Quasonix TIMTER User manual

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Quasonix, Inc.
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TIMTERTM Multi-mode Dual Telemetry Transmitter
Installation and Operation Manual
Quasonix, Inc.
6025 Schumacher Park Dr.
West Chester, OH 45069
04 October 2019
*** Revision 1.4.10 ***
Specifications subject to change without notice.
All Quasonix products are under U.S. Department of Commerce jurisdiction; not covered by ITAR

TIMTER™ Multi-mode Dual
Telemetry Transmitter
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Quasonix, Inc.
Table of Contents
1Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1
1.1 Description ................................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Nomenclature .............................................................................................................................. 1
1.3 Part Number Field Codes ............................................................................................................ 3
1.3.1 Frequency Bands .................................................................................................................... 3
1.3.2 Clock and Data Interface......................................................................................................... 5
1.3.3 Serial Control Interface............................................................................................................ 6
1.3.4 ARTM Tier 0 (PCM/FM) .......................................................................................................... 6
1.3.5 ARTM Tier I (SOQPSK-TG) .................................................................................................... 6
1.3.6 ARTM Tier II (Multi-h CPM)..................................................................................................... 7
1.3.7 Legacy ..................................................................................................................................... 7
1.3.8 RF Output Power..................................................................................................................... 7
1.3.9 Packages................................................................................................................................. 8
1.3.10 Automatic Carrier Wave Output Option —AC ........................................................................ 8
1.3.11 Adapter Plate –AP.................................................................................................................. 8
1.3.12 Baud Rate Option –BRx ......................................................................................................... 8
1.3.13 CP07 Control Protocol Option –C7 ........................................................................................ 8
1.3.14 Convolutional Encoder Option –CE ....................................................................................... 9
1.3.15 Clock-free Baseband Interface Option –CF ......................................................................... 10
1.3.16 Clock Generator Output Option –CG ................................................................................... 10
1.3.17 Dual Power Option –DP ....................................................................................................... 10
1.3.18 Digital Switch Box Option –DSWBX..................................................................................... 10
1.3.19 Frequency Offset –FO .......................................................................................................... 10
1.3.20 High Bit Rate Option –HR .................................................................................................... 10
1.3.21 Internal Clock and Data Option –ID...................................................................................... 11
1.3.22 Limited Current Option —LC ................................................................................................ 11

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1.3.23 Forward Error Correction / Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) Option –LD ......................... 11
1.3.24 Forward Error Correction / Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) Option –LD6 ....................... 11
1.3.25 Low Bit Rate Option –LR...................................................................................................... 12
1.3.26 Modulation Scaling Option –MS........................................................................................... 12
1.3.27 Hardware Preset Option –PS (PS2, PS4, PS8, or PS16).................................................... 12
1.3.28 Recall Holdoff Option –RH ................................................................................................... 12
1.3.29 Space-Time Coding —STC.................................................................................................. 12
1.3.30 Variable FIFO Depth Option –VF ......................................................................................... 12
1.3.31 Variable Power Option –VP.................................................................................................. 12
1.3.32 Wide Input Voltage Range Option –WV ............................................................................... 13
2Accessories.......................................................................................................................................... 14
2.1 Fan-cooled Heat Sink ................................................................................................................ 14
2.2 Transmitter-powered Heat Sink ................................................................................................. 15
2.3 Adapter Plate ............................................................................................................................. 17
2.4 Pre-wired MDM-15 for RS-422 Units......................................................................................... 18
2.5 Pre-wired MDM-15 for TTL Units............................................................................................... 18
2.6 MDM-15 Wiring Harness for RS-422 Units................................................................................ 19
2.7 MDM-15 Wiring Harness for TTL Units ..................................................................................... 19
2.8 Ruggedized Handheld Programmer .......................................................................................... 20
2.9 USB to Serial Converter Cable .................................................................................................. 21
2.10 2nd Generation Switch Box......................................................................................................... 21
3Installation Instructions ........................................................................................................................ 22
3.1 Mechanical................................................................................................................................. 22
3.1.1 Standard Dual Transmitter .................................................................................................... 22
3.1.2 Side By Side Dual Transmitter .............................................................................................. 27
3.2 Thermal...................................................................................................................................... 29
3.3 Electrical .................................................................................................................................... 29

