Semco MC110 Series User manual

A2537-001/January 2023 SEMCO Proprietary Information
MC110 SERIES RF MULTI-COUPLER
USER’S GUIDE
Systems Engineering & Management Company
1430 Vantage Court
Vista, California 92081
PROPRIETARY INFORMATION
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT CONSTITUTES PROPRIETARY INFORMATION AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
OF SYSTEMS ENGINEERING & MANAGEMENT COMPANY (SEMCO). ACCORDINGLY, THE USER(S) OF THIS INFORMATION AGREE(S)
TO PROTECT THIS INFORMATION TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY WILL PREVENT OTHERS FROM COPYING AND/OR REPRODUCING
THIS INFORMATION, EITHER IN WHOLE OR IN PART, OR MANUFACTURE, PRODUCE, SELL OR LEASE ANY PRODUCT COPIED FROM
OR ESSENTIALLY REPRODUCED FROM THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED WRITTEN
APPROVAL OF SYSTEMS ENGINEERING & MANAGEMENT COMPANY.
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT
DISTRIBUTION OF THIS DOCUMENT IS AUTHORIZED TO U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, THEIR CONTRACTORS, AND
INTERNATIONAL USERS WHO HAVE PURCHASED SEMCO’S MC110 SERIES RF MULTI-COUPLER UNDER U.S. EXPORT RULES AND
REGULATIONS. THIS PUBLICATION IS PROVIDED AND REQUIRED SOLELY FOR THE USE AND OPERATION OF THE MC110 SERIES
RF MULTI-COUPLER. OTHER REQUESTS FOR THIS DOCUMENT SHALL BE REFERRED DIRECTLY TO SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AND
MANAGEMENT COMPANY

A2537-001/January 2023 SEMCO Proprietary Information
SAFETY SUMMARY
System Weight and Handling Restrictions - Depending upon the specific system and configuration,
each MC110 chassis weighs approximately 7 pounds. The MC110 is housed in a 1U rack-mount enclosure
designed for installation in Telemetry Ground Station equipment racks.
Electrical –The MC110 is designed to operate on 115/230 VAC 50/60 Hz and complies with all U.S. and
International safety codes and regulations required for safe operation and use of commercial equipment.
Use standard and accepted safety practices with respect to operating commercial electrical equipment at
all times to avoid the risk of personal injury or death.
EMI/EMC –The MC110 complies with all FCC and CE regulations regarding electromagnetic interference
and compatibility. There are no personnel hazards or safety issues with respect to EMI/EMC when
operating the system.
Exposure to Radio Frequency (RF) Signals –The MC110 is not an RF transmission device but does
pass transmitted RF signals from 200 MHz to 2500 MHz at levels of between +10 dBm to noise threshold
levels. These signal levels are well below the minimum safe exposure levels prescribed by both U.S. and
International standards.

A2537-001/January 2023 SEMCO Proprietary Information
LIST OF EFFECTIVE PAGES
Page Change Date Page Change Date
Initial Release A2537-001 01/01/2023

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION TITLE PAGE
1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Scope 1
1.2 Purpose and Description 1
2 GETTING STARTED 2
2.1 System Description 2
2.1.1 System Configuration and Options 3
2.2 Initial System Hardware Set-up and Operation 3
3 RF MULTI-COUPLER OPERATION 4
3.1 Overview 4
3.2 Front Panel Controls 4
3.2.1 RF Multi-Coupler Set-Up 4
ILLUSTRATIONS
FIGURE TITLE PAGE
1-1 MC110 RF Multi-Coupler 1
2-1 MC110 RF Multi-Coupler I/O and Operator Controls
(2 RF Inputs and 4 Outputs per Channel Shown) 3
3-1 RF Multi-Coupler Front Panel Controls 4
TABLES
TABLE TITLE PAGE
3-1 MC110 Specifications 2

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1 - INTRODUCTION
1.1 Scope
This User’s Guide provides the necessary information for the operation of all SEMCO MC110 RF Multi-
Coupler configurations, which are used to receive and distribute RF signals from antennas operating in the
200 MHz to 2500 MHz frequency spectrum. The most common use of the MC110 RF Multi-Coupler is the
distribution of these antenna RF signals to telemetry receivers installed in telemetry ground stations in
support of aircraft, missile, and weapon system flight tests.
1.2 Purpose and Description
This User’s Guide provides detailed information to allow for operation of all MC110 RF Multi-Coupler
configurations (Figure 1-1).
Section 2, Getting Started briefly describes and lists the standard and optional hardware features of the
rackmount MC110 RF Multi-Coupler and then describes how to install and apply power to the MC110.
Section 3, Hardware I/O describes system hardware and I/O interface. This standardized hardware I/O
description facilitates MC110 RF Multi-Coupler operation in a typical Telemetry Ground Station
environment.
Section 4, RF Multi-Coupler Operation provides instructions for MC110 operation.
Figure 1-1
MC110 Series RF Multi-Coupler

