenance events or ault conditions, to
prevent prolonged breaks in transmission.
IMPORTANT!
When cycling the power o , then on, ensure that the transmitter
is o or at least 10 seconds be ore re-applying power, to allow
the internal circuits time to ully reset. Failure to do so may result
in no RF output (PLL ailsa e mode).
Consideration should be given to itting a suitably rated UPS i
power interruptions are likely. Similarly, telemetry reset o power
may be advisable or transmitters in remote areas, or having
restricted access arrangements.

The FMTX250M is a reliable and compact 125W FM Broadcast
Transmitter operating rom 87.5MHz to 108MHz
At the heart o the FMTX250M is a high quality PLL modulator, and the
RF Power Ampli ier uses the latest high-gain Enhancement Mode
MOSFET device, achieving new levels o e iciency and reliability.
TTL remote monitoring and switching allows the FMTX250M to be
easily integrated into automated back-up applications.
These instructions should be read in ull be ore the transmitter is
operated.
The sa ety and operating instructions should be retained or uture
re erence.
All warnings on the transmitter and in the operating instructions
should be adhered to.
All operation and user instructions should be ollowed.
Use o this device into a radiating antenna requires a valid licence rom
a Spectrum Management Authority in most countries.
Use o this device as part o a transmission system, or combined
transmission system not speci ied by the manu acturer, may require
urther testing to ensure that it remains compliant with the essential
requirements and other relevant provisions o current EU Low Voltage,
EMC and Radio Equipment Directives. Approval and clearance rom the
Spectrum Management Authority may also be required.
Installation must adhere to sa ety regulations and the requirements o
the relevant authorities. We recommend that at least two people are
present during installation. Keep a ile containing installation
instructions and plans, including details o the transmission system
(antennas, eeders, ilters, etc) and operating instructions or all
In
troduction
Be ore operating

equipment at the transmission site at all times. Display posters
detailing irst aid treatment and treatment or electrical shock, along
with telephone numbers or contacting the emergency services in the
event o personal injury.
Ensure antenna system lightning strike protection is in place.
To reduce the risk o electrical shock, do not remove the cover, or any
screws. There are no user serviceable parts inside; re er servicing to
quali ied personnel.
Do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture. The transmitter
should not be used near water. Care should be taken so that objects
do not all - and liquids are not spilled - into the enclosure through
openings.
To reduce the risk o ire, always replace uses with the same type and
rating.
The transmitter should be mounted into a well-ventilated standard 19
inch equipment rack, using slide supports. It should be situated so that
its location or position does not inter ere with its proper ventilation.
The transmitter should be situated away rom heat sources.
The transmitter should be connected to a power supply only o the
type described in the operating instructions or as marked on the unit.
Precautions should be taken so that the grounding or polarisation o
this appliance is not de eated.
The unit should be cleaned only as recommended by the
manu acturer.
The transmitter should be serviced by quali ied service personnel i it
does not appear to operate normally, exhibits a marked change in
per ormance, has been subjected to shock, damage, moisture, or i
oreign objects have ingressed.
The user should not attempt to service the transmitter beyond that
which is described in the Operating Instructions. All other servicing
should be re erred to quali ied service personnel.
This appliance may become warm under normal operating conditions.
Recycle according to WEEE regulations.

1. SYSTEM Status LED. Green indicates correct operation, red indicates
a system error requiring urgent urther investigation.
2. DOWN Push-button. Press this control to navigate the LCD menu.
3. ENTER Push-button. Press this control to navigate the LCD menu.
4. UP Push-button. Press this control to navigate the LCD menu.
5. AF MON BNC connector or monitoring o the input to the
modulator (baseband MPX spectrum).
6. RF MON BNC connector or monitoring o the RF output. Output
level will be the RF output level attenuated by approximately 40dB. Not
to be used or measurement o harmonics.
7. RF OUT 'N' Socket. Connect a matched, pre-tested antenna system
with a return loss o >14dB to this socket. Ensure all parts o the eeder
and antenna system are rated or 300W or above.
8. RF ADJ Use a suitable trimmer tool to adjust the RF output power
level, (RF FWD on the display). Never set to above the 250W maximum
rated output power.
Controls and Connectors