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4Operating Instructions.......................................................................................................................... 32
4.1 Power-on Operation................................................................................................................... 32
4.1.1 Dual Power via Hardware Control......................................................................................... 32
4.2 TIMTER™ Serial Control Protocol............................................................................................. 32
4.2.1 Frequency Notes ................................................................................................................... 33
4.2.2 2nd Generation Switch Box Notes.......................................................................................... 33
4.2.3 Command Set: Standard and Optional Commands.............................................................. 33
4.2.3.1 Additional Command Set Details ...................................................................................... 72
4.2.3.1.1 Clock Free Bit Rate –BR ........................................................................................ 72
4.2.3.1.2 Clock Generator Source Select Command –CG .................................................... 72
4.2.3.1.3 Internal Clock Rate –IC .......................................................................................... 73
4.2.3.1.4 Low Density Parity Check Command –LD ............................................................. 73
4.2.3.1.5 LDPC Header Select –LHS .................................................................................... 74
4.2.3.1.6 Mode –MO .............................................................................................................. 75
4.2.3.1.7 System Status Command –SY ............................................................................... 75
5RF Output Notes .................................................................................................................................. 76
5.1 RF Power ................................................................................................................................... 76
5.2 Muting RF Output ...................................................................................................................... 76
5.3 Troubleshooting the RF on a Quasonix Transmitter ................................................................. 76
6Performance Specifications ................................................................................................................. 80
6.1 RF Output .................................................................................................................................. 80
6.2 Electrical Current ....................................................................................................................... 80
6.3 Environmental Specifications..................................................................................................... 80
6.3.1 EMI Performance................................................................................................................... 81
6.4 Carrier Frequency Tuning.......................................................................................................... 81
6.5 Carrier Frequency Error ............................................................................................................. 83
6.6 Bit Error Rate ............................................................................................................................. 83
6.7 Modulated RF Power Spectrum ................................................................................................ 84
6.8 Phase Noise Power Spectrum................................................................................................... 86
6.9 Baseplate Temperature ............................................................................................................. 87

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6.10 Vibration and Shock................................................................................................................... 87
6.10.1 Vibration Testing.................................................................................................................... 89
6.10.2 Shock Testing........................................................................................................................ 92
7Maintenance Instructions ..................................................................................................................... 96
8Product Warranty ................................................................................................................................. 97
8.1 Quasonix Limited Warranty Statement...................................................................................... 97
8.1.1 Extended Warranties ............................................................................................................. 98
9Technical Support and RMA Requests................................................................................................ 99
10 Appendix A –Preset Option........................................................................................................... 100
11 Appendix B –Bench Set Up for STC and LDPC ........................................................................... 101
11.1 Receiver Connections.............................................................................................................. 101
11.1.1 Compact Receiver ............................................................................................................... 102
11.1.2 Rack Mount Receiver .......................................................................................................... 102
11.2 Transmitter Commands ........................................................................................................... 104
12 Appendix C –Acronym List ............................................................................................................ 105
List of Figures
Figure 1: Quasonix Part Number Construction Description.......................................................................... 1
Figure 2: CCSDS 131.0-B-1 Rendering of Basic Convolutional Encoder Diagram...................................... 9
Figure 3: Fan-cooled Heat Sink and Power Supply .................................................................................... 14
Figure 4: Fan-cooled Heat Sink with 6 cubic inch TIMTER™..................................................................... 14
Figure 5: Transmitter-powered Heat Sink, Pigtail Cable, SMA Extender, and Adapter Plate .................... 15
Figure 6: Transmitter-powered Heat Sink Mounted on an 04AB Package................................................. 16
Figure 7: Transmitter-powered Heat Sink Mounted on a 07AE Package ................................................... 16
Figure 8: Close-up Using Female MDM-15 Connector............................................................................... 17
Figure 9: Close-up Using Male MDM-15 Connector ................................................................................... 17
Figure 10: Two Transmitter-powered Heat Sinks Connected to 4 x 3 Dual Transmitter (24xx Package) .. 17
Figure 11: Adapter Plate ............................................................................................................................. 18
Figure 12: Pre-wired MDM-15 with 36” Pigtails for RS-422........................................................................ 18