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2 –GETTING STARTED
2.1 System Description
The MC110 RF Multi-Coupler is a 1U rack mount device designed for receiving antenna RF signals and
distributing these signals to multiple telemetry receivers or other desired devices in a telemetry ground
station. The RF Multi-Coupler is available in several configurations:
A. 1 RF input and 8 RF outputs
B. 2 RF inputs and 4 RF outputs per channel
C. 2RF Inputs and 8 RF outputs per channel
All models of the MC110 provide a separate rear panel port that allows for the monitoring of the incoming
RF spectrum. This monitoring port is provided using a directional coupler connected to the RF input and
has some insertion loss compared to the RF input signal.
Each output port has an independent gain adjustment with a nominal range of 10 to 15dB. The MC110 is
designed to operate from 200 MHz to 2500 MHz
The MC110 design includes selective wide band RF LNAs, precision power splitters and adjustable gain
controls across the 200 MHz to 2500 MHz spectrum. Simple front panel adjustments provide for balancing
the output of each output channel. Isolation between output ports is >50dB.
Table 2-1 provides the MC110 Specifications.

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Table 2-1
MC110 Specifications
Features
Specifications
Electrical
Input Ports
1 or 2 (N-type F or SMA-type F)
Output Ports
8 (N-type F) or
16 (SMA-type F)
Spectrum Monitoring Ports
1 or 2 (N-type F or SMA-type F)
Frequency Range
200 MHz to 2500 MHz
VSWR
<2.5:1
Noise Figure
<10 dB
Gain Controls
Nominal 10 to 15 dB gain per output channel
Linearity
+/-1 dB across each selected channel
P1 Compression Point
Begins compressing at 0 dBm input power
Isolation
>50 dB between RF output ports
Communications
Local Control
Front Panel
Power Requirements
Input Power
90 to 265 VAC; 50-60 Hz; Auto Ranging
Physical and Environmental
Size and Weight
1U RM; 17” W x 1.75" H x 12” D; <7 lbs.
Operating Temperature
-20 to +50 degrees C
Storage Temperature
-20 to +70 degrees C
Humidity
Up to 95% non-condensing
Altitude
Up to 30,000 feet
EMI
Designed to meet MIL-STD 461
2.1.1 System Configurations and Options
As previously discussed, the MC110 is provided with 1 RF input and 8 RF outputs or 2 RF inputs and 4 or
8 RF outputs per channel. Custom configurations of the MC110 are also available. Contact the factory if a
custom configuration is desired.

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Independent Adjustable Output
Gain Controls
CHANNEL 1
CHANNEL 2
RF Outputs
AC Power Input
RF Input
2.2 Initial System Hardware Set-up and Operation
The user should read this User’s Guide and become familiar and comfortable with the overall features and
configuration of the specific MC110 multi-coupler that will be used. Figure 2-1 depicts the MC110 power
ON/OFF switch w/LED indicator, RF input ports, RF channel output ports, monitoring ports, power supply
input connector and front panel controls.
The MC110 is operated using an external 115/230 VAC, 50/60 Hz power source. A simple ON/OFF power
button (Figure 2-1) is provided.
Figure 2-1
MC110 RF Multi-Coupler I/O and Operator Controls
(2 RF Inputs, 4 RF Outputs per CH is shown)
.
Spectrum
Monitor
ON/OFF Power
RF Outputs
Spectrum
Monitor
RF Input

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Independent Adjustable Output
Gain Controls
3 –RF MULTI-COUPLER OPERATION
3.1 Overview
This section describes all steps and features required for RF Multi-Coupler operation. The front panel
controls described herein are applicable to all delivered MC110 Multi-Couplers. These controls and
displays are described in subsequent paragraphs.
3.2 Front Panel Controls
Figure 3-1 depicts the MC110 front panel controls.
Figure 3-1
RF Multi-Coupler Front Panel Controls
As shown in Figure 3-1, the MC110 Front Panel is divided into two sub-panels:
•System Power
•Channel Gain Controls
Power ON/OFF –This push button applies 115/230 VAC power to the MC110.
Output CH Gain Controls –Each output channel has a front panel adjustment (nominal 10 to 15 dB gain).
3.2.1 RF Multi-Coupler Set-Up
Step 1 - Connect the RF Multi-Coupler AC power input to a 110-220 VAC source. Power the RF Multi-
Coupler “ON”by depressing the front panel red Power ON/OFF button. The power “ON”indicator LED
should illuminate when the systems is operational.
Step 2 - Connect the RF Input port to an appropriate signal source. Connect the RF output ports to the RF
transmission systems or device.
ON/OFF Power

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Step 3 –It may be necessary to adjust the gain in each output channel to allow for termination or cable
loss differences in the transmission system. Using a small blade screwdriver adjust the Gain control
potentiometer for each port while monitoring the signal at the termination device and adjust as needed.
Step 4 - Connect a Spectrum Analyzer to the Spectrum Monitoring port(s) and verify the presence of the
incoming RF spectrum.