9. REMOTE 9-pin D-sub Female. Remote control and monitor inputs
and outputs are available on this connector:
Pin 1. Re lected Power Alarm. TTL logic low during normal
operation. Floats high to indicate a high level o re lected power
(critical antenna mis-match) has been detected.
Pin 2. Forward Power alarm. TTL logic low during normal
operation. Floats high to indicate RF output has ailed
Pin 4. Temperature alarm. TTL logic low during normal
operation. Floats high to indicate over-temperature condition
has occurred.
Pin 9. RF Mute Control. Supplying between 5 and 12V this pin to
(with re erence to chassis ground potential) will mute the RF
output. Primarily used in automated changeover systems.
Pin 6, 7, 8 GND connection, at chassis earth potential.
The above ‘Open Collector’ outputs are capable o operation up to 50V
and sinking a current o 75mA maximum. The normally high, (ie. ‘pull
low’ upon alarm condition) provides inherent ‘power ailure’ or ‘cable
connection ailure’ signalling.
10. MPX IN. I using an external processor and RDS encoder, or a
baseband MPX Studio-Transmitter Link, connect to this BNC. Adjust the
output level o the external equipment to provide the correct
modulation level (requires test equipment).
11. POWER. Connect a power lead with an IEC C13 connector (and a 5
amp use in the plug or at the distribution panel) to this socket. Two T4
amp (time delay) uses are itted within this connector’s Fuse carrier.
12 EARTH. Grounding connection point (M4 stud and bolt).
Connect a suitable rated test load to the RF OUPUT socket be ore
connecting the unit to mains power. IMPORTANT! FAILURE TO DO SO
MAY RESULT IN DAMAGE NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY.
Installation

Power-up the unit and reduce the output power (using the rear panel
RF OUTPUT POWER ADJUST control) to the lowest level.
Using the ront panel display and buttons, set the desired transmission
requency.
Power down the unit, wait a ew seconds and, whilst pressing
ENTER or 5 seconds, power up the unit. A ter a short while, the
currently set requency will appear on the display. Use the UP
and DOWN buttons to select the desired requency. Press
ENTER to store. The new requency will lash rapidly to indicate
that it is now stored. The unit will begin its boot process and,
a ter a ew seconds the display will return to normal mode, and
the transmitter will begin broadcasting.
Connect the baseband multiplex signal to the rear panel BNC
connector, and adjust the source level so that maximum audio peaks
register just below the peak section o the ront panel audio level bar
graph display.
Once all settings are correct, power down the unit. Disconnect the test
load and connect to the antenna. Power up the unit and increase the
RF Power (using the rear panel RF ADJ control) to the desired level, not
exceeding 100W.
The FMTX250M is designed or continuous reliable transmission,
however the ans must be periodically checked or correct operation
and ree air low.
The ront panel display shows the transmission requency, orward
power level ( FWD ), re lected power level ( REF ) and multiplex input
levels.
Operation

Correct operation is con irmed by a ront panel green STATUS LED.
Should this turn red, the transmission system may shut down its RF
output and will, in any case, require URGENT attention.
The LCD display shows all main parameters so no urther menus are
provided or required (except requency setting detailed above). During
normal operation, there ore, the menu buttons do not have
any unction.
The ollowing are LCD display ault indicators and their meaning:
TEMP! The system is running too hot and has shut down the RF
output as a sa ety precaution. Check the ans or correct
operation. Also check the antenna system, including all cabling
(and/or ilters and/or combiners where itted) or correct
operation. The FWD! indicator (see below) will also show and the
standby transmission system (where used) will have activated
(TTL control).
REF!! The system has detected a ault in the antenna system
and has shut down the RF output as a sa ety precaution. Check
the antenna system, including all cabling (and/or ilters and/or
combiners where itted) or correct operation. The FWD!
indicator (see below) will also show and the standby
transmission system (where used) will have activated (TTL
control).
FWD! The system has detected there is no orward power. This
may be due to one or both o the above symptoms, due to a PLL
ailure, or due to excessive power setting. The standby
transmission system (where used) will have activated (TTL
control).
Ensure air vents and internal air tunnels are kept ree rom dust during
operation.
The cooling ans should be replaced a ter 40,000 hours o cumulative
operation. This li e rating is or guidance only and is subject to ideal
environmental operating conditions. Replace any an that ails or
becomes slow or noisy, immediately. Replacement an assemblies with
wiring loom and mating connector are available rom the
manu acturer. It is recommended that replacement work must be
carried out by the manu acturer or an approved agent.