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Figure 13: Pre-wired MDM-15 with 36” Pigtails for TTL.............................................................................. 19
Figure 14: MDM-15 Cable Harness for RS-422.......................................................................................... 19
Figure 15: MDM-15 Cable Harness for TTL................................................................................................ 20
Figure 16: Ruggedized Handheld Programmer .......................................................................................... 20
Figure 17: USB to Serial Converter Cable .................................................................................................. 21
Figure 18: Switch Box with 18” MDM-9 to MDM-9 Cable Harness............................................................. 21
Figure 19: 7.2 in3 TIMTER™ Dual Transmitter .......................................................................................... 22
Figure 20: Dual Transmitter RF Outputs..................................................................................................... 22
Figure 21: Dual Transmitter RF Outputs Connected to Upper and Lower Antenna ................................... 23
Figure 22: Dual Transmitter RF Outputs Connected to Upper and Lower Antenna Transmitting to
Receiver in STC Mode ................................................................................................................................ 24
Figure 23: Outline Drawing, TIMTER™ Dual Transmitter, 07AH Package, S-band Female MDM-15....... 25
Figure 24: Outline Drawing, TIMTER™ Dual Transmitter, 07AN Package, S-band Male MDM-15........... 26
Figure 25: 24.0 in3 TIMTER™ Dual Transmitter ........................................................................................ 27
Figure 26: Outline Drawing, TIMTER™ Dual Transmitter, 24AA Package, Male MDM-15........................ 28
Figure 27: MDM-15 Female Pin Numbering, RS-422 Interface –07AH Package...................................... 30
Figure 28: MDM-15 Male Pin Numbering, TTL Interface –09AM Package ............................................... 30
Figure 29: Baseband Signal Timing............................................................................................................ 31
Figure 30: TIMTER™ Welcome Message .................................................................................................. 33
Figure 31: PCM/FM (Tier 0) Power Spectral Density with Mask ................................................................ 85
Figure 32: SOQPSK-TG (Tier I) Power Spectral Density with Mask .......................................................... 85
Figure 33: MULTI-h CPM (Tier II) Power Spectral Density with Mask ....................................................... 86
Figure 34: Phase Noise Limit Curve ........................................................................................................... 87
Figure 35: Vibration / Shock Testing System.............................................................................................. 88
Figure 36: TIMTER™ Mounted for Z-axis Testing ...................................................................................... 88
Figure 37: TIMTER™ Mounted for X-axis Testing...................................................................................... 89
Figure 38: TIMTER™ Mounted for Y-axis Testing...................................................................................... 89
Figure 39: TIMTER™ Vibration Profile ....................................................................................................... 89
Figure 40: Z-axis Vibration Spectrum ......................................................................................................... 90
Figure 41: Y-axis Vibration Spectrum ......................................................................................................... 91
Figure 42: X-axis Vibration Spectrum ......................................................................................................... 91
Figure 43: Shock Pulse, Z-axis Positive ..................................................................................................... 92
Figure 44: Shock Pulse, Z-axis Negative.................................................................................................... 93
Figure 45: Shock Pulse, Y-axis Positive ..................................................................................................... 93
Figure 46: Shock Pulse, Y-axis Negative.................................................................................................... 94
Figure 47: Shock Pulse, X-axis Positive ..................................................................................................... 94
Figure 48: Shock Pulse, X-axis Negative.................................................................................................... 95

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Figure 49: Quasonix Dual Transmitter ...................................................................................................... 101
Figure 50: Example STC Field Configuration for Dual Transmitter and Rack Mount Receiver................ 101
Figure 51: Example Bench RF Configuration for Single Transmitter and Compact Receiver .................. 102
Figure 52: Example Bench RF Configuration for Dual Transmitter and Compact Receiver .................... 102
Figure 53: Example Bench RF Configuration for Single Transmitter and Rack Mount Receiver ............. 103
Figure 54: Example Bench RF Configuration for Dual Transmitter and Rack Mount Receiver—Without
STC ........................................................................................................................................................... 103
Figure 55: Example Bench RF Configuration for Dual Transmitter and Rack Mount Receiver—With STC
.................................................................................................................................................................. 103
Figure 56: Quasonix Dual Transmitter ...................................................................................................... 104
List of Tables
Table 1: Model Configuration Example......................................................................................................... 3
Table 2: Frequency Band Codes .................................................................................................................. 3
Table 3: Clock and Data Interface Codes ..................................................................................................... 5
Table 4: Serial Control Interface Codes........................................................................................................ 6
Table 5: ARTM Tier 0 Codes ........................................................................................................................ 6
Table 6: ARTM Tier I Codes ......................................................................................................................... 7
Table 7: ARTM Tier II Codes ........................................................................................................................ 7
Table 8: Legacy Codes ................................................................................................................................. 7
Table 9: RF Output Power Codes ................................................................................................................. 7
Table 10: Package Codes............................................................................................................................. 8
Table 11: Standard Bit Rates Compared to Low/High Rate Options.......................................................... 11
Table 12: Standard and Optional User Commands .................................................................................... 34
Table 13: DC Input Current at Standard Input Voltage............................................................................... 80
Table 14: TIMTER™ Environmental Specifications.................................................................................... 80
Table 15: TIMTER™ EMI Compliance........................................................................................................ 81
Table 16: Carrier Frequencies (MHz) ......................................................................................................... 81
Table 17: Transmitter BER Specifications with Quasonix Demodulator..................................................... 83
Table 18: K and m Values per Waveform ................................................................................................... 84
Table 19: Random Vibration Spectrum....................................................................................................... 90
Table 20: Dual Transmitter Input Commands for Channel 1 and Channel 2............................................ 104

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Quasonix, Inc.
1 Introduction
1.1 Description
This document describes the Installation and Operation of Quasonix’ TIMTERTM Multi- mode Dual Telemetry
Transmitters. The 7.2 cubic inch TIMTER™ Dual Transmitter has a compact 2.0 inch by 3.0 inch design that
provides a single MDM-15 interface as a primary connector for power, clock and data, and serial communications,
while providing two separate RF outputs via SMA connectors. This single band configuration is ideal for two
antenna applications that utilize Space-Time Coding (STC) or Frequency Diversity. Quasonix also offers a 24 cubic
inch dual transmitter, which provides the same connectors while enabling multiple band functionality. The
transmitters are designed to transmit airborne telemetry data from a test article to ground stations. The transmitters
are developed, manufactured, and supported by:
Quasonix, Inc.
6025 Schumacher Park Drive
West Chester, OH 45069
CAGE code: 3CJA9
1.2 Nomenclature
The earliest models of these transmitters were referred to as Tier I Missile Test Transmitters (TIMTER™) because
they were intended for missiles and offered only ARTM Tier I (SOQPSK) modulation. Although the model line now
includes much more than ARTM Tier I, and they are in widespread use on many platforms besides missiles, the
“TIMTER” name remains. Now in its third generation and commonly referred to as TIMTER™ 3, the transmitter is
available in a number of variations, depending on the options specified at the time of order. The type of features and
modes installed in each unit are identified in the model number, as depicted in Figure 1. Package field codes are
listed in Table 10. For questions about specific packages, please contact Quasonix.
Figure 1: Quasonix Part Number Construction Description
The words Terminal Control and Serial Control have the same meaning and are used synonymously throughout this
manual. Serial control originates from configuring the transmitter from a computer’s legacy RS-232/422 serial
communications (COM) port. Terminal Control reflects the more generic case where the transmitter could be
controlled by other standard computer interfaces such as Ethernet.
QSX-V S R 2 1 1- 1 0 05- - 04 -07AK -CF
Dual Transmitter Part Numbering Example
PCM/FM
SOQPSK-TG
Legacy
Standard
Prefix
Frequency Band
Clock and Data
Interface
Serial Control Interface
2 = RS-232
T= TTL
Mode:
1= Enabled
0=Not enabled
ARTM CPM
Options, separated
by hyphens
(example clock
free)
Package Code
Pinout Code
Power Output per Output