EC Declaration o Con ormity to R&TTE Directive 1999/5/EC
We, Lucoro Broadcast
Clay Pit Lane
Roecli e
York
YO51 9FS
hereby take sole responsibility to con irm that the product:
FMTX100, FMTX250
(and versions thereo with M and RBRX su ix)
which this declaration re ers to, con orms to all applicable
requirements o EU Directive 2014/53/EU and is CE marked
accordingly:
Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU:
IEC 60950-1:2005/A2:2013
Sa ety Requirements or equipment < 600V
EMC Directive 2014/30/EU:
ETSI EN301 489-53 v1.1.0 (ETSI EN301 489-1 v2.1.1
ERM/EMC or Radio Equipment
Speci ic Conditions or FM Transmitters (Part 11)
Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU:
ETSI EN302018-2 v2.1.1
Transmitting Equipment or FM Radio Broadcasting service
The ollowing operation conditions and installation arrangements have
to be presumed:
(i) According to Operating Instruction Manual
(ii) Connected lead lengths o 2 metres or less
M. O’Rorke, Director
September 2020

RF:
Frequency range 87.5 to 108.00MHz
Frequency stability Better than ±200Hz
Output power 30 - 250W
Harmonic & spurious output -75dBc typical
AM Noise <0.5% @ ±40kHz deviation
THD <0.15%@ ±75KHz deviation
RF output connector ‘N’ type (F)
Monitoring:
RF BNC (F) -40dB 50 ohms
MPX BNC (F) 1V P-P 10K ohms
MPX:
MPX Input Level +8dBu or ±75KHz deviation
MPX Input Impedance 75 Ohms
MPX input connectors BNC (F)
Power Supply:
Input AC 100V to 250V (50/60 Hz)
Consumption (maximum RF output) 550W (230V 50Hz)
Mechanical:
Size (mm) 2U 88 (H) x 482 (W) x 290 (D)
Weight 5kg
Temperature 0ºC to +42ºC
Humidity 95% (relative non-condensing)
We reserve the right to alter speci ications without notice. E&OE.
Technical Speci ications

WEEE - Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
The equipment that you bought has required the extraction and use o
natural resources or its production. It may contain hazardous
substances that could impact health and the environment.
In order to avoid the dissemination o those substances in our
environment and to diminish the pressure on the natural resources,
we encourage you to use the appropriate take-back systems. Those
systems will reuse or recycle most o the materials o your end li e
equipment in a sound way.
The crossed-out wheeled bin symbol invites you to use those systems.
I you need more in ormation on the collection, reuse and recycling
systems, please contact your local or regional waste administration.
IMPORTANT!
NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR OF
ANY OTHER NATURE ARE MADE WITH RESPECT TO THIS PRODUCT. Do
not misconstrue any in ormation as our recommendation to use any
product, process, or equipment in con lict with any regulatory authority
or patent.
Ensure compliance with all applicable sa ety requirements when
installing or using this equipment, and operate in accordance with local
laws governing the use o radio transmission equipment.
No part o this document may be reproduced or transmitted, in any
orm, by any means, without prior written consent o the Lucoro
Broadcast.

Lucoro Broadcast shall not be liable or any direct, indirect, incidental,
consequential or other damage or loss alleged in connection with the
supply or use o this product.
The in ormation contained in this document is subject to change
without notice. Lucoro Broadcast makes no warranty o any kind with
respect to this in ormation. Lucoro Broadcast speci ically disclaims the
implied warranty o merchantability and itness or a particular
purpose.
Lucoro Broadcast
Clay Pit Lane
Roecli e
York
YO51 9FS
Telephone [phone]
Telephone (International) [phone]
Enquiries: [e-mail]