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The available TIMTER™ software and hardware options are listed below. Refer to section 1.3 for detailed
descriptions of each option.
•AC Automatic carrier wave output
•AP Adapter plate for 2.5” x 3.5” footprint – Include this hardware accessory with order
•BRx Request non standard baud rate for serial control
•C7 Quasonix interpretation of IRIG 106-17 Appendix 2-C serial control protocol
•CE Convolutional encoder (includes NRZ-M encoding) (k=7 rate 1/2)
•CF Clock-free baseband interface
•CG Clock generator output to baseband connector
•DP Dual power (Ability to set a low and a high setting, hardware controlled*)
•DSWBX Includes switch box and 18” MDM-9 to MDM-9 cable harness (For use with P9 option)
•FO Frequency Offset
•HR Increases max bit rate up to 46 Mbps (23 Mbps for PCM/FM) (20 Mbps max for Clock Free
mode)
•ID Internal Clock and Data can be saved as a power-up default
•LC Low current in the RF Off state, 10 mA (hardware option)
•LD LDPC forward error correction encoding
•LD6 Extended LDPC
•LR Decreases min bit rate to 50 kbps (25 kbps for PCM/FM) (50 kbps min for Clock Free mode)
•MS Modulation scaling
•PS Enable hardware presets (specify 2, 4, 8, or 16 –PS2, PS4, PS8, PS16)
•PW020 RF Output 20 mW (+13 dBm)
•RH Recall Holdoff
•STC Space-Time Coding
•VF Variable FIFO Depth, controls transmitter latency
•VP Variable power (31 settings, spanning 24 dB), software controlled*
•WV Wide input voltage range
Refer to Table 12 in section 4.2.3 for detailed descriptions of each option. Due to input connector pin count
limitations, certain combinations of options are not available. Please contact Quasonix for support in ordering
TIMTER™ options or for information regarding upgrades to TIMTER™ units that you may already own.
The model number identifies the configuration of the unit. For example, model number QSX-VSR2-1100-10-04-
07AH-STC defines a unit configured as shown in Table 1.

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Table 1: Model Configuration Example
Identifiers
Description
QSX
Quasonix product
V
Variable bit rate
S
S band code
R
RS-422 clock and data interface code
2
RS-232 serial control interface: baud rate 57,600
1100
Tier 0 present, Tier I present, Tier II absent, Legacy absent
10
10 Watt RF output
04
Pinout code 04
07AH
Package code
STC
Space-Time Coding
1.3 Part Number Field Codes
1.3.1 Frequency Bands
Frequency band codes are listed in Table 2. All frequency bands may be tuned 0.5 MHz above or below the stated
frequency. For higher power requirements, contact Quasonix.
Table 2: Frequency Band Codes
Band ID
Code
Band
Minimum
Freq
Maximum
Freq
Default Freq
Tuning
Steps
Max
Power
A
Lower S
2200.5 MHz
2300.5 MHz
2250.5 MHz
0.5 MHz
10 W
B
Mid C and Euro Mid C
5091.0 MHz
5150.0 MHz
5150.0 MHz
5250.0 MHz
5120.0 MHz
0.5 MHz
10 W
C
C “Low”
4400.0 MHz
4950.0 MHz
4620.0 MHz
0.5 MHz
10 W
D
C (with Mid C)
4400.0 MHz
and
5091.0 MHz
4950.0 MHz
and
5150.0 MHz
4620.0 MHz
0.5 MHz
10 W